《TH;{4NAT.05} [sci-fi, murder mystery, thriller, drama, tragedy]》 Welcome aboard the Elysium In the depths of Hell, a curtain has once again risen on a hopeless tragedy. My chance to tell a new story has finally come. In the vast emptiness of the cosmos, deities shout their whims with their mighty powers and blessings. Mortals cry their prayers, hoping to be blessed and fearing curse. Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. In the eerie silence that follows the gods¡¯ and mortal''s cacophony, a single, chilling whisper drifts through the void, lying above them all. Something final, something neither gods or heroes can escape. Death. Welcome aboard the Elysium, dear readers. Chapter 1 Darkness and then light. The poor girl stood there, looking around ¨C a red hue flashed her eyes, then it faded, leaving her in pure darkness...and then it reappeared thereafter, letting her see again. A rhythm of red light, filling her vision, made her heart race. On top of her head, countless droplets of artificial rain fell, making her whole body wet, cold, and shivering. In front of her, there was a figure that brought her sorrow and fear, which walked towards her slowly. She tried to escape from it, but her body froze, her vision was blurry. The second after, her chest was torn open, blood flowing out of it as she fell backwards. The shadow held her in their arms, whispering to her ear a single sentence. "What you must do now is ponder the significance of your life. And then, go back to the waking world¡­" She closed her eyes upon those words, her mouth still agape because of the pain. "...that''s where you will find all your answers." A loud gasp, and then she opened her eyes. The girl opened her eyes and immediately scanned her surroundings--a luxurious room with a bed, drawer, and desk. The minimal, clean design of the furniture made her mind a bit calmer. There was a round, big porthole facing towards the infinite stars of the void space. She immediately rushed to the window, touching the cold glass. She was in space...in a spaceship perhaps? Surprisingly, that didn''t make her anxious or confused...as if she was used to such things. Wait, as if? Why would she be surprised by her behavior? At that point, the girl immediately tried to recall anything about herself and her surroundings. Nothing. Her first instinct was to find a mirror and a bathroom. She spotted something on the futuristic room''s white-ish walls, a clean and thin rectangular framing that started from the floor and ended up to a door''s length. She walked to it and pressed her hand against it. The surfaced emitted a hiss and slid inside the wall, towards the right. It was an automatic sliding door, it seemed. She walked in. A bathtub with a bunch of buttons and a whole screen against the wall above it. A toilet with many other buttons for any possible commodity...and then a simple sink with a cabin underneath. She looked at herself in the mirror. After taking a good look at herself, she left the bathroom and proceeded with her exploration. What was this place anyway? Another thing made her curious. On the desk, there was a white, slim wristband. Her innocent mind didn''t hesitate to grab it and wrap it around her wrist. It tightened and vibrated, making her gasp and try to remove it immediately. Suddenly, a dimly lit hologram screen arose from her wrist. It moved and distorted as she tried to shake it off her hand while whining, almost as if she was seeing it as a creepy bug that jumped on her...but then she calmed down, and looked at the contents. "Welcome to Elysium, guest#2039842." A voice, half human, half eerily robotic, stated that string of numbers in a slow, very vexing manner. The symbol on the hologram''s screen waved with the sound of her voice, letting her associate the voice with that very image. "W-What?" She replied, confused by every single word uttered by that robotic thing. Suddenly, she gasped at her voice. It came out softly. She was surprised by her voice, even. "Welcome to Elysium, guest#2039842. If you need, you can turn up the volume of your communication device." The voice merely repeated its words, mocking her hearing abilities. "I don''t know where I am!" She said, very irritated and scared, as she tried to remove that stupid wristband. "A-Ah!!!" She yelped. A silent but very painful jolt of pain spread through her wrist. "Please do not damage the communication device. Damaging it will result in receiving a credit fine and a possible banishment from the Elysium," the voice said, immediately resuming her task thereafter. "Your heart rate is increasing. Is there any aid you need?" "Yes! Yes! I don''t know where I am! Or my name!" "According to my database, you are the tenth guest of the Elysium. Elysium is a special, private space cruise accessible only by invitation. According to my database, your name is guest#2039842." "W-Who invited me here?" She asked, trying to calm down. "I can''t seem to find the invitation message that addresses your name. I shall look into this and notify you as soon as I have found a solution." "Why did I lose my memories?!" "Amnesia can be caused by many illnesses, accidents, and similar. Please visit our medical bay for an accurate analysis. I hope you do enjoy your stay at the Elysium nevertheless." "Wait! What do I do now?! Is there-" She tried to ask for more information to the voice, but it merely stopped talking. The hologram also faded away, leaving her all alone once more in that dark room. The wristband finally loosened and she tossed it on the desk again, dejected. After looking towards what looked like another clean, seamless door, she assumed that one could lead her out of that room. And so she walked towards it and touched the only thing that stuck out, the big word "OPEN" written with a green text at the height where she''d expect a handle to be. When her finger touched it, an arrow appeared beneath the text, which told her with a clean animation to swipe down. She obeyed and immediately found herself blinded by the lights that were on the other side. The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. She walked forward and looked around, the white, clean corridor had countless rooms...all the same. It made her feel uncomfortable. "A cruise...why would I ever agree to a cruise trip? Am I...am I a rich person?" She thought. She looked at her own clothes. A pair of shorts, some old sneakers, and a black T-shirt. She didn''t look rich. She soon found herself in a large area, the main lobby. Behind her, there was the corridor she just came out of...above it, a bright, LED sign saying ''''dorm''''. There was a fountain, the water shone under the big chandelier''s light above. The lobby had countless other ways to go, everything having its own signs and information. There also was a map near the fountain. What struck her more, though, was the huge glass panel spanning across the whole wall near the fountain, which made her look directly at the starry void outside the cruise. Once again, she realized that she actually was lost in space. "Who are you, exactly?" "A-Ahh!!" The girl yelped as she heard someone creeping right behind her. She turned around and cowered. A woman with a pretty but casual attire. White hair, tinted by a soft purple gradient. Her red eyes stared deeply into the amnesiac girl''s soul, not uttering another word and keeping a blank expression. "H-Hello...I need your help," she mustered the courage to speak, realizing that before losing her memories, she might have been a very shy girl. "I...I don''t know where I am. I lost my memories. Is there any staff I can talk to? I want to get checked up." "Hm?" The woman furrowed her brows. "What do you mean?" "I...I woke up in a bedroom. And I don''t even remember my own name. A weird robot voice told me we were on a cruise I don''t remember paying for...n-no, I don''t even recall getting on it in the first place!" "This is interesting," she sighed, rubbing her chin, "the cruise has no staff, by the way. It''s completely automated and the captain is the AI you just spoke to. Also, you''ve been sleeping on that bed for two days. This trip started two days ago. This is the third morning." The girl felt weird after hearing such information. First of all, the idea of an AI-driven spaceship sounded dangerous. Second, two days of sleep? "I''m the tenth passenger, the AI said. My name is...guest...and random numbers." "That''s...strange. I''m pretty sure you had to be invited on this cruise...what else did the AI say?" "That it would have looked into the matter because it was strange I didn''t have an invitation. It let me go free though...I don''t know if I''m a stowaway or¡­" "Maybe you''re a stowaway," the girl sighed, offering a hand. "I am Kaeron. Let me help you out." The woman didn''t smile, but she had a gentle tone that led the girl to grab her gloved hand. She tightened her grip and nodded, smiling softly. "Let''s go. All the passengers are eating breakfast right now, at the dining hall." Kaeron led the girl with her slow but confident walk. They walked through various areas that caught the girl''s attention, but Kaeron insisted on leading her to the dining hall first and foremost. They reached an elevator and went inside. As it gently lifted them upwards, the girl looked at the space outside once more, using the elevator''s glass structure. "It''s very beautiful," she smiled. "Yeah, it is," Kaeron agreed, turning away from the doors and facing the scenery with her, "we should find you a temporary name, amnesia girl." "Uhm...what should I call myself then?" The girl pondered. "Can I give it a shot? I''m quite creative." "W-Well. Yes. Why not?" The girl shrugged. "Shiria." Kaeron muttered that name, and then the elevator''s doors were wide open. The girl didn''t even have time to ask about the name Kaeron gave her...since she immediately stormed outside. But, well, she liked it. "Shiria, "she mumbled, exiting the elevator. "Shiria...Shiria¡­" she repeated in small whispers. Yes. It did sound good enough. She raised her head once more and, to her surprise, the elevator brought her to the dining hall directly. A whole floor dedicated to it, even if it wasn''t any bigger than a school''s canteen. Shiria looked around and realized there weren''t any stairs. This cruise made her feel more anxious as time passed¡­ Shiria saw something pretty strange. The nine passengers (excluding Kaeron), who were at different tables, divided in groups, had different ages but they were all females. No men in sight. "Ah! Kaeron! I thought you were skipping breakfast because of my little joke of yesterday!" One of them exclaimed, shifting her eyes from Kaeron to Shiria in a split second. "Hm?! Who is this girl?!" Kaeron explained the situation briefly on Shiria''s behalf, probably because she realized that Shiria was still shaken by everything. And Shiria was, indeed, very nervous. She sat next to Kaeron and waited for her to finish speaking while fidgeting and avoiding eye contact. As soon as she was done, one of the passengers chuckled. "She''s probably a stowaway. Probably lying about her memories too. Ah-haha!" These words came out of the girl who first noticed Shiria and greeted Kaeron. A blonde girl with fluffy, short hair, dressed in childish clothes and colors. "I-I''m not lying! I''m serious! I don''t remember anything!" "The AI didn''t see you as an intruder, correct?" Another girl speaks up. Brown, short hair, glasses, and deep blue eyes. She wore a pretty and classy dress. "I''m an engineer. I can definitely tell you that stowaways are hard to find in this kind of place. Though...the amnesia case is very weird. Do you feel sore? Hungry? Thirsty? You slept for two days, after all." "I feel...I''m okay..." Shiria replied. "Hmm¡­" another woman made her presence known with a long, pensive sigh. "Well. You should go to the medical facility that is on this cruise and have yourself checked up, no? Amnesia isn''t that good of a thing." "I-I think I should, yes..." Shiria tried to get up, but soon her head felt dizzy, her legs went limp...and her body almost touched the ground. She felt a faint voice behind her and a very comforting warmth lifted her up. "Easy, easy there...gosh, you don''t feel so well at all." And then, it was darkness. Chapter 2 The medical bay was eerily filled with robotic arms, screens, holograms, and beeping machinery. Shiria was lying on a bed, her eyes closed as Kaeron sat beside her. ¡°Uhm, AI¡­?¡± She looked at her wristband, trying to talk to the robotic voice. ¡°Gosh, what was its name? Uhm...Chronos?¡± ¡°Model CHRON.05 at your service. Do you require assistance?¡± The wristband lit up with the hologram and the AI¡¯s symbol. ¡°How is Shiria doing? I just put her down and...I see thousands of things on these screens. I¡¯m not a doctor.¡± ¡°I apologize. I do not recognize anyone in the room labeled as ¡®¡¯Shiria¡¯¡¯.¡± ¡°Come on, you know what I mean. The girl in front of me,¡± she groaned, rolling her eyes. ¡°Right. Guest#2039842.¡± The AI pronounced her ¡®¡¯name¡¯¡¯ slowly and fastidiously. ¡°According to the medical bay¡¯s data, the girl is in perfect shape. A recent fainting episode was detected, however. The recommendation is hydration and respite.¡± ¡°Perfect shape...¡± Kaeron sighed, ¡°What about her amnesia? How can she be in perfect shape if she doesn¡¯t remember anything?¡± ¡°I apologize, I can¡¯t satisfyingly answer your question. However, note that the medical bay¡¯s technology has an accuracy of diagnosis that reaches 99%. Nothing related to memory loss was found. Such as trauma, psychological distress, or other similar causes.¡± ¡°Hm¡­¡± Kaeron nodded, ¡°Listen, uhm...could this girl be a stowaway?¡± The AI stood silent for an unusual amount of seconds before processing an output. ¡°No. Passengers on the Elysium are thoroughly checked before they can enter the ship. Moreover, guest#2039842 is in my database, despite the fact I cannot find her invitation. She is not a stowaway.¡± Kaeron nodded, thanked the AI and the wristband¡¯s hologram faded away. Soon after, Shiria opened her eyes. She looked at Kaeron with a confused expression. ¡°Hey there. You fainted,¡± she immediately explained, ¡°I got you checked. You¡¯re completely fine¡­.and the AI said you¡¯re not a stowaway either.¡± ¡°W-What about my memories?¡± Shiria asked, rising from the bed and looking around the medical bay, curious. ¡°The AI...said it couldn¡¯t find a cause,¡± Kaeron replied, shrugging, ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Shiria sighed, her face showing worry. ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± she shrugged, ¡°how...how long is this trip anyway?¡± ¡°The Elysium departed from Genso-34¡¯s docks two days ago. The trip will last for a week and five days, we¡¯ll end up on the same dock,¡± Kaeron replied, ¡°you might as well just enjoy, right? We¡¯re all here to have fun, after all. You¡¯ll find more info about yourself at the docks, where you probably left your vehicle and everything in it,¡± she said, heading towards the room¡¯s exit doors. ¡°Genso...what?¡± Shiria furrowed her eyebrows. ¡°A space station,¡± Kaeron said, stopping in her tracks and turning around, ¡°you...you truly don¡¯t remember anything, huh?¡± Those words made Shiria thoughtful. It should have been obvious but...only at that moment she realized she had a life before all this. Apparently, humanity can travel through planets and space stations. ¡°No...I don¡¯t know anything,¡± she shook her head. ¡°Answer me one thing¡­¡± Kaeron muttered, crossing her arms, ¡°Do you know what is your vocation?¡± ¡°Vocation? What is that?¡± Kaeron widened her eyes, a little gasp only audible by herself. Her emotion didn¡¯t last long, though...replaced by her usual, cold expression, followed by a very disappointing: ¡°Just...relax. Okay? Don¡¯t worry about your memories, they¡¯ll come back. I know it. Enjoy the Elysium with the rest of us. Let us be friends.¡± After that, Kaeron left. Shiria was full of questions. She wanted answers...but she also realized a recreational cruise wasn¡¯t the right place. And so, she decided to listen to Kaeron¡¯s words. There was no point in searching for an explanation immediately. Her fresh, innocent mind only wanted one thing now: explore the cruise and...have fun!
The cruise was definitely what it was meant to be. There were lots of things to do. First, Shiria felt drawn towards the cruise¡¯s pub. A dimly-lit, small place with jazz music constantly on. At its table, sat one of the cruise¡¯s passengers, sipping on a cocktail. ¡°H-Hi there¡­!¡± Shiria quietly muttered, sitting beside the woman. Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. ¡°My my, what is a little girl doing here?¡± She snickered. A tall woman with purple hair, a mischievous smile, and amethyst-colored eyes. She giggled as she scanned Shiria¡¯s attire, while hers was way more elegant. Shiria pouted cutely, ¡°I may not have my memories! But I don¡¯t look little!¡± ¡°Aww, hahaha! I¡¯m just messing with you, little one~¡± the woman chuckled softly, ruffling Shiria¡¯s hair, ¡°Elysium doesn¡¯t invite minors.¡± ¡°O-Oh¡­¡± Shiria blushed in embarrassment, looking over the counter, ¡°how do I order a drink?¡± ¡°Just say it out loud. What you¡¯d like to drink.¡± ¡°Uhm...I don¡¯t know any drinks,¡± Shiria admitted embarrassed. The woman smiled broadly and chuckled, almost amused. She decided then to order for the poor Shiria. ¡°I¡¯d like a sex on the beach for this lovely lady here!¡± Shiria tried her best not to react to that word. Luckily, the wave of embarrassment faded away as the magic unfolded right in front of her eyes...from the ceiling, two robotic arms started preparing the cocktail in front of her with incredible speed. It was soon served. ¡°Go on! Taste it!¡± The woman said, chuckling again. Shiria reluctantly took a sip and immediately coughed, almost spilling the whole thing over herself. The woman beside her laughed, slamming her hand on the table hard. ¡°I don¡¯t like it!¡± Shiria said, getting off the stool. ¡°You knew it was going to burn so much! Right?!¡± ¡°Yes. I did¡­¡± the woman dried her tears off her face. ¡°I am sorry. You clearly look like someone who has never touched alcohol. Couldn¡¯t lose my occasion.¡± Shiria laughed softly, brushing the little prank off her shoulders. ¡°What is your name?¡± She asked. ¡°I am Azrael, sweetheart.¡± She bowed her head. ¡°I am...a traveler of the cosmos. Just like many of us here. I enjoy spending my wealth around. Luckily I didn¡¯t have to pay for all this¡­¡± she gestures towards the other side of the counter...towards the countless bottles of very expensive drinks. ¡°How did you get your invite?¡± Shiria asked, trying to understand a little more about how she got on this luxurious cruise herself. ¡°Well¡­¡± Azrael leaned into the stool¡¯s back. "That¡¯s a tale I could spend hours telling, little one. But let''s just say...connections in high places and a bit of fortune got me here," she winked, her eyes shimmering with mischief. "But you, sweetheart, seem to be an even bigger mystery than I am. Not to be...offensive but, you do not strike as someone...remarkable.¡± Shiria frowned. ¡°Well...I wish I knew. I am very curious about it, actually.¡± ¡°Time will tell. We¡¯ll all eventually get off this cruise and you¡¯ll manage to find yourself. I believe in you.¡± Azrael smiled warmly. Shiria nodded and looked at the pub¡¯s exit. As if on cue, its doors opened...letting inside another person. ¡°Ah! The stowaway is finally awake!¡± A blonde girl with wavy and fluffy hair snickered at her as she walked closer. How could Shiria ever forget her? She¡¯s the childlike-looking girl who called her a liar. Her blue eyes didn¡¯t feel calm at all...they looked rather chaotic. ¡°The AI said I¡¯m not.¡± Shiria crossed her arms and put up a smug smile.¡± ¡°Oh yeah? Really?¡± The girl giggled, placing her index on her chin. ¡°Then what about your memory loss?¡± ¡°It...said it doesn¡¯t know how or why.¡± Shiria¡¯s smug smile faded immediately. ¡°But I¡¯m not lying, I swear! Maybe I have a condition...I don¡¯t know!¡± ¡°So...the AI doesn¡¯t know your real name, and it cannot find your invitation. But you claim not to be a stowaway?¡± ¡°Lilin, please, cut it. She had enough worries for her first hours here, no?¡± Azrael intervened, stopping ¡®¡¯Lilin¡¯¡¯. ¡°Ah, fine. Whatever.¡± Lilin shrugged, joining Azrael at the counter. ¡°Have fun at the Elysium, ¡®¡¯Shiria¡¯¡¯. Ah-hahah~!¡± Shiria left, hearing Lilin¡¯s odd laughter leaving her something very displeasing in the back of her mind. ¡°Don¡¯t worry...Shiria. Or whoever you are. You¡¯ll be fine. Just like Kaeron said!¡± Speaking of Kaeron, Shiria still hadn¡¯t thanked her for helping her out two times in a row. She wanted to find her.
¡°Hm...maybe she¡¯s here!¡± Kaeron¡¯s whole aesthetic looked very fitting of the next location Shiria decided to explore...the library. It was cozy, warm, and it obviously smelled of books. There were countless shelves of countless genres and authors ready to be explored. Yet Shiria didn¡¯t really care about those. She wanted to find Kaeron. She called for her name. ¡°Kaeron? Are you here?¡± Silence. ¡°Kaeron!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you know the first rule of libraries? Silence.¡± Instead of Kaeron, Shiria was surprised by someone else as soon as she turned a specific corner. A brown-haired girl with short, wavy hair. Her green eyes shone under the library''s light. She sat down on a small reading chair. Her legs crossed, her expression a mix of annoyance and surprise. Her dress was very cozy but also elegant. ¡°A-Ah...s-sorry. Do you know where Kaeron is?¡± Shiria asked in a quiet tone. ¡°I am not friends with any of the passengers. Don¡¯t ask me.¡± She shrugged. ¡°Well...we can be friends! We can become friends now!¡± Shiria giggled, offering her hand. ¡°I am...Shiria. Momentarily.¡± The girl raised her brow, trying to understand Shiria¡¯s overly friendly behavior. After some time, though, she held out her hand and squeezed Shiria¡¯s briefly. ¡°I take it that the AI didn¡¯t provide you any aid for your memory loss, am I right? Do you at least know the cause?¡± ¡°Nope. No cause...no solution. They basically just told me to enjoy the Elysium and deal with it after I get off. I¡¯m not a stowaway either, according to them.¡± ¡°Told you.¡± ¡°Ah! Right...you¡¯re the...engineer!¡± ¡°Yes. I am Alicia. My vocation is Athenis¡¯. I build puppets.¡± ¡°Ah...what¡¯s a vocation? Can you tell me?¡± ¡°You...you forgot your vocation?¡± Alicia widened her eyes, just like Kaeron at the same question. ¡°Wow. It must be...very serious, whatever is going on with you,¡± she chuckled in disbelief. Shiria sighed. ¡°Can you just tell me?¡± ¡°Ah...well...vocations are what rules us as living beings,¡± Alicia explained briefly. ¡°You see, our universe is ruled by gods. Many of them. A vocation is something you get when you¡¯re a newborn. You have a dream before coming out of your mother¡¯s uterus, and then, as you grow up, you start remembering it. The dream is you talking to the deity who has chosen to give you their blessing.¡± ¡°Woah. How many gods are there?¡± Shiria asked curiously, leaning against the library shelf with her arms crossed. ¡°Many. New ones pop out every now and then, and probably other galaxies have thousands more. However, there are the most common ones. There should be some books about them around here, I don¡¯t wanna bore you with a lecture,¡± Alicia replied, switching her crossed legs. She probably meant she didn¡¯t want to bother herself with that last sentence. ¡°So...your god is Athe...Athesin¡­?¡± ¡°She is a goddess and her name is Athenis.¡± Alicia sighed, shaking her head, ¡°Yes. Athenis is the goddess of wisdom, courage, strategy and goodwill. I...honestly have only the ¡®¡¯wisdom¡¯¡¯ bit in me.¡± ¡°Oh. Okay. What do you think my deity is?¡± ¡°I cannot tell with a simple interaction,¡± Alice chuckled. ¡°You¡¯re funny. I¡¯m glad you¡¯re not some annoying brat. It¡¯ll be nice to have you around for these two weeks...as long as I get out of this beautiful library to see you, that is.¡± Shiria smiled warmly, nodding. ¡°Yes! I¡¯ll...try to be everyone¡¯s friend.¡± ¡°Hm. Good.¡± Her smile faded immediately, though. Her eyes went back to the book, focused. ¡°Now, please, I¡¯d like to be left alone.¡± Shiria didn¡¯t say anything else and left the library, resuming her search for her kind helper Kaeron. Chapter 3 As Shiria kept exploring the cruise, she encountered another interesting area. The casino. Despite her limited memories, she knew what the concept of gambling was and she was immediately drawn into the big room full of slots, blackjack tables, and roulette wheels. The sounds, the colors, and the smell ¨C Shiria felt oddly familiar with them. Maybe she had been in a casino before. Soon, she found the only two girls having the attraction all to themselves, one was sitting at a blackjack table, while the other was standing right behind her. ¡°Oh! Look at who¡¯s awake!¡± The woman standing said with a bright smile. The girl sitting immediately turned around and almost knocked over her chips, jumping off the stool. A very energetic girl with sharp teeth. She had her black hair tied in a ponytail...it had a slight yellow shade to its tip. Her orange eyes fired up as soon as she saw Shiria. ¡°Miss amnesiac girl! How do you feel? Is everything in order? I am so sorry, I was missing during breakfast this morning, I couldn¡¯t help you!¡± She exclaimed, grasping Shiria¡¯s shoulder. ¡°A-Ah! D-Don¡¯t worry! I¡¯m fine!¡± Shiria yelped. ¡°My name is Lan¡¯en,¡± she ignored Shiria¡¯s words, ¡°I am part of the pale knight¡¯s oath! And while I am on vacation right now...it is my duty to protect everyone!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t...have my memories back yet but, I¡¯m okay physically!¡± Shiria said. ¡°Don¡¯t worry!¡± ¡°Oh? You don¡¯t?¡± The other woman, a bit older looking, pushed Lan¡¯en away and stepped in front of Shiria, holding her chin with one hand, while her other arm rested under her chest. She had fox ears and a huge, fluffy tail. Her hair was brown. Her smile was...alluring. Same thing for her brown, deep eyes. She moved her tail back and forth as she stared at Shiria with an intrigued expression. She wore a particular dress, different than others. It was simple, yet graceful. ¡°Yes...I don¡¯t,¡± Shiria sighed. ¡°That is quite unfortunate!¡± The fox woman placed her hand on Shiria¡¯s shoulder, ¡°I am sorry. I hope you reclaim your memories soon. My name is Tsukasa. I come from the waning sun''s empire." ¡°Uhm...I also do not remember anything about the universe or...galaxy or whatever. Alicia just explained to me what vocations are.¡± ¡°Oh really? That is...quite surprising. You don¡¯t even remember your own vocation?¡± Tsukasa looked at Shiria in disbelief. ¡°That is outrageous!!!¡± Lan¡¯en exclaimed, holding Shiria¡¯s shoulder and shaking her whole body. ¡°How can you forget such a thing?! Athenis would never, EVER forgive me if I forgot her divine blessing!!!¡± ¡°Oh...so your vocation is the same as Alicia¡¯s,¡± Shiria commented. ¡°Hehe, if you¡¯re interested, my guidance is Haetestia. The goddess of goodwill, trust, and truthfulness.¡± Tsukasa chimed in. ¡°Oh...okay!¡± Shiria backed off and looked around. ¡°So...what are you doing here? I mean...I know what you¡¯re doing. I just wonder if you have to spend your real money.¡± ¡°Of course you do have to, silly!¡± Tsukasa giggled, ¡°Well, we were trying to make Lan¡¯en win some games of blackjack. She hasn¡¯t been very lucky, however. Do you want to try in her place~?¡± The fox tried to lure Shiria in, but she really, really wanted to seek Kaeron. ¡°Maybe another time, okay?¡± She replied, shaking her head. ¡°Besides, I have no money!¡± ¡°Hm, okay then! Have a good morning! See you at lunch.¡± Tsukasa smiled at her, turning back towards Lan¡¯en. ¡°Now then, shall we give it one more try?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know Miss Tsukasa¡­I don¡¯t want to waste the oath¡¯s funds!¡± ¡°Come on...I can feel it! The next one is the big win¡­¡± Shiria left the two, feeling a bit of unease coming from Tsukasa¡¯s voice despite her friendliness.
