Jamil let out a deep breath, leaning his head back against the pillow. His voice, drained of its usual arrogance, softened as he spoke:
"And that's my story, foreigner…"
Ryo sat in silence, staring at the prince through the glass. His usual unreadable expression faltered slightly—just for a moment. It was subtle, but there was something in his eyes now. Something close to sympathy.
Amina clenched her fist against her chest, her heart weighed down by mixed emotions. It was hard to look at Jamil and still see the villain the kingdom believed he was.
Jamil stole a quick glance at Ryo before awkwardly muttering, "Umm… thanks for… listening."
Ryo blinked. "Huh?"
Jamil fidgeted, clearly uncomfortable with expressing gratitude. He cleared his throat and continued, "Because nobody else wanted to listen. They only demanded answers about the Ravens… but I guess I can't blame them, considering the footage. So, you listening is uh… like a weight is being lifted off my chest"
Ryo smirked, leaning back in his chair. "I see. You're welcome, prince."
Then, with a mischievous grin, he added, "But honestly, I feel sorrier for your ass after that sandal beating."
Jamil's eye twitched.
"DO YOU WANT ME TO BREAK THIS CAGE, SMASH THROUGH THIS GLASS, AND DEPORT YOU THIS INSTANT, FOREIGNER!?"
Ryo chuckled, raising his hands defensively. "Relax, I'm just messing with you, man."
But before Jamil could yell at him any further, Amina suddenly stood up and stormed toward the glass, her heels clicking aggressively against the floor.
Jamil raised an eyebrow. "What? No longer afraid of me after hearing my depressing story?"
Amina crossed her arms, her face unreadable. But then, she spoke with a sharp, doubtful tone.
"Jamil, I don't know if what you're saying is true. Unfortunately, there's no way to prove that you're innocent. You might just be lying to gain our sympathy and get us to help you escape."
Jamil scoffed, rolling his eyes. "Hah? Escape? I can't even bail without my father's authority, you idiot! Do you really think I can just waltz out of here like it's some fairy tale ending?"
Before Amina could respond, Ryo, who had been sitting with his arms crossed and eyes closed, suddenly interrupted.
"There is one thing, though. One piece of evidence we can get from you, prince."
Both Amina and Jamil turned toward him, confused.
Amina frowned. "What do you mean, Ryo?"
Ryo slowly opened his eyes, locking onto Jamil with a piercing gaze.
"Hey, prince…"
Jamil flinched at the sudden intensity. "Wh-what?"
Ryo leaned forward slightly. "Come closer. Show me your eyes—I want to take a picture."
Jamil stared blankly. "…HUH???"
Amina's eyes widened as realization struck her like a lightning bolt.
"Ryo… could it be—?!"
Jamil, still baffled, hesitated for a moment before finally standing up. He leaned in as close to the glass as possible, pressing himself against the steel bars of his cage.
Ryo pulled out his smartphone, holding it up carefully. He adjusted the angle, making sure to get a clear shot of Jamil's eyes. After a few seconds, he snapped the picture.
The detective's fingers moved quickly over the screen as he zoomed in, meticulously analyzing the image. His sharp gaze scanned every detail, his brows furrowing deeper with each passing second.
Then, his expression hardened.
His grip on the phone tightened.
A single, chilling phrase left his lips.
"I knew it…"
Jamil, growing impatient. "Knew what? What did you find?"
Amina, who had been holding her breath, leaned forward, anticipation burning in her eyes.
Ryo slowly turned his phone toward Jamil, pressing the screen against the glass. His voice echoed through the room with the authority of a judge, as sharp and final as a gavel striking in a courtroom.
"Just like Lina…"
Jamil blinked. "What about her?"
Ryo's voice was steady, but the weight of his words sent a shockwave through the room.
"Just like her—you also have this mark next to your pupils. A small black circle with spikes surrounding it."
Jamil's breath hitched. His eyes widened in sheer disbelief.
