The religious fanaticism had completely transformed the atmosphere, consuming most of the people within the ballroom.
Aion didn't want to deal with such a sight, so he left the ballroom to wander the manor. Perhaps it was because the sight of the religious fanaticism was more terrifying than being killed, or maybe it was because dying in this nightmare didn't mean he would permanently die, but Aion found himself completely unphased by the idea of the murderer targeting him.
There was no goal Aion had in mind. Of course, finding Mark would be nice; he just didn't think he would find him in such a massive place. Instead, he opted to investigate the two things that stood out to him on his brief search: the paintings and the library.
When it came to the paintings, they all depicted events he presumed happened in the past. One such example was Lunalis' Will, which depicted her summoning rain. There were also paintings of the previous Magnatium generations along with paintings of the generations of saints.
However, none of these were particularly interesting aside from the artist always being some member of the Dolion lineage.
So, Aion decided to head toward the library he had seen earlier. Entering once more, he was hit with the smell of books as well as a sense of awe at the sheer size of a three-floor library.
Snapping out of his awe, he quickly moved over to the shelves of the numerous bookcases, reading the titles of each book.
Adam Dolion
Christopher Magnatium
Michael Cornelius
Those were a few of the titles. To Aion, it seemed more like they were names of people rather than titles. In fact, as he searched more and more, he found that each book had a person's name.
Curious, Aion grabbed the book marked with "Adam Dolion" and flipped it open. Various passages recounting his life were inside, talking about his childhood, the day he was born, what he did later in life, and how he led the following of Lunalis when she showed up in Magna.
Losing interest, Aion simply placed it back. He had gotten his answer, disappointing as it was, so he probably shouldn't feel so upset. But he did.
Of course, realistically, what else could have been added in a place without fiction?
Thus, a recounting of thousands of people's lives in its own way was plenty interesting. It was a weird thing to own and a weird thing to display.
But after seeing the fanaticism of Magna, he wasn't so sure.
Although, he probably shouldn't say all of Magna were fanatic. He only had a small sample size to gauge off of, so it would be unfair to the rest of Magna.
Moving along, he descended the steps to the first floor and scanned the shelves with a cursory glance.
But still, it was merely names upon names upon names. In fact, on the first floor, which had more books, he didn't even recognize most of the last names.
That probably meant more important individuals were on the second floor while the masses were on the first floor. It was a simple and unsurprising separation. The nobility clearly held pride within themselves, enough to put them above the 'commoners.' The only person they willingly put themselves below was Lunalis.
Lunalis was their God. Their creator and redeemer. Thus, they can act meek like a child instead of their arrogant selves. He'd seen similar things happen in other religions. People only act humble before their own God but arrogant in other walks of life. Especially against non-believers.
Of course, not all acted that way. Aion knew that. Organized religion had good people, and it had bad people. There was no changing that. That's why Aion always tries to judge religion based on its doctrine versus its people. After all, people can be corrupted, but something that is considered absolutely good should be unable to be corrupted.
As Aion was thinking about all this, he reached the third floor of the library and found that the books all had to deal with broader subjects such as history, the Lunalis faith, or documents on construction, agriculture, or weather.
Still, there was a standout: a single door all the way at the north end of the third floor that stood tall and looked grand. Aion walked over and attempted to open the door only to find it locked.
A twinge of disappointment swam in his heart, but he simply accepted the reality and looked back from where he came.
He didn't have much of a choice; he couldn't exactly find the key and unlock it…
Aion narrowed his eyes.
Couldn't he? Everyone was in the ballroom, so if he looked around, he wouldn't be caught. It was that or trying to break down the door.
Aion turned back toward the door and ran toward it, giving it a powerful kick when he got close enough. Unsurprisingly, it didn't even budge.
Aion sighed. He figured that if he found the key, that would be nice, but if not, that would be fine.
More than likely it was private documents housed by the Magnatium family; in other words, things he had zero interest in. So, Aion decided to just continue looking around, waiting for time to pass.
This time, he explored the third floor by taking the exit on the third floor. He quickly realized this floor was where the Magnatiums spent most of their time, with offices, bedrooms, and a living room all on the third floor.
However, something caught his attention. Outside the windows, the night wasn't as bright as earlier. In fact, the moon was doing something that Aion didn't think he'd ever witness in his lifetime: it was turning a reddish coppery color.
It was a lunar eclipse. Aion glanced at one of the grandfather clocks and saw it was 10:37.
10:37? Aion thought. That much time had already passed?
Perhaps it was a paranoia, but it felt like time was passing far more quickly than usual tonight. Maybe he really wasn't as calm as he thought he was.
He would've preferred that.
* * *
Aion had been sitting on a random couch until he heard a scream from down below.
Rushing out of his seat, Aion quickly went to the library and descended to the second floor until he burst into the ballroom to see what had happened.
Several people had looks of fear on their faces, and Aion found the first person he was at least friendly with to gauge the situation.
