The sun will rise on the horizon in the blink of an eye, casting its orange light over the ground, gradually illuminating the city, bathing it in a warmth that warmed the skin.
Lying on the grass, with it swaying in the wind, Slady closes his eyes, sliding down from the rise to the ground, his hair dragging along as well. Suddenly, after all the silence that had lasted an entire night, the voice arose.
Apparently, someone was sad. That was no surprise, why remember? Because, despite living within him, Slady insists on keeping his mind empty. It was a good strategy, he only murmured.
Truth crossed her arms against her chest, the tunic pressing against her ethereal "skin." What good does it do to stay unmotivated? If he wishes to convince Ferinish to stay, it would be better to go find her, but, considering her emotional state, he should be prepared for any kind of confrontation.
... Would he be able to apply his old experiment? It wasn't very safe, Renkai Energy is like a... tick, once it's latched on for too long, it's hard to remove without hurting the "host." How cruel.
Without having noticed, Slady was already on the ground, the mountainous rise now covered by the sunlight, turning its peak into a mixture of orange and green.
In the distance, through the tiny glass panes of the city's buildings and homes, the population, which numbered some hundreds of thousands, through his eyes, was already getting up and preparing their coffee, some with dark circles under their eyes, moving with twisted lips as they equipped themselves with backpacks or briefcases.
Why, between the period of the night's rest and the morning's awakening, does he see so much? He didn't remember having his mechanical eye on, especially since, who was he to dare open it? Truth, sitting down beside him, says she's slightly surprised by the ocular transformation, though she'll be careful not to leave him blind.
Blind? Truth only pointed to her own eyes.
... Then what's the point of seeing the whole truth, if he'll prefer to close his eyes? It's not quite like that, she does see, but seeing everything costs her a great deal of energy, even for a Destroyer like her. That makes sense, he thinks.
Slady soon gets to his feet, brushing off his pants, dust scattering across the ground. Running his fingers through his locks of hair, Slady ties it into a ponytail. Truth watches him with one eyebrow raised.
What will he do now? It was time to make breakfast for the girls.
***
Pan in hand, Slady tossed the eggs with fluid motion, spinning to flip them to the other side. The wind blew against his hair, making it sway. The memories from the previous night were still playing out in his mind, but, with a shake of his head, they evaporated.
On the upper floor of the room, something creaked, and down came a girl with dark reddish hair, Elisa. Wiping her damp lips with her arm, she greeted him, what a surprise to see him like this, so casual. Slady smiled back without showing his teeth, truly, it was good to get things back on track.
Next, another creak, and a large black fox came down, its orange eyes meeting his. Elisa only crossed her arms behind her back, leaning against the counter. The fox, whose size, a year after he had last seen her, had grown to surpass Slady's own, made his eyes go wide, apparently, she had grown more than he could have imagined.
Shaphira only let out a low growl, rubbing her snout against Slady, who let out a soft laugh, stroking her fur, fingers sinking into the black coat. Soon, her tongue came out against him, resulting in more laughter. Even Elisa hid her lips and turned her face away, shoulders trembling.
After that moment, Slady came out of the bathroom with the towel covering up to his collarbone, looking at the dark and white strands over his chest, Shaphira's saliva already gone. After getting dressed, he covered his hands with black gloves and faced the whole household on the second floor. Some spots he hadn't cleaned in a while, hidden in the shadows, had gathered dust, when he pulled some books from the shelf, a white space would form.
With a sigh, he put on an apron, soaked a cloth and wrapped it around a broom, preparing himself for the household task ahead.
How he had missed this...
He brought the books down into boxes labeled by genre and wiped cloths over every dusty corner. He opened windows, the air seeping into the library, naturally drying out the shelves.
He removed objects, photos and household equipment from counters, tables, and the like, pressing his chest against them, his leg stretching up on tiptoe, rubbing the damp cloths over the wood and the iron bars of some of these same items' legs.
The sun climbed toward the top of the sky, the birds climbing up through the trees, burying their beaks and grabbing small larvae. However, some of them were caught by wolves hiding in the shadows, and some of those same canines ended up running into others... far too big.