His pulse pounded in his ears as he stumbled back away from the glass, his grip slipping from the bars before he collapsed onto his bed.
"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!"
"My own eyes? Has that mark been there this whole time?!"
"No... no, that can't be right—this has to be some kind of mistake!"
But he could see it on the screen. Right there. Clear as day.
That same mark.
The same one that had been found in Lina's eyes.
Amina, meanwhile, stood frozen next to Ryo, processing everything. Then—
…it hit her.
"Oh my God…" she muttered under her breath.
It wasn't the revelation itself that shocked her the most.
It was how Ryo revealed it.
The dramatic pause.
The slow, intense buildup.
The sharp "I KNEW IT."
The sudden phone shove into Jamil's face.
It was exactly like one of those crazy detective reveals from an anime.
Her lips trembled.
A small, suppressed giggle escaped.
And then—
She BURST OUT LAUGHING.
"PFFT—BAHAHAHAHAHA! OH MY GOD, RYO, YOU REALLY WENT FULL ANIME DETECTIVE JUST NOW!!"
Jamil, still in shock, turned to her with pure betrayal. "WHY THE HELL ARE YOU LAUGHING!? I'M HAVING AN EXISTENTIAL CRISIS HERE!!!"
Amina was wheezing at this point. "I—I CAN'T HELP IT!! YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND!! I'VE SEEN THIS EXACT SCENE IN TOO MANY MYSTERY ANIME!! The smart detective, the big reveal, the dumbfounded suspect—IT'S PERFECT!!"
Ryo sighed." Amina…now's not the time"
She tried to calm down, wiping away tears of laughter. "S-Sorry! But man, I did NOT expect to be part of a real-life anime investigation today!"
Jamil, finally regaining his senses, let out a frustrated groan. "CAN WE GET BACK TO THE FACT THAT I HAVE THE SAME DAMN MARK AS A RAVEN MEMBER!?"
Ryo smirked slightly. "Oh, don't worry, prince. We're just getting started."
Jamil gulped.
For some reason, that made him more nervous than anything else.
Ryo, still holding his phone, casually turned toward Amina.
"Alright, Amina, it's your turn."
Amina blinked in confusion, pointing at herself. "My turn?"
Ryo grinned. "Yup."
Amina tilted her head. "For what?"
Ryo's smirk deepened as he locked eyes with her. "To find out if you're still on the suspect list."
Amina stared at him blankly. "Hah?"
Before she could process what was happening, Ryo suddenly held up his phone right in front of her face, camera ready.
"Okay, move your hair a bit and open your eyes wide."
Amina's face instantly turned red. The sudden assertiveness, his face so close, the intense gaze—it all caught her completely off guard.
Her heart skipped a beat. "W-Wait—!"
Click!
The photo was taken before she could even react.
Amina, still blushing, pouted slightly and sarcastically teased, "Ryo… if you keep being that aggressive, girls might start falling for you…"
Ryo, without even blinking, completely ignored her. His eyes were already scanning the picture on his phone.
Amina narrowed her eyes. "H-Hey! Don't ignore me!"
Ryo remained silent, analyzing the image carefully.
Then, after a few moments…
Nothing.
There was no mark anywhere in Amina's eyes.
Ryo slowly looked up from his phone, meeting Amina's gaze with the most unimpressed smile ever.
He gave her a thumbs-up.
"No mark. You're in the clear, madam."
Amina's jaw dropped. "HEY! YOU JUST LOOKED SO COOL A MOMENT AGO! AND WHAT'S WITH THE MADAM?!"
Despite her frustration, she sighed in relief. At least she's no longer under suspicion.
Meanwhile, Jamil, who had been watching the whole exchange, furrowed his brows.
"Foreigner… what does this mean?"
Ryo smirked, his playful demeanor vanishing in an instant. His expression turned sharp—dead serious.
He exhaled slowly, letting the tension build.
Then, like dropping a bomb, he spoke:
"It means that whoever has this mark on their eyes… is being manipulated like a puppet."
