Chapter 24 - Happiness and Memories

The Sacrare Hall of Records was quiet as usual as Lucia made her way in. Nico greeted her with a smile that she returned faintly. As soon as he noticed, he dropped his smile and spoke up before she could leave the lobby.

"Hey, Lucia. So… today's the day, huh?"

She turned to face him slowly. "Yeah, I was just about to go see Mr. Cato about it…"

"I know we didn't get to work with each other for very long, but I enjoyed it a lot!"

"Yeah, it was fun working with you while I could; you really brighten this place up! But besides that, we can still be friends, you know!"

"Heh, yeah, I guess so! And here I was feeling like this was some big final goodbye!"

"And, I know it's a lot to ask, but you can handle everything when I'm gone, right?"

Nico nodded. "Yeah! Don't worry, if the pol… If anyone comes by, I'll take care of everything!"

Lucia gave Nico a warm smile. "Thanks, I know I can count on you. Well, I'd better go see Mr. Cato now…"

"You've got this, Lucia! I hope everything ends up working out for you!"

With a final exchange of smiles, Lucia left the lobby and headed for Cato's office. Once she reached the door, she cautiously knocked on it before entering.

Cato's office was dimly lit, much like the rest of the Hall of Records. Very little was done to personalize the office, which had only the most basic tools and furniture necessary for conducting business.

Cato himself was seated behind a simple work desk illuminated by the light from a glow orb as well as a data-scroll which was mounted to the desk much like the one in the lobby. He gave Lucia a quizzical stare as she slowly approached the desk.

"Miss Santoro. I hadn't been expecting you in my office today. I take it that there's something you need?"

"Um, ah, yes sir. I wanted to talk to you about resigning."

Cato stirred slightly. "Resigning? Well, I can't force you to work here, but might I ask why you feel the need to resign? I was certain that you had been much happier at work recently."

"Oh, it's not because I'm not happy or anything! I just… some things came up that would make things harder for everyone if I stayed here…"

"I see. If there is a reason that you cannot continue working here, I won't hold it against you, or pressure you to tell me about it. I can only state that your absence will be felt. You have been doing quite well with your duties up until this point, and I feel you should know that."

Lucia was silent for a moment. "…Thank you, sir."

She turned around and began to leave.

"Oh, Miss Santoro. Before you leave, I'd like to have some words with you."

"I, um, that would be…"

"It's not about your resignation, well, not entirely. You recall our earlier conversations about history, yes? This may be our last chance to speak at length, and to be honest, I have enjoyed speaking with you."

"Oh, well I guess I have some time to talk…"

Cato smiled faintly. "Thank you for humoring me, Miss Santoro. Now, I've already explained my stance that the study of history is to build the future on a foundation of mistakes. I also recall that conversation ending with you suggesting the current state of the law is mistaken. I can't help but think that suggestion has something to do with your resignation."

"That… well, kind of…"

"There's no need to censor yourself here, Miss Santoro. We are having a logical discussion, so feel free to speak your mind."

"Oh, well in that case…" Lucia straightened herself out and sat in the chair in front of Cato's desk. "I think the laws against powers are a little too strict for what they're trying to accomplish. I mean, exile for any kind of power use seems like a little too much, really."

"I see… You do have a point there."

"I… wait, you think I have a point?"

"Is it so surprising to hear? I may not think it wise to bring up in most conversations, but it is fair to say that the CCA's form of law enforcement is rather heavy-handed. There is a reason their Safety Troopers are better known as shock troopers, after all. Even I have slipped into calling them that on occasion."

"Really? I never really thought of you as the type to think that, sir."

"It's not something I bring up all too often, but I do have my issues with Anduruna's current government. My… attempts to argue against it are among the mistakes of my own past."

"You argued against the CCA's laws before?"

"When I was much younger and much more naive. It seems to me that you are now following a similar path to my own. I would caution you to take care. It is all too easy to make mistakes on a path like that, and end up with lingering regrets."

"Right. I'll be careful, sir."

"I certainly hope you will, Miss Santoro. Now…"

The sound of laughter echoing down the hallway interrupted Cato, and he rose from his seat in response.