Pushing a ladder, he climbed up the white rungs and rubbed the fabric against the shining orbs, clearing away the dark grime from some of the delicate glass pieces that "orbited" the lamps. Why do these girls like such delicate things?!
Suddenly, the ladder shook and, with a crash, fell, his body rolling across the floor. When he opened his eyes, he saw one of those great demons trapped there, a kind of praying mantis with metallic legs, a total of eight eyes and a jaw that wrapped around the rungs and began bending them out of shape.
Crawling, teeth grinding, Slady grabbed it by the head. Its teeth tore into his wrists, ripping them open, drawing out a scream that startled every bird and made several monsters lift their heads.
Raising his head, Slady began striking the praying mantis's face, his own face soaked with tears. Blood spread out, staining the furniture. And the twisted, high pitched roars of the Renkai Creature gradually grew quieter.
Until nothing more could be heard.
But a rustling sound makes Slady turn his neck, his eyes shining.
Approaching the library, the demons saw a silhouette emerge, metallic claws tearing at their stumps, dangling, steady.
***
Once more, the sun set, and the moon took its place in the sky.
Seated on the sofa, a computer on his lap, Slady's hands, as delicate as ever, typed without hurry. With her hands in front of her waist, Truth "watched" him with her "eyes wide open," which would be her eyelids stretched as far as they could go. In the Destroyer's mind, she wondered why he hadn't let her see the truth about what happened in that laboratory.
Resting his cheek on his fist, Slady sighed, the smell of dinner invading his nostrils, why were those girls taking so long? Among countless other thoughts, he still lingered briefly on the confrontation with Ferinish. He needs to lift that weight from her shoulders, the mental images drifting toward darker ground.
Erasing his existence as a killer, would that even be possible after years of history? Why would Truth answer, Slady already knows the answer. Shaking his head, he stood up and crossed his arms over his chest, pacing back and forth. If they're alone, why not say it?
The walls have ears.
He needn't worry, not even his own... personal equipment had his fingerprints on it anymore.
Anyway, the idea was simple, why not become a drug dealer? Did he happen to get sick during his time in IceStorm? Of course not. This process would take only a few days, it was good to start small and craft the perfect drug. Soon, he'd be recommended to gangs that were more... let's say... powerful. Then, he'd set up an auction, and that auction would gather countless of these men in one place, whoever paid the most would get the original recipe. Then, in this way, with what he planned, he'd kill them all, and make sure there was one person, only one person, who would see his "true face."
Truth only pulled away, please, let him worry about the girls first. Slady lowered his arms, truly, she was absolutely right. Without hesitation, he turned off the lights and opened the library door...
... And a silhouette was revealed, hidden by shadows born from a bolt of lightning striking down near that region.
It was Faller, his shining eyes dimmed by the darkness.
Elisa and Shaphira had been hurt on a mission.
With them on the beds, Faller couldn't help but shut his eyes tight and press his fists against his knees, how foolish he had been! All of this... was his burden to bear. With that, he begged Slady to let him make up for his overwhelming mistake, to let him ensure the girls had the best possible recovery.
Slady, however, held Faller's face and pressed it against his forehead. He had done well, very well. Now he had to do the rest. Without hesitation, he embraced him, his feminine chest pressed against the man's face, who pressed his lips together, thanking him repeatedly for the forgiveness granted. There was no need, there was no one better than him to look after them. With a brief smile, Slady asked him to return to his wife and trust in his care.
Faller, nodding again and again, wiped away his tears and bowed in reverence before giving one last shining glance at the girls and leaving the library. Slady, alone, dug his nails into his pants, slowly turning toward Elisa and Shaphira.
The older one seemed the more stable, her ears showing beneath the hood and her tail spread across the bed. There were cuts in her clothes, revealing skin, deeply cut, but she still seemed, at least, operable.
However, the younger one had no specific injuries, but, beneath her clothing, in the partial view of her chest through the neckline, he saw a reddish inner light slowly growing up toward her collarbone.
