Simon had awoken just a few minutes ago, and the first task he did was check his phone. Silas's file was not important to him; he knew far too much about him already.
The next file on the list, though, took him by surprise.
"Elliot Grayson?"
The person that Nocturne had asked him to kill was on his squad? Simon jolted up at this and immediately opened it.
He studied the man's photo. The man had heterochromatic eyes; his left eye was a rotten gold, and the other an emerald green.
Additionally, he was wearing the same uniform as Simon, but wore a red tie to match his short scarlet hair.
He held his gaze through the picture for a while, the glow from the screen instantly feeling harsher. Simon hesitated for a moment; this greatly put him at unease.
If Elliot was some type of informant for Project Icarus, or even a member — they knew more about Simon due to Elliot. To think that this organization had already dipped its hands this far into the bureau's system, they were crazy!
Simon scrolled through the file carefully and drew a few conclusions. Elliot virtually did not exist before 2020, and the bureau took note of this.
This was because Elliot was a captured criminal turned officer.
This made Simon believe that the bureau knew he was a double agent — but what did they benefit from keeping him? There was a possibility that the Attack Force was closely watching him.
(This would make the most sense; it would be a reason for Project Icarus to get rid of him.)
Even still, other things might have been at fault. Maybe he told them useless information, led them astray. However, with how strict his encounter was with Nocturne, he didn't believe they would let this happen.
As for how Elliot was captured, it was far too easy in Simon's eyes. According to the file, he had failed a ritual that was placed around Heaven — but who was dumb enough to do this?
With how clean Elliot's history was before this, Simon refused to believe this wasn't purposeful. On top of this, anyone with a brain knew there was a barrier that protected Heaven from rituals.
Simon looked deeper into the ritual that Elliot had attempted, but he was not very familiar with these. He was a detective, not part of the Science Team.
However, the elements he was familiar with were Louge Gas and Sulfrix. When used together, these two would try and bind an input, but it only made him struggle longer.
(Hmm... Maybe I should come back to this. Alina is on the Science Team; I'm sure Evelyn can get me to talk to her.)
He needed to push this matter aside anyway. He had learned about why Elliot was on his squad, but he knew nothing about him. So, he turned to the next page.
From this, he found out the basic information about himself. He was twenty years old, left-handed, and most importantly, his Signature.
This would be the most useful to him; if Simon had to fight, it would be better to know his abilities.
Elliot's Signature was "Stillframe." This was the ability to trap anything in time for a total of eight seconds. Of course, with Elliot's A-rank talent, Simon suspected it was longer.
He did have reasons to hide his true strength after all, he was working with other Bedeviled. With him increasing their plague, it was only natural for him to lie.
(Idiotic. These lies are like glass — fragile and see-through.)
Simon had collected enough information about Elliot, and his fifteen minutes were up. However, Simon now understood why Project Icarus intended to get rid of him.
He was filled with arrogance and stupidity; it was a miracle the bureau wasn't inside their operation already. Getting rid of him would not be as simple, though... Simon needed to take his time to figure out how to dispose of him.
With this out of the way, he continued his usual routine around the supermarket. This included the necessities, everything a human would need to live.
Along with this, he made sure to keep track of how much food was left. They still had over a month's worth, but in terms of food that actually tasted edible, it was around three days' worth.
With his round-up of the supermarket complete, he checked the notes Leo left behind.
"Hm?"
Simon quickly inspected the first one that caught his interest. They had found an entity during surveillance in the morning, which caught Simon by surprise.
(This must be what created this world!) He was quick to think.
Jör was only in this world because she was transported while it was being built. Along with this, Simon saw dozens of entities attempt to enter this world, and this is where the rain of this world comes from.
Simon quickly rounded up his things, setting out north immediately. He even began to force his spiritual energy into his daggers to double his speed.
It had already been five hours since this note was written; he had to find this entity quickly! If it were willing to make a contract with him, his plans would advance by at least three years!
His base instincts had gotten the better of him. Control and Power, these were what humans strived for. However, his desire for these was not temporary, but permanent.
When he arrived at the area Leo had described, it began to rain again. Simon flicked his hair out of his face, panting heavily as he looked up at the building.
However, instead of finding Saber, what he found was a mark — the mark of Project Icarus.
That exact bird's skull he had seen earlier.
Did they already beat him to this? Or were they just trying to claim more territory?
This question wouldn't be answered, though, as when Simon turned his head to the right, he saw that same uniform Nocturne bore.
However, this time, it was a man. Simon could see his face clearly; he had short, wavy white hair, with a slight blue hue at its ends. Atop his head, there was a crown of red stars that beautifully contradicted his ocean blue eyes.
He and Simon gazed at each other for a little over three seconds, a frustrated look in his eyes.
Without saying a single word, the man ran away as if nothing had happened. Simon knew this was too easy; he wanted him to chase... So he didn't.
(He clearly has nothing to show, and nothing has changed past Leo's note. Sigh. The entity is gone...)
Simon began to walk the other way until a sound ripped through the air.
Bang!