Following his assault on the officers, Elias was unsurprisingly handcuffed and taken for a day trip to the police station.
Inside the interrogation room of the East District Police Station in Saint Rose City, Elias oddly felt safe looking at the rusty metal bars. This room had once confined serial killers, bounty-laden outlaws, and even mad occultists who dabbled too deep into supernatural powers.
"Whatcha looking at? Planning an escape?" grumbled the officer assigned to interrogate Elias.
"Not at all," Elias replied earnestly. "I wouldn't leave even if you asked me to."
The officer dumped a stack of files on the table, puzzled by Elias's bizarre attitude. "Strange kid... Have I lost touch with the youth? Who actually wants to be locked up?"
"Officer..." Elias said seriously.
"Speak."
"Can I stay a few more days?"
The officer, irked, slammed his hand on the table. "This isn't a hotel, kid! You can't just check in and out as you please."
Elias chuckled, further irritating the officer. The officer scrutinized Elias with a stern look.
"Elias Edlin, sole heir of the Edlin family, orphaned, inheriting property in the West District. A freshman at the Royal Magic Science Academy of Saint Rose City. You took a leave of absence four years ago due to involvement in a cult case in Blackwater Town, went overseas for treatment, and returned to Saint Rose City three days ago to restart your first year."
"The records show you are an only child in the family. When did you suddenly get a younger sister?"
"This Luna you mentioned – I've checked all the city's welfare records and found nothing. No social identity anywhere. Our officers who checked your house found no trace of her either."
"Given the number of eccentrics from your school, I'm struggling to believe your story."
Elias listened attentively, nodding along. It was within his expectations that the police couldn't find Luna. The slums were a haven for untraceable identities.
As for the absence of records even in the orphanage, it seemed Luna had erased her traces in the past four years.
Elias's questions were partially answered by what the officer had just said.
It seemed the game's second playthrough had conveniently explained his four-year absence with a bug. The Blackwater Town cult case, his last chapter before crossing over, was notoriously difficult, and he had been stuck on it due to its high difficulty.
It was a town filled with twisted monsters and crazed cultists. Therefore, the story of him contracting an illness there and spending four years abroad for treatment made sense.
The officer, looking at Elias earnestly nodding, felt a headache brewing. Cases involving "exotics" and "mystical forces" were always of great importance and couldn't be taken lightly. Even if this kid might be playing a prank, he had to treat it seriously.
"Although I still can't verify your story..." the officer began, "I've notified your 'old friend,' Chief Leonardo. He's out on a case and will be back soon."
He huffed, "You better not be lying. Making us mobilize so many officers on a false alarm is serious, even for a minor."
Elias smiled at the officer, who, despite his stern face, was quite diligent. "Thank you, officer."
After packing up the files, the officer left the room with a grunt. "You'll be moved to the cell next door shortly. I'm off."
"Bye, officer!" Elias waved politely.
Once the officer left, the interrogation room fell silent. Elias leaned back in his chair, surrounded by a cacophony of wails and curses from neighboring rooms.
If Chief Leonardo didn't return today, Elias would have to spend the entire day here. If he did come back, Elias could connect with the Special Affairs Department. Either way, he was safe for the day.
Elias, who had never seen a second day's sunrise due to repeated deaths, felt a bit melancholic. Am I really going to survive today?
As he relaxed and began planning his future actions, the police station suddenly fell eerily silent. The sounds of cursing and pleading vanished.
Elias frowned, looking towards the metal bars. Heavy footsteps echoed in the corridor, casting a long, narrow shadow that crept closer to his location.
The sound of the footsteps quickened Elias's heartbeat. He stood up, alert and wary.
Finally, the footsteps ceased. A man in a special black police uniform, keys in hand, stood opposite Elias's cell.
"Elias?" he asked.
Elias nodded slightly, scrutinizing the man.
The officer nodded back and opened the cell door, stepping inside. He sat down, his deep voice filling the room. "Special Affairs Department, Agent Calder. We received your report about an 'exotic creature.' We need more details from you."
Relieved to be speaking with someone from Special Affairs, Elias relaxed. "You could've just said so... scared me half to death..."
Elias recounted everything about Luna to Agent Calder, omitting the details about dying and reloading, as it was something he couldn't disclose to others. This was why the previous officer had been skeptical, even suspecting a prank.
"A Creature - Sgugth, huh?" Agent Calder pondered. "I hate tentacles... This does sound troublesome."
Elias, seizing the moment, suggested, "You could deploy the elite forces from the Special Affairs Department. I believe you have some powerful and mysterious agents who could help capture her."
"That creature..." Calder repeated, with a hint of intrigue in his voice. He looked up at Elias. "Tell me about this 'sister' of yours, this 'monster,' Luna. What is she really like?"
Elias furrowed his brow, finding it hard to describe Luna. Once a timid, frail girl, she had always been like a shadow beside him. Perhaps due to a lack of love since childhood, she was sensitive and insecure, evident from her dialogues in the game.
She had peculiar habits: a voracious appetite for food, a fierce passion for it, and talking to her favorite plush toy. When she prepared an entire table of food, nervously awaiting his approval, Elias had felt a momentary pang of sympathy.
Sympathy for Luna... Could such a feeling really arise in me?
He found this world somewhat absurd. She had killed him twice, each death more gruesome than the last.
So, yes, there was sympathy.
But sympathy did not negate resentment.
"I feel sorry for her, but who feels sorry for me?"
As soon as Elias thought of the indescribable pain from his two deaths, he was filled with immense resentment. Even knowing Luna's behavior was due to the backlash of her powers and that the original Luna wasn't like this, his hatred persisted.
With narrowed eyes and a darkening gaze, Elias vented his feelings to Agent Calder, heavily coloring his account with subjective terms. After talking until his throat was dry, he finally stopped.
Agent Calder, sitting motionlessly across him, seemed unfazed by the lengthy narration. He pondered Elias's words, resting his chin on his hand.
"A damned, ugly monster... Disgusting, slimy tentacles... Deceptive, manipulative, cunning... Never be fooled by appearances; inside, she's a complete monster. Show no mercy."
Agent Calder nodded in understanding. "I see."
Elias looked at him. "So, what now? Can you take me out of here? I need protection from your department."
Instead of answering, Agent Calder just stared at Elias.
Suddenly, the voice shifted from a deep, gruff male tone to a cold, sharp female one.
"So, I'm such a repulsive creature in my bro's eyes..."
Shocked, Elias watched as "Agent Calder" contorted violently, as if something was trying to burst through the skin.
"You..."
The interrogation room filled with eerie writhing sounds. Before Elias's eyes, the figure transformed into a slender woman, Luna, clad in the uniform of the Special Affairs Department.
"Heavens... Luna?"
As blood started seeping into the hallway, forming a sea of red, the silence of the police station was explained.
How many had she killed?
Elias felt the world spin, trapped in an invisible net that suffocated him, no matter where he ran.
"bro~"
Luna's sinister face twisted into a grotesque smile. She was furious, deeply so.
"So this is how you've always seen Luna. How disappointing... But it doesn't matter..."
Her arms trembled, morphing into the familiar, revolting tentacles. The tips of the tentacles grew hard, scaly plates, turning into sharp blades.
"Though bro doesn't like Luna... It's okay, as long as Luna likes bro..."
"Soon, we'll be together forever..."
The sharp tentacles bloomed like ominous flowers, a bizarre beauty to their deadly form.
Elias looked at the tentacles turning towards him and closed his eyes, resigned.