Parking in front of the towering ivory cathedral, Benolle walked around to Mercury's door, opening it and pulling him out. It was less forceful than when Greene had done so, which Mercury noted kindly.
'How sweet. I might fall in love if he keeps this up.'
Looking up at the cathedral, he noticed its absurd height. It stretched high up into the clouds, sporting various swirling spires that resembled mountain peaks, yet ornate and gaudy. Besides its obvious religious significance, there was a large military structure off to the side. A large runway housed several terrifyingly-large helicopters and airplanes, as well as rows of faded-green convoy trucks and tanks.
It was as if Mercury had found himself at an army base, which was probably the most likely scenario.
'A religious army base? I personally don't care for the merger of church and state, but perhaps there's some grander reason behind it…'
The two began walking, Benolle with a loose grip on Mercury's arm, as if he didn't care if the man attempted to run away. The path underneath their feet crunched and creaked, gravel and stone messily strewn about.
"This all seems quite informal."
"I hate my job." Benolle replied, unperturbed.
"Perhaps I should file a complaint."
"I urge you to."
Mercury smiled, amused. "I like you, Mr. Benolle."
"Don't call me that. I'll kill you."
"Oh, stop. You know I get hot and flustered when you speak to me like that."
Benolle released his grip on Mercury, causing him to fall face-first onto the ground, opting to drag him by his foot instead. Mercury's head bumped on each stone of the pathway leading up to the cathedral, yet still grinned.
He rung a bell that hung at the edge of the large ornate doorway, causing a reverberating sound to ring out through the courtyard. After a time, the door gradually swung open, the grinding sound of stone crying out.
In the doorway, a woman with stark-black hair and glaring crimson eyes emerged. She looked at Benolle, and then down at Mercury, and her serious expression adopted a tone of humour.
"Benolle, why are you dragging him by his foot?" She questioned the soldier.
"It seemed necessary." Benolle shrugged. "He's a Reaper."
'Really, why does everyone here act so strangely?' Mercury wondered. His face had grown bloodied, vast streaks of crimson dripping from his nose and mouth, scratches like patchwork upon his skin. He didn't mind the pain. The absurdity of the situation made it all the more hilarious. 'I feel like a spectator in a comical play.'
"Let him go, Benolle. I'll take it from here."
"You aren't armed, Captain Lunete." Benolle retorted. "If he attacks you, what will you do?"
There was a glint in the woman's eye. "What makes you think I'm not armed, Benolle?"
"Are you really?" Fear struck Benolle's heart. "How can you be armed?
The Captain reached towards her cap which held down her hair, pulling it off. Underneath, there was a pistol, perfectly concealed, balanced atop her head. "Like a magician, aren't I?" She laughed aloud.
Mercury glanced at the two, amused. 'Yeah, this is definitely a dream. Religious militant factions? An arrest over a suicide that didn't pan out? What strange circumstances. It's like looking into a funhouse mirror that warps normalcy…'
She turned towards Mercury, who had begun to stand up and wipe the blood away from his face. "Do you have identification?"
"Hm…" Mercury fidgeted through his interior pocket, producing the laminated card he had received from the Hospital. He handed it to the Captain, who glanced over it before laughing.
"Mist? You've lost your memory? That certainly doesn't bode well for your future."
"What do you think, Miss? Will I be able to get a job at this rate?" Mercury questioned, worried.
"A job? What are you thinking about a job at this time for?"
Mercury shrugged. "Shouldn't I strive to be a part of society? Isn't getting a job a good step to moving forward?"
"You're an interesting one, Mr. Mist. You shouldn't worry about finding a job. You've already been tasked with one. You no longer have any choice in the matter. You will join the service of the Reapers." Captain Lunete spoke in a calm tone of voice.
"A Reaper? Weren't you talking about that before?"
"You're a Flagged Reaper. The 'Flag' simply refers to someone that hasn't yet departed for the unknown land. Being a 'Reaper' is what the Beast has once said through his poetry, which we chronicle in a very detailed manner here.
"Why are you so averse to these 'Reapers'?
The Captain turned to Benolle, motioning with her head for him to depart, of which he did immediately.
"A Reaper is one who seeks to kill the Beast and end his screaming, of his scheme of 'Chance'. The reason we hate those who throw their lives away is because we've already lost too many to his schemes. You detestable people who take that Chance… you might as well service the means to the end, seeing as how you've demeaned all those who lost their lives."
"Who lost their lives?" Mercury's eyes filled with astute curiousness.
"Have you really lost your memory? Of absolutely everything?"
Mercury nodded his head. "It seems so."
The Captain sighed. "We experienced Genocide, Mr. Mist. Not by people, but of people. That Beast showed its face, and we experienced its wrath. It's only us in this city that were left alive. He uses us for his own pleasure, I'm sure. Those Chances he offers, they are his way of mocking us and turning us against each other. If we allow you Reapers to benefit from the Chance before killing you, you will use that power you receive to rise above us. We do not want a conqueror to emerge from his meddling."
"Ah, so I really will be executed. How sweet." Mercury sighed, smiling. "And here I thought I had just won a gamble against death. How cruel."
Soon, they emerged in a sterile white room, illuminated by harsh lighting. Mercury was prompted to sit in a plastic chair in the center of the room, of which he did so.
"You took a chance. Were you greedy for power? Did you think something would change if you did?"
"Perhaps. I cannot remember who I am, where I came from, or how I got here. Do I really have that many prospects, given all those details?"
"Not at all." Captain Lunete shook her head. "I can begin to understand your choices, slightly. Still, I think you're a bit crazy."
"What makes you think that?" Mercury stared straight into her eyes, his pupils dilating.
"Yeah, there's definitely something wrong with you. You're a broken product, I can tell."
Mercury let out an audible 'tsk', falling back against his seat. He mulled in silence for a moment, biting at his thumbnail.
"The fortune I gain from the Chance I took, when will I find out what it sowed? What will it be? I thought something would happen instantly."
"Who knows? We never see Reapers again once they've departed. You'll be able to see as soon as you go in. Whatever method of deliverance your soul has picked- that will be what allows you to find out. However, you must never tell others what you learn, apart from whatever Distortion you experience." Captain Lunete spoke in a cold, unfeeling tone of voice, walking behind Mercury. "The things we've discovered about what happens is only due to the niceties of the screams of the Beast, and the Reapers that have been allowed to flourish. Other than that, you're going in blind. We won't be able to communicate after you depart, and you'll never be able to return."
"Depart? How does one depart for hell?" Mercury turned his head towards her, following her movements.
Captain Lunete reached towards her waist, drawing her gun from its holster and cocking it back. "Turn around, I'll show you."
Trusting, Mercury turned his head back, deferring to her better judgment. This made the woman laugh, which she immediately stifled.
"You're a strange one, Mr. Mist." The Captain raised her gun to the back of Mercury's head, pressing the cold metal of the barrel against his scalp. "You know, if you always act under this veil of irony, you won't be able to survive in there."
'You're right. I should stop acting.'
As Mercury turned away from the spectating gaze of Captain Lunete, his gaze grew dark and cold. The veil of irony gradually fell away, revealing an underlying maliciousness.
His unfeeling expression persisted. "That's fine. I've already decided on how I want to act."
"Good. I hope you carry that attitude along with you in Hell. I wish you luck, Mercury Mist. I'm sure you'll need it. Go kill a Beast for our sake." Captain Lunete pulled the hammer back on her pistol, pulling down on the trigger immediately after.
A large 'bang' resounded, and a single body fell to the floor of the room, lifeless.