Jamil and Amina's eyes widened.
Ryo continued, his voice steady but chilling. "And the person pulling the strings… is most likely the thief who stole the Celestial Compass."
The room fell completely silent.
For a moment, Jamil and Amina just stared at him, their brains desperately trying to process what they just heard.
And then—
"WHAAAAAAT?!"
Their simultaneous scream echoed through the entire underground prison ward.
Amina, who was already reeling from Ryo's previous dramatic reveal, felt her soul leaving her body.
She grabbed her head, shaking in disbelief. "ANOTHER ONE?! ANOTHER CRAZY DETECTIVE ANIME-STYLE REVEAL?! RYO, HOW DO YOU KEEP DOING THIS?! IT'S LIKE YOU'RE READING FROM A SCRIPT!!"
Jamil, still in shock, snapped at her. "WHO CARES ABOUT THAT?! DID YOU NOT JUST HEAR WHAT HE SAID?!"
Amina dramatically clutched her chest. "I DID! BUT IT'S LIKE—EVERY TIME HE OPENS HIS MOUTH, IT'S A WHOLE PLOT TWIST!"
Ryo sighed and rubbing his temple. "Come on guys, focus..."
Amina pointed a shaky finger at Ryo. "ARE YOU EVEN A REAL PERSON?! OR ARE YOU SECRETLY A DETECTIVE FROM ANOTHER DIMENSION?!"
Ryo ignored Amina again, took a deep breath and dropped another bombshell.
"Moreover," he said, his tone sharp, "those with the mark on their eyes are nothing more than distractions—to stop me from solving this case by trying to kill me. So congratulations, Prince…"
He locked eyes with Jamil and delivered the final blow.
"You've actually been bait—set up by the same thief who stole the Celestial Compass."
Jamil blinked. Once. Twice.
Then his entire body stiffened.
His mind went blank for a second. Then—
"H-HOLD ON!!"
Rage started bubbling inside him as the reality sank in.
"SO YOU'RE TELLING ME—" he clenched his fists, "THAT I LOST MY FOOT, GOT DISOWNED, BECAME A NATIONAL CRIMINAL, HAD MY TITLE AS PRINCE STRIPPED AWAY, GOT LOCKED UP IN A PLACE FULL OF PSYCHOS—ALL BECAUSE SOME THIEF DECIDED I'D MAKE A GOOD DAMN DECOY?!"
His veins popped. His eye twitched.
Jamil threw his hands in the air. "I WAS USED LIKE A DISPOSABLE TOOL?! LIKE SOME SACRIFICIAL PAWN?! FOR A STUPID THIEF?!"
His screams echoed throughout the underground prison.
Meanwhile, Ryo nodded casually. "Yep. Pretty much."
Jamil starts having an outburst. "WHEN I GET OUTTA HERE, I'M GONNA KILL THAT ASSHOLE!
Amina, on the other hand, was vibrating with excitement.
Her eyes sparkled. Her hands clenched into fists. "Ryo…! Do you have—another plot twist?!"
Ryo smirked. "Actually, yes. And that is—"
Knock knock.
The door swung open.
"Time's up. 30 minutes has passed."
Amina and Jamil froze.
Then—
They dramatically collapsed to the floor.
"NOOOOOOO!!"
It was as if the guard himself had just triggered the most annoying anime cliffhanger in history.
Amina weakly pointed at him, voice trembling with betrayal. "M-Mr. Guard…! Your timing… is HORRIBLE…!"
The guard scratched his head, confused."Uh… did I interrupt something…?"
Ryo stood up, stretching. Amina, sighing in defeat, followed him toward the exit.
Before stepping out, Ryo turned back to Jamil. His expression softened just slightly.
"I don't have all the answers yet," he admitted. "But I'll find more clues. So don't worry, Prince. I'll solve this mystery—no matter what."
Jamil remained silent for a moment before giving a small nod.