"It seems Master Rossi has a guest in the lobby. Strange… we weren't expecting any appointments today."

"Oh, that's a mutual friend of ours. I didn't think he'd be coming in…"

Cato nodded. "I see. I don't suppose you would mind if I were to meet this friend of yours? I have to admit, that laugh of his has piqued my curiosity."

"Ah, I guess it couldn't really hurt… Ah, Mr. Cato, wait for me!"

As Lucia was speaking, Cato had already made his way to the door. She quickly followed behind him, and in a short time, the two of them arrived in the lobby.

Nico remained sitting in his usual spot behind the front desk, immersed in conversation. Fen was sitting on the desk, making small talk with him.

Lucia paled as Cato stared at the two of them nonplussed. As soon as he noticed Cato staring, Fen blushed and scrambled off of the desk.

"So… this is your friend?"

"Y-yeah… Sorry, I didn't really expect him to do that…"

Fen shuffled in place before looking up to speak to Cato. "Ah, shit, sorry about that, I just wanted ta get comfortable talkin' ta Nico…"

"I'm really sorry, sir, I've known Fen for a long time, so I didn't really think anything of him making himself at home here…"

"I see. Since you're a friend of both Miss Santoro and Master Rossi, I suppose I can let this lapse of etiquette slide for now, provided it doesn't happen again."

"Ah, right! Never again, boss man!"

Cato extended a hand to Fen. "It's Mr. Cato, if you must call me anything. And you are Master…"

"Fen. Never really had a last name."

Fen took Cato's hand and shook it.

"Master Fen, then. You've certainly made an impression at least. So you're here with Miss Santoro?"

"Yeah, I wanted ta be here fer her, since she's quittin' an' all. Woulda stayed outside, but I was startin' ta get some weird looks…"

"I see. A show of support, then. Understandable. I take it Miss Santoro is rather important to you?"

"Oh, hell yeah! We got together not too long ago! She's, well she's honestly better than I deserve…"

"You don't say…" Cato went silent for a moment. "Miss Santoro is indeed a brilliant young woman. Treat her well, Master Fen, and you may very well be worthy of her some day."

"Y-you got it, Mr. Cato, sir!"

Cato simply nodded. "Well, on the topic of Miss Santoro's resignation, I should return to my office to process everything for that. Master Rossi, I'll expect you to manage the lobby as usual."

"Of course, sir!"

"And Miss Santoro…"

"Y-yes?"

"I hope whatever path you end up on brings you happiness."

"T-thank you, sir."

With that, Cato left the lobby and returned to his office. Once he left, Fen turned to look at Lucia.

"So, that was yer boss, huh?"

"Yeah, he can be kind of intense. I'm going to miss him though…"

"I get that, Lucia. Sometimes tha most intense people end up bein' tha best ones ya know. But anyway, I guess that means yer done with tha whole quittin' thing?"

"It was… easier than it should've been, yeah. Can't believe I'm going to have to say goodbye to this place…"

"Yeah… Fuckin' Barlow… All 'cause he ended up seein' ya with Azel once…"

"Well, not much we can do about it," Nico said with a sigh. "I'm really gonna miss seeing you here, Lucia."

"Everything's for the plan, right? It'll be rough, but I'll manage."

"Hey, that's tha spirit! An' we've still got our plans fer today, ta help take yer mind off a this!"

Lucia's expression brightened. "That's right, you were going to show me around Kojiki, right?"

"Yep, a whole lotta memories there, an' I couldn't thinka a better place ta show ya!"

"Well, what are we waiting for, then? I can't wait to see it!"

"Sounds good!" Fen said, giving Lucia a quick hug. "Well, guess that means we'll be goin' now, Nico! Hope ya don't die a boredom workin' here!"

Nico laughed. "I should be fine, guys! Go on, have fun on your date!"

"A date, huh? I guess this would be our first one…"

"Yeah, so what're we waitin' fer! Plenty ta show ya while tha day's still young!"

