When we reached the gates, we were stopped by a few guards.
"Jade Opal! Eliza wanted to chat with you and the dark vessel the moment you two arrived."
"That's fine. We were just heading Elizera's way. Thank you."
They let us through as we began to jog the rest of the way. When we finally reached the knight station, Eve and Mellissa were inside, chatting with one another.
"Thank god that psycho Yuuna turned out to be the culprit!"
Eve exclaimed when she saw me. I clenched my fist and shook my head.
"Oh, Feodora, how are you today?!"
Mellissa said as she approached me.
"Not very good, Mellissa… but it's nice to see you at least."
I spoke. Mellissa tilted her head a tad confused. She might not have known about our relationship.
"Ah, Jade. Elizera wanted to do some formal interrogations with Feodora Cicer. She'll be conducting the interview, so…."
"Fine… I'll stay here and chat with Eve and Mellissa about our next move. Our goal is to help the Radiant Order locate Janova… and Yuuna if possible. Feodora… if you know what's best for you and Yuu Yuu… don't lie."
She was serious about this. So, I shook my head. If I wanted to protect Yuu Yuu, I would have to make sure I'm not a suspect. The moment they lock me up, even if I manage to escape, I wouldn't be doing Yuu Yuu any favors. My goal here was to make sure Elizera isn't suspicious enough to keep me here…
I needed to be a part of this investigation no matter what.
"Please follow us this way, Feodora."
A few Radiants brought me up to the interrogation room. They shut the door, and I found myself being left in here for longer than I thought I would be. I closed my eyes, recalling a few books I've read on investigations.
I'm a suspect for a good reason. I am in a relationship with the suspect, and I even tried to give them an alibi. I'm sure the interrogators are going to bring that up.
I was in the den of the lions, and my words were going to be scrutinized. If I wasn't careful… they would lock me up just as fast as they did for Eve.
"Feodora Cicer."
Elizera walked into the room. To my surprise, she cast a spell, and roots spread about the room. I heard a popping noise and what fell behind me was broken metal.
"Now that Atom's cameras are gone… it's just me and you in here. Let's have a personal chat."
Her aura was intense, more splendid than Jade's if I compared the two. She kept her root spell going, which made me conclude that one of Elizera's main elements was earth.
"This will give us all the privacy we'd ever want. Isn't that great, Feodora? Someone can be murdered in here and nobody would hear a word."
I felt a chill go down my spine. The head of the knights sat across from me and took out a notebook and a pen.
"We have time, so don't worry about the investigation. I need you to tell me everything you know."
"Okay…"
"Let's start with a baseline… What's your name and occupation?"
"My name is Feodora Cicer… and I don't have a job. I live on the outskirts of town, and I hunt, fish, and grow my own food to live."
"Ah… so that's why Jade said you were a hermit."
I wanted to complain, but I held my tongue.
"When did you arrive at the Radiant City, Feodora?"
"Radiant Age, April 1, 1127, was the very first day I entered Radiant City."
She jotted my words down in her notebook.
"What were your reasons for coming to the city then?"
"I just wanted some green tomatoes for dinner… and ah, I think Jade's notes can tell you what happened next."
"Oh, anything else besides the tomatoes? Do you have any other foods you like?"
Tenderly, she asked like a grandmother.
"Ah... I don't like cinnamon, I guess."
I answered.
She smiled warmly and continued her... strange interrogation.
"Yes, the first bombing happened that day too. Quite the coincidence, Cicer."
I adjusted myself. I expected the questioning to be like this. I was sure Elizera would force reactions out of me by saying many things I disliked. But I stood firm and allowed her to continue.
"Yeah… it had to be a coincidence."
I agreed.
"Did you know the Light Camp member, Yuuna, before the first bombing?"
She asked. I shook my head.
"No."
"Did you have any contact with the Light Camp before coming to Radiant City?"
I thought about me meeting Yuu Yuu in the past for that brief day. If I would have stayed in that orphanage this would have been a must different question. But as it stood, I didn't know anything regarding them and how they operate.
"No, I never heard of them before coming to Radiant City."
She put her pen to her lips and looked at me.
"You don't seem to be lying… but something… there's something about you, Feodora, that I can't put my finger on…."
She gazed at my chest.