As the door shut behind them, Amina stared at Ryo in utter shock.
"W-Wait… did you just say that like you're in a detective movie?! WHO TALKS LIKE THAT?!"
Ryo sighed "Please stop with the movie references…"
Jamil, lying on his bed, frowned. "Looks like I have no other choice but to leave this mystery-solving to you, you damn foreigner…"
As Ryo and Amina walked through the dimly lit corridor, criminals on both sides began taunting them.
"Oi, foreigner! You think your tough shit?!"
"Hah! What's with that getup? You a detective or something?!"
One of the criminals grinned directly at Amina, eyeing her up and down.
"Why don't you come in here and play, sweetheart?"
Ryo stopped.
His eyes glinted dangerously.
Without hesitation, he pulled out his gun.
And pointed it directly at the criminal who's leaning his face on the reinforced glass.
The criminal froze.
Then stumbled backward, falling onto his ass.
Ryo's voice was deadly cold.
"I don't give a flying fuck if you insult me."
His grip on the gun tightened.
"But the moment you mess with this lady—"
The air around him shifted.
A dark, menacing aura radiated from him.
"Don't think you'll continue breathing even with a life sentence."
Silence.
All the kingdoms' most heinous criminals who had been taunting them just seconds ago?
They shut up immediately.
The criminal, terrified by Ryo's gun pointed at him, ran to the corner of his glass prison in panic. He cowered in fear, his body trembling as he pressed against the cold surface.
Even the guard's jaw dropped. His pen slipped from his fingers.
"S-Sir…!" The guard nervously wiped his sweat."P..please put the gun down! Firearms aren't permitted here unless there's an emergency! Um—um—s-so, uh, please?! Before I get in trouble?!"
Ryo blinked. "Oh. My bad."
He casually pocketed the gun.
The criminals stayed silent, still too afraid to make a sound.
Amina, meanwhile, stared at Ryo in complete awe.
Her heart thumped.
She slowly turned red.
Because he just did something straight out of an action movie.
He just protected her.
Like a cool protagonist.
Amina quickly covered her face with her hands.
Ryo raised a brow. "What's up?"
Amina stammered. "N-Nothing!!"
'OH MY GOD, THAT WAS SOOOO COOL?!'
She internally screamed, her heart racing.
Then—
The elevator doors opened.
They stepped inside.
As the doors closed behind them, Ryo casually leaned back against the wall, hands in his pockets.
Amina, on the other hand, was still blushing.
Her mind kept replaying that moment over and over.
Meanwhile, deep in the underground prison, Jamil stared at the ceiling, sighing deeply.
"Damn foreigner…"
As the elevator ascended, Amina stood next to Ryo, still a little flustered from his earlier outbursts.
Amina: "So, um… uhhh… where to next?"
Ryo: "We're going to see that guy who got water-shot by Shahira."
Amina: "Oh, okay!"
She nodded quickly, trying to play it cool.
She turned to the guard standing in front of them. "Lead the way, sir!"
The guard nodded. "His name is Omar. Unlike Jamil, he didn't cause much damage, but he's still accused of being a Raven member. So, he's on a floor just above—not too far from the underground ward."
Ding!
The elevator came to a halt. The doors slowly creaked open.
What greeted them was… pure darkness.
Amina froze. "U-Uh…"
The guard explained. "Criminals that are treated on this floor are punished using the dark."
Ryo raised a brow. "Brutal…"
Amina gulped. "I-It's like we're about to step inside a haunted house!"
They stepped forward, entering the eerie corridor.
The dim, flickering bulbs were the only light, causing shadows to shift and stretch in eerie ways along the walls.
As they walked, they saw criminals sitting in their cells, huddled in corners, shaking violently.
Some of them were whispering to themselves. Others were staring into the void, eyes hollow, like they'd seen something… unnatural.
One prisoner suddenly jerked his head towards them.
"T-Turn on the lights… Please… PLEASE TURN THEM ON!!"