Fen flashed Nico one last smile and grabbed Lucia's hand, pulling her toward the door with a spring in his step. Lucia gave Nico a smile as well, and hurried to keep up with Fen's enthusiasm. After a moment, the two left the Hall of Records, and began their trip to the Kojiki District.

—

"So, Lucia, have ya ever been ta Kojiki before?"

"No, actually. This would be my first time. I've seen…"

Lucia's thoughts were cut short as she and Fen walked out of the district tower. All around them were pagodas and buildings with a similar style, all evenly lining the main street. Lanterns that hung from ropes suspended between buildings swayed lightly in the breeze. The entire area had a peaceful feel to it, even with the bustle of dreamkeepers traveling to and from the district tower.

"Spirits, I've seen pictures, but seeing the real thing is so much more impressive!"

"Yeah, I never get tired a seein' this place! Feels great ta get back home sometimes, ya know? Ah, tha memories just flood back in every time!"

"So, where did you want to show me first?"

"Well, I got a few ideas… First I'm thinkin' a ryuu-neko breeder would be somethin' neat fer ya ta see."

Lucia tilted her head. "A breeder? Couldn't we see those in any pet shop around Anduruna?"

"Hey, I'm not talkin' about any old pet shop! I mean a real Kojikan 'neko breeder! Tha way they do it, it's like a whole art form! An' besides that, it feels right ta pay my respects while I'm here."

"Respects? To ryuu-neko breeders?"

"Yeah. Probably better that I explain along the way."

"Okay, well, lead the way then!"

Fen smiled and took Lucia's hand, leading her down the main street. Together, they passed through the streets of Kojiki, seeing lively market stalls, elegantly tended rock gardens, and groups of dreamkeepers sitting in meditation as they went.

"Ya know, I used ta sneak stuff from stalls just like these," Fen said as they passed a stall displaying steamed buns for sale. "Some ten years ago, way back when I hardly had tha lucre ta pay fer anythin', I'd either grab some food an' run, or… well ya know I had my other ways a gettin' shit."

"Oh yeah, you mentioned you were an orphan," Lucia said. "It must have been rough getting by like that."

"Fer sure! Sometimes, I'd have no luck gettin' food from tha market, so I had ta find other ways ta feed myself. Which brings us back ta 'neko breeders; one time I was so desperate fer a meal, I actually tried ta sneak some ryuu-neko food from one a 'em! I ended up gettin' caught… But instead a gettin' punished, tha breeder ended up takin' me in!"

"Was that your old mentor?"

Fen nodded. "An old dragon guy with some long-ass whiskers on his face. He kinda looked like if Azel looked like a brown-scaled dragon now that I think of it. So anyway, I was usin' my special way a gettin' food, when tha old man grabs me from behind. I thought I was done fer, ya know, since I was tryin' ta steal from him, and how I was tryin' besides that…

"But instead, he said ta me, 'Boy, ya have a real gift there. Why use it ta steal, when ya could be usin' it fer so much more?'

"An' me, I'm fuckin' shocked ta hear him not just chew me out, fer one! I barely managed ta ask him what tha hell he meant by that when he started draggin' me over ta tha back a his shop! I was afraid he'd be punishin' me back there. Imagine my surprise when he starts usin' tha same kinda trick I was usin' ta pull some tea leaves outta a cabinet an' start brewin' a pot fer us ta drink!"

Lucia blinked. "The same… Spirits, what are the odds of that?"

"Well, maybe not exactly tha same, he was better at movin' things quickly I think. But anyway, seein' an adult do that shut me right up. He went on usin' that trick ta get a meal together, all tha while talkin' about moral lessons or some shit. But all I could focus on was tha fact that he was just like me!

"After that, he treated me ta tha first good meal I ever had! I thought he was tha coolest old guy I ever saw, hell I still think that! So I said to him, 'How do I do that, all that cool shit ya just did?' An he just smiles an' asks me if I'd like him ta teach me! Just like that!"

As Fen finished speaking, the two of them arrived at a storefront decorated with paintings of ryuu-nekos frolicking and being held by smiling dreamkeepers. A signboard over the door read, "Perfect Balance - Ryuu-neko Breeding and Adoption" on it.

"So, is this the place where you…" Lucia started to ask.