After searching around for some more time, Shiria ended up in a...theater. There, she saw a woman, standing right in the middle of the stage. She immediately noticed Shiria and smiled at her warmly. ¡°Ah!¡± The woman smiled at her, lending her hand. ¡°Come up here! Are you feeling better now?¡± Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! Shiria, somehow, felt tears running down her cheeks. She immediately grabbed her hand and got up on the stage with her. ¡°Hey! Why are you crying?!¡± The woman immediately got alarmed. ¡°Are you okay sweetheart?¡± ¡°I...I don¡¯t know,¡± Shiria shook her head. ¡°Who are you? You look...familiar. Extremely.¡± A golden-haired woman with magenta eyes. She wore a very fancy dress, which looked like a costume. A gentle, genuine smile on her face made her look radiant. ¡°I am...Servalia. I think your memories aren¡¯t back yet, right?¡± ¡°No. They are not...¡± ¡°Well. I¡¯m a...relatively famous singer around the galaxy. You probably know me, deep inside here!¡± She smiled happily, pushing her finger against Shiria¡¯s chest. ¡°And...judging by those cute tears...I guess you really, really like me, huh?¡± ¡°I-I guess so¡­¡± Shiria laughed, embarrassed, ¡°nice to meet you again, Servalia.¡± ¡°Hah¡­such a big theater, and only eleven guests. This place is so sad. They should open it to the public, am I wrong?¡± ¡°Yes...it looks very sad and lonely,¡± Shiria agreed. ¡°at least it¡¯s not completely empty.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Servalia nodded. ¡°I like your optimism already! I was planning to make everyone gather here one of these next nights...and maybe I can play some songs. Would you like it?¡± ¡°Oh! For sure! Yeah!¡± Shiria nodded happily, ¡°I¡¯d love to hear one of your songs again. Maybe it will bring back some memories.¡± ¡°Oh, I sure hope so! Kaeron told me Chronos said it doesn¡¯t have the slightest idea of why you lost them, right? It could have happened right after you got on the ship, maybe because of something unrelated¡­¡± ¡°Ah, did you see Kaeron?¡± She asked her immediately. ¡°I wanna thank her for helping me out.¡± ¡°Yeah, I did!¡± Servalia chimed happily. ¡°Just ten minutes ago, as I was heading here. I think she went to her room, she has mostly been there all the time during these two days.¡± ¡°Oh, do you know which is her room?¡± ¡°Just ask Chronos. It will know.¡± ¡°Alright then, thank you Servalia. We¡¯ll talk at lunch!¡± ¡°Sure thing!¡±
Shiria reached the main lobby after getting lost a few times. There, she saw the two last guests of the Elysium she had to meet yet. A white-haired maiden. She was short, dressed in a beautiful and intricate black dress. She had long, white hair, decorated by wonderful and elegant headwear. She was very short, almost the height of a little girl. She turned around as soon as Shiria tried to approach her, backing off towards the big glass panel of the lobby. ¡°Hi! I am...the amnesiac girl. Shiria is my temporary name.¡± Shiria says with a friendly smile. The girl scanned her with her eyes, her expression expressing doubt. ¡°Hm, what a powerful name. Shiria.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°The stars align, and they tell me it is a name with a great burden, a great pain.¡± Shiria furrowed her brows. Just what was this girl talking about? ¡°What is yours?¡± She asked, changing the subject. ¡°I am Noir. Follower of Nares.¡± She said. ¡°Oh...what is Nares god of?¡± ¡°Hm, your memory loss is quite strong.¡± The girl Noir stated, looking back outside, into the dark void. ¡°Nares...is the god of chaos, war, destruction. I was born under his star...and I shall bring what he craves.¡± ¡°Sounds...very promising,¡± Shiria sighs and heads towards the dorms. ¡°She won¡¯t deal you any harm, not under my watch at least.¡± The second girl finally spoke up. A silver-haired beauty with short hair and a very modern attire. A serious expression full of zeal and determination made her green eyes light up. ¡°Hi. Who are you?¡± Shiria asked her. ¡°I am Youma. I¡¯m a hunter following the vocation of Artelan. Artelan is the god of hunting, protection, and heroism. I travel around planets, aiding those in need of my help.¡± ¡°Wow, that is very noble.¡± Shiria nodded happily. ¡°If there is any trouble, please do not hesitate to call for my help,¡± she stated, closing her eyes and bowing in a determined fashion. ¡°Well, it was nice to meet you, Youma! Noir, please do not destroy the cruise.¡± And so, she finally reached the long corridor where everything started. ¡°Chronos!¡± She tried to call the AI¡­ But then, she realized she didn¡¯t have the waistband with her. She removed it out of annoyance when she first activated it. ¡°Oh no...how will I find Kaeron now? I don¡¯t even remember my own room!¡± She went back to the main lobby but halted as soon as she saw two people near the fountain talking. Noir wasn¡¯t there anymore. They were Azrael and Lilin. Shiria hid behind the corridor¡¯s corner, listening over their conversation. ¡°What do you think of the girl?¡± Azrael asked Lilin. ¡°She¡¯s...interesting,¡± Lilin replied after a pause, her voice measured. ¡°There¡¯s something off about her. It¡¯s not just the memory loss. She doesn¡¯t belong here at all. She doesn¡¯t look special in any way.¡± Azrael nodded thoughtfully, her eyes flickering with a mixture of curiosity and amusement. ¡°I felt it too. There¡¯s a certain innocence about her, but it¡¯s mixed with something else. Something...hidden.¡± ¡°Maybe she doesn¡¯t even realize it herself. Ah-hahaha!¡± ¡°Or maybe she does, and something is about to ruin our beautiful holiday here at the Elysium.¡± ¡°Oh yeah? I¡¯m always all-in for stuff that spices things up.¡± Lilin giggles. ¡°We¡¯ll see!¡± They soon left the lobby, heading towards the corridor that led to the dining hall. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about them, they¡¯re just gossiping.¡± ¡°A-Aaah!!!¡± Shiria yelped, turning around and backing off, almost tripping backwards. ¡°Sorry. I didn¡¯t mean to startle you.¡± Kaeron offered her hand, but Shiria simply regained composure by herself, smiling at Kaeron. ¡°It¡¯s okay Kaeron. Don¡¯t worry.¡± ¡°How are you feeling?¡± She asked, walking closer to Shiria, analyzing her whole body. A calm, emotionless tone ¨C not an evil one, though. ¡°Any other dizziness?¡± ¡°No. I¡¯m fine,¡± Shiria shook her head, ¡°I was searching for you.¡± ¡°Hm? Why?¡± ¡°I wanted to thank you. You helped me two times. First...you calmed me down when I was freaking out. Second, you brought me to the medical bay.¡± ¡°Ah...well, it was nothing special,¡± Kaeron replied, looking outside, ¡°I just felt bad seeing you so confused and scared.¡± ¡°Still, thank you!¡± Shiria repeated with a happy smile, patting her woman¡¯s back. ¡°No problem.¡± The two remained in silence for a while, then, Kaeron spoke once more: ¡°Did you explore the cruise?¡± ¡°Almost completely, yes. There are very interesting things around. I also talked with everyone aboard. They¡¯re kind of...nice but also weird. Especially Noir.¡± ¡°Yeah. That¡¯s why I usually stay alone. I don¡¯t like company that much.¡± Shiria could tell Kaeron wasn¡¯t the social type. ¡°What¡¯s your vocation?¡± Kaeron stayed silent for a couple of seconds. Then, she turned over Shiria and replied, ¡°Artelan.¡± ¡°Oh! So you¡¯re a hunter like Youma? Do you help people too?¡± ¡°Yes. That is correct,¡± Kaeron nodded. ¡°That¡¯s why you¡¯re so nice! Hehe¡­¡± Shiria chuckled, ¡°I think Artelan is my favorite god so far!" ¡°Well, maybe it¡¯s your vocation,¡± Kaeron sighs, looking at her waistband''s clock, ¡°we should go have lunch now, it¡¯s almost 12 PM.¡± ¡°Oh, yeah, let¡¯s go then.¡± The two walk together as they go, chatting about the cruise. And so, Shiria started to blend in immediately, almost forgetting about her amnesia. Was this peace going to last, though? Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.
Chapter 6 Meanwhile, Shiria was playing a competitive match with Lan¡¯en at a DDR machine. Lan¡¯en was quite good, but Shiria had almost perfect movements and rhythm. ¡°Wow, you¡¯re quite talented!¡± Lan¡¯en exclaimed as she rested against the railing of the machine. ¡°H-How are you not tired¡­?¡± Shiria muttered, her body bent as she held herself up barely. She was panting, her face drenched in sweat. ¡°I am a knight, a warrior!¡± Lan¡¯en chuckled, ¡°I¡¯m used to physical activity. How else would I defeat the beasts of the cosmos?¡± ¡°Yeah...that¡¯s...right. Let¡¯s go to the snack room, I need to drink something¡­¡± Shiria and Lan¡¯en reached the entrance of the arcade. To its right, there was a small room with a vending machine with all sorts of junk. Sodas, candies, chips...the usual stuff you¡¯d find sold in an arcade. ¡°So¡­¡± Shiria sat down, gulping down a can of coke, ¡°you said you¡¯re...in the pale knight¡¯s oath?¡± ¡°Yes, I am a pale knight,¡± Lan¡¯en crosses her legs, ¡°basically galaxy rangers such as Kaeron and Youma, but in a group and with a more religious conviction.¡± ¡°Youma seems very religious.¡± Lan¡¯en smiled at Shiria¡¯s observation, nodding thoughtfully as she opened a bottle of water, ¡°Youma has a strong spiritual side, yes. But it¡¯s different from ours. My oath to the pale knights is both a spiritual commitment and a duty...a way to protect and serve the weak and the helpless across the cosmos.¡± ¡°Interesting. Do you...follow a code of conduct? Or something like that?¡± ¡°Yes, we do!¡± Lan¡¯en leaned forward, smiling, ¡°We have lots of rules to abide by, written by a long-gone prophet, who claims to have heard the word of Athenis.¡± ¡°Oh...it must be a big source of pressure, no?¡± Shiria looked at her empty can, shaking it softly and moving the little drops remaining inside. ¡°It is. Yes. There¡¯s always the worry of failing, of not living up to the expectations of those who see us as undying heroes,¡± Lan¡¯en shrugged, wearing a bitter smile, ¡°one of the worst things is to see a child of a poor planet look at you with sparkling eyes when you arrive...and then the same boy looks at you with tears of disappointment and despair as you¡¯re wounded. You cannot lose.¡± Shiria¡¯s heart ached a little as she imagined the scene. ¡°But don¡¯t worry! It rarely happens. We are strong!¡± Lan¡¯en flexed her muscle, ¡°and I will never regret joining this oath.¡± ¡°Why are you here? On the Elysium?¡± Shiria asked her. ¡°Hm...to relax. One of the fundamental aspects of the knights is respite. Everyone has their own way to rest. I¡¯ll be back with my comrades after the Elysium¡¯s vacation is over.¡± Quite a simple but very noble reason. ¡°Do you think Noir¡¯s praying to Nares is the same devotion you have for Athenis?¡± Lan¡¯en shook her head, looking somewhat shaken up but such a question, ¡°Athenis doesn¡¯t chain us to her and to prayers. She gifts us the duty of goodwill and heroism, and then we make anything we want out of it.¡± ¡°Maybe Noir isn¡¯t forced to pray.¡± ¡°I can see it in her face. She is.¡± The conversation got gloomy all of a sudden. Shiria stood up, clearing her throat, ¡°Alright Lan¡¯en...up to another round?¡± ¡°After how you destroyed me? Hell no! Let¡¯s play air hockey.¡± And so, the two went back to having fun, forgetting everything else. The heavier topics could wait. For now, they were just two friends enjoying their time together.
Evening. Everyone is going to dinner. Shiria stood there, close to Noir, she¡¯s still praying. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Kaeron¡¯s voice appeared behind the girl. ¡°I want...I want to know if she¡¯s okay,¡± Shiria replied, shaking her head, concerned. ¡°Shiria¡­just leave her alone.¡± ¡°Kaeron, she is clearly bothered! I can feel it!¡± ¡°Wait, don¡¯t-¡± Shiria leaned over and put a hand on Noir¡¯s shoulder. She tensed up gasping loudly. She turned around, startled. ¡°Noir, are you okay?¡± Shiria muttered, worried. ¡°Tch,¡± Noir looked at Shiria with disdain, ¡°I do not have time for your stupid, friendly nonsense, foolish girl. Go away and leave me alone. You should not be here. You don''t belong here.¡± Noir¡¯s eyes were filled with...terror. She was scared. She was slightly trembling as her red eyes tried to focus on Shiria¡¯s figure, failing. Kaeron stepped forward, frowning, ¡°Hey, that was very rude.¡± ¡°Nares spoke to me, I foresee death on this vessel. The light upon the star has faded. For the souls of this vessel, sinking into the depths of the abyss, will all be upon Nares¡¯ destruction and chaos. Now, let me be...¡± She turned back to the fountain, kneeling on the ground and praying, her mouth shaking slightly. ¡°I told you,¡± Kaeron says, going to the elevator, ¡°fanatics will always be fanatics, Shiria.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± Shiria looked and Noir with worry, ¡°Noir, what do you mean? You foresaw death?¡± ¡°She¡¯s just being a lunatic, let¡¯s go,¡± Kaeron said, grabbing Shiria¡¯s arm quite erratically, looking irritated. Shiria turned towards her, frowning even more, ¡°O-Okay¡­¡± And so they left Noir there, all by herself. Through her whispers, lie terrible truths and hopeful lies. ¡°Nares, please¡­¡± Noir muttered, ¡°save me from death.¡± The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.
Shiria and Kaeron reached the dining hall. Everyone else, except Noir, was there and, weirdly, they were all sitting together. ¡°Oh, hi Kaeron, hi Shiria,¡± Youma was the first to notice them. ¡°Hi¡­?¡± Kaeron replied, rising her eyebrow. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°Since when does Azrael and Lilin sit with other passengers?¡± Shiria asked curiously. ¡°Well, we wanted to talk about Noir¡¯s weird behavior,¡± Lan¡¯en said, munching on a piece of bread, ¡°she¡¯s been praying at that fountain for a long time now, telling everyone creepy stuff.¡± ¡°Why do we even care?¡± Alicia sighed, eating her breakfast slowly, ¡°she¡¯s a Nares¡¯ fanatic. Everyone knows they¡¯re mentally ill.¡± ¡°True, but Nares¡¯ followers are also known to have the power of foresight,¡± Tsukasa retorted with a gentle, yet aggressive smile, ¡°I don¡¯t think we should ignore her. She told me odd stuff as well. I tried to talk to her and she said she¡¯s praying because she has to stay away from a curse that apparently we all have.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I don¡¯t think I¡¯m understanding any of this,¡± Kaeron stopped everyone. She was the only one still standing up, ¡°what are you all implying? That something is going to happen?¡± ¡°Noir talks about looming death, so yes...some of us fear we¡¯re in danger,¡± Servalia sighed, placing her palm on her cheek, her eyes flickered with concern and anxiety. ¡°I honestly think we shouldn''t listen to her,¡± Youma groaned in annoyance, ¡°she¡¯s just trying to mess up with our heads. ¡°What if she¡¯s not?¡± Shiria retorted, ¡°She looks...scared. I touched her shoulder and she was...just terrified.¡± ¡°Yes, she¡¯s right,¡± Lan¡¯en nods, ¡°when I left the arcade with Shiria, I felt something. I am a pale knight, I can feel when people are in danger thanks to Athenis¡¯ blessing. She feels in danger, she¡¯s asking for help.¡± ¡°What if it¡¯s just a conundrum in her own head?¡± Lilin spoke. Her flashy, pink dress stuck out as soon as she spoke...before that, she was basically invisible. She wore a smug smile as she combed her hair using her hand. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Shiria asked her. ¡°Crazy people...I know them. They make their own inner problems bigger than they are...and they just try to make them real. She¡¯s just having a mental breakdown,¡± she let out a soft laugh, still playing with her hair. ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Azrael chimes in with an amused smile carrying her words, ¡°You¡¯re all overthinking this. People like her adore feeding themselves off their own fears. She is scared, and she is just making everyone else scared as well.¡± Servalia spoke up, ¡°I¡¯ve...been feeling uneasy too. My vocation is...Hagea. I¡¯m a healer. I feel like something...bad...is around us.¡± ¡°Now we have two people,¡± Tsukasa sighed and smiled bitterly, shaking her head, ¡°do you still want to ignore it?¡± ¡°What should we do anyway?¡± Azrael asked, almost challenging Tsukasa. ¡°For now, at least figure out what danger we are in,¡± Tsukasa says, turning on her communication device, ¡°Chronos, are you available?¡± The AI voice turned on, ¡°Model CHRON.05 at your service. Yes, Tsukasa. How may I assist you?¡± ¡°A guest claims we are in danger. Is there anything odd on the cruise? A technical issue, or...something similar.¡± The AI processed the question, and then it gave the passengers its output, ¡°negative. The integrity of the cruise is at 100%. There is no threat aboard. Of any kind.¡± ¡°Then why did Noir say we are?¡± Lan¡¯en asked the AI through Tsukasa¡¯s device. ¡°Greetings, passenger Lan¡¯en,¡± the AI said calmly, ¡°according to my database, passenger Noir is a follower of Nares. It is common for people born under the god Nares¡¯ star to deceive, terrorize, and inflict violence upon others. If Noir poses a threat, please provide proof of crime and contact me.¡± ¡°She¡¯s...she¡¯s not the one posing a threat. She¡¯s telling us she foresaw death looming on all of us.¡± ¡°This is a safe space. Every sort of danger that could lead to death is only possible by accidents and malfunctions. However, my readings indicate that everything is in order.¡± It just wouldn¡¯t listen. It was an AI, after all. Shiria, looking more worried than before, sighed, ¡°What do we do now? If the AI can¡¯t detect anything wrong, but Noir is still terrified, how do we figure out what¡¯s really going on?¡± ¡°One step at a time,¡± Tsukasa suggests, turning the device off, ¡°I humbly...think I am the one who could speak to Noir for longer without angering her. I will try to help her out and figure out what is going on. Relax, for now. It isn¡¯t like this threat is coming for us any soon.¡± ¡°Okay then,¡± Servalia nodded, taking a deep breath, ¡°let¡¯s just eat dinner and call it a night, we¡¯ll leave Tsukasa and Noir alone.¡± ¡°You¡¯re wasting your time, and you¡¯re letting a Nares¡¯ follower into your head,¡± Azrael sighed, shaking her head. Lilin followed suit with a giggle. ¡°Maybe, but at least I am doing something about that poor girl,¡± Tsukasa replied to her with a smile and a gentle tone, which hid, however, a great disdain. ¡°Let¡¯s not fight,¡± Shiria defused the atmosphere immediately, ¡°we¡¯ll help Noir somehow, no matter what¡¯s going on.¡± ¡°Just leave me out of it,¡± Alicia sighed, heading to another table as well. Everyone split up again, leaving Shiria and Kaeron alone at the table. ¡°Kaeron, what do you think?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± the woman sat down with Shiria, finally. Shiria put up a gentle smile, ¡°do you want to hang out after dinner?¡± ¡°No...I¡¯d like to be alone,¡± she replied, ¡°sorry.¡± Kaeron¡¯s expression was firm as always, but it also felt...disturbed. Suddenly, it looked like Kaeron had something on her mind that was troubling her. Shiria wanted to ask her what she was thinking, but she knew Kaeron. She would have just raised her walls even more. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s okay. I¡¯ll just hang out with Lan¡¯en, then,¡± Shiria said, trying to keep her lighthearted tone. ¡°Good. Have fun, okay?¡± Kaeron sighed and nodded, ¡°take care, Shiria.¡± ¡°I will. You too, okay Kaeron?¡± ¡°Mhm.¡± And so Shiria went over Lan¡¯en¡¯s table, Youma was there too. Kaeron¡¯s mind raced with unintelligible thoughts as she sat there, staring at the white, clean table.
Shiria stood by Lan¡¯en¡¯s door after knocking a couple of times. ¡°Shiria!¡± The door slid wide open. Lan¡¯en smiled, her usually tied-up hair now were loose, hanging over her shoulders. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡±" ¡°Hey Lan¡¯en, I just came here to...borrow some more clothes.¡± ¡°Oh? What happened to the two pairs I gave you?¡± "I had to put them to wash and they¡¯ll be done by tomorrow. I need something to dress with tomorrow at least.¡± ¡°Ah...hehe, you¡¯re lucky I brought a lot of extra stuff.¡± Lan¡¯en stepped aside, ¡°Come in! Please, make yourself comfortable!¡± ¡°Actually, I wanted to go to bed soon¡­¡± Shiria walked inside the room despite what she said. It was the same as hers, albeit more decorated with the pale knight''s personal belongings. ¡°Oh really? It¡¯s nine, come on. Are you a grandma?¡± Shiria giggled and turned around. She saw Lan¡¯en closing the door and felt a little surprised, ¡°N-No I just...like going to bed early!¡± Lan¡¯en noticed Shiria¡¯s expression and laughed softly, ¡°Shiria, relax...I¡¯m not going to murder you! Hahah! I just want to hang out a little¡­¡± She headed over to the refrigerator every room has, right under the desk. She took out of it a coke and a beer, ¡°truthfully...I¡¯m scared. I don¡¯t know what will happen with Noir and my hero siren is crying loudly,¡± she admitted suddenly, sitting on her bed. Shiria sighed and sat down with her, sipping on the coke, ¡°I understand. It¡¯s so nice of you to worry about her. I am worried too.¡± Lan¡¯en chuckled and took a big sip out of her can, ¡°yeah...it¡¯s a nice person¡¯s most weakness. Jumping into danger.¡± Shiria laughed. She could tell Lan''en was a good person. She felt very at ease around her, it was almost...surprising. The ¡®¡¯hero¡¯¡¯ effect she claimed to give to people was reaching Shiria¡¯s heart too. ¡°You¡¯re a good person, Lan¡¯en,¡± Shiria nodded, ¡°you should be proud.¡± ¡°I am,¡± Lan¡¯en bitterly replied, ¡°I just...I just think that it¡¯s sad how sometimes destroying and being evil is way easier. Yet...my heart cannot be evil at all.¡± ¡°Well...that makes you even more amazing, am I wrong?¡± ¡°Yeah, I think that-¡± Lan¡¯en¡¯s words were interrupted by a loud sound of something winding down slowly. The lights turned off, the whole room became dead silent because of the absence of the ventilation system. ¡°Attention!¡± Both the devices of the girls showed the AI¡¯s logo, the hologram screen was red. ¡°It appears a power outage occurred on the whole Elysium¡¯s electrical system. Our robot workers are doing their best to restore it as soon as they can. Please stand by and be patient. We apologize for the inconvenience, and we thank you for your cooperation.¡± ¡°Oh shit¡­¡± Lan¡¯en sighs, her voice shaking with anxiety, ¡°What if this is¡­? We gotta get out of here and check on Noir.¡± They both stumbled around the pure darkness, reaching the door. It wouldn¡¯t open no matter what they tried. ¡°Damnit!¡± Lan¡¯en kicked the door, ¡°We¡¯re trapped here! What do we do? I''ll break down this door..." Shiria grabbed Lan¡¯en''s hand. She led her to bed once more and sat her down with her. ¡°We take a deep breath and wait, Lan¡¯en. There¡¯s no point worrying about it. We can¡¯t get out.¡± "What?" Lan''en''s heart was beating fast, and she was sweating. Shiria could feel her pulse quickening. "We need to get out there! Stat!" ¡°What should I do?¡± She asked herself, ¡°I want Lan¡¯en to calm down. Or...at least I need to distract her.¡± Suddenly, she hugged Lan¡¯en tightly, caressing her back. ¡°It¡¯s okay...Lan¡¯en. Calm down.¡± The girl was startled at first, but then she let out a soft, happy sigh. She wrapped her arms around Shiria and took a deep breath, ¡°Shiria¡­¡± ¡°Relax. I know you''re a hero...but freaking out won''t help us.¡± Lan¡¯en chuckled, ¡°you¡¯re so...sweet and kind...truly a good girl.¡± Shiria didn¡¯t reply to that.
