The room was dark, the only source of light being the dimly lit bulb right above the table. The infamous criminal on the one side, the unlikely senior one the other. Lemane was handcuffed this time, with not much of any other restriction he was already in a bad condition with bandages wrapped all around him.
But the other officers were still required for safety purpose. After all, couldn't let anyone deal with him alone.
Official Wanning was going through his medical reports while the criminal was staring at the bulb above them, as if he was trying to make sense out of it. The other officials were seated beside the senior, trying to catch a glimpse of the reports.
Xexui finally put down the files and looked at the man before him.
"Do you remember me?" he asked quietly
Lemane blinked twice before slowly shifting his gaze towards them, though not clear who exactly he was looking at. He seemed like struggling to keep his balance, his eyes half closed. The scopolamine or commonly said 'truth serum' seemed to have started its affect.
"Of course" his voice was horse, as if he hadn't spoken in a long while, which might have just been true "You're the Officer whose care I'm under"
His lips twitched ever so slightly "Not so wise"
"We had met a few days ago" Xexui continued, ignoring his latter words
"oh? Did we? Ah! So you're 'that' one. The one who want to hear bout my murders!" he grinned "More than glad to share!"
None of them looked like they wanted to hear any of those. Not sure about the newly transferred senior though.
Xexui slid a photo in front of the criminal. It was a person with beard, looked a bit old but shining in his seemingly expensive suit.
"You know him?" Xexui asked
Lemane frowned, took a quick look and never gave it a second glance.
"Who is he?" he said lazily, clearly not at all interested in knowing that man
"I suspect this is the 'bitter chocolate' you talked about last time" Xexui pushed the photo lightly, urging the criminal to look at it again
Lemane leaned onto the chair, his gaze still at the officers.
"Why? Even I don't remember that man, how come you already have a suspect?" he frowned
"He owned a chocolate factory and…was murdered. His body was found skinned in his room, almost five years ago." said the official
Lesdin glanced at the senior. He hadn't told them that he had already found someone matching the conditions. Normally, when he had worked with Feron, they would have to share every new findings regarding the case, no matter how minor it was. It almost seemed like Xexui didn't consider them as a team at all.
"I see" Lemane casually scratched his nape with a sour face, losing interest
"Why did you kill him?" Xexui still initiated the topic
"I don't even remember who he is, do you think I will remember the reason?" he scoffed
The senior just stared at him, his dark eyes devouring ever ray that came across.
"I really don't! What are you even getting at"
"how could you have felt then? While killing him?" Official said, his gaze never wavering
"Don't know and don't care" Lemane raised his head, as if mocking the official
"You should have probably enjoyed it then, being the monster you are" Wanning leaned onto the table, just a little, his voice alluring
"I probably had" Lemane leaned onto the table as well, metal cuffs clang to the wood
Lesdin quickly reached out for his gun, ready to shoot the moment he moved any further.
"Of course I do enjoy when people shed blood. Doesn't it just feel so exciting? Knife against skin, drawing out the red? The coppery smell, oh! Feast to the eyes!" The criminal grinned, shaking off the curly locks from his eyes
Lesdin felt chills rushing through his spine. He felt a hand suddenly squeezing his arm, it was Jeff.
Suddenly, the criminal's grin froze, it fell shortly.
"Wait" his breath was slightly faster than before "Why am I feeling this….anger?"
His looked to the right and the left, it was as if he wasn't even talking to them rather to himself. As if he was searching for something.
"Where is this rage coming from?" His panting just became louder with time
"What do you mean? State clearly" The senior said
Lemane snapped is head towards him, his pupils moving fiercely.
"A man, ya, that's a man, tied to a chair….bleeding" he gritted his teeth "six holes in the chest and…"
He looked at his hands as it trembled slightly "I have a gun"
His palm turned into a fist, his knuckles almost white.
"WHy? Why this rage?!" he slammed his fist on the table "Who the hell is this old freak?!"
The junior officers quickly aimed their guns at the criminal but he didn't even bait a eye. He seemed lost in his own world, panting and hissing. Lesdin and Jeff glanced at each other, yet to decide what they should do.
