"Please, children! Behave yourselves!"
Luciana's firm tone made the little projects of human beings freeze before her intimidating presence.
As she adjusted the crayon between her fingers to write, her eyes drifted to the glass window, where she saw Alice staring at her with a look that said, "Can we talk?"
"Alright... children, behave, I'll be right back!"
Leaving the classroom, Lucy adjusted her hair bun and quickly asked,
"It's been a while, my friend. What brings you here?"
"Sorry to bother you at work, I'm just curious about Skyler."
"Hm? What about him?"
"He's a nice guy and all, but don't you feel something... dangerous when he's around?"
Crossing her arms, Lucy looked thoughtful for a few seconds.
"He himself is someone dangerous, but he's trustworthy. You don't need to worry."
"And what if... he's unwell? Wait, let me explain better: do you see any signs that he's depressed?"
"No, he doesn't show anything. Neither Vector nor I know what goes on in his head. We, as members of his group, simply obey and respect him."
"Doesn't he scare you?"
"He might give you a chill, but he's a good person. I understand that you, being new here, might suspect him. But I assure you, you can trust Skyler."
"Alright, good to know. I hope I didn't bother you."
"It's nothing, Alice. I'm your friend."
With a smile, she returned to the classroom, resuming command of the children. Alice left the school, opened her umbrella over her head, and stared at the spiraling "sky."
'I'd like to seek more answers, but I have other responsibilities.'
She sighed and walked toward her home.
***
Ferinish rested her hands on her knees, panting. Aurora stopped beside her, frowning.
"You seem more tired than usual. Maybe it's because of that little crush you had on Skyler Fogue?"
She teased. The warrior replied dryly,
"No, you idiot. I just didn't expect to find so many Renkai Creatures around here."
She sheathed her sword and vanished in the blink of an eye. Aurora climbed onto a robot, flying with it.
"She just can't understand the emotions she's feeling... poor thing."
Suddenly, she found herself in another part of the Inferius. Her robot... shut down? It crashed onto a tree that tried to swallow her.
"Don't even try!"
Her hand turned into a mechanical fist, firing a vibration that blew the tree into countless pieces.
As she hit the ground, her eyes widened at the scene before her.
"What the hell is this..."
A massive wooden structure, filled with Renkai Creatures being controlled by something in their brains, was slowly placing Renkatas into a warehouse nearby.
"This is... beautiful."
It was undeniable. She closed her eyes and, in an instant, turned invisible. She walked toward the warehouse, observing the minerals inside.
"Someone created this. It can't be real."
She looked at the demons with devices attached to their heads. Aurora raised her wrist, summoned a holographic screen, and tried to hack the systems.
***
Security system: intrusion attempt – denied.
***
"This damn security system..."
She tried again.
***
Security system: secondary intrusion – warning: if you persist, you will be hacked instead.
***
"Son of a bitch..."
She gave up, unwilling to take the risk.
"Whoever's behind this is smart enough to know that anyone could end up here due to Inferius instability. This place looks like some kind of... Renkata manufacturer? If this person intends to sell, they'll make a fortune."
Suddenly, a massive monkey-like creature with teeth on its cheeks emerged from the trees, charging at the scientist.
"Die!"
Before she could lift her hand, the Renkai Creature was reduced to ashes by several lasers fired from the devices on the other creatures' heads.
"... It's a shame I can't use my machines here."
As she approached her robot and touched it, she was teleported again.
***
Her mind remained infested with that memory, now an oddly pleasant one.
The dance.
The firm yet gentle touch.
The fluid, graceful movements.
It was too much for her to process.
When she came to her senses, she saw a giant demon trying to devour her with its massive mouth. Ferinish appeared, slicing and burning the creature from the inside out.
She leaned against a rock, deeply thoughtful. Her gaze got lost in that chaotic sky, filled with demons and horror.
'Why does that man feel so... familiar? As if I've met him before. I have to find him again.'
She thought...
"Ferinish!"
Returning to reality, she faced Aurora in front of her.
"What is it?"
"I discovered something pretty dangerous here in the Inferius. I want to show you."
Her tone was more serious than usual.
"Alright, let's go."