Fourth morning, Shiria woke up to Lan¡¯en shaking her. Apparently they both fell asleep before the power could come back. ¡°Hey sleepyhead,¡± Lan¡¯en chuckled as she looked at Shiria, who rubbed her eyes, ¡°the power¡¯s back on, I¡¯m checking on Noir. Wanna come?¡± ¡°Yes...I¡¯ll be there in a minute. I¡¯ll wash my face.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Shiria went over to the bathroom, and poured fresh water all over her tired eyes and face gently still trying to wake up. As soon as she turned off the sink- ¡°OH MY GOD!¡± -her ears were filled with a scream. It was Lan¡¯en. She was soon outside the room, in the long corridor, speeding with other passengers who immediately came out of their respective rooms along with her. Her heart raced as she reached the lobby, her legs weak, her lungs pumping oxygen in and out of her body. Shiria froze in place as soon as she witnessed the horror of Noir¡¯s body lying on the floor, drenched in blood. Chapter 7 ¡°NOIR! Noir¡­! Please! Please open your eyes!¡± Lan¡¯en didn¡¯t care about getting dirty. She immediately picked up her body after kneeling, slapping her face gently as her breath quickened with panic. ¡°Lan¡¯en¡­¡± Youma muttered. But Lan¡¯en continued to cry and panic, shaking Noir¡¯s cold body within her arms. Kaeron stood beside Shiria as she witnessed the scene, among the others. Her arms crossed, her expression a mixture of disappointment and anger. ¡°You idiot,¡± Alicia abruptly walks to Lan¡¯en and grabs her by the shoulders, pulling her away from Noir, letting the body fall back on the floor violently, ¡°don¡¯t you see it?! She has her whole chest torn open!¡± That was right. Shiria could see it clearly. Noir¡¯s chest was pierced, and tore open. Almost as if whatever killed her had huge claws. ¡°Why? Why did it happen?¡± Her ears got clogged by her own thoughts as the others started talking about the scene in front of them, looking at each other. ¡°Woah, Shiria!¡± Kaeron held out her arms to catch Shiria, who suddenly felt so lightheaded that she fell backward, her eyes spinning, her limbs weak and cold. ¡°Weak to blood, huh?¡± Lilin chuckled. ¡°Do you think it¡¯s fucking funny?!¡± Lan¡¯en suddenly shouted, lunging at Lilin. Youma grabbed her arm and stopped her, ¡°what are you laughing at?!¡± ¡°God...this is just terrible,¡± Alicia shivered, shaking her head, ¡°how the hell did Noir die?!¡± ¡°Poor girl¡­I don¡¯t know what to say,¡± Servalia held her tears back, ¡°she knew it would happen...we ignored her.¡± ¡°It¡¯s nobody¡¯s fault!¡± Kaeron shouted, caressing Shiria¡¯s hair as she sat down, lifted slightly by her friend, ¡°There¡¯s something on this Cruise. That¡¯s neither an accident nor someone human. Call Chronos and ask it what the hell is going on.¡± ¡°Y-Yes. That¡¯s right! Who does it?¡± Tsukasa, who had been staring at the corpse in silence all this time, cleared her throat, ¡°I will. Everyone stands by. We do not have time to fight or judge each other," She looked extremely stressed out. Lan¡¯en sighed and calmed down, Lilin and Azrael started whispering to each other. ¡°Fuck¡­¡± Kaeron muttered. Suddenly, Shiria moaned in discomfort as her eyes regained focus, ¡°Shiria? Hey...are you okay?¡± ¡°Kaeron¡­¡± she closed her eyes again, leaning her head against Kaeron¡¯s stomach, ¡°please, tell me it was a dream.¡± ¡°No. It wasn¡¯t.¡± Shiria''s heart sank as Kaeron''s words confirmed the nightmare was real. The weight of the situation made it difficult to breathe, as if anxiety and fear pushed her chest physically. She tried to steady her mind, focusing on the sensation of Kaeron¡¯s hand gently stroking her hair. It was a small comfort amid the overwhelming chaos. Tsukasa, taking charge, activated her communication device once more, her voice steady but strained. ¡°Chronos, this is an emergency. There has been a fatality. We need immediate information on any anomalies aboard the Elysium. What the hell is happening?¡± ¡°Model CHRON.05 at your service. Please, do indicate what you mean specifically as ¡®¡¯fatality¡¯¡¯.¡± ¡°One of the passengers got killed in a very gruesome way. Their chest is torn open. She must have gotten killed by some creature or-¡± ¡°Fatality confirmed. Passenger ¡°Noir Leroux¡± deceased. Scanning for information,¡± Chronos almost immediately responded, its voice as cold and clinical as ever, ¡°I apologize. I do not detect any threat aboard the Elysium. The nature of the passenger¡¯s death may be non-intentional. I shall inform you that ¡®¡¯death¡¯¡¯ isn¡¯t possible aboard this safe and automated vessel. Accidents happen. The passenger must have been sick or must have committed suicide.¡± ¡°What the fuck!?¡± Lan¡¯en stands up and walks to Tsukasa, grabbing her arms and shoving her face against the hologram, ¡°are you stupid?! She got killed! We¡¯re telling you!¡± ¡°Chronos, listen carefully,¡± Tsukasa sighed, ¡°It wasn¡¯t an accident or a suicide. We¡¯re looking at a violent, gruesome death. We need you to understand that we are in danger.¡± Chronos remained unperturbed, ¡°Passenger Tsukasa, your distress status is noted. However, my sensors do detect no threat. The ship¡¯s systems are functioning, the sub-AIs on my command are responding correctly, and my motion sensors do not detect any other life form outside of this lobby at the moment. Note that I am the most advanced model of the current galaxy¡¯s market. My efficiencies and capabilities are-¡± Kaeron rushed over as well, her teeth clenched, ¡°Chronos, we¡¯re not doubting your quality. Please, scan again. You didn¡¯t find anything but there¡¯s something wrong here, clearly...we are in danger. You¡¯re missing something crucial.¡± ¡°Passenger Kaeron, I apologize if my services are not of help. If you truly believe my technology isn¡¯t able to detect the threat you¡¯re speaking of, please do provide evidence of its existence and I will reassess the situation.¡± The AI closed itself, refusing to speak further. ¡°What¡­? No¡­this must be a joke,¡± Lan¡¯en let Tsukasa¡¯s arm go and shook her head in denial, ¡°It¡¯s a prank. It must be.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t look at me!¡± Lilin chuckled again. ¡°What do we do?¡± Shiria suddenly joined, finally standing up correctly. ¡°Shiria. Are you okay?¡± Kaeron rested her hand on Shiria¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m okay. Please focus on Noir.¡± She nodded and looked at everyone else, ¡°what should we do?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s attempt to¡­provide that robot the ¡®¡¯evidence¡¯¡¯ it asked for, no?¡± Azrael suggested, walking towards Noir¡¯s body, ¡°There must be some clue around here, right?¡± ¡°Do we have to play detectives?¡± Youma sighs, ¡°This is crazy. None of us is qualified! At all!¡± ¡°I am.¡± Shiria looked at her friend with curious eyes as she walked towards the corpse with her arms crossed. Azrael stepped aside, smirking at her weirdly. Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Youma asked. ¡°I was right, then,¡± Tsukasa crossed her arms as well, staring with her eyes into Kaeron¡¯s soul, ¡°we can trust Kaeron¡¯s guidance. She is very strong at investigation. This is what my power says.¡± ¡°Good,¡± Youma nods, ¡°We¡¯ll wait for any further intel then.¡± ¡°What?¡± Shiria immediately brought her hand to her chin, staring at Kaeron filled with curiosity. Lan¡¯en, still drenched in blood, walked away with Youma to clean herself. Alicia, Azrael, and Lilin simply left without any further communication. Shiria approached Kaeron, ¡°Come on, let¡¯s find out what happened to Noir. No distractions.¡± ¡°Okay then...I¡¯ll help!¡± Servalia took a deep, long breath and focused her mind, standing beside the two. Tsukasa sighed, ending up in line as well, ¡°and here I thought I came here for sex and food¡­I¡¯ll help too.¡± ¡°Alright, let¡¯s begin.¡±
From now on, the tale may be told using the passengers¡¯ feelings and thoughts. Every time a switch of perspective is in act, the character¡¯s point-of-view card will appear.
We stand around Noir''s body, the atmosphere heavy with a mix of dread and determination. I take a deep breath, my eyes scanning the scene. I begin by examining the immediate area around Noir¡¯s body. First, I observe the scene of the crime itself. ¡°Noir was found laid against the fountain, half her body was past the edge, her limp arms into the water, while the other half was left in a kneeling position. She was attacked from behind,¡± I state calmly. ¡°Yeah, I thought that too,¡± Tsukasa agrees, ¡°whatever killed her, crept from behind her as she was praying and hit her hard. What about the wound? Servalia, you¡¯re a healer, right? Tell us more.¡± ¡°Uhm¡­¡± She kneels beside Noir, turning her body over, careful not to get dirty with blood. Even if she¡¯s a healer, she¡¯s definitely trying her best not to puke... ¡°The wound...hm...her wound was inflicted by something long that increased in girth, like a spike. The tissues around the hole here have strange markings...as if the design of the weapon used was...animalistic or unusual.¡± ¡°So we can rule out anything with a smooth shape,¡± I nod. Finally, something useful. ¡°Okay, so it¡¯s probably an alien being...right?¡± Shiria askes. ¡°Oh lord, I watched a movie about an alien on a spaceship quite some time ago. Are we in that situation?¡± Servalia sighs. Spoke too soon¡­ My eyes land on the fountain¡¯s frame. ¡°The object pierced Noir as she prayed and accidentally hit the frame. Look at this¡­¡± I trace my finger around the spot where the weapon hit the fountain, ¡°Servalia, you¡¯re right. The weapon was pointy. The strength of the rupture focuses on a single point and gets weaker the farther you go.¡± ¡°Okay, so it was a pointy, alien weapon. It¡¯s a monstrous enemy,¡± Tsukasa walks back and forth while her tail wags with stress, I bet she is as scared as everyone else despite acting so mature.¡°it¡¯s not enough to convince the AI about it, though,¡± she adds. They¡¯re useless. Yes, Servalia told me something useful about the wound...but that isn¡¯t really anything valuable. It¡¯s obvious that whoever did this used something lethal and monstrous. I have to take things further. ¡°What are you doing, Kaeron?¡± Shiria asks me. I ignore her question grab Noir¡¯s wrists and pull her arms up. I slide my hands inside her dress and feel her skin. ¡°With my powers, I can feel a corpse¡¯s physical and spiritual status¡­¡± Charon accepted her and she is currently crossing the cosmic river. She has some stuff to figure out before she¡¯ll be on the other side¡­.but that¡¯s not what I care about. ¡°Physically, it¡¯s been approximately seven hours since she was killed. It¡¯s 7:25 AM right now. So she was killed at around midnight,¡± I explain to the three. ¡°Wait¡­¡± Shiria interrupts me, ¡°We should address the power outage of yesterday. ¡°What do you mean?¡± I stand up again and look at her. ¡°We should think about the power outage that occurred last night. That¡¯s probably when the murder happened,¡± Shiria repeats, ¡°we must know who was in their room and who wasn¡¯t.¡± ¡°Why?¡± I ask her, crossing my arms and squinting my eyes. Does she think¡­? ¡°Because¡­then we know who was out during the murder. We could ask them if they heard anything at all. A screech or...footsteps?¡± Her response was too shaky. She hesitated. This is not the reason she¡¯s suggesting this. ¡°Chronos!¡± Tsukasa immediately shouts. ¡°Model CHRON.05 at your service. What do you need?¡± ¡°This is important for the investigation of the fatality that occurred. Do you have an exact period between the start and the end of last night¡¯s power outage?¡± ¡°Also, tell us about the dorm¡¯s doors¡¯ status during the outage,¡± I add. It¡¯s an important bit of information. ¡°The power was out from 9:12 PM to 4:00 AM. The doors didn¡¯t work during the whole outage, so people outside their rooms were forced outside. I apologize deeply. Do you have any complaints?¡± ¡°Someone must have remained locked outside...and they may even have tried to go back. Someone must have heard or seen something,¡± I nod. Shiria is right...I must have that information. I need to know who was outside and who wasn¡¯t, ¡°Chronos, can you tell us who was outside?¡± ¡°I apologize. Due to privacy concerns, I cannot disclose the passengers¡¯ whereabouts at any point in time.¡± ¡°Chronos! It¡¯s a life-threatening situation!¡± Servalia complained. ¡°I apologize. As an AI, I cannot go past my code of conduct.¡± No use. Instead, I should look at Noir again with a full picture in mind. The wound was fatal ¨C pierced her heart in one go, so the rest of her body is intact because there was no struggle whatsoever. I want to find more. Focus, Kaeron. I turn around and look at the elevator. ¡°This place has three floors. The first floor is the ¡°entrance¡±. When the cruise docks at a station, people get on and off from that floor. The second is this one...where everything that is passenger-related is located. The third is where the dining room is...but it¡¯s also where the whole core operations of the cruise are. Engine, storage, server maintenance...everything,¡± I explain to them. ¡°How do you know all this?¡± Tsukasa asks her, turning her communication device off. ¡°I asked Chronos in advance. I thought it would be useful in case something happened,¡± I answer her stupid question quickly, ¡°as I was saying...I wonder here is this creature hiding in the first place?¡± ¡°Hm¡­the third is full of security stuff, I bet. Surveillance cameras, sensors...and maybe guard robots. The dining room is already filled with them. Second has no surveillance of any kind because of privacy, I guess...I didn''t see any cameras. But it¡¯s filled with passengers, so it would be very hard for the alien to hide around here. First...is empty. There¡¯s the reception robot and the docking station, which is useless during the trip...and that¡¯s it,¡± Shiria mumbles, ¡°I think we should check the first floor out.¡± We all nod and head to the elevator. However, we notice that the button to go on the first floor doesn¡¯t work. ¡°What? It doesn¡¯t work¡­¡± Servalia sighs. Chronos suddenly appears on my waistband, saying this: ¡°I apologize. You cannot go down there. To ensure everyone¡¯s safety, I cannot let passengers access the lower level of this cruise. You shall only access the second floor¡¯s utilities and the exceptional dining room of the third floor.¡± ¡°Chronos, can I ask you a question?¡± ¡°Of course, you may.¡± ¡°Is there any way one could go from the first floor to the second through vents or other means?¡± ¡°No. The ventilation system is protected by safety sensors at all times. Besides, even if one was able to elude the sensors, it would be deadly for them to go through the air ducts due to the cooling system the cruise is provided with. The inside of said ducts reach 160¡ãC. No living being could ever withstand the three minutes of crawling under those temperatures." So it¡¯s on the second floor. It has to be...otherwise Chronos would have seen it wandering around the third, unauthorized. This explains how and why the AI also doesn¡¯t acknowledge its existence. It cannot scan the second floor due to privacy concerns. ¡°So...it must be on the third, right?¡± Servalia says instead, ¡°No one saw an alien around here.¡± The other two do not respond. We all get out in the lobby once more. They all look dejected. ¡°We should still ask personally who was forced outside during the murder and hope they will be honest about it,¡± Shiria says. The other two girls look at Shiria with a weird expression, probably because of her wording. But then, Servalia agrees, ¡°She¡¯s right, though. We can¡¯t leave the others on their own. Someone died! We¡¯ll ask them questions.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll ask them a bunch of questions during lunch, then. I¡¯m pretty sure breakfast is getting skipped,¡± Tsukasa agrees, getting back to the corpse, "I think this is all we can investigate, right Kaeron? It was too simple, too quick...¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± I quickly nod, dodging her question. I have no clue what is going on here. But I understood one thing. While Tsukasa and Servalia are still confused, Shiria thinks that the killer is one of us. She wouldn¡¯t have suggested discovering who was outside their room during the power outage otherwise. She didn¡¯t want to say it clearly because it would inject panic and fear...but she is already weary of everyone. And she is probably right. I should be careful too. I want to investigate alone...act on my own. ¡°I wanna be alone now. I need to process what happened and...I generally think better when I¡¯m focusing alone,¡± I start walking away, already planning who to talk to next. ¡°Okay Kaeron, please take care,¡± Shiria says, ¡°don¡¯t weigh all of this on your shoulders just because you¡¯re good at investigating!¡± Shiria¡­why did she say this right now? She trusts me despite the fact she thinks it¡¯s one of us. I could use that trust if I do things right. ¡°Yes, Kaeron. Please call me too if you need anything, I¡¯ll be in my room blowing off some steam,¡± Tsukasa chimes in, leaving as soon as she finishes her sentence. ¡°Do you wanna go to check on Lan¡¯en?¡± Servalia asks Shiria. ¡°Yes, let¡¯s go.¡± We all part ways, and I¡¯m left with my thoughts. Alien? Tch. You''re a monster for sure, yeah. Chapter 8 Shiria, Lan¡¯en, and Youma were in Lan¡¯en¡¯s room. ¡°Are you okay Lan¡¯en?¡± Shiria asked her friend, rubbing her hand all over her back. ¡°I can¡¯t believe she¡¯s fucking dead.¡± ¡°Neither can I,¡± Youma stood up and headed towards the window, looking outside and crossing her arms ¡°but don¡¯t worry. Me and Kaeron are hunters. We must eliminate that threat as soon as possible and we are capable of doing so.¡± ¡°Is it an alien, then?¡± Lan¡¯en asked Shiria, ¡°I can fight too.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know...Kaeron didn¡¯t seem convinced it was, but she didn¡¯t deny our idea either. I mean, what else could have killed Noir?¡± Shiria replied despite her ideas. They all fell silent. They didn¡¯t want to say the three dreadful words. ¡®¡¯One of us¡¯¡¯.
Lunchtime. Everyone was present. Probably because Kaeron summoned them and not because they were hungry. Noir¡¯s body was cleaned up by Chronos after Kaeron was sure there were no further clues...her body was preserved in a cryogenic chamber built for random incidents like these. Everyone sat at the same table as Kaeron recounted her investigation¡¯s details with Tsukasa, Shiria, and Servalia vouching for her. ¡°I think the creature is hiding on the second floor. The first one is impossible to access, as I said. The third is highly surveilled,¡± Kaeron said. Even if Kaeron thought the idea of a monstrous creature was absurd and the fruit of denial...she still wanted to make the murderer think she was on the wrong track. ¡°But we would have noticed it, right?¡± Azrael retorted, ¡°We all have been at least once in every room of this place.¡± Kaeron knew Azrael was hinting at something, but she ignored her remark. ¡°I don¡¯t feel anyone else¡¯s presence out of this room!¡± Lilin smiled and chuckled slightly. ¡°What? Do you have some sort of powers that tell you so?¡± Youma asked her. ¡°No!¡± She simply replied. ¡°What the heck Lilin? Are you still up to fucking jokes?!¡± Lan¡¯en stood up, slamming her hands on the table. ¡°Calm down, everyone!¡± Shiria shouted, ¡°I think we should address something else! I think...we should talk about the power outage!¡± ¡°Finally...someone who thinks clearly,¡± Kaeron thought. ¡°Right. I was...getting to that,¡± Kaeron nodded, clearing her throat, ¡°I wanted to ask something very important. Who was in their room, therefore locked inside, before nine?¡± Everyone except Lilin, Azrael, Servalia, and Youma raised their hands. Shiria raised it, but for another reason, she briefly stated: "I was technically out of my room, but I was just sleeping with Lan''en inside hers." Lan''en nodded, confirming that information. ¡°Lilin,¡± Kaeron began with her, ¡°what were you doing from 9:00 PM to 4:00 AM?¡± ¡°She was with me all the time. We didn¡¯t hear or see anything related to the murder because we were at the pub.¡± Lilin nodded vigorously, her golden hair bouncing as she agreed with Azrael...who immediately understood what Kaeron was doing, and so she gifted her a mischievous smile. ¡°Okay. Servalia...what were you doing instead? Heard anything?¡± ¡°I was with Youma. She was listening to me rehearsing at the theater,¡± Servalia sighs, ¡°and...the music was too loud.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Kaeron¡¯s eyes lowered for a second, deep in thought. "Ahem, may I inquire about something?" Azrael suddenly raised your hand. "Yes, Azrael?" ¡°Tsukasa lied. Why did you lie, Kitsune?" ¡°How can you know I lied?¡± Tsukasa asked calmly. ¡°Didn¡¯t I see you coming from a different hallway this morning, when everyone gathered around Noir''s body?¡± Azrael furrowed her brows. ¡°Or maybe I''m remembering things wrong? Lilin?¡± She smiled mischievously. The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. "Hehe, yes! She wasn''t in her room!" ¡°Then, Tsukasa. What explanation do you have?¡± Tsukasa cleared her throat, squeezing her hands together. She kept smiling awkwardly, ¡°I was¡­¡± She paused. Hesitated. Kaeron pierced her soul with her deep, red eyes. What was in Tsukasa¡¯s mind? Kaeron¡¯s heart beat fast. She was trying not to ask her if she killed Noir directly. ¡°I was with Noir. I was trying to help her out. I said I would have tried to talk to her, and that I did,¡± she admitted, ¡°but then the power went out and I got scared. Noir kept saying death was coming¡­repeatedly. I cannot fight, so I was forced to leave the scene. I ended up hiding in the SPA,¡± she explained. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you say anything about it until now?¡± Kaeron asked her. ¡°You could have run to the dorms and woken me up!! I would have been able to smash the door into bits and help Noir!!!¡± Lan¡¯en shouted. ¡°I am sorry...this is exactly why I didn¡¯t say anything. Now Noir¡¯s death will be on my shoulders,¡± Tsukasa bitterly smiled, shrugging. ¡°How convenient, though,¡± Azrael snickered, ¡°you were right with the murder victim, weren¡¯t you? Doesn¡¯t that make you a number one suspect?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! That¡¯s right!¡± Lilin laughed, ¡°What if Tsukasa used her fox claws to kill her?!¡± ¡°Hold on, hold on, wait¡­¡± Youma interrupted everyone, ¡°Are we going to accuse each other now?¡± ¡°Well, I can¡¯t lie about it. I do personally think it was one of us!¡± Lilin said nonchalantly. ¡°That¡¯s just dumb! How could one of us be able to kill Noir in such a way?!¡± Lan¡¯en retorted. ¡°Let¡¯s calm down, okay?¡± Kaeron sighed, frustrated. ¡°Tsukasa, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m sure you¡¯re telling the truth.¡± ¡°Thank you. Thank you,¡± Tsukasa bowed, ¡°I would have never, ever hurt Noir. Or anyone else.¡± ¡°Though, I still wonder. Were you the first one to find her dead body?¡± She asked. ¡°No. When I came out of the SPA, Azrael and Lilin were already there laughing at Noir¡¯s corpse,¡± Tsukasa retaliated against the two girls¡¯ behavior with that response, killing them with a spiteful look. Azrael¡¯s smirk faltered for a moment, her eyes narrowed, ¡°now, now, let¡¯s not go down that path, sly fox.¡± ¡°Yes! At least we wouldn¡¯t have left her to die like you did!¡± Lilin added. ¡°Okay so, let¡¯s get this straight,¡± Youma looked at the three, ¡°Tsukasa was the last one to see Noir before the power went out, while Azrael and Lilin were the first ones to find the body. Tsukasa hid in the SPA...what were you two doing before finding her? I doubt the robot of the pub would have served you drinks.¡± ¡°We tried to drink by ourselves by climbing over the counter but the absence of light didn¡¯t make it any fun after a couple of hours. We started wandering around the cruise hoping we¡¯d find something useful...and then we just went back to the pub to sleep on the couches there. Then the power was suddenly back and the lights and the music of the pub woke us up. We found Noir. The end.¡± ¡°And the first thing that came to mind was to laugh at Noir¡¯s dead body,¡± Lan¡¯en quietly muttered. ¡°Look, people react differently to different things, okay? It¡¯s not like we could bring her back to life!¡± Lilin giggles, ¡°I¡¯m a follower of Dyosia, the god of sex, alcohol, and all that is pleasurable. I am elation...so laughing for me is just normal!¡± ¡°What is your vocation, Azrael?¡± Shiria asked her next. ¡°Erisia.¡± Everyone fell silent, except Shiria who, obliviously, asked for more information, ¡°Who are they?¡± ¡°Erisia is the goddess of strife, discord, and chaos. She is known for causing problems and conflicts. Nares...but way more spiteful.¡± Kaeron explained to her, looking back at Azrael, ¡°I wasn¡¯t expecting such a person on a cruise.¡± ¡°Oh yeah? Well? Am I officially the killer now? Just because of that?¡± Azrael chuckled, shaking her head in disappointment. Kaeron remained calm, abiding by her role of stern investigator, ¡°I am not accusing anyone out of their vocation.¡± Shiria looked confused and concerned. ¡°In the end...we ended up accusing each other either way. What does that mean for us now? We can¡¯t trust each other?¡± Shiria was trying to follow the idea they should find the murderer among them despite her worried expression. Kaeron noticed that and tried to push her a little more¡­ ¡°No. We can still trust each other. The part of figuring out what killed Noir is going nowhere, though. Chronos refused the idea of a threat and we are not even able to cooperate to eliminate it ourselves. At this point, I think it¡¯s safer to look at each other¡¯s back and ask for a U-turn of the Elyisium and report the accident to the family who owns this place.¡± ¡°Can we do that?¡± Servalia asked curiously. ¡°I hope so,¡± Kaeron nodded and shrugged, ¡°Chronos.¡± ¡°Model CHRON.05 at your service.¡± ¡°We couldn¡¯t find the threat that brought Noir to die. However, the passengers are all in distress and we all want to go back and cancel the trip.¡± ¡°Of course. I can redirect the ship¡¯s route as long as all passengers consent.¡± ¡°How do we all consent?¡± Shiria asked. ¡°I will send to each one of the rooms a request form for confirmation. The passengers will fill it and send it to me. After confirming every passenger accepted unanimously, I will re-direct the Elysium¡¯s route. Reaching Genso 34 at full speed will take two days.¡± Everyone looked at each other. Kaeron nodded and looked at the communication device. ¡°Okay then. Send the form.¡± ¡°Affirmative. They¡¯re already there, loaded into each passenger''s built-in console of their desk.¡± ¡°Wow, so fast,¡± Azrael chuckled, ¡°are we all going to fill them now?¡± ¡°The sooner we¡¯re out of here, the better. Right?¡± Shiria said, standing up, ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± The group rose from their seats. The tension in the room was palpable, everyone eager to retreat to their rooms, away from the heavy atmosphere hanging over them. Kaeron took the lead, and everyone followed her to the elevator. As soon as they reached the lobby, everyone looked at the fountain. Its water flowed beautifully, making a relaxing sound. Noir¡¯s corpse with its blood was gone. The only trace of the tragedy was the fountain¡¯s broken frame. The idea of ending this trip early seemed to bring a glimmer of relief, but the reality weighed heavily on their minds. They all knew what was going to happen really. ¡°Alright. Everyone...to your rooms. As soon as you are done with the form, come back here to the lobby. We¡¯ll protect each other¡¯s back until the Elysium returns to Genso-34¡¯s docks," Kaeron said, going first into the dorms¡¯ hallway. And then, gradually, everyone disappeared into their rooms. Shiria already suspected what was going to happen. But she chose to ignore the fear..,so that she could have the slightest glimpse of hope. She reached the console at her desk. The hologram lit up and hovered above it. She clicked on the mail tab and opened it. The form was there. She quickly filled it. Reason for canceling, health status, review of the Elyisium¡¯s services...and other useless stuff.
Are you sure you want to cancel the Elyisium¡¯s route and forfeit its services? YES/NO
She clicked ¡®¡¯yes¡¯¡¯ and sent it, sighing heavily.
