Shiria, Lan’en, and Youma were in Lan’en’s room.
“Are you okay Lan’en?” Shiria asked her friend, rubbing her hand all over her back.
“I can’t believe she’s fucking dead.”
“Neither can I,” Youma stood up and headed towards the window, looking outside and crossing her arms “but don’t worry. Me and Kaeron are hunters. We must eliminate that threat as soon as possible and we are capable of doing so.”
“Is it an alien, then?” Lan’en asked Shiria, “I can fight too.”
“I don’t know...Kaeron didn’t seem convinced it was, but she didn’t deny our idea either. I mean, what else could have killed Noir?” Shiria replied despite her ideas.
They all fell silent.
They didn’t want to say the three dreadful words.
‘’One of us’’.
----------------------------------------
Lunchtime.
Everyone was present. Probably because Kaeron summoned them and not because they were hungry. Noir’s body was cleaned up by Chronos after Kaeron was sure there were no further clues...her body was preserved in a cryogenic chamber built for random incidents like these.
Everyone sat at the same table as Kaeron recounted her investigation’s details with Tsukasa, Shiria, and Servalia vouching for her.
“I think the creature is hiding on the second floor. The first one is impossible to access, as I said. The third is highly surveilled,” Kaeron said.
Even if Kaeron thought the idea of a monstrous creature was absurd and the fruit of denial...she still wanted to make the murderer think she was on the wrong track.
“But we would have noticed it, right?” Azrael retorted, “We all have been at least once in every room of this place.”
Kaeron knew Azrael was hinting at something, but she ignored her remark.
“I don’t feel anyone else’s presence out of this room!” Lilin smiled and chuckled slightly.
“What? Do you have some sort of powers that tell you so?” Youma asked her.
“No!” She simply replied.
“What the heck Lilin? Are you still up to fucking jokes?!” Lan’en stood up, slamming her hands on the table.
“Calm down, everyone!” Shiria shouted, “I think we should address something else! I think...we should talk about the power outage!”
“Finally...someone who thinks clearly,” Kaeron thought.
“Right. I was...getting to that,” Kaeron nodded, clearing her throat, “I wanted to ask something very important. Who was in their room, therefore locked inside, before nine?”
Everyone except Lilin, Azrael, Servalia, and Youma raised their hands.
Shiria raised it, but for another reason, she briefly stated: "I was technically out of my room, but I was just sleeping with Lan'en inside hers."
Lan'en nodded, confirming that information.
“Lilin,” Kaeron began with her, “what were you doing from 9:00 PM to 4:00 AM?”
“She was with me all the time. We didn’t hear or see anything related to the murder because we were at the pub.”
Lilin nodded vigorously, her golden hair bouncing as she agreed with Azrael...who immediately understood what Kaeron was doing, and so she gifted her a mischievous smile.
“Okay. Servalia...what were you doing instead? Heard anything?”
“I was with Youma. She was listening to me rehearsing at the theater,” Servalia sighs, “and...the music was too loud.”
“Okay.”
Kaeron’s eyes lowered for a second, deep in thought.
"Ahem, may I inquire about something?" Azrael suddenly raised your hand.
"Yes, Azrael?"
“Tsukasa lied. Why did you lie, Kitsune?"
“How can you know I lied?” Tsukasa asked calmly.
“Didn’t I see you coming from a different hallway this morning, when everyone gathered around Noir's body?” Azrael furrowed her brows. “Or maybe I'm remembering things wrong? Lilin?” She smiled mischievously.
Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.
"Hehe, yes! She wasn't in her room!"
“Then, Tsukasa. What explanation do you have?”
Tsukasa cleared her throat, squeezing her hands together. She kept smiling awkwardly, “I was…”
She paused. Hesitated.
Kaeron pierced her soul with her deep, red eyes. What was in Tsukasa’s mind? Kaeron’s heart beat fast. She was trying not to ask her if she killed Noir directly.
“I was with Noir. I was trying to help her out. I said I would have tried to talk to her, and that I did,” she admitted, “but then the power went out and I got scared. Noir kept saying death was coming…repeatedly. I cannot fight, so I was forced to leave the scene. I ended up hiding in the SPA,” she explained.
“Why didn’t you say anything about it until now?” Kaeron asked her.
“You could have run to the dorms and woken me up!! I would have been able to smash the door into bits and help Noir!!!” Lan’en shouted.
“I am sorry...this is exactly why I didn’t say anything. Now Noir’s death will be on my shoulders,” Tsukasa bitterly smiled, shrugging.
“How convenient, though,” Azrael snickered, “you were right with the murder victim, weren’t you? Doesn’t that make you a number one suspect?”
“That’s right! That’s right!” Lilin laughed, “What if Tsukasa used her fox claws to kill her?!”
“Hold on, hold on, wait…” Youma interrupted everyone, “Are we going to accuse each other now?”
“Well, I can’t lie about it. I do personally think it was one of us!” Lilin said nonchalantly.
“That’s just dumb! How could one of us be able to kill Noir in such a way?!” Lan’en retorted.
“Let’s calm down, okay?” Kaeron sighed, frustrated. “Tsukasa, don’t worry. I’m sure you’re telling the truth.”
“Thank you. Thank you,” Tsukasa bowed, “I would have never, ever hurt Noir. Or anyone else.”
“Though, I still wonder. Were you the first one to find her dead body?” She asked.
“No. When I came out of the SPA, Azrael and Lilin were already there laughing at Noir’s corpse,” Tsukasa retaliated against the two girls’ behavior with that response, killing them with a spiteful look.
Azrael’s smirk faltered for a moment, her eyes narrowed, “now, now, let’s not go down that path, sly fox.”