"Nah, but it was a lot like this one. How 'bout we head on in, check out tha lil' guys?"

Lucia nodded and the two of them headed inside. The shop's interior had holding cages for ryuu-nekos of all elemental breeds, with certain cross-breeds placed in areas between the cages of their parent breeds. Many of the ryuu-nekos perked up as they noticed them enter.

Over by the wall to the right, a breeder was going through the routine of feeding the ryuu-nekos. Perfectly portioned samples of food were given to the animals, and as they ate, the breeder petted their lengthy bodies for a short time before moving on to the next cage.

Fen smiled as he saw the breeder in action. "Ah, this is bringin' back some more great memories. 'Perfect Balance…' Great name fer a 'neko breeder's shop. An' tha breeder here really seems ta get just how ta do it!"

"I'm not really familiar with ryuu-neko breeding. What do you mean by that?"

"Ah, well ya see, tha 'nekos have ta be fed a certain amount a food, otherwise they'll grow outta control. Ya remember that 'neko that Azel, ah, showed me that one time?"

"The huge one? I know they can grow pretty big, but I thought that was just the wild ones."

"Heh, easy mistake ta make, but no. All 'nekos are like that, ya gotta feed 'em just right, or eventually they either starve, or ya get a huge one that eats ya outta house an' home!"

"So that's the perfect balance…"

"Exactly! I learned all this from workin' in tha old man's shop! Made more than a few feedin' mistakes tha first few times around, but I eventually got around ta figurin' it out!"

"So what got you to where you are now, if you ended up working at a breeder's as a kid? Wouldn't you have ended up becoming a breeder yourself?"

"Ya see, that's tha part a tha story that can't be said in public. Let's get somewhere with less pryin' ears, an' we can talk about that."

"Okay, that sounds good."

Before leaving, Fen took a moment to compliment the breeder on their skill, then the two of them left the shop and headed down a nearby alley. Eventually, they arrived at a secluded rock garden and sat down on a nearby bench to continue talking.

"Wow, I didn't know there were places like this in Kojiki," Lucia spoke up.

"Yeah, it's all about knowin' where ta look. There's little pockets a calm all over this place, only tended ta every so often whenever someone feels tha need ta meditate. No need ta worry if anyone'll show up or anythin'!"

"I see… So anyway, you were saying?"

"Ah, right! Well, tha old man got me set up workin' as his apprentice at tha breedin' shop, but that wasn't tha only thing he did. Turns out, he had no love fer tha CCA's anti-power laws, or their weapons ban! So he trained people ta use powers an' weapons in secret, fer meditatin' mostly. He only ended up showin' me this secret side a himself since he saw me usin' my power, an' he thought it'd be good fer me ta have a way ta use it fer meditation!"

Fen activated his power as he spoke, floating some loose rocks around himself as he did.

"This is just one a tha things he taught me, keepin' track a all tha shit my power could pick up, an' movin' it in patterns ta get me thinkin' about everythin' around me! After I got a real knack fer doin' it, we moved on ta holdin' tha meditation while swingin' weapons at each other!"

He canceled his power out, letting the rocks fall around the two of them. One oblong rock fell right into his hand as he did, and he swung it around as if it were a weapon. Lucia let out a chuckle at the sight.

"He knocked me on my ass more times than I could count, but after a couple years a failure, I got real damn good at usin' my power without even thinkin' about it, an' learnin' how ta fight while usin' it came pretty quick after that!

"Eventually, tha lessons all started bleedin' inta each other. Raisin' tha 'nekos ta learn balance, meditatin' with my power ta center myself, an' weapon trainin' ta keep me sharp! Those were some a tha best years a my life! But, it wasn't too long before everythin' went ta shit…"

"You don't mean…"

"Around tha time I turned fifteen, tha fuckin' CCA ended up findin' out tha old man was usin' his power, an' they raided his place. I was lucky enough ta get away without bein' seen, but tha old man… I heard they ended up exilin' him… I don't even know if he's still alive…"

Lucia put a hand on Fen's shoulder. "Spirits… That's awful…"

Fen gave Lucia a serious look. "Really fucked me up, that's fer sure. I ended up sneakin' a few weapons outta tha place an' started pickin' fights in back alleys across tha district, just ta vent my anger. Ended up in Theophanies on my little blood path, an' wouldn't ya know it, I ran inta someone who gave me a new lease on life!"