The passengers were all back in the lobby. Kaeron opened the communication device after calling for Chronos. ¡°So, Chronos...tell us,¡± She clears her throat, her heart beating loudly in her chest. ¡°are we actually going back?¡± ¡°I apologize. It seems that one passenger out of nine refused the unanimous consent for the cancellation of the Elyisium¡¯s services. I will not re-direct the cruise¡¯s route until everyone agrees.¡± Azrael chuckled and shook her head, looking at Kaeron. ¡°I suppose we cannot know who refused, right?¡± She asked. ¡°I apologize. I cannot disclose that information. All types of forms sent by e-mail are private.¡± ¡°Holy fuck¡­¡± Lan¡¯en mumbled. ¡°We finally can cut to the chase. Now...please, everyone, open your eyes and admit it.¡± Alicia crossed her arms. ¡°Exactly,¡± Lilin said with a bitter smile. Kaeron tightened the grip of her left hand on the scabbard of a long, menacing sword...showering everyone everyone with a menacing, yet cold gaze. ¡°The murderer who is responsible for Noir¡¯s death¡­is right in front of us.¡± Chapter 9 The air was thick. Sweat ran down Shiria¡¯s forehead as she witnessed the final turn of her vacation on the Elysium. The passengers stared at each other, Kaeron¡¯s words hung in the air like a guillotine¡¯s blade, big enough to chop them all. ¡°What the fuck is going on?!¡± Lan¡¯en burst first, looking at everyone with an outraged face, ¡°Who the hell refused? Why?!¡± ¡°Are you slow? Kaeron literally just said why,¡± Azrael scoffed, ¡°One of us is the murderer who killed Noir in cold blood. And I¡¯m pretty sure she is going to kill other people. It¡¯s a very...simple whodunit situation.¡± ¡°How can you chuckle in a situation like this?!¡± Youma retorted. Behind her back, there was a long katana...she armed herself as well. ¡°What else can we do? We are trapped here with a murderer! Azrael is just making things less heavy,¡± Lilin sighed, shrugging. ¡°This is crazy! I can¡¯t believe this!¡± Servalia put her hands on her head, looking utterly terrified, ¡°Why?! Why would someone try to harm people on a cruise?!¡± ¡°Murder has many motives,¡± Youma said, ¡°the important thing right now is that we find the vile woman who did this and punish her.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, we should really start getting serious on Noir¡¯s case and find who may have killed her,¡± Alicia nods, ¡°I don¡¯t wanna end up killed because you all can¡¯t come to terms with the situation. Be adults.¡± ¡°So, are you sure you still don¡¯t want to point fingers, Tsukasa?¡± Lilin bit the bullet first, smirking at Tsukasa, who immediately smiled nervously and cleared her throat in response. ¡°What do you mean, Lilin?¡± She asked, crossing her arms. ¡°I mean, whoever was outside their room during the power outage can be the murderer. Azrael and I were together all the time, Servalia, Youma and you could be the killers.¡± ¡°And why would you point your finger at me first?¡± ¡°Everyone calms down! Right now!¡± Shiria intervened, ¡°Are we seriously doing this?!¡± ¡°Yes, we are, you stupid stowaway!¡± Lilin suddenly shouted, her expression annoyed, ¡°Stop trying to defuse hostility! You are so fucking annoying!¡± ¡°Leave her alone, Lilin!¡± Lan¡¯en retaliated. ¡°Oh? Her girlfriend is going to protect her now?¡± Lilin suddenly giggled...her annoyed tone vanished completely. Azrael chuckled with Lilin, ¡°So, Tsukasa, just admit you killed Noir.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t kill Noir,¡± She calmly replied, keeping her firm expression, ¡°I confessed what I did. I left her alone after the power outage. I got scared.¡± ¡°What about Servalia and Youma? I wonder if they were together all night long...¡± Alicia suddenly mused, holding her chin. ¡°We weren¡¯t,¡± Servalia sighed, ¡°Youma left to investigate the power outage and never came back.¡± Youma looked at Servalia with a betrayed frown, ¡°Yes, that¡¯s true. I tried to figure out what was going on. However, wandering in the dark isn¡¯t my strongest suit... so I just settled in the turned-off arcade room in one of the sofas. I slept until morning.¡± ¡°Hm...kind of hard to believe, Youma the hunter,¡± Lilin snickered again, ¡°how can a hunter not see in the dark? And how wasn¡¯t your dutiful goddess asking you to protect everyone during the power outage?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t sense any danger at that point in time. I didn¡¯t believe in Noir¡¯s prayers either,¡± Youma crossed her arms defensively. ¡°Now that I think of it...that katana you have behind your back...maybe its blade is able to make cuts like the one Noir has, haha~¡± Azrael added. ¡°What about Servalia?¡± Youma suddenly glared at her, ¡°How do we know it wasn¡¯t her?!¡± ¡°Hagea¡¯s follower. Healer. She just...brings her guitar around all the time. What kind of murder weapon is a guitar?¡± Lan¡¯en muttered, reluctantly joining the debate. Kaeron looked like she was ignoring everything, thinking on her own. And so, Lilin decided to play with her too. ¡°So, detective Kaeron...what do you think? Who should we behead?¡± ¡°We will not behead anyone! It¡¯s just wrong!¡± Shiria shouted, ¡°We can¡¯t be sure it actually was one of us, right? Maybe the form refusal was caused by some other reason! Maybe Azrael or Lilin refused because they thought it would be fun!¡± ¡°And why would we want to remain in this cesspool with a murderer?¡± Lilin retorted, her upset expression appearing once more. ¡°Well, I think the stowaway is right though,¡± Azrael, amused as ever, smiled at Shiria, ¡°we shouldn¡¯t really stay here pointing fingers. Other people will be offed...and then we will eventually shrink! It will be easier figuring it out then.¡± ¡°ENOUGH AZRAEL!¡± Lan¡¯en stepped forward, her fists clenched. This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. ¡°This isn¡¯t a game! Noir is dead! We are in danger! Why don¡¯t you two help us instead of just standing there, laughing and snickering like two little bitches?!¡± ¡°Oh yeah? You want me to help?¡± Azrael¡¯s smile gets darker, ¡°Sorry, your majesty. Your pale knight¡¯s armor shines so bright in this situation! You are right! I should help.¡± Lan¡¯en looked at Azrael with a confused expression. She stepped back, almost regretting stepping in and raising her voice. ¡°But, well, I am not really the kind of person who grabs a stupid magnifying glass and tweed coat. Detective work isn¡¯t my suit. I¡¯ll do things on my own!¡± ¡°Tsukasa! I saw you last night! You¡¯re the culprit~¡± ¡°What? What did you even see?¡± ¡°Lilin and I did say we were together all the time! But...Lilin is a heavy sleeper! I lied! Haha...I never fell asleep!¡± ¡°Ohh! That¡¯s why I thought I heard someone moving around in my deep sleep!¡± Lilin giggled, ¡°You naughty girl! Where did you go, Azrael?¡± ¡°I went to the lobby! I saw Tsukasa transform into a big, ferocious fox youkai...and she mauled Noir¡¯s body! I was so...so...so scared! I wanted to escape as soon as possible!¡± ¡°Oh! That¡¯s right! Azrael is telling the truth!¡± Lilin exclaimed, ¡°She came back and she muttered something about Tsukasa! But I was too sleepy and drunk! Hehe¡­¡± Everyone looked at Tsukasa, shocked. Everyone except Alicia and Kaeron, who looked on the floor, thoughtful. ¡°Tsukasa...is that true?!¡± Shiria backed off Tsukasa, who was right beside her. ¡°You...truly don¡¯t believe those witches¡¯ words, right?¡± Tsukasa facepalmed, shaking her head, ¡°This is great. Not only we have a killer to deal with, but also with two liars.¡± ¡°Why would we lie for each other? In such a situation? We are stating facts!¡± ¡°This is just a stupid game to you two, that¡¯s why,¡± Youma sighed, ¡°I don¡¯t like Tsukasa being pinned like this. You two are truly despicable.¡± ¡°Well, who else was it, then? Who killed Noir? You, Youma? Or Servalia?¡± Azrael asked. ¡°Why are you ruling out yourself and Lilin? Didn¡¯t you just say that you two got separated at some point?¡± Tsukasa bit back as hard as she could, ¡°I¡¯m not the only one who could have killed her now that you put up this silly little story about you wandering around alone, right?¡± ¡°Oh, that is just preposterous! How would a classy woman like me-¡± ¡°Everyone shuts up! Right now!¡± Kaeron suddenly rose her head, looking at everyone after taking a calming and deep breath. ¡°Youma, Tsukasa, Servalia, Azrael, and Lilin...you¡¯re not the only suspects,¡± she suddenly stated, ¡°because¡­¡± ¡°The doors of the dorm weren¡¯t locked during the power outage.¡± Alicia finished Kaeron¡¯s sentence. ¡°What?¡± Lan¡¯en furrowed her brows, ¡°but me and Shiria couldn¡¯t open it!¡± Lilin chuckled, her arms crossed, ¡°Good job, Alicia and Kaeron...you figured it out too, didn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°You two, shut up. You didn¡¯t bring it up because you¡¯re absolutely despicable,¡± Kaeron violently pointed her finger towards the two. ¡°yet you clearly knew. I noticed that since the start." ¡°Kaeron, Alicia, what is this about?¡± Youma asked. ¡°There is an emergency button that releases all the hydraulic pressure of the door and opens it from the inside. It¡¯s on the top corner of the door, covered by a sealed lid that can be torn open with mild force. It can be easily missed, but the killer could have noticed it and they could have acted while being locked inside their own room,¡± Alicia explains. ¡°When I went to ''''think'''' alone, I simply tried to find Alicia. She is an engineer, she must have known about the button. We both knew this was going to happen...so, we decided to keep it secret because I genuinely wanted to see what the people locked outside would have said and done after being accused. I gathered a lot of information out of this...utterly ridiculous and useless ¡®¡¯trial¡¯¡¯. First and foremost, Azrael and Lilin...you two are pathological liars and you will not cooperate with us any time soon. I suggest everyone else to stay away from them and to never listen to their words. Second...Youma, you should be more dutiful. We are fellow hunters...I cannot have you letting death win because you can¡¯t see in the dark. It¡¯s not an excuse. Third...Tsukasa...you did well. Hiding made you survive and now you¡¯re still alive and well. The killer would have picked two birds with a stone if you didn''t leave Noir alone. You¡¯re a smart woman and I don¡¯t think you¡¯re the murderer, for now.¡± Everyone looked at Kaeron with surprise, each one of them expressing it in different forms. ¡°Woah. So...it could be anyone,¡± Servalia covered her mouth, ¡°Unbelievable.¡± ¡°The only unbelievable thing here is how Lilin and Azrael knew about the emergency button and kept playing against Tsukasa! This is just plain evil!¡± Shiria shouted, hugging Tsukasa¡¯s arm. ¡°Do not worry...I knew this was coming. Kaeron would have accused me first if things were really as they were,¡± Tsukasa shrugs, wearing a smug smile. ¡°Careful with your words, kitsune,¡± Alicia retorts, ¡°the people who were locked out still aren¡¯t ruled out. One thing is clear though,¡± she scoffed at Lilin and Azrael, ¡°these two, hah¡­they are here to make things worse. I agree with Kaeron. Do not trust them.¡± ¡°Oh, come on. Just because we like to play with chaos doesn¡¯t mean we¡¯re that bad...at least we didn¡¯t kill anyone, right?¡± ¡°Nobody can know. You could have done it and Lilin could be covering you,¡± Youma said, ¡°maybe there¡¯s an accomplice.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s slow down for now. We can¡¯t figure the killer out. Not for now. Let¡¯s not stir up more paranoia.¡± Kaeron said, stopping Youma with a gesture of her hand. Servalia looked at the floor, clearly rattled. ¡°So, what do we do now? If anyone could have opened their door and gone out, how do we figure out who it was?¡± ¡°Using the good old method of survival. We stick together, never leave blind spots for the killer to act,¡± Alicia explained. ¡°Why don¡¯t we ask Chronos if it can call the authorities? This ship surely has a comms bay, right?¡± Servalia suggested. Kaeron¡¯s expression darkened. ¡°That¡¯s a good thought, Servalia, but unfortunately, there¡¯s a problem,¡± she sighed, ¡°I tried to contact the closer space stations available when I was investigating by myself. Chronos...conveniently told me that the power outage damaged some components of the cruise and that one of those components was responsible for communications. It also added a very nice and flowery sentence about how we are safe and we don¡¯t need local authorities anyways. Repairs are underway...and I asked it to tell us as soon as they¡¯re back online.¡± ¡°Oh wow. That¡¯s just great,¡± Lan¡¯en shook her head, her chest heaving with anxiety, ¡°Destiny truly wants us all dead.¡± ¡°As Alicia said, nobody dies if we stick together. Even if we have to endure a week and a half¡­I bet we¡¯ve all been through worse, am I right ladies?¡± Youma straightened her back and put a hand on her blade¡¯s sheath, ¡°This isn¡¯t my first rodeo.¡± ¡°Oh wow, so heroic,¡± Azrael clapped her hands in amusement, ¡°you actually remind me of a girl I met in a world I destroyed. She survived but lost everything in the process! Will you be that girl?¡± Youma ignored the evil witch¡¯s remark and looked at the rest of the passengers, who looked at her and nodded. ¡°Whoever is trying to harm us, won¡¯t have it that easy from now on!¡± Shiria exclaimed determined, ¡°I am not strong, but I will never let my friends get hurt! You hear me, monster?!¡± A silence fell on everyone. No matter how friendly they wanted to be to each other... One of them was lying. It was very hard to choose who to trust. Chapter 10 Everyone¡¯s eyes darted around, trying to read expressions, body language, and glances. Shiria¡¯s words weren¡¯t enough to dispel tension. ¡°So...what do we do? Do we stay here all the time? Do we go somewhere else to pass the time? How do we choose how to eat? Where should we even sleep?¡± Youma asked Kaeron. ¡°I suggest we still use the dorms. But we have to take turns in front of the entrance. You can see everyone¡¯s doors from the entrance there,¡± Kaeron pointed at the dorm¡¯s hallway entrance, ¡°if the killer tries something, the person must act.¡± ¡°What if it¡¯s the guard person who gets killed?¡± Lilin snickered again. ¡°We¡¯ll put two people, then,¡± Tsukasa suggested. ¡°I can¡¯t sleep with people around me¡­! Thank you for letting me use my dorm,¡± Servalia let out a sigh of relief. ¡°As for schedule. We will all eat at 8:00 AM, 12:00 PM, and 7:00 PM,¡± Kaeron said, ¡°If one isn¡¯t hungry or too hungry, I don¡¯t want to hear complaints.¡± ¡°And what about entertainment? Stress is dangerous.¡± Alicia asked. ¡°We can vote which place we all will hang out in,¡± Lan¡¯en chimed in, ¡°if one place repeats itself for two times a row, then we¡¯ll choose the second most voted one.¡± ¡°Good scheme.¡± Kaeron nodded. ¡°Oh, this is so boring!¡± Azrael rolled her eyes, ¡°Why do we have to play house? Can¡¯t we just make things interesting and hunt down the killer?¡± ¡°Again, Azrael,¡± Kaeron grips her scabbard, ¡°This isn¡¯t a game.¡± ¡°Besides, what is this bossy attitude?!¡± Lilin looked at Kaeron with a snarky expression, ¡°Who are you to decide what we do and what we don¡¯t?¡± ¡°Kaeron is very qualified as a leader!¡± Shiria defended her immediately, ¡°I can tell! She knows what she is doing.¡± ¡°Oh yes, she sure does,¡± Azrael chuckled, ¡°alright. We¡¯ll play with you all for now. But don¡¯t expect us to not get bored and just leave the scene suddenly¡­¡± ¡°Okay, so what do we do first? It¡¯s past lunch, we have all afternoon to spend,¡± Servalia asked. ¡°As Lan¡¯en suggested. Let¡¯s vote. Who wants to do what first?¡±
The arcade won as a result of Shiria, Lan¡¯en, and Youma voting for it and Servalia following suit because of their conditioning. The rest of the votes were scattered. Kaeron abstained. Hardly a fair voting. The group was playing different games. Despite everyone needing to stay together, nobody really wanted to exchange conversations. Who knew if the killer was right beside them, after all? Everyone was plagued by tension, everyone except Shiria, who went to Lan¡¯en first. ¡°Hey Lan¡¯en.¡± ¡°Hey Shiria.¡± She groaned, trying to focus on a fighting game. ¡°How are you feeling?¡± She asked, leaning against another booth. ¡°How should I feel?¡± She chuckled bitterly, ¡°Someone killed Noir. A girl I wanted to protect the night before.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Shiria handed Lan¡¯en a can of beer after grabbing it from the snack room. ¡°Here." ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± she sighed, gulping the whole can down in mere seconds. She let out a quick, quiet burp and put it on top of the game¡¯s booth, ¡°Just didn¡¯t really expect my vacation to turn out this bad. I guess it was bad luck.¡± ¡°Why were you invited on the cruise in the first place?¡± Shiria traced her finger along Lan¡¯en¡¯s booth, feeling its metallic texture. ¡°Because I saved an important person in a nearby solar system. The family who owns the Elysium heard about it and wanted to offer me a trip. The other knights were so jealous,¡± she chuckled again, more bitterness adding to her tone the more she spoke, ¡°I guess they wouldn''t envy me that much now.¡± ¡°You deserved the invitation. It¡¯s not your fault if things went south,¡± Shiria tried to cheer her up. Lan¡¯en responded with another chuckle as she smashed more buttons, ¡°Yeah, but maybe I should have declined. I can¡¯t help feeling responsible. That poor girl was getting killed while I was there sleeping with you.¡± ¡°You¡¯re doing what you can,¡± Shiria retorted, ¡°you¡¯re sticking with us, giving Kaeron credit and keeping a cool head. Azrael and Lilin are being far worse for example.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Lan¡¯en finished her game and stepped back. She looked at Shiria, musing. ¡°Why do you think you¡¯ve been invited?¡± ¡°I¡­¡± she sighed, ¡°the more I think about it, the more I¡¯m convinced I am a stowaway and the AI is just dumb.¡± Lan¡¯en cleared her throat and looked away, ¡°sorry. Shouldn¡¯t have asked.¡± ¡°No! It¡¯s okay! I just...I don¡¯t really feel special in any way.¡± ¡°Everyone is special! No matter who you are...you are special,¡± Lan¡¯en smiled at her friend, ¡°You¡¯re a good person...I can tell.¡± ¡°Oh! How sweet.¡± The two were abruptly interrupted by Azrael¡¯s giggle. She walked to them slowly, her arms were crossed as she looked at the two with a smug smile. ¡°What do you want?¡± Lan¡¯en became hostile immediately, ¡°Leave us alone.¡± ¡°Aw, why do you treat me like this? I¡¯m just trying to pass the time. To converse,¡± she tilted her head, wearing a slightly sweeter smile. ¡°You¡¯re a liar! You tried to set Tsukasa up for no reason!¡± Shiria stepped forward, glaring at her, ¡°We don¡¯t want to be friends with a liar.¡± ¡°Exactly. Piss off.¡± Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. Azrael shook her head, sighing once more. ¡°Don¡¯t you get it? Seriously?¡± ¡°Get what, Azrael?¡± Shiria asked. The woman¡¯s smile widened, and her voice dropped to a whisper, ¡°All this. You¡¯re all so busy playing nice...pretending to trust each other...but all this trust is a facade. Look around, you¡¯ll see that everyone is minding their own business. Because at the end of the day, one of us is the murderer.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t let her get into your head, Lan¡¯en!¡± Shiria exclaimed, almost forcing her friend to turn her body to the booth. ¡°Lan¡¯en. Answer me this. Do you trust Shiria?¡± Lan¡¯en looked at Shiria, her eyes quivered with doubts and anxiety. Shiria responded with a sad frown, her hands gently leaving her friend¡¯s shoulders. "We were sleeping together! In the same room! How could she be the murderer?" ¡°What tells you that she actually slept with you and didn¡¯t wander around after you fell asleep? Also...I have to ask this to you as well, Shiria. What if Lan¡¯en isn¡¯t actually a hero?¡± ¡°I trust Lan¡¯en! She¡¯s a good person,¡± Shiria retorted, ¡°go away! You just want us to be scared!¡± ¡°T-That¡¯s right¡­¡± Lan¡¯en tried to shake off her doubts, squeezing her eyes and rattling her head, ¡°I¡¯m being serious, Azrael. Go away or I¡¯ll fucking punch you in the face.¡± ¡°Oh my...am I making the pale knight angry~?¡±
Meanwhile, Kaeron was leaning against the arcade¡¯s entrance. She took a look at everyone, at least those she could see. Tsukasa was sitting in the snack room, her eyes focused but distant, lost in thought. Regret? Anxiety? Maybe she is the killer ¨C that¡¯s what Kaeron said to herself for a split second, before passing onto the next thought. Servalia and Youma were close to each other but didn¡¯t really exchange any words. The two got separated during the power outage and that led them to distrust each other a bit more than before. She noticed something pretty unusual and surprising. Lilin was playing air hockey with Alicia, she couldn¡¯t hear what the two were talking about from where she was. She got curious. Her boots barely made a sound as she tried to get closer without drawing attention to herself. She opened up her ears, ready to listen. ¡°I¡¯m surprised you¡¯re actually good at this,¡± Lilin snickered, hitting the puck with her mallet as hard as she could. ¡°Why would I not be?¡± Alicia retorted, defending herself with a calculated hit. ¡°Well, you look really...graceful and boring in that dress. You kept holing up in that library before all this happened as well,¡± Lilin grunted, sliding her mallet along the table skillfully, ¡°so I would have never expected you to play these games.¡± ¡°My husband owned an arcade in my hometown. I used to play these games back then,¡± Alicia confessed, hinting at a soft, bitter smile. ¡°Aw, that¡¯s very cute,¡± Lilin giggled, scoring her first point, ¡°let¡¯s go! Haha!¡± She leaned against the table and waited for Alicia to hit the puck and start the next match, ¡°well? What happened to your husband? Not invited? Or...¡± ¡°He died. A curse befell on our planet and everyone started suffering tragedies. He saved me by sending me away and staying back.¡± ¡°Gosh, I am so sorry to hear that¡­¡± Lilin sighed softly, wearing a bitter smile as well, ¡°Did you get over it? Are you happy now?¡± ¡°Somewhat. Engineering and the puppetry craft make me happy. I¡¯m carrying on.¡± ¡°Why were you invited on this cruise, Alicia?¡± Alicia¡¯s hand rested on the mallet, the puck still at her side of the table. She paused to think. Then, she raised her head, ¡°I was invited to the Elysium for a job contract. The family got interested in a street performance I did in a planet¡¯s famous city. They wanted me to build a couple of mechanical dolls to use as entertainment. I am here to check out the place before I agree. I want to see if it¡¯s worth it.¡± ¡°Haha, well, thoughts?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t wait to get off this place and never see it again,¡± Alicia replied with a nervous laugh, ¡°I hate it.¡± ¡°At least we agree on that, don¡¯t we?¡± ¡°Yes, I guess so,¡± she shrugged. Kaeron stood there, motionless. It was scary. Terrifying, even. The way Lilin got in Alicia¡¯s head with a gentle tone and a friendly chatter. Alicia, from being hostile and distrustful, started sharing with Lilin her personal information. It wasn¡¯t just a conversation. It was a calculated maneuver with the right mix of humor and subtle empathy that probed for weaknesses and information. Suddenly, Lilin¡¯s eyes darted towards Kaeron¡¯s. Her lips curled up into a smile, one that seemed to say ¡°I know what you¡¯re thinking¡±. Kaeron didn¡¯t want to give her the satisfaction of seeing her unnerved. She kept her stoic expression and stared Lilin back, sharply. Her cold eyes deflected Lilin¡¯s evil aura, making her look back to Alicia instead. Lilin was a dangerous person. But she was not the only one. ¡°LAN¡¯EN, NO!¡± ¡°You fucking bitch! Now you¡¯re getting it!¡± Kaeron turned around and saw Lan¡¯en dashing forward, her hand clenched into a fist. She was charging forward to Azrael, who wasn¡¯t even flinching. She kept her infuriating smile as she awaited for Lan¡¯en''s punch to reach her. ¡°Lan¡¯en!¡± Kaeron shouted, her voice a sharp blade making the girl¡¯s eyes dart towards her for an instant. She didn¡¯t stop, however. Her fist almost reached Azrael¡¯s face¡­and then¡­ ¡°Oh! So close!¡± It was instantaneous. Azrael was right beside her. She dodged the swift attack, her relaxed stance unchanged. ¡°I thought you were a strong knight, Lan¡¯en...you disappoint me~!¡± Lan¡¯en¡¯s rage only grew. She spun around and growled, the nails of her hand became claws. She- ¡°Enough!¡± Kaeron blocked her attack with her sword, using her scabbard as a dull blade. Then, she kicked Lan¡¯en¡¯s stomach, sending her to the ground momentarily. ¡°Ah, thank you Kaeron. She really-¡± ¡°What did you say to her, Azrael!?¡± Kaeron shouted at the woman despite having just helped her. Azrael remained silent for a second. Then, she scoffed, ¡°Always my fault, right?¡± Other passengers gathered around. Youma and Servalia knelt beside Lan¡¯en, who was bent and on the floor, moaning in pain. ¡°I mean, Lan¡¯en is the one who swung, am I wrong?¡± Lilin shrugged and snickered, ¡°Why would it be Azrael¡¯s fault?¡± ¡°Because you both are fucking manipulators. I can¡¯t even stand being in the same room as you,¡± Kaeron¡¯s voice trembled. She showed an unusual amount of emotion. ¡°Alicia, I listened to that conversation you two just had. Don¡¯t you see how she is getting into your head? Why did you reveal such information to her?!¡± At first, Alicia looked at Kaeron outraged, but then she looked down ashamed. ¡°Fuck. You two are making it harder, to keep us together,¡± Kaeron said, sighing heavily, ¡°everyone looks at each other with suspicious eyes, this situation is hanging on a thin thread.¡± ¡°Kaeron is right!¡± Shiria walked to Kaeron, holding her arm, ¡°She is doing her best to keep us together! And these two are sabotaging us!¡± ¡°You¡¯re damn right,¡± Lan¡¯en muttered, standing back up, ¡°let¡¯s kick them out. If one of us dies, it is them. End of the story.¡± Kaeron took a deep breath, focusing. ¡°No. We must stick together. No matter what.¡± ¡°Can I ask you something, you two?¡± Alicia decided to redeem herself from her naivete. She walked to Kaeron and Shiria and stood beside them, ¡°Why do you act like you¡¯re immune to the murderer?¡± She narrowed her eyes, crossing her arms, eyeing the two friends. ¡°Yes, indeed!¡± Lan¡¯en suddenly lit up, ¡°You keep acting like this is a game. You try to anger us, make fun of us¡­what the fuck is your problem? Is it that you¡¯re sick in the head? Or is it that-¡± ¡°Lan¡¯en, let them answer,¡± Kaeron interrupted her, stopping her from getting into their face with her hand. ¡°I was thinking about it too. You two act like you¡¯re not in danger. May you explain this weird behavior?¡± Youma agreed. ¡°This doesn¡¯t have anything to do with them being murderers.¡± Tsukasa suddenly appeared, walking out of the snack room. She walked to the group, her arms crossed, and her head hung. ¡°What do you mean, Tsukasa?¡± Kaeron asked. ¡°Remember. I have the power to see people¡¯s weaknesses and strengths.¡± ¡°These two are powerful witches that aren¡¯t going to be killed any time soon.¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t that make them dangerous?¡± Youma asked, ¡°Hence, potential killers?¡± ¡°Well. No. Because they aren¡¯t even the strongest person that is aboard this cruise,¡± Tsukasa replied. ¡°I¡¯m just saying that they aren¡¯t in danger at all.¡± ¡°May you reveal us who is, kind Kitsune?¡± Azrael chuckled, crossing her arms. Her eyes were immediately glued to her. ¡°Kaeron.¡± Everyone looked at her next. She sighed and shook her head. ¡°What?¡± Shiria muttered, shocked. "But she cannot be the murderer,¡± Tsukasa added, ¡°that is why I will trust her.¡± ¡°And why would you say that?¡± Alicia asked. Azrael and Lilin giggled. They already knew. ¡°Because with her power, she would be able to kill us all. Right in this instant.¡± Chapter 11
If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Chapter 12 ¡°W-What?!¡± Shiria¡¯s mind rushed with thoughts. Why would Kaeron say such a thing so suddenly? ¡°Shiria? Was it her?¡± ¡°I¡¯m almost certain she was,¡± Kaeron nodded. Shiria¡¯s eyes darted to Youma and Kaeron, and then to both their blades. Her heart suddenly sped up, her mind became a haze of panic. She moved her legs and began to run. ¡°Hey! Come here!!!¡± Youma went after her immediately. Kaeron stepped forward to intervene. She placed her thumb on her sword¡¯s hilt, she was ready. Fortunately, everything was over soon. Shiria was pushed to the floor by Youma. She surrendered after struggling for a little more. She looked on the floor, her eyes injected with fear. Was she going to be falsely accused? She knew it wasn¡¯t her...but somehow Kaeron accused her on the spot. ¡°Shiria?¡± Tsukasa looked shocked. She hadn¡¯t expected such a twist of events. She walked to Youma and the poor Shiria, her hand covering her mouth. ¡°Kaeron, what did you figure out?¡± Alicia asked her, crossing her arms. ¡°L-Let me up! I won¡¯t escape! I promise!¡± Shiria shouted. ¡°Let her sit down first,¡± Kaeron commanded. Shiria¡¯s eyes stung when she witnessed Kaeron¡¯s cold gaze. She was seriously thinking Shiria was the murderer. That hurt her deeply. Both suspicious and confused looks made her feel very uncomfortable as she sat on a random reading chair, her whole body trembling. ¡°So, Kaeron...why do you think it was her?¡± Servalia asked her from afar while taking care of Lan¡¯en. Youma scoffed and shook her head, ¡°Because she tried to escape when accused, maybe?¡± ¡°No. It¡¯s because she was the only one who gave Lan¡¯en something to drink,¡± Kaeron explained briefly, ¡°When we reached the arcade, all of you minded your own business. Then, Shiria approached Lan¡¯en and offered her a beer while she was distracted from playing a game. Lan¡¯en gulped down the whole can in one go and didn¡¯t suspect anything. Then, Azrael approached the two and started that altercation...and nobody ever thought about that beer again.¡± ¡°Lan¡¯en was so friendly with Shiria that she didn¡¯t really think about it...she was being given a drink in a situation where a killer is among us,¡± Alicia nodded, ¡°Yes, Shiria. You¡¯re the only person who could have put something in her drink.¡± ¡°Okay. Let¡¯s say, for argument¡¯s sake, that she was the one who did it,¡± Tsukasa oddly didn¡¯t agree immediately. She looked skeptical. ¡°What would she even use? I doubt we have drugs on the Elysium.¡± ¡°Exactly,¡± Shiria seized the opportunity to defend herself, ¡°Why would I even have something like that? I don¡¯t have any drugs! And why would I drug Lan¡¯en? What reason would I have? If I was the killer, I would have...killed her! No?¡± ¡°Chronos.¡± ¡°Model CHRON.05 at your service. How may I assist you, passenger Kaeron?¡± ¡°Are there any substances that can be used to cause harm aboard the Elysium? I¡¯m talking about drugs, mainly.¡± ¡°Yes. However, the drugs themselves aren¡¯t exposed to the passengers.¡± ¡°Where are they stored, exactly?" ¡°They¡¯re all encapsulated and secured within the mechanical system in the medical bay. Only the robotic systems that operate there have access to samples. The only way to obtain a drug would be through tearing apart the bay¡¯s walls.¡± ¡°See?! I didn¡¯t take anything from there! That¡¯s the only place!¡± ¡°Maybe you smuggled something aboard...maybe you¡¯re lying about your amnesia completely,¡± Kaeron said ruthlessly, making Shiria¡¯s heart sink even more, ¡°No matter what proof is missing. The only person who handed her something to drink was you. We didn¡¯t even reach dinner yet, so nobody could have poisoned her plate,¡± Kaeron replied. ¡°I swear...I swear I didn¡¯t do anything!!!¡± Shiria yelled, her sadness becoming anger, ¡°I just wanted to cheer her up! She looked distressed!¡± ¡°Even if she¡¯s the only one who had the opportunity, the reason is still unclear. Why would a killer make someone fall asleep instead of killing them?¡± Tsukasa backed Shiria¡¯s argument up. ¡°Why would she run?¡± Youma retorted. ¡°I was scared! Kaeron is powerful! And you¡¯re a hunter as well! I don¡¯t...I don¡¯t want to die¡­¡± Shiria muttered, looking down. Tears started falling down her cheeks, ¡°I would...I would never hurt Lan¡¯en in any way! She¡¯s so kind and-¡± ¡°Whatever you say doesn¡¯t erase the truth. You¡¯re the only one who handed her something to drink,¡± Kaeron sighed. She kept her cold gaze glued to Shiria, constantly trying to read her mind. The room fell silent for a moment. Everyone was on edge, trying to make sense of the situation. ¡°Wait. I was there,¡± Tsukasa gasped softly, ¡°I just remembered that I saw Shiria grabbing the can of beer.¡± ¡°True. You were in the snack room,¡± Keron nodded. ¡°Yes. And Shiria didn¡¯t have anything on her when she took it. She didn¡¯t even open the can.¡± Kaeron¡¯s eyes narrowed, ¡°Okay. But what about after she left the room? She was definitely out of your sight after that. Everyone else was busy, and I wasn¡¯t looking at her until she reached Lan¡¯en¡¯s proximity.¡± ¡°I think we should focus on something else entirely,¡± Alicia intervened. She held her chin, musing. ¡°What?¡± Kaeron asked. ¡°When was the can opened, exactly?¡± ¡°I opened it on my way,¡± Shiria confessed. Tsukasa looked at Shiria with a frown that told her she didn¡¯t do well by confessing that. ¡°¡¯¡¯On your way¡¯¡¯ means nobody was looking at you when you opened it. That means you could have actually slipped something into the drink,¡± Kaeron said, ¡°My accusations are valid.¡± Shiria looked at Kaeron with sad eyes. Kaeron¡¯s expression faltered for a second...but she remained unwavering. ¡°We can¡¯t know either if it was her or if it wasn¡¯t. We just have to follow the devil¡¯s proof logic,¡± Alicia said. ¡°Devil¡¯s what?¡± Servalia, still attending to Lan¡¯en, looked at Shiria with a worried expression. ¡°It means we are in a gray area. Shiria will remain a suspect until we find out more information.¡± ¡°I have an idea,¡± Servalia tried to pick Lan¡¯en up, ¡°Pointing fingers won¡¯t do, right? Let¡¯s bring Lan¡¯en to the medical bay. We¡¯ll see there if anything else can come up. Maybe we can clear suspicions using science.¡± This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. ¡°Good idea, yes,¡± Kaeron nodded, ¡°We¡¯re well equipped with healthcare on the Elysium. We can just figure it out there.¡± Lan¡¯en was carried by Servalia and Youma, while Tsukasa and Alicia walked together and chatted about the situation. Kaeron and Shiria were last...walking in silence. They reached the medical bay, and soon Lan¡¯en was accepted. She lay on one of the beds, a lot of equipment attached to her. ¡°Okay...the terminal here is saying that they¡¯re examining her thoroughly. It will take a while,¡± Servalia said, reading on the screen beside Lan¡¯en¡¯s bed, ¡°I¡¯ll stay here and watch her. I will call you as soon as we know more.¡± ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s go to the lobby, everyone¡± Kaeron said. She grabbed Shiria¡¯s wrist and pulled her out of the room.
