Like the other students before him, Raibeart felt a heavy weight as he walked toward the interrogation room, which was only a few meters away. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see the female students struggling hard to hold back their tears. Or the male students who shed tears silently. It felt as if he were walking through a long corridor with no end.
There was nothing left there except despair. A beautiful tomorrow? A bright future? Dreams built from many struggles? Everything felt like it would vanish tonight, right as they exited that room.
No one knew what might happen next.
The door to the interrogation room opened. The air inside felt even more suffocating. Blaam. When the door closed, it felt like he saw the last light of his life.
"DO NOT BE SLOW!" shouted a Saighdear Ēnsiger while pushing him inside. He nearly lost his balance but quickly straightened himself, worried that the situation would worsen.
The atmosphere inside was not as terrifying as he had imagined. The lights were somewhat dim, but not that dark. There was a circular table and two chairs in the middle of the room.
He thought, as far as he could see, there were no torture devices or anything like that in there. So what made the previous students scream so horrifically?
What exactly would they do? Just thinking about it made the teenager feel breathless. The situation was truly suspicious.
There was a man in a Vienetas Vlatka uniform wearing a Patrol Cap sitting on the other side of the table. He appeared serious as he read something like a HoloPad, similar to what they used in Empyrean Zielle.
"Ah, Raibeart Vernon Liev Giollamhuire. You appear to be from a quite reputable and prominent family. Unfortunately, you find yourself in such circumstances."
"I haven't done anything wrong," he said unconsciously, still keeping his face down, maintaining a neutral expression.
The man used something like a pen to lift the young man's chin in front of him. "You're not the one making the decisions, young man."
He looked down again, saying nothing.
"Your grades are quite good, and you are known for having high loyalty to the Allerick Gildas. What do you think about the 'rebellion plan'?" the man asked.
"I have never had even a fleeting thought of such a thing in my head. Like other elite groups, I was born only to be useful to the inhabitants of the sky world."
Applause. "A very wise answer, and it clearly comes from the mouth of a Giollamhuire. Now, do you believe in the existence of miracles? Blessings? Magic? Supernatural things or the like?"
Raibeart replied firmly, "Not at all."
"Why not? Isn't Sylvaine Macarena vast, and the elite territory you now inhabit only occupies a quarter of it? Don't you think there might be other possibilities beyond what you have understood so far?"
He immediately shook his head. "Not at all. I fully believe in what the High Council of Cosmotellurian Sylvaine Macarena and Empyrean Zielle say. Miracles and supernatural things have vanished from the land of Sylvaine Macarena, which has been abandoned by the blessings of the stars."
"Well, well, well, your answer is not much different from the previous children. Always playing it safe. No wonder, because that is indeed how we created you."
Raibeart almost lifted his head. So, why?
Dreek dreek dreek. Something was pushed out from the darkness at the edge of the room. A machine he had never seen before. It looked like a hospital device. But it was more complicated with many hoses coming out from the machine's body and connecting to machines in other parts.
Most suspiciously, there was a kind of helmet with a hook for the neck.
"Hey, hey, what are you doing?" he asked as a Saighdear Ēnsiger tied his body to the back of the chair. His wrists were also tied to the chair legs.
The suspicious vintage-style helmet was placed on his head. He couldn't make a sound at all due to fear. Even to struggle, his body had lost its strength.
"Well, let's see if you are telling the truth or not."
"What do you mean, Sir?"
"I mean… if it turns out that you're involved with supernatural forces… be prepared to say goodbye to a normal life."
Haaahh? Has he gone crazy? Is this man drunk? There's no way I could be involved with something like that! Besides, there's no such thing as supernatural powers in Sylvaine Macarena!
However, before he could think further, something that felt like a high-voltage electrical current surged into his brain. It felt as if thousands of needles were stabbing his head all at once.
"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRGGGGHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!"
*
The office of the Principal of Special Proctor Gildas Middle School.
"I understand," Cressida said while staring at his SpectraTab. He looked like he had just received a video call from another Saighdear Ēnsiger.
The face of the elderly Mavka Caliginous turned pale. He felt uneasy upon seeing the expression on the young man in front of him.
"Well, well, well."
"What's wrong, Sir?" asked the Principal.
"A member of the Genesis family has been proven to be one of the suspects involved in this rebellious attempt," Cressida informed.
His body reflexively stood up. "THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE!"
The Genesis clan is one of the main pillars of the supreme government of Sylvaine Macarena. A name that not only contains power but also legitimacy.
If one of their family members is suspected to be involved in a rebellion plan, this is no longer just a school problem but could shake the political stability of the entire underworld.
"Calm down. We're not treating it the same way as other suspects."
The old man's mind was suddenly clouded with various bad possibilities. What's the least that the Genesis clan would do knowing that one of their members is suspected of being involved in the nonsense brought by Allerick Gildas?
Cressida straightened up. Their conversation seemed to be over. "So far, our efforts have successfully identified several suspicious suspects. Following this, interrogations will continue throughout all sections of Special Proctor Gildas. Of course, the Tidsear too. So, be prepared."
Blaam. The door to his office closed from the outside. The Principal was left alone with a feeling of emptiness. The shadow of destruction felt like it was lurking from all directions.
*
Private Ward – Special Proctor Gildas Hospital.
The teenager turned to him. He said, "Release the cuffs binding my hands and feet. After that, I will tell you everything."
Reed felt a strange sensation all over his body upon hearing those words. It was as if there were two opposing sparks colliding. Unconsciously, his body moved closer to Hanasta's bed.
"No… I can't do that. If I release you, everything will…"
"I'm not asking for your consideration," Hanasta interrupted, "This is an order. Release me!"
Reed almost shouted. He felt his head echoing. There was something in Hanasta's voice that pierced into his mind. Like a whisper that crept into his rationality without resistance.
His hands trembled as he tried to resist.
But his body seemed not to listen.
Slowly, his hands rose to the cuffs on the teenager's wrists and ankles. He didn't even realize when his fingers started to unlock them.
Click.
Witnessing what he had just done, his mind was in turmoil, no... This isn't right. I shouldn't be doing this! Why am I doing this?
Once freed, Hanasta's face suddenly paled. His eyes lost focus as if he had been extremely fatigued by something. He couldn't sit up straight and his breathing was labored.
"A, what happened to you?!" Reed shouted.
He touched his ears as if sharpening his hearing. His eyes suddenly widened.
"Solielle… What did they do to Solielle?!" he asked in panic. "Those damned Allerick Gildas!"