"One of the Rossis?"

"Yep! So I was in a whole other district from home, halo up an' swingin' weapons at anyone who'd look at me funny, an' wouldn't ya know it, I get challenged by some kid only a coupla years older than me, no legs, in a fuckin' wheelchair!"

"Nico, you mean?"

"Tha very same! I remember laughin' my ass off, no way some kid with no legs could put up a good fight, right? Well tha moment we started fightin', he used his power, an' before I could even react, he jumped outta his wheelchair an' knocked my weapons right outta reach! So I tried ta use my power ta pull 'em closer, but they moved so slow that he ended up pinnin' me down before they even moved a few inches! An' I was movin' so slow myself, I couldn't even force him offa me!

"But that's not even tha best part! I gave up, an' ya wouldn't believe tha very next thing he said ta me! He said, an' I quote, 'Hey, ya have a real gift there. Why use it ta hurt people, when ya could be usin' it fer so much more?' No shit, it was like hearin' tha old man all over again!"

"So that's how you ended up joining Radiant Ring?"

"Exactly! Nico ended up bringin' me ta see his parents an' 'Dine, an' we ended up hittin' it off! Tha Rossis treated me almost like Nico's little brother, an' he an' 'Dine both ended up bein' like older siblings ta me! In time, tha Rossis set me up with that arena over in Talocan, an' tha rest is history!"

"Wow, I never would have guessed you went through all that! But I still can't get over you losing your mentor… Even after joining Radiant Ring, losing someone like that, I'm sorry, it must really suck…"

"Yeah…I still wonder about tha old man sometimes, ya know, if he's even still kickin'… Point is, I know what it's like ta lose someone ta tha CCA's raids. Fuckin' bullshit that Azel's gonna have ta put up with that, an' even worse that he's not tha only one!"

Fen stared into Lucia's eyes before giving her a quick hug.

"Lucia, I, I don't wanna see ya get exiled. Yer one a tha best damn people I've ever met, ya know?"

"I… Thanks, Fen. But we'll be okay, right? We've still got the plan. And even if I have to end up on the run from the law, we'll still be able to stay together."

Lucia nuzzled Fen, and he responded by kissing her.

"Y-yeah, yer right… Just gotta keep our heads up, an' we'll get through this!"

Fen got up from the bench, and Lucia followed shortly after.

"Well, there's still plenty ta show ya around here, an' we definitely gotta get somethin' ta eat too! I swear, once ya've had a taste a some real Kojikan cookin', yer gonna be hooked!"

"That sounds amazing, let's get going, then!"

With one more exchange of nuzzling and kissing, Lucia and Fen continued their date. Both of them enjoyed everything Kojiki had to offer, finding happiness in each others' presence the whole time.

—

Detective Banks knocked on the door to Lieutenant Barlow's office. After a moment waiting for a response, he let himself in. Barlow was sitting at his desk as usual, lazily looking over paperwork to be filed for his next trip to the CCA's main office.

"Hey, Jay," Banks spoke up, drawing Barlow's attention away from his work. "Brought some donuts to share."

"Oh. Hey Mar. Sorry, but could you just go ahead and leave the box there? Not really in the mood to talk right now."

"Oh, no, Jay, you're not getting rid of me that easily. We're gonna have a little talk about this, whether you like it or not!"

Banks took a seat in front of Barlow's desk, dropping the box of donuts down in front of him.

"Mar… Damn it, maybe you're right…"

"Of course I'm right, I can see when my best friend needs someone to talk to! You still haven't gotten over that last flashback, have you?"

Barlow shrugged and reached into the box of donuts, pulling one out. "No, it's… how do I say this… You ever feel like everything you've ever known about yourself is a lie, Mar?"

Banks blinked. "Can't really say that I have. Is that what this is about?"