In the lobby, there were five out of nine passengers. However, the silence made it feel like nobody was really there. Tsukasa chatted with Youma, while Alicia stood in a corner, thoughtful. Kaeron was staring at Shiria constantly, as she sat exactly beside where Noir was killed. ¡°Do you...truly believe it was me?¡± Shiria suddenly spoke. Kaeron didn¡¯t reply at first. Then, she sighed and shook her head, ¡°I¡¯m just being rational. How was Lan¡¯en drugged, Shiria? Do you have any other explanation? ¡°You didn¡¯t even check if she was injected with some syringe...or something like that!¡± Shiria retorted, ¡°W-Why did you immediately jump onto me?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right...Kaeron the Hunter. Why did you?¡± Kaeron turned around. Azrael stood there with Lilin, who giggled and stared at Shiria curiously. ¡°The stowaway finally made her mistake, huh?¡± Lilin chuckled, ¡°It¡¯s obvious it was you!¡± ¡°Or maybe not?¡± Azrael added, walking past Kaeron slowly and going over to Shiria, ¡°What do you think, Kaeron? Are you being a dutiful detective?¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Kaeron asked her. ¡°It¡¯s simple,¡± Azrael closed her eyes and sighed in exasperation, ¡°Aren¡¯t you jumping the gun? As soon as Lan¡¯en fell unconscious, you blamed Shiria without even considering rescuing Lan¡¯en from the medical bay. And then, ugh...you all started an idiotic debate about a beer can.¡± ¡°I just...I just thought we had the killer right in front of us. I wanted to act,¡± Kaeron retorted. Despite her confidence, what Azrael said was true in her heart, ¡°Besides...you two weren¡¯t with us in the library. How come you know about all this?¡± Azrael smirked at her, shrugging, ¡°Lilin is good at hiding herself. You wouldn¡¯t know she is in front of you if she wanted it to be like that.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right...I witnessed your utter impatience, Kaeron!¡± Lilin skipped over Shiria, patting her head softly, ¡°Are your instincts sharp enough for the role you gave yourself? Or maybe we should let Tsukasa take the lead, for example?¡± ¡°What is going on over here?¡± Youma approached the four along with Tsukasa and Alicia, ¡°Didn¡¯t you two want to ignore our ¡°childish¡± behavior and do as you pleased?¡± ¡°Oh, we sure are doing as we please! Hahahah!¡± Azrael replied immediately, laughing audibly. ¡°We are just giving you all some piece of advice. Kaeron isn¡¯t being lucid at all. She judged Shiria without a second thought. Is that how real detectives behave?¡± Tsukasa mused Azrael¡¯s words, ¡°well, Kaeron...I would be lying if I didn¡¯t admit I found your sudden accusations a little too...sudden.¡± ¡°What do you mean? It was a good call,¡± Youma said, siding with Kaeron, ¡°As a fellow hunter, I understand her. She seized the moment as soon as she saw the possibility of Shiria being the perpetrator." ¡°Yes, but what if she¡¯s wrong? We could be wasting our time chasing someone innocent. We have to act efficiently. We should have gone to the medical bay way sooner...as soon as we saw Lan¡¯en being unconscious,¡± Alicia intervened. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right,¡± Tsukasa agreed, ¡°I think Kaeron didn¡¯t do a good job there. She-¡± ¡°Are you even listening to yourselves!?¡± Kaeron suddenly snapped, ¡°Why are you all acting as if I had the whole responsibility on my shoulders?! Did I choose to take the lead in this fucking mess?!¡± They all fell silent. Kaeron¡¯s chest heaved as her frustration grew. ¡°You can all act as you like if you don¡¯t like my way of doing things." Kaeron suddenly left in a hurry, seemingly distressed. ¡°Oh no...¡± Tsukasa sighed, ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have agreed with Lilin.¡± ¡°Oh yes, you should have,¡± Azrael crossed her arms, staring at the disappearing Kaeron, ¡°That¡¯s exactly what she needed.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Alicia asked, ¡°All we did was offend her. I feel bad.¡± ¡°I should go talk to her,¡± Youma said. ¡°No! I-I¡¯ll go¡­¡± Shiria stood up. ¡°Absolutely not! You¡¯re a suspect!¡± Youma grabbed her arm, ¡°You¡¯re staying here with the others!¡± ¡°Kaeron could kill me if I tried anything anyway!¡± Shiria. ¡°Let her go,¡± Tsukasa sighed, ¡°If anything happens, it will be her fault automatically, no?" Youma sighed and left Shiria¡¯s arm. However, Tsukasa suddenly stopped her again as she began walking. She grabbed her hand tightly, so tightly that Shiria was surprised by her stregth. It was a determined, yet nervous grasp. "I trust you, Shiria. I know you''re innocent. Please...help Kaeron realize that. We need her. She the only one who can solve this mess." Shiria nodded with determination and left the lobby.
¡°Another one.¡± Kaeron leaned against the pub¡¯s counter after ordering another glass of whiskey, taking deep breaths as her hands trembled. She closed her eyes, ¡°If only you were here, Keina.¡± Was she really jumping the gun? She acted on pure instinct...but maybe that wasn¡¯t a good idea in that situation. She thought about it. Before she accused Shiria, she was thinking obsessively about how Azrael was right about her not being good enough. Maybe that clouded her judgment. The weight of her decisions was starting to crush her. ¡°Just like the good old days, Keina. I don¡¯t have the slightest idea on what the fuck to do¡­¡± she chuckled bitterly. She grabbed the glass and sipped on it, ¡°If only you were here¡­¡± Lost in her thoughts, she didn¡¯t notice Shiria until she was standing beside her until she made noise by sitting down. ¡°Shiria¡­¡± Kaeron didn¡¯t react badly to her presence. She was just confused. She looked at her right hand, it had a slight red mark, as if she hurt herself. She wondered if Youma did something to her. ¡°What are you doing here? Shouldn¡¯t you be with the others?¡± ¡°I just wanted to talk..." ¡°What is there to talk about, Shiria? I¡¯m a mess. Azrael is right,¡± She shook her head, sipping on her glass, ¡°Even if what happened to Lan¡¯en points at you...I¡¯m acting recklessly.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not a mess. You¡¯re just trying to solve this situation for us.¡± Shiria placed her hand on Kaeron¡¯s, squeezing it tightly. ¡°I am grateful, Kaeron,¡± she muttered, ¡°Even if it¡¯s me who¡¯s being accused...I just realized how hard you¡¯re working for all of us. I hated how they treated you back there.¡± Kaeron¡¯s eyes lowered. She had finished her third drink by then, ¡°Thank you. I want to...I want to believe I¡¯m wrong about you, Shiria.¡± ¡°Who is Keina, Kaeron?¡± The sudden question made Kaeron¡¯s heart ache. ¡°I haven¡¯t talked about her to anyone in a long while,¡± She sighed, ¡°And you know that I don¡¯t like talking about myself too much.¡± ¡°Right...sorry. I was just wondering. It must feel nice to have someone to think about when you¡¯re troubled,¡± She looked down with a frown. ¡°She was...my lover. I lost her not long ago,¡± Kaeron confessed briefly, ¡°That¡¯s all.¡± ¡°Oh¡­I didn¡¯t know you were¡­¡± Shiria removed her hand from Kaeron¡¯s immediately. Her face became flushed as she adverted her gaze awkwardly. ¡°I was what?¡± Kaeron raised her eyebrow. ¡°Y-You know, i-interested in g-girls!¡± Shiria stammered. ¡°Jeez¡­¡± Kaeron chuckled softly as she ruffled Shiria¡¯s hair, ¡°You''re...so silly¡­¡± Shiria shivered and blushed under Kaeron¡¯s gentle touch. Her hand felt nice. It rubbed all over Shiria¡¯s scalp gently. ¡°I hope the medical bay will prove it to you. It wasn¡¯t me.¡± Kaeron stopped petting her friend and sighed, ¡°I sure hope so too. It would be a shame if you were a murderer. Especially since you have such a cute little face.¡± Shiria giggled and blushed more, sighing with her, ¡°You¡¯ll see. It¡¯s not me! ¡°There you are! Kaeron!¡± Youma barged into the pub, her face panicked. Kaeron immediately stood up and grabbed her sword, which was resting on the counter. ¡°What?!¡± ¡°The medical bay¡¯s room is locked! Someone is banging from the other side!¡± Shiria ran as quickly as she could behind the two. Every sound and sensation was amplified. The sound of her metallic footsteps deafened her as she reached the medical bay¡¯s entrance. She was panting, her body shaking with adrenaline as she saw Alice trying to force it open. She was kneeling, her hands deep into the wiring hidden behind a removed wall plate. ¡°Alice, please don¡¯t hurt yourself,¡± Tsukasa said, ¡°Let Kaeron and Youma open it with their weapons.¡± ¡°No. We need to preserve the evidence,¡± Kaeron shook her head. ¡°Evidence?¡± Shiria asked, her heart sinking. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Azrael suddenly joined the rest with Lilin by her side. A curious smile on her face. Alicia sighed, completing her work, ¡°Clearly someone died in there. What else could have happened?¡± ¡°Oh wow! Who is it? Servalia or Lan¡¯en?!¡± Lilin gasped. The door opened wide thanks to Alicia¡¯s skills. Shiria stepped inside first, witnessing Lan¡¯en kneeling in front of Servalia¡¯s dead body. Chapter 13 ¡°Wow. Two in one single day.¡± Azrael commented, ¡°Definitely not wasting any time.¡± ¡°Servalia!¡± Youma immediately rushed inside, pushing Shiria aside. She knelt beside Servalia, on Lan¡¯en¡¯s opposite side. Servalia¡¯s chest was torn open. She sat in a pool of blood against Lan¡¯en¡¯s bed. ¡°What about Lan¡¯en? Is she okay?¡± Tsukasa asked, stepping inside next, as soon as she saw the girl, she covered her mouth. Youma didn¡¯t waste any time, she grabbed Lan¡¯en by the arm, trying to raise her, ¡°Lan¡¯en! What happened?¡± She looked at everyone while she slowly stood up again, her eyes glistened as her lips trembled. ¡°I woke up...and she was like that,¡± She shook her head, ¡°I couldn¡¯t do anything to save her...even if I WAS SLEEPING HALF A METER FROM HER!!!!¡± She screamed, punching the wall. ¡°Come, let¡¯s go outside¡­¡± Tsukasa took her around her arms, leading her out of the medical bay to calm her down. ¡°This is messed up,¡± Alicia grimaced, ¡°Another murder the same day we found Noir. This is happening too fast...¡± ¡°Another victim¡­¡± Youma raised slowly, looking at everyone with furious eyes, ¡°You...whoever you are...you are a monster!!!¡± ¡°Everyone, please calm down,¡± Kaeron intervened, ¡°Let¡¯s assess the situation. Let¡¯s just...let me think. I need some time to think about this horrible mess. Alicia, you stay inside, everyone else, out.¡± ¡°Oh? So you¡¯re in the mood to boss us around again, Kaeron?¡± Lilin spoke with a snarky tone. ¡°I thought you went into a rebellious phase.¡± ¡°Now¡¯s not the time, Lilin! Shut your dirty mouth and go outside!¡± Youma pushed Lilin with violent force. Shiria immediately put an arm between the two, ¡°Whoa! Youma! There¡¯s no need to-" ¡°Damnit!¡± She muttered through her teeth, stomping loudly outside. ¡°Do your best Kaeron and Alicia,¡± Shiria nodded at the two.
Everyone walked outside of the medical bay. Lan¡¯en calmed down and she was explained the whole situation by Tsukasa and Shiria. ¡°...it¡¯s all my fault.¡± Shiria looked at Lan¡¯en with a frown, ¡°What? Why?¡± ¡°I fainted, right? Then Servalia was all alone with me,¡± Lan¡¯en facepalmed, ¡°And then I fucking let her die¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s nobody¡¯s fault,¡± Shiria said. ¡°Yes, indeed,¡± Youma suddenly joined the conversation, taking a deep, cooling breath, ¡°Let¡¯s wait for Kaeron and Alicia to investigate the body...we must find this monster as soon as we can. I¡¯m sick of all this.¡± ¡°Well then, I¡¯m curious about what the perp did this time¡­¡± Azrael crossed her arms. Everyone looked at the medical bay¡¯s door, which was still open...the reek of blood reached Shiria¡¯s nose, making her nauseous. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s analyze the crime scene, Alicia.¡± ¡°Why did you ask specifically for me?" ¡°Because you¡¯re a technician. The door was locked...probably something happened to it. I want you to check if anything is wrong. Can you do that?¡± ¡°Sure thing. I¡¯ll leave you to the crime scene itself then.¡± Alicia dutifully nods, going to work immediately. Let¡¯s start. Servalia¡¯s environment is a bit more complicated than Noir¡¯s. The room is small. Four beds, filled with stools and random machinery. Servalia was killed in front of Lan''en bed. There are blood splatters above the sheets, the pattern and the height mean that Servalia was first killed while she was standing...and then she fell on her butt against Lan¡¯en¡¯s bed. In fact, the bed is slightly moved from its original position. I kneel beside her corpse and examine the wound carefully, tracing it with my gloved hand. It¡¯s the same exact wound as the one Noir had. This time, since she was attacked from her front, the mess is all behind. A deep, pointy, and monstrous ¡°something¡± pierced through the chest. Our perp didn¡¯t change the weapon. Why? Is it something they brought on the Elysium? I need to find other clues. ¡°Kaeron, come over here,¡± Alicia beckons me, ¡°Check this out.¡± ¡°Hm? What¡¯s up?¡± Alice is showing me a similar set of wiring that was also on the outside, hidden by a plate she skillfully unscrewed off the wall. One of the cables is loose and it¡¯s falling off, its color is red. ¡°Someone tampered with the door. This cable was ripped out.¡± ¡°What would this specific cable imply? Do you have any idea?¡± ¡°Hm...I mean, this is a classic hydraulic door system. I saw a lot of them already and I¡¯ve worked on some of them during my young age. Basically, these doors rely on three main systems. The electrical control, the mechanical and hydraulic system that moves the door, and the input console that lets users interact with it. The cable that is ripped out here is tied to the second of these three things.¡± If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°So, the hydraulic system of the door was tampered with...which locked Lan¡¯en and Servalia inside.¡± ¡°Not only them,¡± Alicia corrects me as she muses over her own words, ¡°The door was closed, remember? When the hydraulic system faces malfunction, the door automatically closes to avoid getting stuck inside the wall, so that the staff can check what''s wrong with it. Pair this information with the fact that the cable was ripped out from inside...and you get..." "The door was locked from the inside," I reply. "Exactly." A closed-room murder. Great. ¡°Alright, anything else?¡± I ask. ¡°No, I guess this is all...unless you found anything else that I could help you with.¡± ¡°No, nothing much.¡± Servalia¡¯s death was a bit more complex, but also the same as Noir¡¯s. The killer got inside, stabbed her, and locked themselves inside the room...no, that cannot be it. How would they leave before we got to the scene? There¡¯s only one person that could have pulled it all off. I want to make sure about what the others have to say first, though.
Alicia and Kaeron finally get out of the room. ¡°Alright, girls...why don¡¯t we have a little chat? A little debate about the murder, just like we did this afternoon,¡± Kaeron said, crossing her arms, ¡°I need to ask you all a few questions.¡± ¡°It¡¯s almost dinner time...can¡¯t we do it later?¡± Lilin complained. ¡°The sooner we catch the culprit, the sooner we can eat our meals without a knot in our stomachs. Come on. To the lobby.¡±
Everyone was gathered in a circle in front of the fountain. The atmosphere was tense, the gentle humming of the Elysium¡¯s ambiance didn¡¯t help at all. They looked at each other suspiciously. Some were calm and collected, some nervous...and some both. Kaeron cleared her throat and began. ¡°Now then. Let¡¯s start with the basics. My power doesn''t work...it didn''t pass enough time to see the state of her body...so we have to figure out when Servalia was killed and where everyone was during that time." ¡°According to Lan¡¯en, when she woke up it was 6:45 PM. Servalia was already dead. She was probably killed around that time." ¡°When we split up because of my...burst of anger...it was still 6:35 PM. What happened to you all when I left?¡± Kaeron asked. Youma spoke first, crossing her arms and looking at everyone else, ¡°When you left, Shiria was first to leave...I was against that, but Tsukasa convinced me to let her go. She wanted to talk to you and calm you down. Azrael and Lilin left shortly after that and said they were heading to the pub. It was only me, Tsukasa, and Alicia at that point. Tsukasa went to the dorms, Alicia went to the library.¡± ¡°Leaving yourself out, Youma?¡± Azrael interrupted her. ¡°If you would let me finish¡­¡± Youma groaned with frustration, ¡°I went to the medical bay to check on Lan¡¯en. There, I also met with Shiria, who was checking on her as wellf. Servalia was still alive at that point.¡± ¡°Time?¡± Kaeron briefly asked, seemingly distracted by her own glove as she pulled it tight toward herself. ¡°It was around¡­uhm¡­¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t even 6:40. Some minutes after you let me go,¡± Shiria helped Youma. ¡°What did you two do after that?¡± Alicia asked Youma and Shiria. ¡°I went to search for Kaeron. I tried the library first and I can also confirm Alicia¡¯s alibi. We both saw each other. Then I tried the SPA, the casino, the arcade, the souvenir shop, the theater, and then I finally found her in the pub,¡± Shiria explained, counting the places on her fingers slowly. ¡°I just went to my room.¡± Youma¡¯s explanation was shorter and less convincing. ¡°Okay¡­¡± Kaeron nodded, ¡°So, Azrael and Lilin...why did you lie?¡± ¡°Lie? What do you have on us this time?!¡± Lilin chuckled and looked over her friend with an amused smile, ¡°Azrael, did we lie?¡± ¡°You said you were going to the pub. However, Shiria and Kaeron were there,¡± Tsukasa chimed in, ¡°Care to explain what changed your minds?¡± ¡°Oh...do we really have to waste our time like this? Azrael sighed and shook her head, ¡°Come on. Why don¡¯t you leave us aside? We overheard your conversation inside the medical bay...Alicia and Kaeron. Why don¡¯t you tell everyone who is the true murderer already?¡± Kaeron bit her lip. She didn¡¯t want to reveal the closed-room dilemma yet. ¡°What is she talking about?¡± Youma curiously asked. ¡°You moron¡­¡± Alicia huffed in disdain, ¡°The murder is a closed-room puzzle. According to our investigation, the door was locked from inside. Whoever locked it, had to be inside during the tampering.¡± ¡°Oh, really? Can we trust Alicia¡¯s expertise?¡± Youma asked, rubbing her chin with interest, ¡°That¡¯s unexpected.¡± ¡°Yes we can,¡± Tsukasa nodded knowingly, ¡°I can see her prowess. She is well versed in engineering.¡± ¡°Thank you, Tsukasa,¡± Alicia smiled shyly. ¡°Don¡¯t you all know what that means yet?¡± Lilin¡¯s smile grew suddenly wider. Suddenly, a particular person became the eye target of the rest of the passengers. ¡°T-The are fuck you all looking at?!¡± Lan¡¯en swallowed loudly. ¡°Lan¡¯en¡­¡± Youma nodded. She held her chin and nodded slowly, ¡°You¡¯re the only one who could have pulled that off, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a dead giveaway!" Lilin exclaimed, crossing her arms and looking away. She sighed through her nose, "It''s so obvious that it''s boring!" ¡°W-Wait, wait, wait...wait a second. What the fuck are you all talking about? I was drugged! How could I have killed her?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry to admit that I concluded that it must be you as well,¡± Kaeron calmly said. She was crushing Lan¡¯en¡¯s spirit with her cold eyes, ¡°You could have drugged yourself with purpose, knowing very well that Servalia, a follower of Hagea, would have stayed with you while the rest of us would have left.¡± ¡°This is fucking crazy! No! That¡¯s not it!¡± Lan¡¯en shook her head frantically. Youma pointed her finger at her, ¡°Is it really that crazy?! Everything points at you! Who else could have done such a thing and then vanished into thin air from inside the room?¡± ¡°Maybe one of us has phasing powers! I saw some black magic shit during my countless trips that did even worse! You can''t possibly rule that out!" Lan''en retorted. ¡°Tsk, tsk,¡± Youma shook her head slowly, ¡°No one here has such a power, don''t be a fool!" ¡°Lan¡¯en, you¡¯re panicking. That only makes it all worse,¡± Shiria muttered with a frown. ¡°W-Wait, wait a second¡­¡± Lan¡¯en¡¯s mind rushed with possible rebuttals, everyone kept quiet as she squeezed her brain. ¡°What about Noir¡¯s murder?! I slept with Shiria all night! How could I have killed her?¡± Kaeron replied, ¡°You could have been aware of the emergency button. Shiria may be a heavy sleeper.¡± ¡°How would I even create such a hole in Noir¡¯s and Servalia¡¯s chests?!¡± ¡°Everyone saw the claws that appeared all over your fingertips during that fight with Azrael. You have beastlike powers," Alicia said. ¡°F-Fuck that...I fight with a fucking claymore...I don¡¯t even use those powers! I rarely do!¡± ¡°Futile excuses, Lan¡¯en! You''re the murderer! Youma unsheathed her katana. Chapter 14 Youma stepped forward, her blade pointed at Lan¡¯en. She looked ecstatic and determined. She was convinced they had finally found the culprit...all in one single day. She was ready to punish her. ¡°Guys...are we sure about this?¡± Shiria muttered weakly, ¡°I mean...Lan¡¯en¡­¡± ¡°Want to go back to when you were suspected, Shiria?¡± Azrael smiled at the poor girl. ¡°What?¡± Lan¡¯en looked at Shiria, ¡°Why were you a suspect?¡± ¡°Because I gave you a beer at the arcade...and then you fell asleep.¡± ¡°Oh...so it¡¯s a common thing of you all,¡± Lan¡¯en scoffed, shrugging, ¡°Accusing right away carelessly. I am not any different than Shiria!¡± ¡°Oh my god, literally,¡± Lilin looked suddenly annoyed, ¡°You were found in a LOCKED room with a fucking corpse, a LOCKED room that could have been locked only FROM THE INSIDE.¡± ¡°Yes. How is that the same as Shiria¡¯s position? She was accused just because of a mere drink. Who knows what you took to make yourself fall asleep so soundly? Maybe you even faked your sleep,¡± Azrael said. ¡°Are you being serious guys?! Why would I put myself in such a dangerous position, if I was the killer?! I would have found another, smarter way to kill her, no?!¡± ¡°Well, idiots tend to justify their idiotic behavior only after they make mistakes,¡± Lilin giggled, shaking her head, ¡°You probably aren¡¯t that good of a murderer after all.¡± ¡°Y-You...you fucking brat!¡± Lan¡¯en stepped forward, and Youma did the same. They both glared at each other suddenly. ¡°You sure you wanna fuck with me, girl?¡± Lan¡¯en growled, ready to attack Youma, ¡°I¡¯m a damn warrior.¡± ¡°So am I. Have at you.¡± ¡°Wait a second! Don¡¯t fight!¡± Shiria suddenly stopped the two. ¡°What?!¡± Youma glared at her. ¡°Can I say something?¡± Shiria spoke, ¡°Kaeron...you¡¯re trying to accuse Lan¡¯en by saying she caused the faint incident to herself. But...we didn¡¯t even check Lan¡¯en¡¯s medical report. That should tell us if the cause is something she could have caused to herself.¡± Kaeron suddenly widened her eyes a nodded, ¡°Right. I totally overlooked Lan¡¯en¡¯s report at the medical bay. My fault.¡± ¡°Can we retrieve it, somehow?¡± Alicia asked, looking over at Lan¡¯en. Lan¡¯en suddenly put her communication device close to her lips, ¡°Chronos!¡± ¡°Model CHRON.05 at your service. Do you require assistance, passenger Lan¡¯en?¡± ¡°Can you retrieve my latest medical report?¡± ¡°You were accepted at the medical bay for: fainting. Time: 6:26 PM. The report of the Medically Equipped Artificial Intelligence Subordinate states the following¡­¡±
The patient was exposed to a high-intensity sound wave of an unspecified frequency, resulting in immediate loss of consciousness. Upon examination, the patient exhibited signs consistent with barotrauma to the auditory system. The unknown sound wave likely created significant disruption within the cochlea and vestibular apparatus, generating a sudden imbalance in the vestibular nerve¡¯s function. This disruption is believed to have overwhelmed the central nervous system, contributing to the patient¡¯s rapid loss of consciousness. No other internal or external damage was found.