***
"This really is a beautiful piece of architecture."
She placed her hands on her hips, astonished. Aurora crossed her arms and nodded.
"Yeah. I'd like you to try opening it. I don't have the brute strength for that."
"What about your robots?"
"... They don't work here."
"..."
Ferinish approached the main door and kicked it hard.
Nothing.
"Wow..."
"It's a very sturdy door to withstand one of your kicks."
"Impressive."
She kept kicking it several times. The material began to crumble slowly, and with the final kick, she was thrown backward.
"Oh heavens, that was pure Renkata to resist that much."
Aurora covered her nose, avoiding the awful smell. Ferinish stepped inside, eyes widening.
"..."
"... This is sick..."
The room was simple yet horrifying: two rows of capsules containing people identified by name. They seemed alive but unconscious. The capsules were connected to transparent tubes carrying a red energy toward the center:
A massive machine that held the energy, glowing and pulsing from within.
"... Do you know what this is, Aurora?"
"I... this is Renkai Energy, but it's being extracted from ordinary people?"
She lifted her wrist device, scanning the names throughout the room.
"There's a pattern here: they're all the worst kinds of criminals. Murderers, abusers, traffickers... the worst humanity has to offer."
"Do they deserve such a fate?"
Ferinish asked.
"I don't know, but I'd love to ask whoever made this what the word 'ethics' means to them."
Aurora stepped closer to the capsules, analyzing.
"I'll make a quick theory: someone discovered that Renkai Energy exists in evil people, based on this criminal pattern. They kidnapped them and are using the energy from their bodies to power this massive machine, whose purpose I can't even begin to comprehend."
"But if this person uses Renkai Energy to power the machine, why not use something more reliable, like the Renkai Creatures themselves?"
"Well, I suppose this person saw an opportunity: eliminate scum from the streets and use them as an energy source... twisted, but genius."
Suddenly, one of the weaker bodies turned white, indicating the absence of red energy. It was shredded inside the machine, another unconscious man was placed in its spot, and the name changed automatically through a claw emerging from the wall.
"... And they've got plenty more to use."
***
It was nighttime. Alice was dressed in a black hoodie, black gloves, all black. She used a few tricks to sneak into the Renkata Well Used workshop, slowly opening the door.
She lay on the ground, blending perfectly into the darkness. She crawled for a while until she reached a room marked "Employees Only." But the only person who worked there was Skyler.
Inside, she saw several machines operating in the dark. On a table lay a journal. Curious, Alice began to read.
***
I infiltrated the "Marionte" prison in NeonyRain, wiped out most of the inmates, and took Vector Sybenkiosk, a man wrongly accused, to work with me. He's a good man, undeniably.
Paul Raigen... I remember that name. He's been a real headache, I admit. Incredibly strong, but a complete idiot cognitively, and extremely aggressive, he even tried to "touch" a new participant, Luciana Morgan, who was terrified, though I comforted her soon after.
Recently, recognizing his lack of usefulness beyond killing, I injected a considerable amount of Renkai Energy into his body. Of course, it made him more aggressive, but I needed to know how much of this powerful energy someone already cruel could handle...
Not much, as it turns out, since he exploded right in front of everyone, including the new participant, Alice Larywall, who seemed rather shaken by the brutal scene. I hope she recovers soon.
I failed a mission, and it makes me want to rip my own skin off and swallow it. Everyone is physically exhausted, completely worn out. I need to finish this mission alone.
I met a lady at a dinner; we danced, it was a gratifying experience, if I may be honest with myself. But my focus was elsewhere. I eliminated all members of the "Ten Hermanos" gang and kidnapped Alice's ex-husband so she could finally complete her revenge...
When I entered that room, even I didn't expect such violence. But seeing those empty eyes, as if they had lost all reason to live, was sadder than I could have imagined. I managed to help her. Everyone returned to their duties, and I must continue with my goals...
And I know you're curious, Alice Larywall. It wouldn't surprise me if you're reading this very journal right now.
***
"And I was right, wasn't I?"
As she turned, there he was, with a calm smile on his lips and gray eyes glowing in the darkness...
Skyler Fogue.