''All of what has been going on must be taxing for both of you. The dinner has been served by now. You should all join the others,'' Camilla said, cleaning the lab.
But while doing so, her eyes stopped on a picture of a little girl. Perfectly stored in a glass portrait, it stood prominently in sight, as if placed as a reminder for her.
'This must be her daughter,' Kairo figured out. But he didn't probe further. He too was starting to get hungry and clumsy. Although the submarine was as stable as land, it still felt strange for Kairo to be in here.
Sometimes it would rock back and forth as it moved, adding to this disturbing feeling.
''I can still walk on my own, Kairo. No need to look at me with those eyes,'' Nyx said, jumping back to her feet. The energy in her voice beaming like usual.
''I wasn't looking at you,'' Kairo said, walking away.
''It doesn't disturb me, you know. After all, we are together now. I guess it's just normal. If you can't take your eyes away… I just find it slightly uncomfortable with these marks on my neck,'' she said with a slightly frustrated expression, her finger always on her neck as if she could remove the dead mark just by touching it.
''Yeah, we are indeed together now,'' Kairo tilted his eyes back to the front. He wasn't exactly looking at her, but at the marks on her neck. They had started growing, and since she couldn't see them, she still believed they had stayed the same.
''Everything will be fine. The only danger here are the prisoners. As long as we stay away from them, we will be okay,'' he said.
The cafeteria on the second floor was partially full at the time. Unlike the one at headquarters, it was pretty small, with the tables close to each other in circles.
Kairo and Nyx picked a table near the hub locks.
From here, Kairo could literally peek at the vast ocean just to the side. 'Looks like some sort of wild current,' Kairo noticed.
The submarine was transported by a moving tornado that soared through the area at incredible speed. Still, the submarine was calm as clear water. Clearly, Camilla and the engineers had done an incredible job.
''Kairo, I took a look at the reports of the other prisoners and read through their files. Some of their abilities are incredible, I must admit. This could be useful if we had to somehow contain them in an emergency,'' Nyx said.
Kairo flashed a brilliant smile. 'She doesn't let herself be completely destabilized by the dead mark. Reading through those files certainly helps her stay alert, and might be quite useful too,' Kairo thought. If it was him, he dared not think how he would react—knowing a single cut could end his life.
''Kairo Veyne? Is Kairo Veyne in here?'' an officer rushed into the cafeteria. His breathing was all clumsy, like he had been running all the way.
''Any problem?'' Kairo stood up in a hurry.
'The last time someone looked for me in a cafeteria, I got almost arrested. This is why I never like these crowded places,' Kairo felt like he was going to start avoiding this place.
''You are from the investigation department, right?'' the officer asked, with great strain.
''Someone has been murdered,'' the officer said.
It was like the temperature in the cafeteria had suddenly dropped to zero degrees. The happy clinking of spoons and forks on plates suddenly slowed down as everyone turned to look at the officer who was talking.
''Lead the way. Nyx, let's go,'' Kairo said without a single thought. Although he was hungry, the hunger had suddenly vanished.
This was because if a murder was committed on the submarine—knowing there was no other way to get to this place—then, 'there is a traitor on board,' he thought.
''I don't know what exactly happened, but when we went for our round of patrol, we found an officer basking in his own blood near the third level,'' the officer explained.
"How can you be certain it's a murder? Might be an accident. Calling it murder out loud like this was very stupid and unthoughtful. Even if it wasn't the case, suspicion and fear have been brought into the hearts of the officers. This will be bad for our teamwork," Nyx said, following after them.
Listening to Nyx, Kairo took another furtive glance at the officer who had delivered the news.
'Could it be panic? No, I doubt it .A three-star officer—blood isn't something new to any of them. Still, not everyone gets used to seeing blood.'
Kairo had his own suspicions, but it was clearly not enough to imply anything.
A few minutes later, the trio arrived at a staircase—this was where the separation between the levels was. Downstairs was an immense metallic door that could be opened only with the imprint of the Donsentos or Danzan, leading to the third level where the grade four criminals were held captive.
Kairo immediately noticed the two leaders already on the spot, both observing the macabre scene with cold detachment.
The officer lay on his back with his hands spread outward, like he had been knocked from behind. On him were a series of burn marks all over his body, with the blood spreading outward in a circle.
"This still looks fresh. He didn't die long ago," Kairo said.
"The killer was strong enough to kill a three-star officer in one hit. This isn't something anyone can do. He is tall, imposing, extremely skilled, and has a good understanding of our movements on the ship," Danzan started speaking, all while just looking at the corpse as if he could talk to it.
'This is the first time I see Danzan like this. How can he deduce all of that just from these little details?'
"If the killer was so skilled, then it would be extremely stupid to leave this so open and wide. A silent and clean execution would have been much more effective. He would have taken us one by one until the moment someone noticed—it would have been pretty late. So why expose himself so vulgarly?" Kairo asked.
There was no need to be a genius to know a silent execution would be ideal on this submarine.
"This sounds really complicated. Might be the killer wants to show his strength, and that he doesn't fear us. If it is the case, I'm going to find him and crush him so badly he'll regret not striking at me first," Donsentos balled his fist.
"No. If it was a display of power, there would be no need to hide. If he was confident enough to kill us all, we wouldn't be standing here," Nyx said with cold detachment, her words attracting the attention of all the males around.
On board, there were just two of them with Camilla. Yet Nyx wasn't the type who feared to voice her opinion.
'She could even defy Mirelle Dorothy. No wonder she speaks without care,' Kairo thought.
"Even more disturbing is one thing. Given this was the first execution, would it not have been smarter to strike at someone of the level of Danzan or Donsentos? They are the strongest on board. No matter how we think of it, taking one of them out would have evened the ground. Why a simple three-star officer?" This was the question that ate at Kairo's attention, and he was certain the answer behind it would explain all the incoherence surrounding this murder.
"Why do you look at me, mushroom? I am an Inquisitor. My job is to handle criminals. You both investigate this nonsense. Once you find the culprit, wait for me. I will be the first to break his head," Donsentos said and walked away.
"Does anyone have a card that can summon thunder or electricity on board?" Before they left, Danzan suddenly asked.
One after another, the officers shook their heads.
"From the files I read, only Donsentos has the Guilty Matrix who can summon lightning," Nyx said.
"If we examine carefully the marks on the body, I can bet my life it is lightning," Danzan crouched, touching the corpse as he pointed it out.
The entire group went silent instantly, Kairo's expression shifting to Danzan, the corpse, and Donsentos. What the hell was going on?