The communication device shut itself. ¡°A sound wave?¡± Alicia curiously muttered, ¡°A soundwave could have been caused by many things, such as-¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need to keep talking. I know who the culprit is.¡± Tsukasa¡¯s words almost stopped time. Everyone looked at each other, waiting just for her to reveal the damned name. ¡°It was Youma. Youma is the culprit.¡± ¡°What?!¡± The accusation hit everyone like a punch in the guts. Youma¡¯s skin became pale as she looked around, everyone¡¯s eyes glued on her. ¡°My power sees that you¡¯re only half human. Your other half is a...ghost. When Lan¡¯en said someone could have had phasing powers, you clearly stated that no one could do such a thing. However...you have such a power. It is very suspicious that you lied.¡± ¡°A ghost? Interesting¡­¡± Azrael narrowed her eyes, her smile grew wider. Youma didn¡¯t reply to that immediately, She swallowed loudly and took a deep breath, trying to contain the panic, ¡°Yes, Tsukasa. You¡¯re right. I am half human, half spirit. How does that make me the culprit? I don¡¯t have phasing powers.¡± ¡°It¡¯s simple,¡± Tsukasa explained, her cold gaze pierced Youma¡¯s, ¡°Your other half, which is currently swarming around you...is probably able to interact with the environment in a certain way, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°This means that you could have used your ghost to lock the door from the inside...while your physical remained outside¡­!¡± Alicia covered her mouth, deep in thought, ¡°That makes sense...¡± Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°That is a baseless accusation! There¡¯s not enough evidence!" ¡°There''s not. However, you¡¯re also the only person whose alibi can¡¯t be confirmed. After Shiria left, you went untraced,¡± Kaeron nodded rapidly and glanced at Tsukasa, ¡°Good job, Tsukasa.¡± ¡°Good job?! I went to my room! And I am not the only one! What about Azrael and Lilin?¡± Youma retorted, ¡°Earlier, they diverted the conversation towards Lan¡¯en...but you actually never managed to figure out where they were really!¡±
¡°Okay¡­¡± Kaeron nodded, ¡°So, Azrael and Lilin...why did you lie?¡± ¡°Lie? What do you have on us this time?!¡± Lilin chuckled and looked over her friend with an amused smile, ¡°Azrael, did we lie?¡± ¡°You said you were going to the pub. However, Shiria and Kaeron were there,¡± Tsukasa chimed in, ¡°Care to explain what changed your minds?¡± ¡°Oh...do we really have to waste our time like this? Azrael sighed and shook her head, ¡°Come on. Why don¡¯t you leave us aside? We overheard your conversation inside the medical bay...Alicia and Kaeron. Why don¡¯t you tell everyone who is the true murderer already?¡±
¡°That¡¯s true. I¡¯m sorry,¡± Kaeron looked at the two girls and sighed, ¡°You two are suspects as well. I demand an explanation.¡± ¡°Ugh, fine,¡± Azrael rolled her eyes, ¡°We were interested in Shiria, since she was being suspected. We followed her.¡± ¡°You followed me?¡± Shiria was suddenly taken aback, holding her hands to her chest. ¡°Yes. We followed you, Shiria,¡± Azrael¡¯s smile was wide and evil, ¡°you met with Alice, and then with Kaeron...and there, you both talked about Kaeron¡¯s deceased lover.¡± Kaeron looked at the ground and crossed her arms, ¡°Yes. Alibi...confirmed.¡± ¡°Who was the first person that found the body anyway?¡± Shiria asked. ¡°Technically, Youma. She called everyone to the door because it was locked,¡± Tsukasa replied, ¡°It¡¯s clear as day.¡± ¡°Yes. It is,¡± Kaeron concluded. ¡°Then what about Lan¡¯en¡¯s fainting? How could I have caused those...sound waves!?¡± ¡°How do we know you little ghost friend isn¡¯t able to whisper sleeping spells to people? That seems pretty much believable as soon as you put it beside the way you locked the medical bay¡¯s door,¡± Tsukasa said, ¡°Give up, Youma.¡± "You can''t just let Lan''en off the hook like that!" She groaned, "You all turned around just like that? Lan''en is suddenly clean?" ¡°Youma. During your first murder, you claimed that you couldn¡¯t see in the dark...so you just went idle and hid like Tsukasa. However, you could have killed her as well. It all ties together with today¡¯s and last night¡¯s events. While Lan''en is the next possible answer...I am more inclined to believe that...¡± ¡°You are the culprit.¡± ¡°No! I¡¯m not! You¡¯re all making a big mistake!!!¡± Youma suddenly sprinted toward Lan¡¯en, swinging at her, ¡°You¡¯re not framing me, you murderer!¡± ¡°Woah! Woah!¡± Lan¡¯en dodged her slash, grabbing her wrist swiftly. She shoved her knee into Youma¡¯s stomach, making her stumble backwards. The kick was strong, blood seeped out of Youma¡¯s mouth as she coughed. She tried to retaliate, but as soon as she raised her sword against her, Kaeron was behind her with her own sword, sheathed. ¡°We finally caught you.¡± Kaeron¡¯s scabbard hit the back of her head hard. She fell to the ground, unconscious. Shiria was...shaken. She covered her mouth and shivered at such violence. Was Youma the culprit, after all? How could she not notice her, after all this time? Her breathing quickened, Tsukasa held her shoulders and rubbed them gently as Lan¡¯en and Kaeron carried Youma towards the dorms slowly. ¡°It¡¯s okay Shiria. It¡¯s okay. We¡¯re safe now.¡± Alicia stood there, sighing and shaking her head...disappointed, ¡°A hunter shouldn¡¯t kill the innocents. This reaction just now sold me. It''s Youma, not Lan''en." ¡°What a pity. I thought this murder mystery was going to last a little longer¡­¡± Azrael muttered. Lilin giggled and nodded with her. And so, the murderer was caught.
It was past nine. Everyone was gathered in front of Kaeron¡¯s bedroom. Youma was locked up inside, still unconscious.¡± ¡°Why do we need to use your bedroom?¡± Shiria asked her. ¡°Because Youma doesn¡¯t have access to the lock. I will sleep outside somewhere, it¡¯s not a problem. The pub has good couches, as Azrael and Lilin said.¡± ¡°What about the emergency button?¡± Tsukasa asked. ¡°I broke it. I stabbed it and made sure it doesn¡¯t work,¡± Kaeron replied, ¡°We¡¯ll take turns, one of us will stand in front of the door and make sure nothing weird happens. Even if the door is locked, we can¡¯t be too sure.¡± ¡°Alright. But what if Youma tried that...you know, sound wave thing again?¡± Lan¡¯en asked. ¡°Her ghost was able to make someone faint and to tear a simple cable...¡± Alicia said, ¡°So we should be safe. It¡¯s not like there is any better alternative. These dorm rooms are the only ¡®prison¡¯ we can have. If any of you feels that something is off, call for help immediately." The passengers looked at each other with tired and wary faces. ¡°It¡¯s been a long day of fighting, stressing out, and investigating,¡± Tsukasa yawned and stretched, ¡°Last night I didn¡¯t sleep much either because I was hiding. I really need to rest, girls.¡± ¡°Same here! The pub¡¯s couch wasn¡¯t that comfortable last night, right Azrael?¡± Lilin nudged at Azrael, smiling. ¡°I wasn¡¯t going to give you the pleasure to guard Youma anyway. You both are out of this. You can leave,¡± Kaeron chased the two girls off, ¡°I¡¯ll be first, until 1:00 AM. Then¡­¡± They all planned their turns, and then they parted ways.
Shiria fell on her bed, sinking as hard as a rock in the ocean. Her vision was dazed as she reminisced everything that happened during that long day. Even if it was all over in one day, which was a very good thing on its own, Shiria had a lot of questions in her rattled mind. Why did Youma kill the two poor girls? During her few days at the Elysium, she managed to befriend Youma. She was a zealous, yet laid back girl. She had a good heart...she was generous. Her vocation was a noble one: help others at the cost of extreme measures. Shiria didn¡¯t understand it. She didn¡¯t understand anything at all. This new world she was put in after losing her memories was already so bleak and scary that she broke into tears. She clenched her pillow and cried, trying to unwind her stress. Noir was a troubled, yet gentle soul. She wanted the destruction of others...yet she looked so scared of those ¡®others¡¯ that it looked like she was trying to merely survive in a world that gave her no powers. Shiria always wanted to talk to her...and she wished she could have helped her when she was praying for her life. Maybe, if she was there, Noir wouldn¡¯t have died. Servalia was a bright woman, with a bright future. Her career as a singer and musician brought happiness into a lot of lives, Shiria¡¯s past one included. She was friendly to everyone...so friendly that she ended up dying while taking care of others. Shiria¡¯s cries grew louder until she fell asleep. She could only hope that the rest of her vacation at the Elysium would be brighter. Chapter 15 Next morning. 9:00 AM. Shiria walked out of her room, yawning and stretching as she took in the hallway¡¯s blinding lights. When she reopened her eyes, she saw Youma out of her room, in front of Kaeron, Lan¡¯en, and Tsukasa. Tsukasa was giving her a plate of breakfast while Kaeron and Lan¡¯en stood by the sides, their arms crossed. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Shiria asked. ¡°She¡¯s a murderer, not a monster,¡± Tsukasa said, ¡°We¡¯re giving her something to eat.¡± ¡°Tsk. She could eat her own shit for all I care,¡± Lan¡¯en grumbled. Youma bowed to Tsukasa slowly, ¡°Thank you,¡± she said. ¡°Back inside, come on.¡± Lan¡¯en pushed Youma inside, and Kaeron locked the door afterwards. Tsukasa stood there while Lan¡¯en and Kaeron began to walk to the lobby. ¡°Good morning. Is it your turn?¡± Shiria asked Tsukasa, ¡°Good morning, Shiria. Yes...it¡¯s my turn.¡± ¡°Can you even fight, though?¡± Shiria asked the fox woman with a worried face. ¡°Well, no. I cannot. But she won¡¯t be able to escape, hopefully. These doors are sturdy and there is no way out. Besides, she looks oddly calm.¡± ¡°She accepted her fate, maybe,¡± Shiria shrugged with a sad frown. ¡°Maybe. Yes,¡± Tsukasa nodded, looking over her shoulder, ¡°It¡¯s the best thing for her. Nowadays, prison colonies aren¡¯t that bad. Certainly better than ultimate death.¡± ¡°Prison colonies?¡± Shira mumbled curiously. ¡°Yes. Did any of the passengers you talked to mention the U.O.R? Universal Order Regiment.¡± ¡°No. What¡¯s that?¡± ¡°Despite our modern society being an interplanetary ecosystem, which leads each planet to have its own customs, races, and laws. The regiment is an organization that holds the central core of common law. It¡¯s driven by the only god alive and present, Tartarus. Terrorism, slavery, genocide, serial killing...and all similar crimes are usually considered bad by most planets. The U.O.R has the right to intervene with brute force as long as a universal law is broken.¡± ¡°Ohh...that¡¯s cool. So it¡¯s basically universal law enforcement driven by a god...that doesn¡¯t let bad people do what they want outside of their planet.¡± ¡°Exactly. Youma, in this case, committed a murder outside of a planet. This means that the U.O.R will take over, arrest her and bring her to a prison colony. They¡¯re usually huge space stations that hold U.O.R prisoners.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good. It¡¯s definitely better than just executing her, right?¡± ¡°Mhm. That is why I¡¯m keeping her alive. Lan¡¯en has a more...rogue approach towards criminals. Did she ever tell you that pale knights are vigilantes? They don¡¯t break U.O.R laws, but that¡¯s about it. They do whatever they can and want to help people. That usually can lead to disaster. I am more akin to a formal, clean way to bring justice.¡± ¡°I guess you¡¯re right...planets would start wars and wars to each other if the U.O.R didn¡¯t exist.¡± ¡°Exactly. A society without laws is a chaotic society. The chaos of each world would clash with endless conflicts. No peace at all.¡± ¡°What is Tartarus like? Do they look like a human?¡± ¡°He is the only god that to this day didn¡¯t disappear and maintained his physical essence. He looks like any ordinary man, but he is, obviously, a god." ¡°What about Azrael? Or Noir? They have bad, evil vocations, which are probably enemies of this god. Why doesn¡¯t Tartarus order their deaths or capture?¡± ¡°Because as long as they don¡¯t bring harm, the U.O.R pretty much can¡¯t do anything because Tartarus does have a strong sense of lawful goodness. Azrael¡¯s goddess, Erisia, is the spawn of discord. But if Azrael doesn¡¯t have any registered crimes...she¡¯s innocent. Tartarus isn¡¯t after Azrael, he¡¯s after Erisia...who decayed and disappeared in the sea of cosmos." ¡°Got it. Thank you, Tsukasa! I need to discover everything about the universe I live in once more. You helped me,¡± Shiria hugged the fox woman briefly, gifting her a sweet smile. ¡°Anytime sweetheart,¡± Tsukasa chuckled. ¡°I¡¯ll have breakfast now. See you later!¡± Shiria reached Kaeron and Lan¡¯en to the dining all. The three were having breakfast together. ¡°Hi, girls. How are you feeling?¡± ¡°Like shit. I didn¡¯t sleep much because it was my turn after Kaeron¡¯s,¡± Lan¡¯en yawned, munching her cookie slowly. ¡°Yes. I feel sore as well. Sleeping on the pub¡¯s couches isn¡¯t as great as I thought,¡± Kaeron sighed, biting into her peach gently. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to hear that! Why are you awake already? You could sleep a little more, even if you¡¯re uncomfortable,¡± Shiria suggested. ¡°Yes, I could. But Azrael and Lilin are already chugging booze at the pub. There aren¡¯t many other places to rest comfortably other than the library...but I can¡¯t sleep sitting, I want to lie down. I¡¯ll just do an early evening shift and sleep at night.¡± Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. ¡°I do have an idea...¡± Shiria smiled, ¡°You should sleep in my room! You can go now that the bed is free. Go take a nap!¡± ¡°Thank you for your offer...but it will be my turn to guard Youma in half an hour,¡± Kaeron shook her head. ¡°I¡¯ll take your turn. My room is next to yours. I¡¯ll call you if anything happens!¡± ¡°Are you sure¡­?¡± Kaeron stopped and crossed her arms, ¡°It¡¯s a very tiring task. You have to sit there and do nothing. Literally.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be fine¡­¡± Shiria placed her hand on Kaeron¡¯s gently. ¡°You did a lot for us already. Get some rest, please.¡± ¡°Fine.¡± Kaeron pouted slightly, a faint blush on her face appeared afterwards. ¡°Oh my god, did I just see a blush!? Ahahaha!¡± Shiria and Lan¡¯en giggled together as Kaeron looked away and grumbled. ¡°I need your room¡¯s code.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t have one, hehe...I never bothered setting security on my door.¡± ¡°Wait, are you serious?¡± Kaeron widened her eyes, ¡°The murderer could have gotten you!¡± ¡°Your memories are fuzzy, silly,¡± Shiria bitterly smiled, ¡°It all started and finished yesterday. I didn¡¯t even get the chance to touch the bed until Youma was caught.¡± ¡°Right¡­¡± Lan¡¯en stretched, ¡°It was one hell of a day.¡± ¡°It was,¡± Kaeron stood up and cleared her throat, ¡°Alright then. The person after your turn, Shiria, will be Alicia. Then tell her to wake me up, I¡¯ll take her place.¡± She left, stretching, yawning, and looking forward to a good nap. ¡°Jeez...no kidding, Kaeron¡¯s a boss. She helped me when I was attacked by Youma,¡± Lan¡¯en commented, ¡°She¡¯s fast, strong, and very smart. She basically did all the work.¡± ¡°Yes. She¡¯s amazing.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go to the arcade before you have to take Tsukasa¡¯s place. I still have to beat you at GD-Ku!¡±
Shiria and Lan¡¯en were battling against each other at the arcade. Lan¡¯en was engrossed in the game, while Shiria¡¯s was...spacing out. ¡°Hey, you¡¯re not going to beat me any soon if you play like a bot,¡± Lan¡¯en chuckled. Soon enough, though, she noticed Shiria¡¯s expression and stopped moving as well. ¡°Hey, you okay?¡± Shiria blinked a few times and nodded, smiling softly, ¡°Y-Yeah, yeah I¡¯m okay. I¡¯m just...thinking about Servalia and Noir all of a sudden. I feel a little under the weather.¡± ¡°Yeah. I feel awful too. I try not to think about it,¡± Lan¡¯en turned around and leaned against the booth, ¡°But it sucks. It fucking fucks.¡± ¡°Yes. How can I even call this a vacation anymore? The two bodies were taken away...and the blood was cleaned up. That stench of death is gone but...I can see them, Lan¡¯en. Do you see them too?¡± Lan¡¯en bit her lip, avoiding Shiria¡¯s gaze, ¡°Yes. I do. I wish I could have done more for them. The first time, I was sound asleep. The second, I was...also asleep. I¡¯m a hero. I protect people. And yet¡­¡± ¡°Lan¡¯en,¡± Shiria¡¯s arms were wrapped around her dear friend. ¡°I told you many times already. You did your best. You¡¯re doing your best. Don¡¯t make me repeat myself.¡± Lan¡¯en¡¯s breath slowed down as she hugged Shiria back, sighing softly, ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever done my best. Otherwise, I wouldn¡¯t have failed so many times in life. But...thank you regardless, Shiria. You¡¯re a sweet girl.¡± ¡°Youma. She is the one to blame. I understand why you didn¡¯t want to give her food,¡± Shiria suddenly stepped back and held Lan¡¯en¡¯s shoulders firmly, ¡°She doesn¡¯t deserve kindness.¡± ¡°Yeah. She...she doesn¡¯t.¡± Suddenly, the two were startled by a sudden noise. They both looked at the booth¡¯s screen. ¡®¡¯Game over¡¯¡¯. The time was up. ¡°Let¡¯s change the subject,¡± Shiria caressed her friend¡¯s arm, smiling warmly, ¡°What else do you want to play?¡±
After her guard turn was over, Tsukasa went to the SPA after letting Shiria take her place. She didn¡¯t get the chance to try it yet, and even if she wasn¡¯t in her perfect mental state, she finally managed to sink deep into the hot waters and take it easy. She took a deep breath, letting her lungs run freely. Yesterday was a nightmare. A true nightmare. Her mind played back to that moment continuously.
¡°It¡¯s coming¡­! It¡¯s coming! Oh, Nares...please save us!¡±
What would have happened if she stayed there? Would she have been killed as well? Or could she have saved Noir, somehow? No. She couldn¡¯t have. She knew she was weak, powerless, and scared. No matter how much of an expert manipulator she was, no matter how strong her power was...in the end, she could do nothing against death itself. Youma was strong, agile, and ruthless. She shook her head as hard as she could, wiping her head with warm water, washing away her thoughts. The sound of the hot tub calmed her mind, along with the comfortable fog of steam that surrounded the place. She closed her eyes and breathed out, letting her mind go blank, soothed by the environment. She tried to imagine someone else, someone different than the people aboard. She didn¡¯t have anyone in her life to imagine, though. And so, she focused on herself. She was invited because, as an ambassador, she managed to secure a deal between the acting party she was working for and the industry of an independent colony of a nearby solar system. It was a great feat, so great that it caught the attention of the family that owned the Elysium and its golden luxury. Things shouldn¡¯t have gone how they went. She regretted every single moment she spent in that place, and she couldn¡¯t wait to go back home.