"And it's that blur within you… I'm curious if it has something to do with this investigation… can you tell me what it is?"
I thought about what Jade mentioned before. The blur in my chest that even I didn't know what it meant. It seemed that Jade could see more into the chaos element… but all Radiants might have this ability.
"I don't know… it's something my mentor put in me. I discussed this with Jade if you want more information."
I said.
"And who is your mentor?"
Elizera asked.
"His name was Maxwell. He trained me in a forest for around 10 years. He taught me everything I know when it comes to being a dark vessel."
The head knight nodded.
"Alright, back to the questioning regarding the bombs. Jade assigned you, Yuuna, and Mellissa to the ore factory. Can you explain what happened there?"
I went on to tell her how we went inside and were locked in. How they brought out machines, and we fought them off. There were three members of some unknown group that Mellissa, Yuu Yuu, and I battled against. I also explained the last fight with the machine with the bomb inside and how Yuu Yuu deactivated it in the end.
"Ah… so it was Yuuna that cut the lines of the bombs?"
Elizera latched on to that.
"…Yeah."
I didn't want to confess that… but she would have fact-checked it with Count Mellissa, and if I got caught in a lie, they would have reason to bring me back into questioning.
"So you and Countess Mellissa can confirm that Yuuna has bomb knowledge, at least when it comes to deactivating them."
"Yes."
"Okay… I would like to know about the incident you spoke to Jade about. The one with the pocket reality. I believe there were two of them. One being when you chased after Yuuna into the forest as well?"
I explained the barrier and how the rules of my powers changed when I was within it. Elizera asked about the strange sensation I felt. I concluded it was the same as Eve felt before the bomb went off minutes later. I then went on to tell her about the perfect world and how nobody could find me… because I was within that world.
"So, from what I've gathered so far, Feodora… Eve experienced the same sensation as you. That connects Yuuna with Eve in that way. The pocket reality you mentioned helped destroy Eve's alibi as well."
Everything was adding up to her just like it had for me. It was sickening hearing her talk about my Yuu Yuu… like she was a cold and calculating monster.
"It's all Janova's fault."
I tried to protest but Elizera held out her hand.
"Hold it… you mentioned to Jade that you realized that Janova, her mentor, was Yuuna's second shadow. But then you also mentioned that Yuuna would call you Feodora… and this "Janova" imposter would call you, Feo."
I nodded. Elizera continued.
"From how it sounds to me, they both seem to share a body at times. Wouldn't it be strange to assume that one and the other aren't working together?"
"…I don't want to believe that."
"But that's the gravity of the situation. Listen, you may like Yuuna. You may have had sex and got to know her on an intimate level… but the fact of the matter is from my evidence, Feodora…."
She smiled, and it caused my stomach to churn.
"Your girlfriend is a serial bomber that hurt a lot of people. We will catch her, she will be convicted, and subsequently, if we deem it… Yuuna will be executed for her crimes."
"You don't understand! I saw Janova using her as a puppet! You can't conclude that she was willing to do this for anything."
Elizera crossed her arms.
"I knew it… you're too emotionally involved to be close to this investigation. You're a liability and could even tip Yuuna off if they contact you."
I understood for the beginning that this interrogation wasn't made for me to just give her evidence. From the very beginning, I believed Elizera would jail me no matter what.
"I think I got enough evidence here."
She ruffled her pages.
"Evidence of what?"
I questioned.
"Oh? To make you out to be an accessory after the fact, Feodora Cicer."
I stood up.
"To what?! What do you mean by… make me out to be an accessory?!"
The head of the knight shrugged.
"Clearly, nobody is going to buy that you didn't know anything. Maybe you did turn in Yuuna's cabin for us, but this could all be a plot to get you out of this mess."
I clenched my fist.
"That makes no sense, Elizera! I've been cooperative this entire time!"
"By the law of the Radiants, any suspicious person can be detained for as long as needed. All we have to do is voice our suspicions, and your rights go to us."
"I'm not going to allow you to lock me up for nothing! I want to speak to Jade!"
"I'm above her. I'm above anyone here, and the Radiant Order will agree with me."
She smiled, showing her sharp teeth.
"For a crime as big as serial bombing… being an accessory to the fact has large scale implications."
"Like what?"