Amina jumped and clung to Ryo's arm."O-Okay, this is officially terrifying—can we GO NOW?!"
Ryo: "We're literally already here."
Amina: "That doesn't mean I wanna STAY!!"
The rusted metallic door groaned as the guard swung it open.
Inside the small cell sat Omar—wrapped in bandages, trembling uncontrollably.
His wide, bloodshot eyes darted around the room as if searching for something lurking in the shadows.
The prolonged darkness had clearly shattered him.
The guard turned on the light, and Omar flinched violently, his breath shaky.
"W-Who's there…?" he stammered.
The guard: "Detective Ryo. And a girl who claims she's his sidekick."
Amina immediately corrected him. "I'M HIS WATSON!"
Ryo chuckled. "Watson, huh?"
The guard: "You have 30 minutes."
Ryo and Amina pulled up two chairs and sat across from Omar, who was still visibly shaken.
Ryo leaned forward. "What's your occupation?"
Omar: "J-Just a barista… I work at a modern-style café in the kingdom…"
Ryo nodded. "And the Ravens? Any connection to them?"
Omar let out a bitter laugh. "I've answered that question a thousand times. No. I have no idea who they are, and I have no idea how I even ended up at the marketplace."
Ryo: "Then tell me what you do remember."
Omar hesitated. Then, for the first time, his face showed genuine shock.
"You… You actually wanna listen?"
Amina gave him a reassuring smile. "Of course! We're here to find the truth, after all!"
Omar swallowed hard, then began his story.
"Two days before the incident… everything was normal."
"I was working all day, serving food and drinks. Then, at night, I started closing the café."
"But just as I was about to step outside—"
"A hand covered my eyes."
Amina felt a chill run down her spine. "A hand?!"
Ryo narrowing his eyes "That hand again, huh…"
Omar shivered.
"Everything went dark."
"Then suddenly—as I opened my eyes"
His voice cracked.
"SPLASH! A powerful jet of water struck me mid-air, like I had jumped off a building and got slammed by a tsunami!"
Amina gasped. "That sounds similar to Jamil's story!"
Omar continued. "I hit the ground hard, everything hurt, and then… I blacked out."
Silence filled the room.
Ryo sat back, deep in thought. "…Omar, can I take a picture of your eyes?"
Omar hesitated, but eventually nodded.
Ryo lifted his phone, carefully taking the shot.
He scanned the image.
And there it was.
The same black circular mark with spikes surrounding it.
Amina sighed dramatically. "Welp. Another one. What a shocker."
Ryo rubbing his chin. "At this point, it's a pattern."
Amina grinned excitedly. "Are we getting closer to the truth, Mr. Detective?!"
Ryo stood up, pocketing his phone. "Yeah. Let's leave this place first."
Amina leaped from her chair. "YES! FINALLY! I CAN FEEL MY SANITY RETURNING!!"
She dramatically clutched her chest. "I thought we were gonna get cursed if we stayed any longer!"
Omar blinked at her. "What's wrong with this girl?"
Ryo: "Don't ask."
It was a short interrogation session.
They thanked Omar for his cooperation and exited the room with the guard.
Amina nearly sprinted down the corridor toward the elevator.
"MOVE! MOVE! BEFORE THE SHADOW DEMONS FOLLOW US!!"
Ryo sighed, following her at a normal pace. "You watched too many horror movies."
Amina: "AND YOU HAVEN'T WATCHED ENOUGH!"
Guard: "Um…Lady, you're not supposed to run here! "
The elevator doors shut behind them.
As it ascended, they finally stepped out of the prison hospital, greeted by the warm light of the outside world.
Amina spread her arms dramatically. "AHHH! SWEET FREEDOM! NEVER AGAIN! NEVER EVER!!"
Ryo: "Relax, Watson."
Amina: "DON'T WATSON ME, I JUST SURVIVED A CURSED FLOOR!!"
Ryo chuckled. "Alright, alright… now, onto the next clue…"
"The Last One…"