"Yeah," Barlow said in between bites of the donut. "That's the sort of thing I've been dealing with. All this stuff, it's been in my head since I had that flashback a couple of days ago. I can't really tell you what it was, but it's got me thinking about my whole life…"

"Well, it couldn't have been that bad, right Jay? And even if it was, like you said, it's all in your head! What if none of it's even really true?"

"I've been thinking about that, but it's too hard of a feeling to shake. Honestly, it might still take a while for me to get back to my old self…"

"Well, maybe this'll help get you out of that funk. We've been making some real progress on the Atrox case. Ciella- Officer Holt, that is, ended up finding out a whole lot from following that lead on the Luxmyn family, and I was planning on heading over to the Hall of Records in Theophanies to see what else there is to find there!"

Barlow perked up slightly. "Huh, guess those leads really were worth something… Well, best of luck to you, Mar. Wish I could be happier about it, but, well, you know…"

"Hey, don't think I didn't notice that little smile there, Jay! We'll get to the bottom of this case, and once we take care of Atrox, I swear you'll be back to your old self in no time!"

"I really hope so, Mar. I really hope so…"

Banks smiled. "Well, I'm off! And Jay, we all care about you. Don't just shut us out when you start feeling like this, man."

"Right. Thanks, Mar."

"Any time, Jay."

Banks gave a salute to Barlow and turned to leave the office. As the door closed behind him, he heard Barlow mutter something about a power user, then rationalized he must have been talking to himself about Atrox. Putting that thought aside, he started heading for the district tower to make his way to the Sacrare Hall of Records.

After a short trip by watercar following the telepad, Banks found himself in the part of Theophanies where the Hall of Records was located. Passing along the stone paved streets, he eventually arrived at the old yet impressive building that housed the Hall, and pulled one of its doors open to let himself inside.

Once inside, Banks took a short look around the much darker environment he found himself in. Across the lobby from him, a coyote boy sat in a wheelchair behind a simple wooden desk. The boy perked up as he saw Banks, and called him over.

"Hey, welcome to the Hall of Records! I don't think we had any appointments today, did you want to schedule one?"

"Um, no thanks. I'm actually a detective for the CRPD, looking into a case. Does someone named Lucia Santoro work here?"

The boy's face fell slightly. "Oh… Lucia… Thing is, she ended up resigning not too long ago, just this morning actually…"

Banks's face fell. "Oh, really? Damn, I was hoping that I could speak with her…"

"Maybe you could ask Mr. Cato! I bet he'd have something to say about her!"

"Hm, maybe you're right. Couldn't hurt to find out, anyway."

"His office is just down that hallway!" The boy said, smiling as he pointed. "I'm Nico, by the way!"

"Nico, huh? Well, thanks for the help."

Banks gave a friendly wave to Nico, then headed down the hallway he pointed out. In time, he came to an office door, and knocked on it before entering. Inside the lightly decorated office, a tall, older barn owl man sat poring through documents on his desk. He raised his head as Banks made his way into the office.

"A guest? Master Rossi must have shown you in. Did you need something?"

"Yes, sir. You're Mr. Cato, yes?"

"That I am. Now, did you need something?"

"Well, sir, I'm Detective Marlon Banks of the Central Ruskol Police Department, looking into a power use case that led me here. Someone named Lucia Santoro used to work here, is that right?"

"Miss Santoro? Yes, up until this morning, when she announced her resignation. A shame too, she was one of our finest workers. But why is she important to a power use case of all things?"

"Well, Mr. Cato, we have reason to believe that Santoro is involved with the main suspect in the case, a power user who goes by the name Atrox. Do you know anything about that?"

"A power user… Spirits, Miss Santoro. Just what did you get yourself into…" Cato took a moment to shake his head. "Well, Detective, I can't say much about this Atrox person, but there may be something in the appointment records that could help. It would be easier to access them from the data-scroll in the lobby, if you'd care to head back there with me."

Banks nodded. "Of course, sir, and thank you. This could end up going a long way in the investigation!"

Cato nodded slowly and pulled himself out of his seat. He and Banks started making their way back to the lobby, with Banks asking more questions as they went.