That person, Sam, was biting his lip.
"Sam, what happened?" Aion asked.
"Ah…well…a letter from Pride arrived, and it informed everyone where Mark's body was."
"Where did the letter come from?"
"The ceiling."
"The…ceiling…?"
"Yeah, Alphonse was giving an invigorated speech when the letter fell down in front of everyone."
"Damn it…" Aion cursed his breath.
He was regretting not being there.
"So was the scream by the letter?"
"No, the body…its…" Sam trailed off and pointed up the steps.
Aion shifted his gaze toward the steps and saw a small crowd on the balcony up above.
"I'm going," Aion said.
"Ah, wait!" Sam grabbed Aion's hand, and he looked back, confused.
"What?"
"Well…Aion…you…uh…" Sam was struggling to put his thoughts into words, which only caused Aion to shake his hand off in annoyance.
"Look, I want to see the scene for myself so I can properly see the scene—"
"Why?" Sam spat out.
"Huh?"
"Why are you so interested in seeing it? What good does it do!"
"I can maybe narrow the killer down if I—"
"It was in the ballroom! How will that narrow it down at all!? So you don't have to!"
"There's still the state of the corpse, which can give insight into how the killer operates."
"Is that really necessary?"
"Why wouldn't it be?"
Sam clenched his teeth and asked, "What's with you? It's like you're an entirely different person! I mean, aggravating Mr. Cornelius like that, and then there is your complete composure over everything! I don't understand. How can someone act like that!?"
"Sam," Aion began softly. Sam looked into his eyes with hope swimming through them. "I, Aion Belial, decided to take the case into my own hands, so I'm doing whatever I can to solve it."
"But Aion, are you even familiar with investigating crime scenes yourself? I mean, you asked me to find someone who can—"
"Then who else will step up?"
"Huh?"
"I'm not a fan of the job, that's true. But if I can prevent more tragedy from befalling here, I will do so."
"But that's…"
"If I can save just one more life by looking at a corpse, or if I can save one more life by pissing some random noble off, I'll do it."
"Aion…you…"
"So, Sam, no matter what, I want to ensure the people I care about here are safe. And you're one of them." Aion placed a hand on Sam's shoulder with a warm smile.
"But why did you act so cold?"
Aion laughed and said, "A detective is detached, calm, and calculating. I was just playing the character. And now, I'll play the character that is Aion Belial, if that is what will comfort you."
"Just like that?"
"Honestly, after seeing that fanaticism, I had to leave to cool my head. I'm not really much of the 'detective' archetype to begin with."
Sam smiled bitterly and said, "Alphonse…he's just grieving…"
"Yeah, I'm sure he is," Aion agreed.
"You actually agreed?" Sam looked surprised.
"I saw how much he was crying over Esme's death. Holding her body like that while tears streamed from his face, it was clear it hurt him."
"Yeah, I've never seen him like that before…" Sam said.
"Never, huh?" Aion repeated vaguely.
"But Aion, are you still going to investigate?"
"Of course, if it brings me only a step closer to the truth, I will be satisfied."
Sam smiled sadly and said, "Yeah…I suppose that is true…"
"Sam, no matter what, you'll be safe. Aira too," Aion said.
"You're rather fond of Aira, huh?"
"You could say we're kindred spirits in a way."
"Really? You two struck me as very different."
"Yes, I suppose that it definitely looks that way. Maybe I'm just finding my own things to relate to and forcing it on my view of her."
Sam shook his head and said, "Aion, I…I don't really know you…and my doubt of you proves that…"
"We've known each other for only a little bit; that's only natural."
"Yeah…"
"But still, in the time I've known you, I find myself considering you a friend."
Sam looked surprised for a second before smiling and saying, "Thank you!"
Aion felt himself smiling despite not doing it consciously.
Yes, it was true after all.
Of course it had been.
There was no way it couldn't have been.
So Aion went to investigate the corpse. When he got there, Alphonse, who'd been there, decided to finally leave and went to the dance floor again. So Aion focused on Mark. He found that Mark had been stabbed straight through the heart with an ice pick, a clean kill that didn't get any blood on the balcony. It seemed like he wasn't even aware he had died, no twist of agony on his face for his final moments. Instead, it seemed like his death had been instant or nigh instant. Ultimately, Sam was right. It wasn't all that helpful for solving the identity.
However, this did clear one thing up: the time frame seemed at least a little more feasible now.
Still incredibly difficult, but feasible enough to not seem completely supernatural.
Or maybe he was just choosing to believe that.
But even that was fine, for the lingering feeling in the back of his mind was quelled just a little with this sight.
So when Aion went to return to Sam, he had a smile on his face.
To others, it would've been concerning to have a smile after seeing a dead body, but he was sure Sam would understand.
Sam was a good, honest person. Aion quite liked Sam.
Maybe when he woke and read Crystal Machinations fully, he would even add Sam to his favorite characters list.
But when Aion returned, Sam was nowhere to be found.