Xexui gently grabbed the guns of Lesdin and Jubi who sat on the either sides and lowered them. Jeff followed him, still unsure. The senior was staring at the mad man, analyzing every move of his.
"That tone, those eyes…" Lemane whispered, his eyes lowered as he stared at the table "he-he resembles someone…"
For another few minutes, he kept mumbling and mumbling while the others stared at him with their lips twitched.
"Or rather….someone resembles him" he whispered
"Ah!" suddenly, he fell backwards "Those damn silver eyes!"
His eyes were blank for a few seconds before they squeezed shut, laughing like a maniac, he threw his head back.
"O-oh God!" he almost choked "How could have I forgotten!"
He came back to slamming his head back at the table. The others flinched, even their chairs out of position, this time even Official was taken aback. His shoulders shuddered wobbled up and down. He leered from behind his arms, eyes shone with a glint of hate. The whole felt chilling all of a sudden, the others shivered in fear.
"How could have I forgotten…" there was no hint of the maniac laugh anymore, his sounded like a beast growling
The sudden change startled the young officers though they were taught to expect something similar.
"What had you forgotten?" Wanning had a lowered his voice, barely above a whisper "who resembles- who?"
"The heir…" The criminal struggled to sit up again with the support of his hand
"Ever heard about the 'carnival incident', eh? Official?" Lemane dragged himself a bit forward
Xexui Wanning didn't say anything, but his slight frown could have been taken as an answer. He was not from the capital after all, how could he know about an accident that was decades old? Even the locals may have forgotten about it already.
"Yea, we know. T-the one which killed many state leaders and important figures" Jubi spoke after a long while
"Eh? Then you must know how wild the fire was?" he tilted his head and grinned creepily "Did you know there was a monster among the crowd?"
"Huh?" she said
"A monster in the form of kid, absolute monster" he gritted his teeth, still somehow grinning
It was amusing to hear the most 'monstrous' person calling someone else as that, specially a kid. Why was this kid even brought up suddenly?
"Who exactly…are you talking about?" Jubi hesitated
"That one, who set the fire!" he growled
Jubi nervously spoke "AS far as I know…. the only kid involved in that fire incident was- "
"Heir of the Frost!" the criminal said
"Arrow Frost…" Jubi whispered
It was an old name, one that had the attention of many years ago. Hadn't heard of it for years but Lesdin couldn't be sure about what exactly he heard of him.
Lesdin couldn't help but ask "What could a kid possibly do to you?"
"He burned my WHOLE LIFE!" Lemane yelled
"H-he was very small back then, barely four. On the top of that, he was just suspected, not really found g-guilty" Jubi said nervously
"Not guilty?! Of course he did it!" he snapped his head towards the Jubi but not quite directly at her
"How could you possibly so sure? Not like you were there" Lesdin scoffed, though not really wanting to
"Tsk, who said I wasn't?" the criminal gritted his teeth
They sat in complete silence, just staring at the criminal with frown. No matter how less the locals remembered about the fire, all of them knew one thing, there was only a sole survivor of the incident.
"Liar" Lesdin spoke, fully confident "Arrow Frost was the only one that survived"
"Bold of you assume there was no one other just because you have no knowledge of him!" his voice louder with every word "I am the living witness of that TERRIBLE NIGHT! THE ANOTHER SURVIVOR AND THE ONLY VICTIM!"
He was utterly shocked by the fact, how could that even be? The infamous killing machine was actually a victim of such popular disaster, on the top of that, the second survivor.
How could no one have known? How come he wasn't rescued? Lesdin stared at the growling figure of the criminal, he seemed like he would reach out his claws to kill any of them any second if provoked. But he did anyway, curiosity kills the cat, after all.
"You may have been there, but that doesn't prove the guilt of a small kid. He was completely innocent" He said
"Innocent?! If he was, he wouldn't have been smiling seeing the people burn!" Lemane screamed, his voice broke somewhere in the middle
"I HAVE-!" He yelled back resulting in a violent cough
More blood tickled down his chin.