Cursed timing to not be able to take them to the hospital.
Slady touched his own breast, feeling a tightness, and then, a pounding that seemed to travel through the rib all the way to the skin. Firmly gripping both their hands, feeling his face fill with uncontrolled tears, as if by instinct, he leaned in and, barely even touching the skin, lifted the strands of hair from their foreheads and kissed them slowly.
They're going to be fine... that's a promise.
Truth, in the corner of the room, watched the scene, her lips curved slightly downward. She watched beyond the skin, the flesh, the tissue. She saw what Slady also saw, even if only partially.
Blood magic fought for Elisa's life. Renkai Energy, like a damned tick, tried to reach her heart.
When she turned to face Slady, who was staring at his own chest and at Elisa.
No... he's not going to do this...
***
Slady opened his eyes, dark circles beneath the socket. The sun lit up his hair, but he closed his eyes again. Small flashes of memory, the blood, the opening of bodies... Slady coughed, and in his palm, there was blood, and from the blood, a red smoke rose.
Truth was beside him, her figure invisible to everyone. The people walking in front of Slady ignored her, not even glimpsing the liquid in his hand. He coughed once more, Truth turned her head away, why had he done that? Had he lost his sense of self preservation?
... She doesn't know, he just did what his heart told him to do. He would never do that, obey an emotion. Slady nodded, but, after a labored breath, said he felt no regret, he would manage to find a cure for that cursed Renkai Energy.
But, and if he couldn't? And if the effects of his potions ran out? If he were doomed to turn into a demon? Slady asked her not to say anything more, she too had never seen him fail to find a solution to his problems.
Heavens... he used the body... hers! He used her body to heal that girl! Does he know how long she'll live, regardless of what happens? Less than a hundred years! Why won't he simply... accept that gift?
Slady, still curled up against his knees, asked if she didn't feel a desire, a wish to protect what was hers? Like, for example, himself? Truth took a moment before answering.
... He was different from the humans of that world. They would ascend, they wouldn't have short, fragile lives like theirs. They would be... something perfect! But no! He still cared too much for humanity, even though the last thing he currently was, was human.
Then the ghostly figure vanished.
Leaving him there for long seconds, still groaning softly, he lifted his gaze. A crowd was gathering in front of the Criminal Investigation Department of Libretãnhya, a stage creating a space between the population and the department.
From the shadows rose a gray haired man, a sturdy build, apparently around sixty years old, but he still looked like a wardrobe given Slady's blurred vision. When he wiped his eyes, he saw the physique that nearly tore through his suit and a smile that could light up the heavens. The people shouted his name as they clapped.
Rinoto Kyouri! Rinoto Kyouri!
Rinoto... he'd already heard that name on the internet. His importance to Libretãnhya's security was nothing less than essential. Slady thought back to his earlier complaint about the city's security, but maybe, like Raizer himself, time had made him lose his edge.
But weren't there other criminal investigators? Where were Rin Yuang and Roger?
His answer came right after.
Beside the older man, the two colleagues stepped out of the darkness and received a friendly slap on the back from Rinoto. Slady's eyes went wide at the sight.
Rin Yuang looked more... mature. Her face was thinner and, beneath her clothing, he could make out well defined abs and a smaller chest. There was a glint in her eyes, serious, and Slady leaned in to look at her more closely.
Roger Trager looked the opposite, not physically, but in that glint. There was a darkness in his eyes. His body was just as impressive as Rin's, seemingly inherited from Rinoto himself. The clothes he wore seemed only to emphasize his muscles further. And Slady couldn't help but notice the looks from the younger girls at the man before them, they were drooling.
... Which drew a laugh out of Slady... along with more blood.
And the event begins.
Rinoto is direct in what he says, he's on his way to retirement, so this city, this wonderful city, will no longer be under his watch, but rather, under one of the two investigators he trusts most, and with that, he gave another light pat on the shoulders of his two colleagues.
During the time they were inactive, they went through internal trials that brought them to this point. However, there was one final test. Discover who the Theatrical Killer is.
