The interrogation room was steeped in a suffocating silence, a heavy shroud that seemed to weigh down on every word spoken.

Dustin sat on one side of the table, his expression a mask of stoic resolve, his gaze piercing as he locked eyes with Noel.

Across from him, Noel sat with his hands bound to the table, his demeanor strangely detached, as if he existed in a world of his own making.

Between them lay a file, a stark reminder of the horrors they had just discussed, a grim testament to the darkness that lurked within Noel's soul.

"So, at the end, you killed someone innocent," Dustin remarked, his voice a low, measured rumble that echoed off the sterile walls of the room.

Noel's gaze seemed to drift, his eyes distant and unfocused, as if he were peering into the abyss of his own memories.

There was a haunting emptiness in his stare, a void that seemed to swallow up any flicker of humanity that dared to surface.

His response, when it came, was chilling in its indifference.

"Yes," he replied, his voice stripped of its usual casualness, replaced instead by an eerie flatness that sent a shiver down Dustin's spine.

Dustin leaned forward, the intensity of his gaze unwavering.

"Did you feel anything while doing such a thing?" he pressed, his tone edged with a desperation to unearth some semblance of remorse or regret in the man sitting before him.

Noel's reply was like a dagger through the heart, cold and merciless.

"No. Nothing unusual," he stated matter-of-factly, his voice devoid of emotion, as if he were recounting the most mundane of tasks.

"I had expected such an answer," Dustin said, his voice carrying the weight of countless disappointments and failed hopes. "Anyways, why did you bother to play such a game if you were going to kill them anyway?"

Noel's eyes, still cold and distant, flickered slightly, a glimmer of something hidden beneath the icy surface.

"Because I wanted to confirm something," he replied, his voice a low rumble that echoed with the weight of his convictions.

"What did you confirm?"

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Dustin leaned in, his eyes narrowing with curiosity, though a part of him already dreaded the answer.

Noel's expression darkened, a tempest of conflicting emotions swirling behind his stoic facade. His voice trembled with a potent blend of anger and resignation, each word heavy with the burden of his truth.

"I confirmed that I can't fit in this society," he began, his tone thick with bitterness that threatened to spill over. "Among these humans who constantly wear masks of deception, who are ready to hurt others for their own gains. It's a world built on lies and selfishness."

Dustin watched him intently, the weight of Noel's words sinking in like a leaden anchor dragging him into the depths of despair.

"Is that why you made such a choice?" he asked softly, his voice barely above a whisper, though the question hung heavy in the air like a stone of uncertainty.

Noel's gaze turned icy, the bitter chill in his voice cutting through the air like a sharpened blade, leaving behind a trail of raw emotion and unspoken truths.

"Yes. Since I couldn't fit in this society, I had to choose from the three choices: to try and adapt to it, or to change it. The former was an impossible task for me, and the latter was impossible for others. That left me with only one option—to destroy society."

Dustin's eyes narrowed, a mixture of curiosity and frustration swirling in his gaze like a turbulent storm on the horizon.

"Can I ask you one thing?" he ventured, his voice a thread of tension woven into the heavy silence that enveloped the room.

Noel, reclining in his chair with an air of detached indifference, simply nodded in response, his demeanor unchanged.

"If you can't fit in society, then why didn't you end your own life?"

Dustin's question sliced through the air with a sharpness that bordered on accusation, his voice tinged with a hint of bitterness that mirrored the turmoil in his mind.

Noel's expression shifted, a fleeting flicker of confusion crossing his otherwise impassive face.

"Hmm?" he murmured, the question seeming to catch him off guard, his brows furrowing in contemplation.

Dustin's gaze bore into Noel's, a desperate search for any lingering trace of humanity within the enigmatic man seated across from him. "I mean, you let those orphaned children die because you believed they wouldn't survive in this world," Dustin continued, his voice heavy with accusation, though tempered by a simmering undercurrent of sorrow. "So why did you choose to continue existing yourself, instead of embracing the same fate?"

Noel's stoic facade wavered for a moment, a subtle softening in his steely gaze as a glimmer of vulnerability crept into his eyes.

"Because I made a promise to my mother," he confessed quietly, his voice barely above a whisper, laden with the weight of unspoken truths and haunting memories. "A promise to live."

Dustin's breath caught in his throat, the unexpected revelation piercing through his defenses like a dagger aimed at his heart. He paused, grappling with the flood of emotions that threatened to overwhelm him, before composing himself with a concerted effort.

"Okay... let's get back to the topic."

Noel's expression hardened once more, the brief vulnerability vanishing as quickly as it had appeared.

"Continue," he said, his voice flat and emotionless, as if a fortress had closed its gates against any further intrusion.

As they were about to delve deeper into their conversation, a sudden noise shattered the heavy silence that enveloped the interrogation room.

Thud.

The door creaked open, and an officer stepped inside, his countenance grave, bearing news that cut through the tense atmosphere like a blade.

Dustin's brows furrowed in annoyance, irritation flashing across his face like lightning illuminating a stormy sky.

"What happened?" he demanded, his voice a crack of thunder.

The officer approached him with a sense of urgency, his words delivered in hushed tones laden with foreboding. "Sir, the General is calling for you."

Dustin's frustration was palpable, his shoulders stiffening with reluctance. "What? But I'm in the middle of an interrogation," he protested, his voice a rumble of discontent.

"Sir, he said it is really important," the officer insisted, the weight of authority lending weight to his words.

Dustin sighed heavily, the burden of duty weighing heavily upon him like a millstone around his neck. "Okay, fine. Let's go," he conceded, resignation coloring his tone.

He stood, casting a final glance at Noel, whose expression remained indifferent despite the interruption.

"We will continue our interrogation next time," Dustin said, his voice firm, though tinged with a sense of unresolved tension that lingered in the air like a ghostly echo.

Noel merely watched him, his eyes devoid of emotion as he was escorted away by the officers, his chains clinking ominously against the cold, hard floor.

As Dustin followed the officer out, the weight of the unfinished conversation hung heavily in the air, the chilling reality of Noel's words echoing in his mind like a haunting refrain, a reminder of the darkness that lurked within the human soul.