Azrael and Lilin were drinking at the pub, chatting together, laughing, and smiling constantly. ¡°Ah-hahaha! Yes, yes, definitely...that was one of our best times together,¡± Lilin laughed audibly, ¡°I still remember his face to this day. He thought he had everything, and then you crushed him under your thumb!¡± ¡°I miss those days, you know? I can¡¯t seriously enjoy myself when I pretend to be a humble traveler. We should change universe.¡± Azrael mused, leaning against her hand as she placed her elbow against the counter. ¡°Do you really wanna do that already?¡± Lilin was both excited and surprised, ¡°I thought you said this universe was delicious and interesting!¡± ¡°Yes. But having fun here is too hard. My vocation is not doing me any favor either. The U.O.R has its eyes on me every single time I try to have a little fun.¡± ¡°Oh, right. It really sucks that you can¡¯t lie about your vocation. Can¡¯t you override that rule somehow?¡± ¡°I tried. The gods here...they are way too powerful,¡± Azrael shrugged, ¡°That corporation is going to catch us at some point...we can¡¯t keep our names clean forever. Eventually, we¡¯ll let witnesses escape and who knows what that god...Tartarus...is capable of. Fun time is almost over. We need to change universe, Lilin. We are not built to fend off gods, we are witches.¡± ¡°What a shame¡­¡± Lilin frowned, ¡°Say, will we ever find a universe we can totally rule?¡± ¡°Maybe, maybe not.¡± ¡°Though I must admit. This Elysium thing that¡¯s going on is very interesting...don¡¯t you think?¡± ¡°Eh. It¡¯s okay, I guess,¡± Azrael shrugged, ¡°It¡¯s frustrating to see the others struggle when you already figure out a puzzle. Kaeron was promising but...she let me down in the end.¡± ¡°Yes. I¡¯m mostly talking about the culprit herself.¡± Lilin giggled, ¡°She¡¯s been so good at it! Would you believe it if someone told you it was her if you didn¡¯t know beforehand?¡± ¡°Well, no. That is true as well. Good actor indeed.¡± ¡°See? Told you. This can still be interesting! I wonder what will happen next...¡± ¡°Yes. True. Let us enjoy the rest of this show with joy¡­¡± The two witches grinned at each other. Their glasses clinked together. Their eyes shone with a bright, unnatural, and unfamiliar light. As they filled the pub with that otherworldly, confusing conversation, the Elysium¡¯s story was still ongoing below them. Chapter 16 Kaeron opened her eyes gently. She rubbed her face, her headache was gone and her muscles weren¡¯t sore anymore. She sat up and took a deep breath as she checked the time. It was 5:00 PM. She didn¡¯t expect to sleep so much. She stood up, still groggy. She looked around and stretched her long, toned body. It was Shiria¡¯s room, yet it didn¡¯t really feel like it. It was clean and empty. Shiria didn¡¯t have any belongings, her drawers were filled with Lan¡¯en¡¯s clothes...but that was it. The desk was a clean slate, the bed didn¡¯t smell of her at all. After washing her face, she tightened her belt and combed her hair with the basic tools the Elysium¡¯s bathrooms were provided with. Then, she left Shiria¡¯s room while putting her jacket on. She looked left. Nobody was in front of her room. ¡°What?¡± She immediately panicked and unlocked it. She looked everywhere. Youma was gone. Kaeron immediately sprinted to the lobby, holding her sword in her left hand. There, she was met with a terrible sight. Tsukasa, Alicia, Shiria, Lan¡¯en...they were all dead. Blood was everywhere, sprawled across the lobby. Their insides were spilled out and dragged all over. Kaeron was petrified. Her blade fell to the floor as her body shook with terror. In front of the fountain, where Noir died, knelt a girl with silver hair. She wore a beautiful dress as she stared at the fountain¡¯s flowing water. ¡°Noir¡­?¡± Kaeron muttered. ¡°It¡¯s all your fault.¡± The girl turned around and stared deep into Kaeron¡¯s eyes. ¡°You should have listened to me. You let someone die again.¡± ¡°N-No...I¡­¡± Kaeron was hyperventilating. Her mind went blank as her purple, void eyes darted everywhere. She wanted to run away, to escape, but she couldn¡¯t. The girl stood up and slowly walked towards her. As soon as Kaeron blinked, her form shifted into someone else¡¯s. ¡°I will always love you, Kaeron. No matter what." Kaeron¡¯s eyes were wet with tears in an instant. She raised her hands to cup the woman¡¯s cheeks¡­ But she suddenly found herself in Shiria¡¯s bed again. She sat up. Her body was drenched in sweat, her heart was racing and she was gasping for air. She checked her communication device. 3:00 PM. ¡°Fuck¡­¡± she muttered, placing her feet on the cold floor of the room. She ran her fingers between the locks of her hair while rubbing her temples with her palms. It was nothing but a dream. One of her usual dreams. The door opened. ¡°Kaeron, are you okay?¡± Alicia¡¯s voice echoed in Kaeron¡¯s agitated mind, ¡°I heard you moaning in pain.¡± ¡°Yes. I¡¯m okay,¡± Kaeron breathed out, standing up and looking at her, ¡°Who¡¯s guarding Youma now?¡± ¡°I just came to replace Shiria. Why?¡± ¡°Nothing...I just had a dream where Youma escaped.¡± ¡°Understandable. All this will probably haunt your dreams until it¡¯s over...the same goes for all of us. I didn¡¯t sleep much last night out of fear,¡± Alicia approached her calmly, sitting beside her, ¡°It was nice of Shiria to give you her room. You can go back resting, I¡¯ll wake you up when my shift is over.¡± ¡°No...I¡¯m not sleepy anymore, it was supposed to be a nap and I slept all morning,¡± Kaeron shook her head, standing up, ¡°I¡¯ll go to the pub, I need something strong.¡± ¡°Be careful, Kaeron. Don¡¯t let whatever you saw in your dreams get to you,¡± Alicia stood up as well, looking at the woman worriedly, ¡°Don¡¯t do this, getting drunk isn¡¯t good.¡± ¡°Do you remember Azrael mentioning my lover?¡± Kaeron turned around as she dressed up quickly. ¡°Yes, I do. It was her alibi for when she overheard the conversation between you and Shiria about her. She...deceased,¡± Alicia hung her head. Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°The dream was about her too. How would you feel if you dreamed of your husband saying he loves you?¡± Alicia suddenly fell silent and hung her head. Kaeron finished dressing up by putting on her black coat. She fixed her hair and headed out of Shiria¡¯s room. ¡°Then I trust you¡¯re perfectly aware of how much it hurts.¡±
At the pub, Kaeron met Azrael, drinking by herself. ¡°Do you even feel the booze¡¯s hit anymore?¡± Kaeron sighed sitting beside her, ¡°You¡¯ve been at it all morning.¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯m not drinking to get drunk. I can¡¯t, indeed, get drunk,¡± Azrael chuckled, ¡°I am trying to taste every single product the Elysium offers...I didn¡¯t manage to do much, though...being that we all have been...busy yesterday. I¡¯m catching up today.¡± ¡°Where is Lilin?¡± She asked, ¡°Whiskey, please,¡± She told the robotic arms, which immediately started preparing the order. ¡°She gets bored of drinking after a while. She¡¯s either in her room having fun with herself, if you know what I mean...or she¡¯s bothering someone around the Elysium,¡± Azrael replied casually, leaning towards Kaeron and crossing her legs. ¡°It¡¯s hard to believe you¡¯re still able to go on with his vacation with a smile after everything was ruined by...whatever the hell yesterday was. How can you be so calm about it?¡± Azrael swirled her drink, and the ice clinked softly, ¡°I¡¯ve been through worse, Kaeron. We both have, haven¡¯t we? This whole incident is yet another piece of the dark reality we live in. You will learn to find peace regardless...and you¡¯ll stop drinking to drown your sorrows.¡± Kaeron stared at the glass, already empty. She ordered another, taking a deep breath, ¡°Since you¡¯re talking like this, I bet you¡¯re a long-lived species. How old are you? Doesn¡¯t it get...unbearable?¡± ¡°It does. You just learn to ignore that weight you bear, along with everything else,¡± Azrael replied, smiling at the woman. ¡°I see¡­¡± Kaeron shook her head, scoffing, ¡°But then again, you¡¯re a witch who follows Erisia. I shouldn¡¯t listen to you.¡± ¡°You¡¯re one to talk, Kaeron. You should be way less contradictory when you converse with people about yourself and others.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Kaeron asked, sensing a sudden aura of unease. ¡°I know you¡¯re lying about your vocation. Unlike Youma...you¡¯re not a hunter. Artelan didn¡¯t bless you.¡± Kaeron didn¡¯t react, gulping down her whiskey. ¡°I can¡¯t tell which vocation is your true one, but I can tell you¡¯re lying about it. Simply because I have been trying to find a way to lie and fight this stupid universal rule as well...with my powers. Remember when I was making fun of you? A few days ago? It was right after I asked about your vocation.¡± ¡°I thought you found Artelan a god to be mocked¡­¡± Kaeron muttered. ¡°No. It¡¯s because I sensed something that is impossible in this universe and I was amused. You¡¯re lying about your vocation and¡­.the reason is probably because your real one is something you¡¯re ashamed of. Which is it? Erisia? Nares? Some unknown, dangerous deity I haven¡¯t heard about yet?¡± ¡°Even if I was lying, why do you even care?¡± Kaeron retorted, slightly irritated. ¡°Because I am amused by you. Just as I am amused by everything that has been happening on this ship.¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m not your jester. Leave me alone. It¡¯s none of your business.¡± ¡°You¡¯re truly a stoic woman, haha...¡± Azrael chuckled, ¡°You never, ever let anyone get into your head with their words. Unless you have a desire of that happening.¡± ¡°Yes. So don¡¯t try to play with me.¡± ¡°If you want to find the real murderer, you have to use your vocation and be true to yourself once more.¡± Kaeron¡¯s attention was immediately brought back by Azrael¡¯s cunning words. She looked at her with a surprised look, ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure you have noticed it by now. That I am aware of who the murderer is,¡± Azrael leaned against the counter, her arm holding up her head, ¡°And I can see that you¡¯re not feeling well...hence, you¡¯re pretty sure yourself that Youma isn¡¯t the culprit.¡± ¡°You¡¯re wrong,¡± Kaeron shook her head, ¡°You don¡¯t know a thing about me. You¡¯re just trying to mess with me. We both know it was Youma. The way she reacted can¡¯t be a coincidence.¡± ¡°What if I told you she isn¡¯t?¡± ¡°I would not believe you. You figured out that it was her before me...I¡¯ll admit that. But now, you¡¯re just trying to make me your tool of entertainment¡­.and as I just said, I will not be your jester. Shut up already.¡± Azrael hung her head and sighed, chuckling softly, ¡°That¡¯s a pity. I thought you would have known better.¡± ¡°What the hell is that supposed to mean?¡± Kaeron stood up abruptly, looking at Azrael from above. ¡°You¡¯re pretending to be someone you aren¡¯t, Kaeron. That is why you are stuck and hopeless. I guess the death of your lover changed you too much...and now you¡¯re not even able to see the clearest of the truth.¡± Kaeron suddenly grabbed Azrael¡¯s from her dress¡¯ collar, their noses almost touching. ¡°You think you¡¯re so clever, don¡¯t you?¡± She muttered shakily, her hand trembling with rage, ¡°Sitting there, smug and cryptic...as if you had all the answers. We both know you¡¯re just a charlatan. And if you don¡¯t stop talking about Keina...I¡¯m going to kill you.¡± ¡°How can you kill her without your sword? Hehe~¡± Kaeron turned around immediately. Lilin was there, hugging Kaeron¡¯s long, heavy blade. ¡°How the hell did you¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m pretty fast and silent!¡± Lilin exclaimed, examining Kaeron¡¯s sword, ¡°Wow...this thing is very powerful. I can tell¡­¡± ¡°Give it back,¡± Kaeron muttered. ¡°Hm...what if I want to keep it? Are you going to fight for it?¡± Suddenly, Kaeron¡¯s eyes glowed for an instant...which was enough. ¡°AH! What the fuck?!¡± Lilin yelped loudly and dropped it on the floor, letting Kaeron retrieve it immediately, ¡°That thing...what the hell is sealed inside that scabbard?! It almost ate me alive!¡± For the first time, Lilin was...shocked. She stepped back, shaking her head in confusion and wariness. ¡°I suggest you calm down and listen to my words carefully," Azrael stood up and fixed her collar, her smile never leaving her face. Even after this altercation. Kaeron turned around, her breathing heavy as anger started to come up within her heart. ¡°It¡¯s irritating seeing such a stupid and obvious liar getting away with all those murders. If you want to get out of here alive, you should really open your eyes and get her.¡± ¡°W-Why don¡¯t you just fucking tell me who the killer is?! Azrael!!!¡± Kaeron shouted as the woman headed towards the pub¡¯s exit with her friend. They both stopped and turned around, looking at her with...pity. ¡°These were my final words, Kaeron. Good luck.¡± They both left the pub. ¡°Wait! What do you mean?! Where are you going?!¡± Kaeron ran after them...but when she was into the Elyisum¡¯s hallway, they were already gone. Vanished. Kaeron punched the wall, ¡°Fuck!¡± She whispered through her teeth. Chapter 17 Kaeron gathered with everyone else in front of the ¡®¡¯prison¡¯¡¯ door, recounting Azrael¡¯s words and advice. ¡°I didn¡¯t see this coming...you''re letting those two get into your head,¡± Shiria frowned, ¡°Kaeron! It¡¯s over! Don¡¯t overwork yourself, please!¡± ¡°I agree with Lan¡¯en,¡± Tsukasa nodded thoughtfully, ¡°They both lied countless times. They tried to blame me when Noir died, remember? And then they misbehaved for the rest of the day. Now they are just trying to bring more chaos after we resolved the incident.¡± ¡°God¡­¡± Kaeron held her forehead, groaning, ¡°But what if she was serious this time? She looked...serious.¡± ¡°I doubt it,¡± Alicia intervenes, ¡°You should just take it easy, Kaeron. You¡¯re an investigator...your instincts are kicking in. That¡¯s all.¡± ¡°But...what if we¡¯re wrong? What if right now, you had the killer outside of this room, right here at this gathering?¡± She looked at everyone, ¡°Wouldn¡¯t you want to be sure?¡± ¡°Youma¡¯s ghost is the only one who could have done the door trick,¡± Alicia retorts, ¡°Tsukasa has been pretty clear on that.¡± ¡°We can¡¯t start doubting each other again on a hunch...a hunch started by someone devoted to Erisia¡¯s teachings,¡± Tsukasa firmly stated. Kaeron looked at Tsukasa with tired eyes. She was exhausted, confused, and emotionally overwhelmed by her dream. She clenched her sword and sighed heavily, ¡°Maybe¡­no. You¡¯re right. I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay Kaeron¡­¡± Shiria hugged her gently, ¡°You¡¯re just trying to protect us.¡± She hugged her back. Her racing heart slowed down. ¡°Whose turn is it to guard the door next?¡± Kaeron asked, taking another deep, liberating breath. ¡°Yours,¡± Alicia replied, ¡°You said you¡¯d take mine after I was done. I still have two hours to go though.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. You all go have fun.¡± Kaeron stretched. ¡°Are you sure?¡± Alicia asked her. ¡°Yes, I am. We have all the next week ahead. You can pay me back eventually. I need silence and I need to stay away from that pub.¡± ¡°Alright then. Call us if anything happens. I¡¯ll be at the library.¡± Alicia said. ¡°I¡¯ll be at the arcade with Lan¡¯en,¡± Shiria nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll be at the casino¡­¡± Tsukasa sighed, ¡°I need some dopamine.¡± Everyone started leaving, Lan¡¯en held back, though. With narrow eyes, she laid her hand on Kaeron¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Don¡¯t be stupid, Kaeron. Youma¡¯s the perp. Don¡¯t you dare open that door.¡± ¡°I promise. I won¡¯t. You¡¯re right...Azrael is just a lying bitch,¡± Kaeron nodded slowly. ¡°Good.¡± And so Kaeron was left alone with her thoughts once more. She leaned against the door, her arms crossed, her weapon leaning against the wall beside her. She sighed softly, closing her eyes. Thoughts started running like a river¡¯s water. What if Azrael was right, after all? The haunting question loomed above her head as she fought with herself. Her mind envisioned Youma¡¯s always polite, determined, and gentle personality. She had never been much help with the investigations, but at least it looked like she cared. Was she able to commit such vile acts? Tearing up two innocent victim¡¯s chests? Noir was a Nares¡¯ follower. She could have understood that. But Servalia? She was a singer, a famous one...she loved everything and everyone and would have never posed a threat. Why would Youma kill her? The question was so strong in her head. It swirled around as she reminisced about her good old days as a detective. The motive. The heart behind a crime. It is always there...no matter how cold-blooded a murderer can be. Besides, when Youma was caught and imprisoned...she has been so calm. Was it guilt? Was she accepting her fate? She turned around and touched the door gently. The keypad lit up. Her finger hovered on the first button...but then she stopped. No. I¡¯m playing Azrael¡¯s game. She wants me to set the killer free. She turned around, shaking her head. But the question still gnawed at her.
Evening. Everyone was having dinner, while Kaeron was still there guarding. She needed more time to reflect and calm down. Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. Shiria was eating with the rest of the crew. Lan¡¯en was trying to talk about her heroic tales to lighten up the mood. But then, suddenly, Alicia interrupted her. ¡°So...Azrael and Lilin. They said goodbye to Kaeron...are they seriously gone? I haven¡¯t seen them anywhere.¡± ¡°Yes. That¡¯s true. They were nowhere to be found all day...I¡¯m concerned,¡± Tsukasa mumbled. ¡°They can¡¯t be possibly hiding somewhere outside of the public areas. Chronos would have prohibited that, right?¡± Lan¡¯en said. ¡°Yes. I doubt there¡¯s even easy access to the upper floor¡¯s systems. And remember what Chronos said about the vents¡­¡± Alicia crossed arms, ¡°Either they holed up in their rooms or they¡¯re just wandering around and we just didn¡¯t notice them...creating a coincidence.¡± ¡°Hm¡­¡± Shiria frowned, ¡°I just hope they¡¯re not up to no good!¡± ¡°Indeed. We cannot seem to catch a break on this ¡®¡¯cruise¡¯¡¯...it is quite ironic,¡± Tsukasa sighed, going back to eating her meal.
8:45 PM. I have to question her. I have to at least ask her why. She turned around once more and took a deep breath. Just a bunch of quick questions and that¡¯s it. I won¡¯t let her come near me or the door. I have my blade anyways...I can terminate her if she attempts to kill me. She clenched her hand to calm her nerves...then, she stuck out her finger to type in the code. ¡°Kaeron? What are you doing?¡± She immediately yelped and turned around. Shiria looked at her with a disappointed frown. ¡°I¡¯m just...I wanted to ask her some questions.¡± ¡°Kareon...please¡­¡± She hugged her tightly. Nuzzling her face against her chest. The woman¡¯s hands were shaking as she tried to gently push her away. ¡°I¡¯m going to stand in front of the door the whole time. I promise I will be quick...I just need to...¡± ¡°Kaeron! Stop!¡± Kaeron froze as she felt her friend''s hands on hers. ¡°You¡¯re shaking! You¡¯re not doing okay!¡± Shiria said, ¡°Stop acting so tough...it¡¯s over! It¡¯s over...there is no killer anymore.¡± ¡°But-¡± ¡°Just stop! Please! I¡¯m worried about you¡­¡± The woman¡¯s gaze softened, her lips trembled. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t apologize,¡± Shiria sighed, clinging onto her once more, ¡°Just let me help you like you did when I first woke up that morning...what happened? Alicia told me you woke up panicked. Is it why you¡¯re so distressed? All this trembling...it isn¡¯t only because of Azrael¡¯s word...is it?¡± But Kaeron lifted Shiria¡¯s face with her cold hand. Her fingers dug into her soft skin gently. ¡°Shiria. Listen to me. You can¡¯t help me,¡± she muttered, shaking her head slowly. ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°Because what you think is wrong with me...has always been there in the first place. The way I¡¯m acting now...is how I have always been.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± She asked innocently. ¡°I am not who you think I am.¡± Shiria¡¯s heart suddenly dropped as she heard such words. Did she hear that right? Did it mean what Shiria thought it meant? ¡°T-Then...at least tell me who you are really! Why were you invited on this cruise?¡± She stammered, backing off slightly. ¡°It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t want to tell you. It¡¯s just that I can¡¯t. I¡¯ve come so far...I would never have enough strength and time to sum it all up,¡± she whispered, ¡°Everyone has their unspeakable secrets, don¡¯t they?¡± Shiria swallowed heavily, her eyes glued to Kaeron¡¯s, which were shining with uncertain emotions. ¡°Are you the murderer? Kaeron?¡± ¡°No. I am not.¡± ¡°Then...I am not going to let you go. Whatever is going on in your life...I don¡¯t care. But we are friends. And friends do comfort each other, right? Since now it¡¯s all over...I want to focus on you! Because we are friends.¡± Kaeron didn¡¯t react. She just looked down as well, sighing through her nose. ¡°Do me a favor, and let¡¯s go to bed,¡± a cute smile appeared on her face, ¡°Please. It¡¯s the least I can do. Staying here any longer will make you open that door...which has a killer inside. Besides...it¡¯s almost nine! You stood here all day...I¡¯ll ask someone to switch with you.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right¡­¡± Kaeron let out a self-deprecating chuckle, ¡°Getting taken care of by such a fragile, younger girl.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be like that¡­¡± Shiria caressed Kaeron¡¯s cheek gently, ¡°Besides, I may not have my memories...but I feel like I understand your feelings. I may be a little wise, hehe¡­
Kaeron was taking a hot shower to clean her own thoughts. Shiria was right. Despite everything, she had to move on. She had to fulfill her lover''s final request. After she was done, she got out of the shower, and Shiria was there on the bed...wearing her sleepy attire. "Who is guarding the door?" She asked, sitting down beside her. "Lan''en! She was more than happy to help you!" "It''s just because she doesn''t trust me. And...she was right, after all. I was going to open that door," Kaeron frowned and hung her head. "Hey, hey...don''t think about. Here..." Shiria pushed Kaeron''s against the bed, forcing her to lay down. She complied awkwardly and Shiria jumped on her excited, hugging Kaeron¡¯s body while nuzzling against her shoulder. Kaeron exhaled deeply. A gentle smile appeared on her face. ¡°See? Hehe¡­¡± Shiria whispered in Kaeron¡¯s ear, ¡°You feel better already, right?¡± Kaeron closed her eyes and kept going with her deep breaths, holding her closer, ¡°Yes. I do." A couple of seconds of silence, and then Kaeron spoke up again. "Shiria...about your past. I¡¯m pretty sure you¡¯re a very wise, good, and smart girl. I hope you¡¯ll find out what happened to you before getting aboard this hell. And I also hope you''ll regain your lost memories." ¡°And I hope you¡¯ll find peace and forget your past.¡± ¡°Thank you, Shiria.¡±
The two girls were awakened by Shiria¡¯s door opening. Kaeron¡¯s eyes opened first, then Shiria followed along, whining softly. ¡°What¡¯s going on¡­?¡± She muttered gently. She was still lying on top of Kaeron¡¯s body, sleepy. ¡°Shiria...where is Kaeron? She-...oh.¡± Lan¡¯en looked at Kaeron after barging into Shiria¡¯s room. She saw the two under Shiria¡¯s covers. ¡°Seriously?¡± Lan¡¯en asked her. ¡°Seriously what?¡± Shiria replied. She removed the covers off their bodies and got up, rubbing her eyes cutely. ¡°Nothing¡­¡± Lan¡¯en gestured toward Kaeron, and then Shiria, ¡°I thought that...nevermind. What¡¯s your passcode, Kaeron? Tsukasa wants to give Youma breakfast,¡± She asked, rolling her eyes. ¡°I¡¯ll open the door, just give me a few minutes, okay?¡± Kaeron muttered tiredly as she rubbed her face. ¡°Sure. Suit yourself¡­¡± Lan¡¯en sighed, looked at Shiria weirdly, and left. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you lock the door last night?¡± Kaeron asked Shiria as she got out of bed. ¡°I told you. Never needed to,¡± Shiria shrugged. ¡°How are you feeling? Did you have good dreams?¡± She tried to change the subject, caressing Kaeron¡¯s arm gently. She responded with a sigh and a nod. She quickly got dressed and left hurriedly to open Youma¡¯s door. ¡°Ah, finally,¡± Lan¡¯en yawns, ¡°Come on. Open this damn door so I can go back to sleep and you can go back with your friend.¡± What''s that disappointed tone? People really can¡¯t mind their own business. Well, she¡¯s probably just jealous. They have gotten pretty close. I quickly press my finger against the door and the keypad appears, I type in the code, letting Tsukasa step inside the room first giving her space. However, she gasps instead, stepping backwards, ¡°Youma¡­!¡± She mutters shakily. I immediately look inside with Lan¡¯en. Youma hangs from the ceiling, lifeless. Her chest is spread open, blood dripping down her body. My sword is right beside her corpse on the floor, covered in fresh blood. Chapter 18 ¡°What the fuck¡­?¡± Lan¡¯en barged inside, ¡°She...did she hang herself?¡± ¡°No...look¡­¡± Tsukasa¡¯s hand shook as it pointed to Youma¡¯s wound, ¡°She was killed...and then hung¡­¡± ¡°No...no...no...no!!!!¡± Shiria rushed to the dangling corpse, hugging it and shaking it, ¡°Youma!!! Youma!!!¡± Alicia quietly walked inside next, her face showed distress as she turned on the room¡¯s light. They all finally saw it. They all looked at Kaeron, who was frozen in place. She was shaking with rage as she stared at Youma¡¯s corpse. ¡°Kaeron¡­¡± Tsukasa walked to her, her eyes filled with suspicion, ¡°Do you mind explaining why your blade is below the real killer¡¯s next murder?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± She calmly replied, walking to it and picking her sword up, ¡°The killer is trying to frame me.¡± ¡°Oh, are you sure about that?¡± Lan¡¯en blurted out an implication. ¡°Yes. I am sure.¡± She muttered, ¡°I should have listened to Azrael...¡± ¡°Maybe Azrael and Lilin are the ones who did it,¡± Tsukasa said. ¡°What pity. She was a good person, after all,¡± Alice shook her head, disappointed, Lan¡¯en crossed her arms, ¡°So? Kaeron? How do you explain that-¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. Let me investigate,¡± Kaeron stopped her, ¡°We need to find the killer as soon as possible. We can¡¯t make any mistakes this time.¡± ¡°What¡¯s there to investigate?¡± Lan¡¯en retorted. ¡°She¡¯s right, Lan¡¯en!¡± Shiria intervened, ¡°It wasn¡¯t her! I¡¯m sure!¡± ¡°Fine. But we¡¯ll all stay here with you. Is that good?¡± Alicia carefully tested the waters. She suspected Kaeron too. ¡°Of course it is. Just give me some silence. I need to figure this out.¡± Kaeron inhaled deeply as she examined the room, her eyes scanning it thoroughly. Youma was hanging on the ceiling, and the covers of the bed were used as a rope to do the job. She was tied to the ceiling¡¯s ventilation grid, which had enough space between the cracks to let the covers go through. Her chest has a deep, clean cut that goes from one breast to the other. The blood is not dripping anymore. Kaeron walked around. She checked the bathroom...nothing worthy. She then checked under Youma¡¯s bed. Among the many things, here katana was there, sheathed. She didn¡¯t try to protect herself? Weird. Maybe she was attacked while she was sleeping. She stood back up, looking at how everyone else was investigating on their own. She approached Youma once more, placing her palm against her back to check her time of death with her power. ¡°I¡¯m using my power right now. She died yesterday...approximately 11 hours ago,¡± Kaeron estimated. ¡°It¡¯s 8:12 AM right now. That means she died around nine?¡± Tsukasa mused, rubbing her chin. ¡°Yes, she did.¡± Kaeron approached the entrance of her own room, examining the door. The door was intact. No scratches or signs of tampering, unlike the medical bay. The only way in was sealed. Locked. How could this murder have occurred? Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. Kaeron¡¯s thoughts raced, but then...something startled her. ¡°Ahh! What?!¡± A loud thump filled the room, she turned around and saw Youma¡¯s body hit the floor hard. Lan¡¯en was the one closest to the body. ¡°I told you not to bring her down. You¡¯re messing with the crime scene,¡± Kaeron sighed. ¡°I didn¡¯t! Look! The damn thing just opened!¡± Kaeron¡¯s eyes darted up. The ventilation grid on the ceiling was hanging downwards, open. ¡°Stupid ship¡­¡± Kaeron walked to the body and picked it up gently, ¡°Put her on the bed at least.¡± After that event, everyone gathered around in a circle. ¡°I think we¡¯re missing something. We should split into other rooms and search those as well. My sword was taken from Shiria¡¯s room as we slept together. I¡¯ll keep investigating here while you-¡± ¡°Oh, we¡¯re not leaving you alone with Youma,¡± Lan¡¯en shook her head, ¡°Unless you find a good argument, you¡¯re still the main suspect.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go, okay? Don¡¯t worry,¡± Tsukasa said, leaving the room. ¡°I see. Lan¡¯en, I understand you suspect me,¡± Kaeron calmly replied, ¡°More reason for you to investigate yourself and find the truth, no?¡± ¡°I¡¯m...too dumb to investigate stuff,¡± Lan¡¯en muttered awkwardly, ¡°Whatever...we¡¯ll figure out what the hell happened with the usual debate thing in the lobby.¡± ¡°Yes, we certainly will.¡± Kaeron kept looking around, Alicia stood at the opposite corner of the room, checking Youma¡¯s desk, opening her console. Nothing much could be seen, since after the power outage, the communications systems were out. Hence...no connection to the Universal Wide Web. Kaeron, meanwhile, was checking the bathroom again, trying to see if she missed anything. However, nothing peculiar could be noticed. After a while, Tsukasa came back. ¡°What did you find?¡± Kaeron asked her. ¡°Nothing much. Shiria¡¯s room is clean,¡± Tsukasa replied. ¡°I guess we checked everything in this room as well¡­¡± Alicia sighed, ¡°We didn¡¯t find much.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll figure this out, I promise,¡± Kaeron told everyone, ¡°Let¡¯s go to the lobby.¡±