"So, did you notice anything strange about Santoro's behavior before she resigned?"

"Well, Miss Santoro had been appearing listless through the week as of late, only really showing any energy on Saturdays. She mentioned having plans on those days, though I never suspected anything untoward of her."

"I see. And did she say anything out of the ordinary, anything she wouldn't usually say?"

"Well, I'm not sure if it would be unusual, but Miss Santoro did bring up doubts about the laws against power use. To think she'd be associating with a power user though…"

"I guess you never really know someone, right?"

Cato huffed. "I'd like to think I knew Miss Santoro well enough. But enough of that, we're here."

He walked over to where Nico was sitting and started speaking to his coworker.

"Master Rossi, Detective Banks here has been investigating a case that Miss Santoro has been involved in. Could you bring up the appointment records for us to look through?"

Banks nodded. "We're looking for someone named Atrox, I'm pretty sure he was here at some point."

"Okay, Atrox, then! Let's see…"

Nico began typing on the data-scroll, and soon enough a short list of names came up. He quickly found the name "Atrox" on the list, and pulled the file open.

"Okay, so that's… Hazel Atrox? Is that right?"

"I think so, what does it say about his appointment?"

"Well, looks like he went through the old scrolls a few weeks ago. That was a while back, before I was even working here!"

"Old scrolls, huh? There wouldn't happen to have been anything about the war with Serapeum in there, would there?"

Cato stiffened. "Detective Banks, I'm almost offended you felt the need to ask. One of the greatest holy wars ever fought in recorded history, and you think we wouldn't have scrolls pertaining to it in Sacrare's Hall of Records?"

Banks blushed. "Ah, right. Kind of a stupid question now that I think about it. But that lines up with what we knew about Atrox! Guy put on a show about the war with Serapeum just about… a week after the appointment, if I'm reading that right!"

"A show? That sounds pretty cool!"

"Kid, I'd hardly think a show where a guy used a power is very cool at all! My best friend lost his family to someone using their power!"

Nico sagged. "I… I'm sorry. That wasn't very considerate of me…"

"Hey, don't beat yourself up, kid! It's not like you could've known!"

"Oh, ah, thanks. But that means this Atrox guy's a power user? And you think Lucia went off to see his shows? Is that why she's important to your case?"

Banks nodded. "Exactly. And given what one of my fellow officers told me, it seems Atrox has a bit of a silver tongue, too. Convinced a girl from Sabbaton to get involved with his shows, and I wouldn't be surprised if he did the same with Santoro!"

"Well," Cato said, "that would explain quite a lot. If Miss Santoro had been charmed by this Atrox boy, it's not much of a surprise that her mood would be swayed in such a way. I hope this proves useful to your investigation, Detective. And if you end up finding Miss Santoro in Atrox's company, might I ask that you be gentle with her? Seeing as she's likely been tempted by him, I don't believe that she's truly done any harm."

"Yeah," Nico added, "Lucia always seemed so friendly, I don't think she's actually a bad person!"

"I," Banks began, then paused as he considered what Cato and Nico said.

If Santoro really ends up being innocent in all this, is the CCA even going to care?

"I'll see if I can persuade the CCA to go easy on her. I'm not sure how much I can promise though."

"That… I suppose there's not much more I could ask for. Thank you for being honest, Detective."

"Of course, sir. Well, this has been pretty eye-opening for me, I think I have a better profile of just who Hazel Atrox really is now. Hopefully with the help you two provided, we'll be able to bring him to justice and make Anduruna a safer place for everyone!"

With that said, and with a few more goodbyes, Banks left the Hall of Records. As he started making the trip back to Ruskol, he went through everything he found from the trip in his head.

Hazel Atrox… Seems to me that he's great at getting people on his side… Santoro and Luxmyn ended up falling for him, anyway, and who even knows who else?

Someone like that putting on shows arguing against the powers ban could end up being a real problem… A problem that, once we solve it, will give Jay something to be happy about, and clean Anduruna up to boot!

Jay… we're close now… This renegade power user… We'll get him for sure… I'll never let what happened to you happen to anyone else… No one deserves that kind of suffering…

Never again…