The Dean and Levi walked slowly around the institution, climbing a few steps and making many turns.
"Nine?" The Dean called out.
Levi quickly answered, "Sir?"
The man smiled and nodded, saying, "Good, you're learning and adapting very quickly." The spacious hallways and the short yet numerous staircases were all empty, with only a few cleaners diligently performing their tasks. "I've heard," the man continued, his voice seasoned with wisdom. "Many of our esteemed academics seem to believe that the ranking system revolves solely around physical strength. However, that is far from the truth. Understanding and speaking in multiple languages can be equally, if not more, advantageous than wielding fire in your palms."
The man took a glance at Levi. Levi could tell that he was probably in his early 60s. He had an average height for his age and, on the two occasions they had met, he was dressed in an old, shabby brown suit.
Levi kept silent as the man continued speaking. "I must admit, I have taken quite a liking to you. There's something remarkable about you, Nine. And I hope you get even if it is at least the best ability in the grey category."
Levi couldn't understand why he was telling him all this. Levi grew increasingly impatient, wondering just how immense this place was. His bare feet felt a chilling coldness against the tiles of the night, and his light T-shirt hardly provided any warmth.
"Dissociative Identity Disorder, D.I.D, I believe," the man spoke once more, breaking the brief silence. He looked up at Levi. "Be careful, if this repeats itself then we would have to take some certain action."
Levi definitely didn't like the sound of that. "Are you sure I shouldn't be arrested? I mean... I won't mind," Levi said to the man with all truth in his words.
The Dean walked for a while with Levi trailing beside. He looked out to the dark sky from the glass walls like he had a translator in his head that was taking time to decrypt Levi's words.
"Take a look at this remarkable infrastructure, Nine," he said, waving his arm to the left, presenting The Academy through the glass wall. There were lights illuminating in the darkness. Huge, tall, flat and irregularly shaped buildings portrayed by the illuminance. Everything well arranged, constructed with ornamented walkways and even roads all together, it was a city of its own.
"Do you think we should be cowering in fear because one of our academics has taken a life, especially when we're blessed with all this?" he continued, his voice reverberating. "Travel far and wide, my friend, and you'll find no other place quite like this. And do you honestly expect the Police to embark on an investigation within these daunting, menacing premises? Not like the police still functions," he said with a creepy laugh, "Didn't I warn you not to make me laugh?"
Levi's gaze slowly shifted from the man to the straight path ahead. He felt a sense of familiarity in the hallways and realized that his room was nearby. He saw a yellow triangle sign on the ground reading Caution: Wet Floor. Though he wasn't vibrant, he was still a smart kid. And he didn't need to be told that was the murder scene. Levi also saw duct tape in an x format at a break in the glass wall.
The Dean seemed to have read Levi's expressions and commented, "You must be very strong." He further queried, "Where did you even get the blade from?" Chuckling, the Dean continued, "Silly me, I forgot that you don't remember anything."
Levi forced a smile as he opened his unlocked door. "Thank you, Sir, for accompanying me out here," Levi expressed his gratitude. The man simply gave a subtle nod and headed in the opposite direction.
Levi switched on the light as he entered his room. Someone had spray-painted Pussy in red on his mattress and even scattered the sealed bag Abby had given him. Levi sighed, grabbed a sweater from the wardrobe, and layered it over his shirt. The night was freaking cold!
He cleared the mess from his bed before lying down. He closed his eyes but couldn't sleep. He turned off the lights and struggled, but he remained wide awake.
Levi rested his head on his forearm and stared straight at the dark ceiling. He began to envision himself carrying out everything he had just been told. He felt alien, unfamiliar, and somewhat surreal. Did he truly kill a woman? Is he a psycho?
He turned and rolled, his thoughts trailing to the red-haired doctor. He remembered her touch on his hand and where she placed it. That was enough to lull him into drifting off.
---
At the break of morning, Levi woke up to a loud pounding on his door. He got up lazily and opened it, revealing Abby standing in the hallway once again. However, this time she appeared visibly pissed and angry.
"Oh great," Levi mumbled with sleepy eyes as he left the door open and scurried back to his bed.
"Explain yourself," Abby demanded hastily as she barged into the room.
"What's there to explain? Words fly really fast don't they?" Levi asked sarcastically as he raised his feet onto the bed.
"You fuckin' killed a woman!" Abby stated a bit loudly.
Levi widened his eyes in a funny way, "I've never heard you swear before?"
"You'll hear more from me if you don't tell me what's going on," Abby scolded him like she was his mother.
Levi raised his arms against each other. "I don't know what happened!" He said the words one by one. "I certainly don't know what happened, I just woke up in the clinic."
Abby stared wide in disbelief. "You know what everyone is saying about you? They're calling you a maniac."
Levi rested his head on his pillow and closed his eyes. "I've been called worse," he muttered.
There was a long pause, and even with his eyes closed, he knew she was still standing there because he could hear her faint breathing.
"Should I be concerned?"
"What?" Levi asked back. He definitely was not in the mood for this conversation.
"Should I be concerned about me? My own life?" Abby asked more audibly.
What? Did she just ask him that? Did she really think that he could go psycho and kill her one day? This forced Levi to open his eyes and sit up. How dare she insinuate that?! "I don't know, maybe?" Levi snapped.
Abby was taken aback. "Maybe?" She repeated his words. She then composed herself and said, "Find your way to The Colosseum before half-past 7." With that, she stomped out of the room, leaving the door open.
What happened? Levi started to realize. Did he and Abby just argue? He sighed and lay back, deciding to get some sleep before thinking about all this. What did she mean by The Colosseum? His eyes opened quickly once more as he jumped out of bed. "Fuck!" He had to discover his abilities today.