It was like he completely vanished, so Aion asked the person that was closest, Cassie.
"Huh? Sam? Yeah, I got no clue," Cassie said bluntly. "I wasn't really paying attention. I'm tired and exhausted, and I just want this party to end so I can sleep. Is that what all the commotion a little bit ago was about? Ugh, I really wish I didn't get stuck with a position tonight…"
Cassie started mumbling complaint after complaint. But Aion dashed off.
It was only a short period of time; he might've gone to the bathroom.
Yes, that's probably it.
But since Aion wanted to talk with Sam more, he was just closing that wait time.
That was all he was doing.
He noticed Alphonse along with Aira and Aria in front of a room. Aira was holding the key ring with a grim expression, while Aria had a look of horror on her face.
Aion's heart dropped.
No, it's just another body, not Sam's, definitely not Sam's! Aion told himself and peered inside.
Inside was the chef, stabbed through the heart just like Mark with the same look like he'd died peacefully.
Aion felt a relieved smile form on his face when Alphonse said, "You sure look happy."
"Ah, no, I just thought it might've been Sam, and I felt a little relief when it wasn't…"
Aion admitted, with a bit of embarrassment on his face when he said that.
"Sam? He's not in the ballroom?"
"No, I think he went to the bathroom."
"That's weird. I didn't think he would after another letter from Pride showed up. Maybe he went with the other group?"
"Ah, of course!" Aion agreed readily and started leaving. "Actually, this room is in the exact same state as Esme's, right?"
"Actually, no," Alphonse said. "The key to the room was missing from all the servants' key rings, and a single key for this room was right in front of the door."
"...I see…" Aion said. "Well, I'm going to go look for Sam."
"You're not going to try and figure it all out?" Alphonse asked.
"What makes you think I'd do that?"
"It was just a question."
Aion nodded and left. It was like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. Soon, a servant, Noah, by himself was running down the hall, panting.
"Huh?" Alphosne let out a surprised noise.
Aion looked as they reached Alphonse and started trying to speak.
"Young…young master…please help…me…!" Noah pleaded with desperate eyes.
He started coughing, so he covered his shirt sleeve. When he took it away, blood stained the sleeve.
"James was cursed too! He already died!" Noah spat out more blood when he finished, and he soon collapsed to the ground, convulsing in pain.
And then, he died.
Aria screamed and backed away, saying, "No, no, no!"
Aira only stared with a look of shock on her face as the keys tumbled from her hands.
Alphonse bent down next to Noah and said, "Let his soul be redeemed in thy grace, Lunalis."
Aion immediately ran to where Noah had come from and soon found another butler on the ground in a similar situation to Noah. This must've been James.
He lay in front of a room that had a key inserted into the lock already, like James had attempted to open it and then he'd been cursed.
Of course, what likely happened was that they were poisoned.
So a trap?
Aion wasn't exactly sure what kind of trap it was, so he was hesitant to try and open the door. If it had been locked and they were unlocking it, that probably meant there was another body in there.
Gulping, Aion grabbed a random pot with a plant and threw it at the door from a distance, hoping it would push open the door.
And it did; the door opened from the force, and he peered inside.
The room was bright, not because a light had been turned on; rather, the room was dyed a stunning bright red from the moon.
But that wasn't the only thing red.
Aion stumbled backward, tripping over James' corpse and falling to the ground as his mouth fell open.
"Aaaa…aaaah…aaaah!" Aion screamed and felt his heart squeeze in pain as he stared at the sight.
Sam hung from the ceiling with a massive hook through his chest, creating a massive amount of blood.
"AAAAAAAAAAAH!" Aion screamed louder, and he crawled backwards desperately.
Maybe if he crawled back fast enough, he could reverse time and it would all be back to normal.
He'd seen people say that exceeding the speed of light would mean they would start moving backwards in time.
But such a thing wasn't possible.
He was stuck in this horrible present.
Alphonse, Aria, and Aira had all come over to see what Aion was screaming about, and they all broke out into various reactions from the sight.
Aion held his head in his hand as it pounded with pain.
This wasn't real.
This isn't real.
This will never be real!
Aion repeated those phrases in his head again and again like some sort of mantra.
This could definitely never be real!
This was a nightmare, a nightmare!
And on top of that, this was a fictional world with fictional characters.
Sam wasn't his friend.
He may have said so, but he was real, and Sam was fake.
So, when Sam died right here, right now. He should accept it!
Aion Belial and Samuel Astra should've never crossed so much, so it's okay.
It's definitely okay.
Aion felt two hands placed on his shoulders, and he looked in front of him to see Aira with a look of sympathy—no, empathy.
"Aion," Aira said softly. "You can cry now…"
And then Aion felt the hot tears start pouring from his eyes as he wailed in agony.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"
The scream was loud, raw, and horrific. It was like an animal had let out its final cry.
But this wasn't Aion's final cry. He had yet to give one.
But Sam, he would never let one out again.