"I h-have seen him, I- was the one who saaaved him-! A-and yet! Yet! When I- I was almost dead - death- he- he was grinning!" He shuttered but there was no place to take pity in him
With every word he said, he only grew scary, someone to be frightened of. His expression turning into something twisted..... disgusting, his voice turning hoarse. It seemed like if his throat would not work if he kept on talking.
"He-he was- mocking! Mocking - all those who died!" He continued
"What do you mean?" Lesdin asked
"The heir....he planned it, he wanted to kill us all... And he succeeded in killing them all. I survived him...." At this point both the policemen were sure that he was blabbering nonsense
Making his own imaginary stories based on an accident that was completely unintentional.
"He-he killed them all in c-cold blood-!"
"And since when did 'Lemane the ruthless murderer' get so affected by dead corpses?" Xexui said, his eyes were lowered, staring at the cold table
He didn't seemed interested.
"We-well, a ruthless murderer might have reasons t-to be the w-way he iis!" he said
No one spoke any further, who knew the 'truth serum' would make the criminal an air-headed person. Lemane stared at the officers, his eyes never stopping at the same place even for a second.
"You don't believe me…" his nails dug deep into the wood "Fine, but you can't deny that killing someone is evil right?"
Without waiting for a reply, he continued "he did kill someone again"
"What again now, no use of accusing for the same thing again and again" Lesdin said somewhat fearlessly now that he thought the criminal had some screws loosen
"Aha, not that one. He came to me" the unpleasant sound of scratching increased "much laTER"
"much…. later?" Jubi whispered
"Um, he came to OUR DOMAIN, to get someone killed for him"
Suddenly, the whole room felt chilling. They didn't want to believe him, but his eyes seemed too determined though hazy.
"So….you've met him after as well?" Lesdin frowned
Frost was a business empire long ago, quiet reputed at that. Why would the heir be willing to dirty himself.
"It was the early years of Spectre"
"we…we aren't here to talk about others but you" Xexui said
"But you said you would listen, didn't you?" Lemane frowned "You asked me to-to tell about everything. And that person is like- everything happened because of him! A-and you're saying you wont listen?! He is the most evil person you'll ever know about! I-I can prove it to you, you-you all WILL listen to me!"
He slammed his fist on the table and jumped over it, glaring at the policemen as they stood for their defense.
"I WILL…..prove it!" he growled
"You don't even remember anything properly" Xexui said, stepping forward with his gun
"yes, that will be a problem then" The criminal mumbled, twisting and turning his fist on the cuffs "What should we do, what should we do"
"sit back to your place, Lemane" the senior pointed his gun right at his forehead
"Ah! If I say it out loud from what comes to my head, I will find it, I will find it!" He just kept on with his chanting completely ignoring the others
"I found a way! Official! You WILL listen, just like you wished! Right?"
Xexui glanced at the others, as if asking for guidance but no one made a single move. After a few seconds, he turned back to the criminal.
"Fine. But you will have to sit back"
"good! That's the spirit!" Lemane backed away to his chair again but the officers didn't
"So after that, I saw him, there was this room where we would meet clients back then. And -wait what, what are you doing?" he frowned
" You're jumping around too much" said the official as he tied Lemane to his chair
"oh, if that makes to listen- then, that was the first time I saw him, he wore white all over, even- even his hairs were white! As if that would wash away all the bad deeds he did!"
"White hairs?" Lesdin frowned, putting his gun down now that the criminal was tied
"Yes, and he then, Lord, he told us that we had to kill someone for him."
Lesdin and Jubi exchanged a glance. Why would a person have white hairs? Had he turned old? Probably not, it had just been around thirty years since the fire. But it was even harder to know if it was the truth or not because the heir never appeared in any news after the fire incident, his face was never revealed. But as kid, he definitely had black hairs.
"You say, he burned your 'life' you said. But also that you were calmly standing there when he was right in front of your eyes?" Lesdin raised his brows
"I didn't know it was him, not until the day of departure…"