I was beginning to hate that smile that never left her face. Everything in me wanted to punch her lights out.
"If found guilty… which you will, in this case, you will be sentenced to death, Feodora."
My body connected with the darkness in an instant. With my purple eyes, the dark began to channel in my hands. Hearing the words death directed at me sparked the survival instinct I had beaten in me from Maxwell. My body shot up and I pounded the table with rage.
"Now hold on, dark vessel. If you dare attack me… I will serve your death sentence right here. Don't think you can easily win against someone who has lived a multitude of your age."
She was cocky as she leaned back in her seat.
"You're going to have me killed just because you can?!"
The rage within me was building as she smiled… that nasty grin of hers.
"From here on, you are under arrest for being an accessory after the fact. However, if you work with us… there's the chance that I will reduce it."
I was livid as I slammed my hands on the table between us.
"What makes you think I'll work with you now?! I was willing just a moment ago to be part of the investigation."
She sighed.
"But you're too emotionally invested in it. I don't want you to have that freedom to do whatever you wish, Feodora. I want you under my security."
She tilted her head.
"I want Yuuna and Janova to never be able to contact you… without risking being caught and killed."
"So, you want me to be your hostage?! Is that how the knights operate?!"
Enraged, I questioned. Elizera smirked.
"We operate the way we need to catch our targets. As of today, you are going into a jail cell. When we need you you'll work with us. If you resist, your execution date will be pushed forward. How does 7 days from now sound to you? A full week to live."
Elizera chimed, happily. It was sickening and made my fist darken with rage.
"What about my trial?!"
"What about a trial? I am your judge and jury, and nobody outside would disagree. Feodora Cicer, the only one keeping you alive right now is me. Isn't that exciting, knowing that I can choose to end your life at any given time?"
This woman wasn't who she made herself out to be. On the surface, she looked calm, collected, intelligent, and even proud. But deep down, when the shadows of the room touched her and nobody could see… she was cold, calculating, and even… a bit of a psychopath.
"If you want to live like your mentor instructed you, you'll calm down right this minute and listen to everything we ask you to do. Do you hear me, Feodora?"
"Screw you."
I rebutted.
"That's one less day you live. You talk back to me, and eventually, I'll grow tired of you."
"I won't be a victim. If you want to kill me, I'll fight until every ounce of blood is out of me. There's no way I'll allow you to use me as bait for Yuuna and Janova!"
It was then her smile turned more sadistic.
"Ah, so you're not just a dumb hermit. You understand why I wanted you here."
Elizera stood up and met my eyes.
"You are nothing but meat to me. The moment I see that blur… that fake Janova, I will kill her. Then I'll look for that doll of yours and kill her too. There shouldn't be compassion for serial bombers. They hurt enough people and caused me a lot of problems."
Elizera's eyes shined.
"And nobody needs to hear their side of the story."
She turned around and opened the door.
"Radiants, take Feodora to the jail cells. No one is allowed to visit her but me. Not even Jade."
Three Radiants came into the room. One cuffed me, as they all led me out of the room. I met eyes with Elizera, the head of the knights.
"This isn't right! You're corrupted, and you know it!"
She sighed.
"That's another day gone from you, Feodora. Already down to 5 days... try to have some self-control. Hey, I need a Radiant that's strong in water to knock her out. She's out of control!"
The head of the knights commanded.
"Elizera is threatening to kill me! I'm a hostage to her! Will someone listen?!"
I tried to tell them, but they ignored me. Elizera, that devil with her arms crossed, just watched as they forced me to the ground. My body connected with the darkness as I attempted to fight my way out.
"Let me go! This isn't how the laws should work! Let me go!"
Suddenly, I felt a nice flow of water touch my back. It had to be the sleep spell Elizera demanded. My eyes grew heavy. Before I closed them, I saw Jade, Mellissa, and Eve running up the steps. They were likely following the commotion and when they reached the top, they witnessed me being manhandled like a ragdoll.
"What's going on here, Elizera?!"
Jade demanded answers. My mind was fading as that devil approached her subordinate. She whispered something in her ear that I couldn't make out.
Instead of helping me, Jade watched me struggle like a wild animal.
"I hope I punch… someone when…. my night terrors… start."
That was the only hollow threat I could give as I fell into a deep slumber.