Chapter VIII

"How is that possible?" Robin's voice rose, in anger. "Why would we let that happen?!" Her voice could be heard from the other side of the holding room, "you know that he's guilty!"

"Robin! We can't make those assumptions, especially…" Karasuma held herself back, the thought of their suspect listening in alarmed her. As a growing sensation filled her mind, and clouded her senses. "Especially, if he isn't even the culprit…"

"We have evidence proving-"

"Proving he was deported, without a case or file to work with!" Her hushed whispers were beginning to worry her. As the feeling of doubt and a faint sign of danger came to her mind, "We can't go and open our mouths about what we don't know about him!"

"He told us, what he knew about our organization!"

"No!" Karasuma shouted, "He was only saying what you wanted to hear, what we all wanted to hear!" Robin felt herself, shrinking. Was he really playing them along like Robin had thought, or just making her out to be a fool? What did they really know about Elix?

"Amon, told us that Elix's current doctor is the sole owner of the account…" Robin's heart raced at the sound of the stunning revelation. Hours of waiting and debating amongst each other about what to do next, and they already had the answers. They were just keeping it from her, but why?

"But I thought only family could own that and what did he say?" Robin had to know, she needed to know.

"The Americans, in this particular incident, gave the files up… There was no mention of a craft, or direct descendant line in his family linking Touron to our database."

"What do you mean?!"

"…Elix Touron, is just a loser." Robin felt heavy, and shook by the sudden truth. "He's not even right of mind, all he knows about of the occult and us are from deep web forums and his deranged doctor…"

"Do you mean, the Ravenmocker?"

"Amon made sure to leave no stone unturned," Karasuma's voice was stern, still. "Everything about him, from the way he talks and how he walks was just a show… An act, Doctor Williams, his real name, wasn't even able to identify his 'patient' from a line of photos presented to him…"

"He was just as crazy, as he is."

"But Harry told me about his ability to steal life from one and give to another! The Voodoo, and the doll! It has-

"It doesn't mean anything…" Karasuma said, calmly. "Amon, looked into it, and learned that Doctor Williams barely passed medical school, and moved to another country only after botching his first surgery…" Letting out a heavy sigh, "Even with Harry's connections, he didn't know about the real man behind the name. Amon couldn't believe it until he had the file himself…"

"Was it really his?" Robin said, facing the door to the room, stubbornly hoping for him to be waiting for them. His arms raised and ready to charge them, but as the feeling of realization grew. It was all starting to make sense to her, one lie after the other.

From his apartment, the doll, his connection to Maria Rose, all of it was a lie. Or was it? "No," She said, confidently, "He knows something, and I'm going to make him tell me!" Robin opened the door, to the sudden rush of cold air.

"Hello, birdie… So, they finally let you out of your cage!" The insulting greeting of the suspect drove her next actions. Slamming the door shut in-front of Karasuma, and with a glance of her jaded eyes. Welded the doors side shut and stood on the edge of the room. With a stone cold pair of sad blue eyes, glaring, hopeless and lost at her defiance.

"I know everything." She spoke in a low, demeaning tone, "your real name, who owns you, and what you really know about us!" Robin's body visibly shook in her rage, "It's all a lie!" He sat, silently, listening to the young huntress. "Elix Masterson, is nothing but a lie! You know what I'm talking about!" Her voice cracked and the water in her eyes swelled.

"You killed that woman! You froze her in a state of pain and fear, because that's all you know!" An accusing finger pointed directly at him, set his mind into motion once again. "If you can do what you did to her, onto me, maybe then your life will matter!"

"Because I'm here, and I'm more alive than you'll ever be and will be!" Without a sound, the frail suspect stepped up and onto the table. Making his way towards her as the sound of her coworkers and friends beat on the door behind her. Calling out her name, pleading with Robin to stop herself from letting him get to her. But she was in too far, and had to see him for herself. Could she really stand up to the 'real' Elix Touron?

She had to know, who he was and what he could do, as he stepped off the table and hopped back onto the floor. Robin stood her ground, daring, no, wishing he would just strike out at her, but not with a hand, or closed fist. She wanted to feel the cool stinging sensation of ice, scraping against her bare skin; so she could set him aflame and see if he would burn. "…" His mouth parted open, but remained silent as he made his last step towards her.

Inches apart and staring back up at his new found enemy Elix was ready, but was she? "Pain, fear… lies, if I was a betting man, which I am." As that twisted smile crossed his pale face, once more, "I would take a second, to begin piecing together what fragments of his mind, are still functional… but also, find out what really makes him, and I mean, me; still that much, better, than you!"

"Raah!" Robin tackled the thin man and threw him back onto the table, her nails dug into his sensitive flesh. Leaving definitive red marks and scratches around his throat, "You killed that poor girl!" She cried out, "You stabbed her, cut her, watched her bleed, and then you froze her inside of a bathtub! Tell me, tell me you did it!" In between her cries and crashing at the door, she could hear him, still. Laughing, through the pain and suffering at her hands. He was still, mocking her, and it all made sense, this was what he wanted.

"I-" Gasping between breaths and Robin's quickly fading grip, "I only had to get you angry!" He pointed back up at her, "Just like the rest of them!" Her eyes read of confusion, "How does someone like me- Ack, begin to do that?" Giggling to himself, "With help…" Robin's hands suddenly, let go of him, "I just needed your help… I needed you, Miss. Sena!" A coy and mocking hand, playfully smacked her on the left side of her face. His cold and boney fingers dragged across her warm and hot blooded face.

"It was like, he said!" Smiling, ever more, "I am going to be reborn, from the ashes of your mistakes and through the faults of your precious, little, organization… I'm going to become the phoenix!" Robin backed away from the ranting and raving of the suspect, "And it's all thanks to you!"

Rubbing the fine lines of her work around his skinny neck, "I just didn't think, you would have the balls to go through with it!" A pale hand, but not his, firmly smacked him across the face. "Oooh, she's angry!" He wooed, in excitement, "Let it all, hang out!" With surprising strength Robin was able to push him across the table and onto the floor. With a grunt and audible gasp, "Eh, I had worse!"

"Like the time, I walked right- Hahaha!" Gathering himself, as he popped back up against the table. "Awww, you wouldn't believe me if I told you, that I killed anyone and walked right out the front door, without a worry or care in the world~" Before Robin could make her final lunge towards the sickening man, the door to the room flung wide open.

And the ominous presence and sight of the man was enough to halt them both, "Oooh!" Elix let out a faint giggle, at Robin, "You're in so much, trouble…"