Everyone gathered together. Azrael and Lilin were missing. ¡°I wonder where those two are. It¡¯s very suspicious,¡± Tsukasa sighed. ¡°Can I start?¡± Lan¡¯en raised her hand, ¡°I won¡¯t sugarcoat it. I think it was Kaeron. Her weapon was there and the time of death matches with when she was all alone guarding Youma.¡± She accused Kaeron with no hesitation. Her eyes pierced Kaeron¡¯s as she kept her arms crossed and a determined expression. ¡°I think we¡¯re jumping the gun here,¡± Tsukasa said, ¡°I mentioned it already. Kaeron is the strongest one here. If she was a cold-blooded murderer, she would have done the job in one go.¡± ¡°What is this power anyway?¡± Alicia asked, ¡°You keep saying this, but you never mentioned what she can do really.¡± ¡°It¡¯s because I don¡¯t know,¡± Tsukasa admitted. ¡°When I look at Kaeron...I see a crimson haze. But it doesn¡¯t come within her, unlike any other person that triggers my power. It comes from outside. It¡¯s something around her... that envelops and seals her true self. However...I can still feel it on my skin ¨C no one here is as powerful as her. Only Azrael and Lilin could protect themselves from her...but even they can only do that. Kaeron can¡¯t be defeated. ¡° ¡°Kaeron¡­¡± Shiria muttered, ¡°Can you tell us what is your power, exactly?¡± Kaeron looked down and sighed through her nose, clenching her blade. ¡°It¡¯s not...something I can just describe. I have a curse. My memories...my whole being is sealed into this blade. Every time I unsheathe it...time slows down, almost to a halt. People become a canvas...and my blade craves to paint red ink on them. When I fight with my sword unsheathed, nobody can see me or feel me. They just meet their demise." ¡°Wait,¡± Shiria said, her voice trembling. ¡°So you¡¯re saying...you can move so fast that no one even realizes you¡¯re attacking? That¡¯s...terrifying.¡± Kaeron chuckled bitterly and looked at her sword. ¡°It truly is terrifying. Yes.¡± ¡°I see,¡± Lan¡¯en narrows her eyes, ¡°So...Tsukasa, you argue that she''s so strong that she wouldn¡¯t have needed all the games and tricks the murderer is playing to kill us...if she were the killer.¡± ¡°That¡¯s correct, yes.¡± Something unexpected occurs. A purple smoke appears in the middle of the survivors'' circle. Everyone steps back, Kaeron places her hand on the hilt, ready to react. After the mist is gone, they appear. "¡°And this is where the plot twist comes!!!¡±" Chapter 19 ¡°Azrael! Lilin!¡± Shiria exclaimed, ¡°Where were you?!¡± ¡°Ohh, don¡¯t you worry, little stowaway. We were just investigating a couple of things on our own!¡± ¡°Investigating? What?¡± Lan¡¯en asked. ¡°Ah...a way to get off of this cruise! We found it~!¡± Lilin hopped up and down happily, ¡°But we¡¯ll show you the way if, and only if, you all find the real murderer!¡± Everyone just looked at each other, speechless. The two witches cackled mischievously. ¡°What?! That¡¯s just mean!¡± Shiria shouted, ¡°Just tell us who the killer is and save us!¡± ¡°Why would we? I follow Erisia! You could be all dead for all I care!¡± ¡°Why would we? I follow Dyosia! All I want is to have fun! And this...this is too much fun! I can¡¯t stop!¡± Kaeron crossed her arms and stared at Azrael, reminiscing her conversation. ¡°I thought those were your last words, Azrael,¡± She said, ¡°Why are you still here?¡± ¡°Who knows?¡± She shrugged her shoulders, ¡°So! Shall we keep the debate rolling?¡± ¡°Oh! Yes! Yes! I have something to say!¡± Lilin waved her hand happily, ¡°Kaeron didn¡¯t mention some things on purpose! To keep herself clean!¡± Everyone looked at Kaeron once more. ¡°What is she talking about, Kaeron?¡± Alicia asked. ¡°You surely don¡¯t believe her, right?¡± Shiria defended Kaeron, ¡°I mean¡­¡± ¡°No. She is right. I know what she¡¯s talking about,¡± Kaeron plainly admitted, ¡°There are...some things I didn¡¯t say because I didn¡¯t want them to be a scapegoat for the killer to use. That¡¯s all.¡± ¡°So? Which are these things?¡± ¡°First of all¡­¡± Kaeron hesitated. She gulped down her anxiety and tightened her arms as she kept them crossed. ¡°First of all, Kaeron has the power to lie about her vocation,¡± Lilin helped her out with a giggle, ¡°Her vocation is not Artelan.¡± ¡°What? How is that even possible?¡± Alicia¡¯s eyebrows furrowed, ¡°Nobody can lie about their vocation. It¡¯s...it¡¯s just impossible.¡± ¡°Which is it?¡± Lan¡¯en asked her, stepping forward, ¡°Kaeron, what is your vocation? Tell us. Now.¡± ¡°I...I am born as a follower of Xae. The god of nihility.¡± ¡°She¡¯s telling the truth,¡± Azrael nodded, chuckling, ¡°Finally." Everyone looked shocked. ¡°Who is Xae?¡± Shiria asked innocently. ¡°Xae is the only god with no gender or identity. It¡¯s a void that doesn¡¯t care about its children. They¡¯re born without a goal...without anything to believe in and they end up cursed. It¡¯s worse than your case, Shiria. While you forgot about your vocation, Kaeron knows exactly which one is hers...and yet, she has no purpose in this world,¡± Tsukasa explained, "They are a very rare species of people already...plus, they have the power to lie about their vocation...which makes them even more unrecongnizable." ¡°Xae''s nihilists usually kill themselves at a young age as far as I know. They¡¯re hardwired to do that,¡± Alicia said, ¡°Kaeron...I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need your pity,¡± Kaeron said, ¡°And my vocation has nothing to do with this situation right now.¡± ¡°Oh yeah? It does, actually,¡± Lilin grins widely, ¡°Since you¡¯re a nihilist...you have a curse upon you, am I right? That sword bears it. That sword can¡¯t be unsheathed by anyone besides you.¡± The debate suddenly started running again. ¡°What? Really?¡± Lan¡¯en¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Yes! Try it yourself!¡± Azrael invited Lan¡¯en to approach Kaeron. Lan¡¯en did as suggested. She walked to Kaeron and grabbed her sword. Kaeron simply let it go and sighed with a defeated expression. As soon as Lan¡¯en tried to pull the blade out of the scabbard...she screamed in horror and let it fall to the ground. ¡°What the fuck!? I...I felt something horrible crawling all over my arm!¡± She brushed her arm multiple times as if she was trying to get rid of something, ¡°It¡¯s true!¡± ¡°So...what does this imply, exactly? That Kaeron is the only one who could have committed the murder?¡± Alicia asked Lilin. ¡°Who knows? I¡¯m just pointing out the facts here,¡± Lilin shrugged. ¡°No. She¡¯s finally helping us.¡± Tsukasa nodded, brushing her chin. ¡°What? Helping us? Her?¡± Lan¡¯en raised her eyebrow, ¡°Seriously?¡± ¡°She¡¯s trying to tell us that the killer knew this, obviously. Otherwise, they wouldn¡¯t have tried to frame Kaeron like that. Someone tried to unsheathe her sword to do the killing, but they failed to do so...hence, they realized it was the perfect evidence that pointed to Kaeron. Kaeron herself wouldn¡¯t have been so stupid.¡± ¡°There¡¯s an issue, though...what about the door? It was locked with Kaeron¡¯s code, which I doubt anyone ever discovered. There were no signs of tampering with the door...I checked its electrical panel while we were investigating,¡± Alicia said. ¡°True¡­¡± Tsukasa sighed, ¡°What about the vent? It ripped off with a slight touch of Youma¡¯s body. Could the killer have crawled into the room through that? It didn¡¯t look well sealed against the ceiling. This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. ¡°Don¡¯t you remember what that stupid AI said? They¡¯re too hot or whatever. Nobody can use them. ¡°Wait,¡± Alicia suddenly had a realization, ¡°What that thing isn¡¯t for ventilation? Chronos, are you there?¡± Alicia¡¯s communication system lit up, the AI responded. ¡°Model CHRON.05 at your service.¡± ¡°What can you tell me about the...vent we all have in our bedrooms? Are they hot just like the rest of the air ducts aboard the cruise?¡± ¡°I shall correct you. Due to various policies, those you call ¡°vents¡± are secondary emergency exits. A passenger may find themselves stuck or in danger inside a locked room, and the emergency button that releases the door¡¯s pressure may malfunction. It is possible to open the grid with a slight pull. The passengers can get inside with a simple jump and crawl through a specific and safe path towards safety. If the passenger has physical disabilities, they can use the communication device to hire one of our reliable rescue bots and-¡± Alicia muted the device, looking at everyone, ¡°There you are, murderer. We busted you.¡± ¡°So that¡¯s how it is...huh?¡± Lan¡¯en nodded slowly, tapping her lips, ¡°They tried to make it look like Kaeron used her code and killed Youma herself.¡± ¡°The cause of death is uncertain but...due to the lack of blood in the room, I¡¯m guessing that the killer strangled Youma, carved their chest with another weapon, tied the ¡®¡¯rope¡¯¡¯ to the hatch¡¯s grid, climbed up after placing my sword down and then closed it carefully, lifting Youma up.¡± ¡°From where did they get in, though?¡± Tsukasa wondered. ¡°Chronos, where do those emergency exits lead?¡± ¡°Model CHRON.05 at your service¡­¡± ¡°The emergency exits are all connected with a duct that goes through all the dormitory¡¯s rooms until the end of the corridor. There, a hatch that leads into the corridor is present on both sides.¡± ¡°Are the two sides of the dorm¡¯s corridor linked in any way?¡± Kaeron asked. ¡°No. Both sides have their own duct and hatch for safety and crowd management in case of grave emergency.¡± ¡°Are the hatches accessible from outside the rooms?¡± ¡°No. Unlike the room¡¯s exits, which are openable, the hatches only activate if there is an emergency alarm to avoid the ship¡¯s design to cause discomfort.¡± ¡°What the heck? Design?¡± Lan¡¯en scoffed, ¡°Rich people¡¯s problems, I guess.¡± ¡°So you can only travel through a duct if you have access to one of the rooms that are connected to it,¡± Alicia said. ¡°Servalia is dead and her room is definitely locked. My door was locked. Youma¡¯s was locked by her before we imprisoned her. That leaves Shiria¡¯s and Alicia¡¯s rooms." ¡°The time of the murder was yesterday around nine. I wasn''t back in my room yet. My door was locked too. So they must have gone through Shiria¡¯s room.¡± ¡°My room...is always unlocked¡­¡± Shiria hung her head, ¡°I¡¯m sorry...it¡¯s my fault.¡± ¡°Wait. We¡¯re missing something important,¡± Tsukasa stopped everyone. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Lane¡¯n asked. ¡°Kaeron was guarding the hallway all the time. How could they have gone into Shiria¡¯s room without her noticing?¡± ¡°Right. I didn¡¯t think about that detail. I was guarding Youma¡¯s room all the time.¡± ¡°Then the culprit must be you, no?¡± Azrael spoke up, looking at Kaeron with a sharp expression, ¡°Or maybe...you dozed off and didn¡¯t notice the murderer passing in front of you to go into Shiria¡¯s room?¡± Kaeron sighed heavily and crossed her arms. She¡¯s trying to make me think. At this point, it¡¯s obvious she¡¯s pointing at the killer. ¡°I didn¡¯t fall asleep, of course. If the killer had to get into my room through Shiria, they probably did it while I was completely unable to see or hear anything,¡± Kaeron said, ¡°Maybe the time of death is wrong.¡± ¡°Wasn¡¯t your power able to detect it accurately?¡± Alicia asked. ¡°Yes. But it doesn¡¯t make any sense, right? I was there all the time. I saw nothing. Are we sure there isn¡¯t another way the murderer could have gotten in?¡± ¡°What if it¡¯s Azrael and Lilin? Did you all not see how they appeared into thin air in front of us?¡± Lan¡¯en suddenly said, ¡°Isn¡¯t it a dead giveaway?¡± ¡°Ah? So that¡¯s how you wanna play¡­¡± Lilin grinned. ¡°What about our alibi for Servalia¡¯s murder? Did you randomly forget that? We were with Shiria and Kaeron all the time, listening to their conversation about Kaeron¡¯s dead lover.¡± ¡°True. But you don¡¯t have an alibi for Noir¡¯s and Youma¡¯s death. One out of three,¡± Tsukasa said. ¡°And...you¡¯re also very mean people, to be honest,¡± Shiria intervened, ¡°Why should we trust your intentions? What if your appearance now is just a way to make our train of thoughts derail?¡± ¡°Watch your mouth, stowaway,¡± Lilin spat, abruptly growing offensive, ¡°You¡¯re just a dirty, stupid stowaway that doesn¡¯t even belong here.¡± ¡°Woah, what the hell?¡± Lan¡¯en stepped forward. ¡°Calm down, girls,¡± Alicia said, ¡°Let¡¯s think about it again. I doubt it was either Azrael or Lilin for more than one reason.¡± ¡°What are those reasons?¡± Shiria asked, crossing her arms and looking away with a pout. ¡°First of all, while Lilin and Azrael are very suspicious and rude...this is just a bias that shouldn¡¯t really matter when it comes to logical thinking. If we really value our odds of survival, we have to treat every possible variable. Each one of us is still viable to be the culprit. And...well, if we leave aside their personalities, Lilin and Azrael are the ones who are less likely to be tied to the killing. One alibi out of three is enough if we compare it to someone who has zero. Second thing...they both could have disappeared with that ¡®¡¯escape¡¯¡¯ they are offering...which is a real escape, by the way. They didn¡¯t...because they probably don¡¯t even need to escape. Neither because they¡¯re about to be found out as killers, nor because they are in danger.¡± ¡°How do you know it¡¯s real? The escape offer.¡± Lan¡¯en asked. ¡°Because I was invited for my engineering abilities. I did some digging last night because I couldn¡¯t really sleep. I found that there is a specific alarm system that gives an escape pod the conditions to be released. I could trigger that alarm myself with some tinkering if I found the cockpit of this cruise. I was about to tell you guys this morning¡­and we ended up in this situation.¡± ¡°That is correct. In fact...you all need Alicia if you want to leave this stupid place early. So don¡¯t let the killer catch her...¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t this mean you both aren¡¯t able to leave by yourselves though? Maybe you are the perps...and you¡¯re trying to make Alicia start the escape pod for you,¡± Lan¡¯en accused Azrael again. ¡°Baseless accusation. I am able to start the alarm system by myself.¡± ¡°And what if what you just said is a lie?¡± Tsukasa sighed. Lilin looked at Alicia and took out a small, metallic shard, ¡°This shard I made is able to hijack any spacecraft that has a network under the SOTERI class. Basically anything high-end and filthy rich. This ship particularly has the SOTERI-13 sub-version...but it was a tag that I didn¡¯t quite recognize. It¡¯s ¡°SOTERI-13.2.5¡±...it¡¯s an experimental version of the 13 variation...curious, right? This is probably why you accepted the invite.¡± ¡°Alright. Yes. They could have escaped by themselves,¡± Alicia sighed, almost defeated. ¡°They¡¯re not the culprits. I knew that already. Let¡¯s stop doubting them...please,¡± Kaeron said, ¡°Let¡¯s go back to the point.¡± ¡°Okay...so. Who the hell could have walked in front of Kaeron without being noticed? Let¡¯s think about it slowly,¡± Tsukasa said, ¡°Someone passed through Kaeron¡¯s guard, entered Shiria¡¯s room after stealing Kaeron¡¯s blade...and then they obviously had to do the reverse, right?¡± Kaeron suddenly gasped and covered her mouth after a new realization. ¡°Wait. That¡¯s right! My sword was stolen. It was with me all the time when I was guarding the door.¡± ¡°This means that...it all happened after that,¡± Shiria butted in, lighting up as well. ¡°Last night, when we all parted ways, I went to check on Kaeron...and I convinced her to give her guarding place to someone else! We both went into my room and then we slept!¡± ¡°So the murder happened after Kaeron left. Who guarded her next?¡± Tsukasa looked at everyone. ¡°I did. Shiria came to the arcade and asked me this favor. I didn¡¯t say anything until now because I thought that the murder had already happened when I got there¡­¡± ¡°But in reality, it happened between the time Kaeron left the door unattended to sleep and until you arrived at the door after Shiria came to fetch you!¡± ¡°This leaves only two suspects. Tsukasa and Alicia. Lan¡¯en and Shiria were together during that crucial moment, obviously...Azrael, Lilin, and I are innocent because of other solid arguments,¡± Kaeron said, killing Alicia with her cold gaze. ¡±Alicia, is it you?¡± Chapter 20 ¡°Me? What?¡± ¡°It had to be Alicia. My room is on the other side of the hallway. I couldn¡¯t have gotten into the escape duct...while she could...because her room, which she claimed was locked...could have been opened by her the whole time while the hallway was empty,¡± Tsukasa quickly said, looking over Alicia with a side look, ¡°I think we finally hit the nail.¡± Alicia crossed her arms and closed her eyes, ¡°Clever. I¡¯m pretty sure the real killer is crossing their fingers right now.¡± ¡°Funny,¡± Lan¡¯en scoffed, ¡°Alicia. Come on. Just fess¡¯ up.¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t me, you cretins!¡± She shouted, ¡°I should have stuck with someone instead of retreating into the library last evening.¡± ¡°You¡¯re the only possible culprit though¡­¡± Shiria muttered. The air was tense. Alicia quickly gathered all her thoughts, ready to fight. ¡°What about Servalia¡¯s murder? I was in the library, and Shiria saw me. I have an alibi too.¡± ¡°Servalia¡¯s murder is still a weird grey area. Everybody moved around weirdly...you could have left the library after being seen by me¡­¡± Shiria said, ¡°It still would make sense. Everything¡­¡± ¡°Yes, it kind of does. The power outage...the blocked door¡­they¡¯re both tech stuff, aren¡¯t they?¡± Lan¡¯en suddenly realized. Alicia¡¯s breathing got quicker, she tapped her foot against the cold floor as she thought harder. She couldn¡¯t let the killer win like this. ¡°Tsukasa, where were you when Noir, Servalia, and Youma were killed?¡± She raised her head, trying to retaliate as hard as she could. ¡°She was unseen during Noir¡¯s murder. In her room during Servalia¡¯s¡­¡± Kaeron said. ¡°And I was trying to relax in the hot tub during Youma¡¯s,¡± Tsukasa said, ¡°Besides, the duct problem is still present. My room is on the other side, and Kaeron would have spotted me if I used Shiria¡¯s room.¡± Alicia bit her lip hard, growing irritated. ¡°So quick to point fingers. This is exactly what the murderer wants!¡± Alicia shouted, ¡°Kaeron¡­are you sure that when you were left alone in Shiria¡¯s room you had your eyes peeled the whole time before Shiria was back!?¡± ¡°Of course she did! What do you suggest? That the killer did everything while she was taking a dump? Nobody kills that fast,¡± Lan¡¯en rolled her eyes. ¡°How can you just assume that?!¡± ¡°I mean...you have to climb over it...crawl all the way into Youma¡¯s room...kill her...and all the rest! It¡¯s just not possible!¡± Shiria defended Tsukasa. ¡°Alright then! It¡¯s decided! I¡¯m the fucking murderer! Come on Kaeron! Trap me in that stupid room! I¡¯m gonna sue ALL OF YOU! I will not stand these stupid accusations! Tartarus will definitely hold a fair trial.¡± ¡°Oh come on. You¡¯re sounding ridiculous now,¡± Lan¡¯en sighed. ¡°Hmph...to think one of you is¡­¡± Alicia scanned the room once more. And then...she gasped as her face lit up. ¡°Wait a second...what about-¡± ¡°Shiria, may I have a word with you?¡± Kaeron suddenly spoke up, interrupting Alicia¡¯s sentence. Her penetrating gaze locked onto Shiria''s. She looked disappointed. ¡°W-What?¡± ¡°Shiria? What¡¯s up with her now?¡± Lan¡¯en asked confused. ¡°I had a shower last night. When I was done, Shiria was already in bed waiting for me. She¡¯s the only one who knew that, in truth...as soon as she said she was going to get Lan¡¯en...I went to the bathroom to wash. When she was back...I was still in the bathroom...having that same shower.¡± ¡°So?¡± Lan¡¯en asked. ¡°She didn¡¯t mention it during this whole debate. As if she was trying to pin on Alice the fault at all costs. I didn¡¯t guard the room while she was away. Hence...Tsukasa could have easily been the murderer as well.¡± ¡°I just-¡± ¡°No. You didn¡¯t ¡®¡¯just¡¯¡¯ anything, Shiria. I¡¯m not stupid. You are not trying to help us find out the murderer. Why? You couldn¡¯t possibly have forgotten about this detail. Why did you omit it?¡± Shiria grew pale. She couldn¡¯t respond. ¡°What the hell? Why didn¡¯t you even try to defend me?!¡± Alicia looked at her. ¡°I-I just thought it wasn¡¯t important¡­¡± ¡°Not important?¡± Tsukasa herself furrowed her brows, ¡°The fact Kaeron wasn¡¯t in the room while you were at the arcade fetching Lan¡¯en brings the number of one certain suspect to two suspects. How is this not crucial? We are talking about accusing of murder here. Are we not?¡± Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°I¡¯m sorry...I¡¯m very sorry¡­¡± Shiria started panicking, ¡°I¡¯m just...scared...I want all this to end¡­¡± ¡°So you want to end everything by ruining my life?! Mass murder isn¡¯t something I will get out of easily if the U.O.R. believes you all!¡± Alicia stepped forward. ¡°Please don¡¯t yell!¡± Shiria yelped, ¡°I¡¯m sorry...yes...Tsukasa is a suspect too! Kaeron¡¯s right...I¡¯m very sorry everyone...I just didn¡¯t want to add stuff to the chaos¡­¡± ¡°What the hell are you talking about, stowaway?¡± Azrael scoffed, ¡°You plainly lied, didn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°You just hoped we¡¯d all jump the gun! And the fun~!¡± Lilin giggled, ¡°Naughty stowaway¡­¡± ¡°Stop calling me that! I¡¯m just...I¡­¡± Shiria started crying. Her face was red, her breathing ragged. A panic attack. ¡°Woah¡­¡± Lan¡¯en rushed to her, comforting her immediately. ¡°Okay. Let¡¯s take a break,¡± Kaeron sighed, ¡°I want you all here in ten minutes. Tsukasa, come with me to the pub...I need a drink and I gotta watch you. Alicia, stay with Lan¡¯en and Shiria. Azrael and Lilin...do whatever you¡¯d like.¡± Kaeron¡¯s recess was accepted by everyone.
¡°Hey now, it¡¯s okay¡­¡± Lan¡¯en caressed Shiria¡¯s sobbing face as they both sat on the bed. Alicia stood by the window, deep in thought. ¡°We¡¯re all a bit worked up. I know you didn¡¯t lie on purpose.¡± ¡°I just...I¡¯m just...I¡¯m so scared...I didn¡¯t want to make things worse. I¡¯m sorry Alicia¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine, I forgive you,¡± Alicia sighed, her eyes glued to the outer space, ¡°We must stick to all the facts, though. When we go back to the lobby...please...say anything that may be useful, alright? Believe me, I understand you were scared. We all are.¡± ¡°Thank you girls¡­¡± Shiria¡¯s sobs stopped slowing down, ¡°I hope we can get out of this soon...I hate it.¡± ¡°I hate it too Shiria,¡± Lan¡¯en hugged her tightly, ¡°And I surely doubt such an angelic girl like you would do something bad on purpose. I know you¡¯re trying your best.¡± ¡°T-Thank you¡­¡± Lan¡¯en held her shoulders firmly, her expression was serious and determined. ¡°We¡¯ll find that motherfucker...and I¡¯ll punish them.¡± ¡°Really? But Tsukasa-¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care about what she and Kaeron say...or about the law¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to kill them with my bare hands.¡± Shiria looked Lan¡¯en in the eye, nodding gently as she kept sniffling.
¡°You truly don¡¯t think it is me, right?¡± Tsukasa sat with Kaeron at the pub. She ordered a cup of sake, while Kaeron took her usual glass of whiskey. ¡°I don¡¯t know. Should I?¡± Kaeron asked her, letting out a stressed sigh, ¡°And if I shouldn¡¯t, why would I believe it was Alicia instead?¡± ¡°Oh well, this is an interrogation, isn¡¯t it?¡± Tsukasa scoffed her, ¡°You¡¯re good at your job...detective Kaeron.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not a detective anymore. I¡¯m just a tired woman who hoped to relax on a cruise,¡± Kaeron corrected her, sipping on her glass. ¡°Why were you invited again? I don¡¯t remember.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t remember because I never told anyone in the first place.¡± ¡°Well, that doesn¡¯t make you look good. What if you¡¯re just tired of life? What if you¡¯re the killer and, despite your abilities to kill us fast, you¡¯re enjoying this sick game before you kill yourself?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve gone through thirty years of my life without listening to Xae''s void. What makes you think I¡¯m going to do such a thing now?¡± She replied, looking at Tsukasa with a stoic, cold expression. Tsukasa smirked at her and nodded, ¡°You have a point.¡± ¡°So? Are you going to answer my question?¡± Kaeron urged her, taking another sip. Tsukasa leaned back in her chair. Her expression was relaxed, yet contemplative. ¡°I guess it all boils down to trust, doesn¡¯t it? We are all feeling the pressure, and in times like these, it¡¯s easy to turn on one another. I know Alicia¡¯s been acting suspicious, but it feels almost too obvious...like she¡¯s the bait in a trap. The power outage...the killer probably hoped that Alicia would have been blamed since she¡¯s an engineer. The locked door? Alicia¡¯s doing...or that¡¯s what the killer thought we would have deduced. And Youma¡¯s death? Only either I or Alicia could have done it...technically. Either I did it through Shiria¡¯s room while you were taking a shower...or Alicia did it through her own room. So...yeah.¡± Kaeron narrowed her eyes, ¡°What are you getting at? You just sold me Alicia with fair arguments...but at the same time, you¡¯re hinting it¡¯s not her. Why?¡± ¡°Because of what I just said...it all boils down to trust and gut feelings. Kaeron, this situation isn¡¯t a game or a puzzle. You can¡¯t use logical thinking here...even if that was all you have been doing until now,¡± Tsukasa leaned forward, finishing her sake, "I don''t know if you understand what I mean." ¡°No. What do you mean?¡± ¡°Kaeron. I figured out who the killer was. I did while we were walking here...and it all keeps making sense the more I think about it.¡± Kaeron¡¯s heart dropped, ¡°Who, Tsukasa?¡± Tsukasa sighed and shook her head, ¡°Think about what Alicia said. Who among the people still alive doesn¡¯t have a single alibi for any of the three murders that occurred?¡± ¡°Azrael and Lilin have one in Servalia¡¯s murder¡­they knew about Keina because they followed Shiria. Alicia has one in Servalia¡¯s murder as well...she was witnessed by Shiria...even if she could have just left the library thereafter. Lan¡¯en was fetched by Shiria during Youma¡¯s death and she was unconscious during Servalia¡¯s. Tsukasa¡­you have no alibi. You were hiding around during Noir¡¯s death. You were in your room during Servalia¡¯s death. You were in the hot tub during Youma¡¯s death.¡± ¡°Good. Now go on. Who¡¯s next?¡± Tsukasa nodded. ¡°Shiria? She slept with Lan¡¯en during Noir¡¯s death. She was with me at the pub when Servalia got killed. She was fetching Lan¡¯en while Youma was being murdered.¡± ¡°Good. All these things you said about Shiria...are they the truth?¡± Kaeron narrowed her eyes, ¡°Are yours?¡± Tsukasa¡¯s lips curled into a faint smile, her eyes gleaming with a mix of amusement and challenge. "That is the right question, isn¡¯t it? Is it me? Or is it Shiria?¡± Kaeron stood up and grabbed her collar abruptly, ¡°Tsukasa. I don¡¯t have the time or patience to play games. Talk.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not about playing games, Kaeron,¡± Tsukasa ignored her violent gesture and kept talking, ¡°Think about it, Kaeron. Everyone is so focused on alibis and having their backs covered...when and where...but we all had the chance to do a killing at some point. The only thing that separates a suspected and a suspicious is when someone can vouch for you.¡± ¡°What¡¯s your point, Tsukasa?¡± Kaeron let her go and crossed her arms. She was finally listening and she was definitely intrigued. ¡°Our stories. Mine, Alicia¡¯s, and Shiria¡¯s. Whose story looks like it does add up completely? Whose story is believable and perfectly timed?¡± Kaeron held her chin and looked at her glass of whiskey, glistening under the pub¡¯s light as her thoughts raced. ¡°Shiria¡¯s.¡± She muttered her name suspiciously for the first time. ¡°It¡¯s convenient how Alicia and I are acting so suspiciously just because we are telling the truth. Our honesty is so pure and simple that our stories simply aren¡¯t complete or solid.¡± Tsukasa slammed her hand on the table, making Kaeron¡¯s whiskey tremble slightly. ¡°I¡¯ve been working with dirty politicians for hundreds of years. Shiria¡¯s actions aren¡¯t suspicious in the very traditional sense...but they¡¯re just too perfect. They all make her the side character, the one in the middle of the tragedies who is never directly involved. She has always been placed with someone so that they could vouch for her. With Lan¡¯en during Noir¡¯s murder...with you during Servalia¡¯s death...and now with Lan¡¯en again while Youma was killed.¡± Kaeron suddenly gasped, ¡°We never looked at her because we took it for granted that she wasn¡¯t involved in any of the murders.¡± ¡°Exactly. She put herself in a position that led us to never, ever question her actions.¡± ¡°Fuck¡­¡± ¡°Kaeron...your heart still belongs to a detective. Think back to the three murders using Shiria as a focus. How could she have done everything by herself?¡± Kaeron placed both hands on the counter and closed her eyes. Was Tsukasa right? Was that it? Was Shiria the culprit? Or was Tsukasa trying to deceive her?¡± Kaeron tried to remember as many details as possible, nitpicking every single action or sentence that could have made Shiria slip. She tapped her fingers on the bar counter, trying to break through the fog of doubt clouding her mind. Suddenly, her eyes shot open as something clicked in her mind. ¡°So?¡± Tsukasa asked.
¡°Okay. Good. We can build a case on her like this.¡± Kaeron gulped down the rest of the glass, feeling a rush of motivation. ¡°Let¡¯s get this monster once and for all.¡±