... Theatrical Killer?
With his hands behind his back and slow steps toward the crowd, Rinoto explains that, for many years, there had been a killer who eliminated countless... people. For a long time, it was believed that, due to the circumstances of the cases and the state in which the victims themselves were found, it suggested there was a story behind it. In these last few days, they decided it was simply impossible for it all to be coincidence.
Digging through older records, there were accounts going back more than a century, nearly two, of murders similar to those that had occurred. In other words, among that population, there was someone capable of living longer than any human ever known.
The crowd fell silent at the news, distant whispers beginning to rise. Rinoto asked them to set the theory aside, the possibility of it being a Destroyer was slim, but plausible. The idea of the Consciousness Test being overcome by the individual in order to keep their mind sound, and consequently, being capable of such atrocities, was truly slim, but it was the only plausible one.
Therefore, from today on, this case falls under the watch of the two talented investigators. Whoever manages to uncover this cursed monster will become Libretãnhya's next Light of Justice.
With the event over, Slady remained seated on his bench, darkness taking over his eyes.
... People? They were monsters far worse than the ones he killed. Why would they hide that fact? Was it a reaction from the people, or was there something behind it?
No... Rinoto Kyouri was a good man, definitely not corrupt, but he also didn't want negative popularity. For a place like Libretãnhya, an evil like Slady seemed necessary. He didn't deny it, in a certain way, there was a legal boundary between them. One would never break such a boundary, no matter how necessary it might be, the other had already broken it long ago.
Slady, closing his eyes, breathed in heavily, if what they said about Rinoto was true, he definitely felt a weight on his chest seeing him. What would become of Slady if, someday, he saw reality through eyes so bright?
Stretching, Slady watched the woman slowly step away from the crowd. Like the girls, the boys too watched the dedicated officer biting her lips. Then, without taking too long, Slady went over to her.
Appearing suddenly, the officer lifted her head, with a brief smile, what could she help with? Slady positioned his hands in front of his stomach, swaying his hips slowly. He doesn't know if she remembers him... but "she" is, in fact, the person she interrogated... after Raizer's death.
Rin Yuang raised an eyebrow, then her eyes went wide... oh, it was him... or her? Either way. Then she let out a sound with her mouth, she remembered him, she'd been told what happened to him during his disappearance. She was very sorry. Clasping her hands with his, Slady lowered his gaze, it was still hard dealing with everything, but he was adjusting.
With that, the officer asked if she wanted someone to talk to. Slady would love that, more than anything.
***
Walking through the streets, the two of them talked about the events from the previous year. Due to the recent fame both had gained, Slady as the victim of a cruel act and Rin Yuang as Rinoto Kyouri's possible successor, the subjects moved along slowly, intertwining with one another.
The officer, every now and then, showed interest in Slady's personal life, especially regarding Elisa. He looked away for a moment, Rin's lips parting slightly at the facts mentioned. Next, she added her questions regarding Shaphira.
His hands tightened behind his back.
The officer wore a brief smile as she explained how interesting and close the worlds of an investigator and a hunter were. That girl was a mystery to her coworkers and some hunter friends. Someone so powerful appearing so suddenly was, in a way, a blessing.
In conclusion, Rin Yuang could understand that, behind what seemed to be just a librarian, there was someone experienced looking after them. So, leaning forward, Rin Yuang wanted to know.
Who was Slady?
And with a smile, he said she would meet him soon. And that, if she were free, she could visit him whenever she wished. Nodding, Rin Yuang turned toward the house in front of her and looked back at him over her shoulder, when she needed a book, she'd come to him.
Returning the expression, his right arm stiff across his chest, Slady said his goodbyes to her.
Turning toward the sun, Slady let out a sigh. Better not be late, the girls weren't waiting.
With the sun already gone and darkness swallowing the city, stars shining from thousands of light years away, little was left before reaching the library. However, suddenly, Truth appeared beside him.
He has no time for her, not after what she said. Truth nodded slowly, she understood, but the two of them had to talk about something.
About what?
About the future.