“Yes! At least we wouldn’t have left her to die like you did!” Lilin added.
“Okay so, let’s get this straight,” Youma looked at the three, “Tsukasa was the last one to see Noir before the power went out, while Azrael and Lilin were the first ones to find the body. Tsukasa hid in the SPA...what were you two doing before finding her? I doubt the robot of the pub would have served you drinks.”
“We tried to drink by ourselves by climbing over the counter but the absence of light didn’t make it any fun after a couple of hours. We started wandering around the cruise hoping we’d find something useful...and then we just went back to the pub to sleep on the couches there. Then the power was suddenly back and the lights and the music of the pub woke us up. We found Noir. The end.”
“And the first thing that came to mind was to laugh at Noir’s dead body,” Lan’en quietly muttered.
“Look, people react differently to different things, okay? It’s not like we could bring her back to life!” Lilin giggles, “I’m a follower of Dyosia, the god of sex, alcohol, and all that is pleasurable. I am elation...so laughing for me is just normal!”
“What is your vocation, Azrael?” Shiria asked her next.
image [https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/xzclnemjrh8r5iu5p6vom/artist_missile_228-amazing-quality-very-aesthetic-absurdres-dark-background-s-2658238848.png?rlkey=04smec0r7jzhkc855o7ih2bul&st=9h495vpx&raw=1]
“Erisia.”
Everyone fell silent, except Shiria who, obliviously, asked for more information, “Who are they?”
“Erisia is the goddess of strife, discord, and chaos. She is known for causing problems and conflicts. Nares...but way more spiteful.” Kaeron explained to her, looking back at Azrael, “I wasn’t expecting such a person on a cruise.”
“Oh yeah? Well? Am I officially the killer now? Just because of that?” Azrael chuckled, shaking her head in disappointment.
Kaeron remained calm, abiding by her role of stern investigator, “I am not accusing anyone out of their vocation.”
Shiria looked confused and concerned. “In the end...we ended up accusing each other either way. What does that mean for us now? We can’t trust each other?”
Shiria was trying to follow the idea they should find the murderer among them despite her worried expression. Kaeron noticed that and tried to push her a little more…
“No. We can still trust each other. The part of figuring out what killed Noir is going nowhere, though. Chronos refused the idea of a threat and we are not even able to cooperate to eliminate it ourselves. At this point, I think it’s safer to look at each other’s back and ask for a U-turn of the Elyisium and report the accident to the family who owns this place.”
“Can we do that?” Servalia asked curiously.
“I hope so,” Kaeron nodded and shrugged, “Chronos.”
“Model CHRON.05 at your service.”
“We couldn’t find the threat that brought Noir to die. However, the passengers are all in distress and we all want to go back and cancel the trip.”
“Of course. I can redirect the ship’s route as long as all passengers consent.”
“How do we all consent?” Shiria asked.
“I will send to each one of the rooms a request form for confirmation. The passengers will fill it and send it to me. After confirming every passenger accepted unanimously, I will re-direct the Elysium’s route. Reaching Genso 34 at full speed will take two days.”
Everyone looked at each other. Kaeron nodded and looked at the communication device. “Okay then. Send the form.”
“Affirmative. They’re already there, loaded into each passenger's built-in console of their desk.”
“Wow, so fast,” Azrael chuckled, “are we all going to fill them now?”
“The sooner we’re out of here, the better. Right?” Shiria said, standing up, “Let’s go!”
The group rose from their seats.
The tension in the room was palpable, everyone eager to retreat to their rooms, away from the heavy atmosphere hanging over them.
Kaeron took the lead, and everyone followed her to the elevator.
As soon as they reached the lobby, everyone looked at the fountain. Its water flowed beautifully, making a relaxing sound. Noir’s corpse with its blood was gone. The only trace of the tragedy was the fountain’s broken frame.
The idea of ending this trip early seemed to bring a glimmer of relief, but the reality weighed heavily on their minds. They all knew what was going to happen really.
“Alright. Everyone...to your rooms. As soon as you are done with the form, come back here to the lobby. We’ll protect each other’s back until the Elysium returns to Genso-34’s docks," Kaeron said, going first into the dorms’ hallway.
And then, gradually, everyone disappeared into their rooms.
Shiria already suspected what was going to happen. But she chose to ignore the fear..,so that she could have the slightest glimpse of hope.
She reached the console at her desk. The hologram lit up and hovered above it. She clicked on the mail tab and opened it. The form was there.
She quickly filled it. Reason for canceling, health status, review of the Elyisium’s services...and other useless stuff.
----------------------------------------
Are you sure you want to cancel the Elyisium’s route and forfeit its services?
YES/NO
----------------------------------------
She clicked ‘’yes’’ and sent it, sighing heavily.
----------------------------------------
The passengers were all back in the lobby. Kaeron opened the communication device after calling for Chronos.
“So, Chronos...tell us,” She clears her throat, her heart beating loudly in her chest. “are we actually going back?”
“I apologize. It seems that one passenger out of nine refused the unanimous consent for the cancellation of the Elyisium’s services. I will not re-direct the cruise’s route until everyone agrees.”
Azrael chuckled and shook her head, looking at Kaeron. “I suppose we cannot know who refused, right?” She asked.
“I apologize. I cannot disclose that information. All types of forms sent by e-mail are private.”
“Holy fuck…” Lan’en mumbled.
“We finally can cut to the chase. Now...please, everyone, open your eyes and admit it.” Alicia crossed her arms.
“Exactly,” Lilin said with a bitter smile.
Kaeron tightened the grip of her left hand on the scabbard of a long, menacing sword...showering everyone everyone with a menacing, yet cold gaze.
“The murderer who is responsible for Noir’s death…is right in front of us.”