The officer who resembled a bear was right now standing behind a woman whose aura was making everyone around her have a hard time breathing.
Even though she was restraining herself, some of it still leaked out from time to time.
Her name was Ashley Blackheart. She was a S Rank awakened and one of the most powerful officers of SFD.
The Norrington incident had created massive outrage among the higher authorities of the Federation.
Hence they immediately dispatched Ashley to handle the situation.
"Is that all?"
"Yes ma'am. All the testimonies we have gotten so far clearly mean Damian Alaric was acting alone."
Brian Oleaf, the officer with the bear-like physique was the one briefing Ashley after she arrived.
"Any criminal records on him?" Officer Blackheart asked Brian Oleaf once she heard everything.
"None."
"Hmmm."
Ashley was suspicious about the past of Damian Valcor.
The way the dead bodies were found and the testimonies all indicated that the ways used by him were far too practiced and criminal in nature.
"Is the CCTV footage ready yet?"
"Yes ma'am. Just one second." Brian gestured towards his subordinates who started playing the videos from all cameras on a large screen.
And then the horror of Damian was revealed.
All the SFD Officers gathered were watching the videos intensely.
They played everything in slow motion, captured each angle, each fight, each kill… and each moment where Damian escaped from the clutches of death.
Hushed whispers rang among the crowd.
Surprised! Awed!.... Scared!!!
This was just a 15 year old kid.
A kid who hadn't even joined an academy.
None among those present could replicate the same results if they were in his position.
It was just too perfect.
The main thing about Damian was not his power, stats or skills.
Nor was it his ruthlessness.
It was the way he fought!
"... He used everything as a weapon."
"I can't believe he made his first kill with just some damn keys…"
"... So ruthless… he kept stabbing till the man stopped moving."
"No matter how I see it… this is clearly not his first time killing someone."
Hearing the conversations happening among their subordinates, Ashley and Brian meaningful exchanged glances.
Clearly they had also come to the same conclusions from the videos.
The videos kept playing till they saw Damian making a mistake for the first time and showing some emotion.
"That's his sister's classroom… "
Hearing Brian say that, Ashley understood what happened.
'So… he is not a complete psycho, he still has emotions for his family members.'
Then the video shifted to the torture of the terrorist who took advantage of Damian's momentary lapse of focus.
At this point, even many officers started feeling uncomfortable with the amount of gore.
They saw how he tortured the man and then took information out of him.
"Motivated by logic and reasoning… Every action he took, instilled a sense of fear in the enemy.
No questions were asked by Damian at first. He made the enemy helpless, somehow made it seem like his life had no value.
Driven by desperation, the enemy provided information, albeit it being slightly false… trying to show his value.
He wrote everything down, in the hope he will be left alive to be made further use of later."
Ashley kept profiling Damian as she kept watching the footage.
A profiler was at her side, writing everything down.
"... Classic interrogation tactics taught in the SFD."
Brian pitched in. And all officers present nodded. They had learned many tactics in SFD.
But they couldn't implement them on humans. These tactics were meant to be used on monsters.
Soon they saw Damian cut the terrorist's head off with no change in his expression.
Ashley was starting to realize…she didn't like this kid.
All the behavior and ways Damian used were criminal through and through.
Then the footage showed how he killed the terrorists gathered in the seminar hall.
And soon they saw the horrifying way the footage ended.
No one spoke anything.
They already knew what was going to happen.
They had seen the condition of the half-dead leader of the terrorists.
Ashley's face was a mixture of many emotions.
She took in a shuddering breath, trying to calm her emotions.
Then she alongside all others looked inside the room where the culprit of all this sat… sleeping.
'Never mind… he is a pyscho…'
Looking at the officers who couldn't keep their composure, she moved her gaze to Brian.
"Let's go meet with him. His father also doesn't seem to be a simple man.
We can't keep him for long."
Brian nodded with a solemn face.
He remembered clearly how he was completely immobilized by that man when he put his hand on his shoulder.
****
While the officers were busy profiling Damian and taking testimonies.
Damian had long gone since entered a dream in his sleep.
In the dream, he saw two small children in a dark alley.
They looked malnourished and were fighting with rats for food.
The older one amongst the two managed to snatch the food from a rat and handed it to the younger one.
"Eat it."
Looking at the smile on the face of the older one, the younger one also smiled and started eating.
Damian saw everything. He who had everything from his childhood could not help but feel… sad.
He saw how the older kid sneakily picked up dirt from the ground and ate it in one gulp to make his stomach full.
Days passed, then one day, a rich man came to the alley with his bodyguards.
"Let's have fun with this one here. Fits my taste completely… hehehe."
The rich man laughed as he ordered his men to bring the older kid to him and throw the younger one to the side.
He then took out his knife and started to have his 'fun'.
He took out the eyes of the older kid as he kept on begging the man for mercy.
Then he cut off his tongue and threw it aside.
Then came the ears and tendons.
Damian was horrified. All of this matched his own actions that he had just performed.
'How is this possible?... What is this dream? Who are these kids… And how did I end up using the same methods as this man?!?'
'I clearly acted based on my knowledge of the human anatomy I read in class… I wanted to inflict as much pain as possible to my enemies.'
'It is just a coincidence…'
As all these thoughts were going on in his mind.
His emotions became more and more complex as he watched the kid get tortured and murdered.
He felt uncomfortable.
All of this was happening to a child who looked no older than six.
As the rich man had his fun, he alongside his bodyguards drove their car away, leaving both the kids alone.
The younger kid watched all this happen while crying and shouting.
He was probably 3 years old and didn't understand what was happening.
But he saw how his brother was in pain.
He came closer to where his big brother was.
'Bwother!!! Why you not move?!? Why that man hit you?!
Don't cwy.
It's awlight. I'm hwere noww.'
Looking at the kid saying all this. Damian's eyes were filled with tears.
He could not describe how he felt right now as the dots were starting to connect in his mind.
The older kid heard the voice of his little brother and raised his right hand with no fingers left.
He tried to reach out. He tried feeling his dear brother for the last time.
With no eyes, he could not see him.
With no tongue, he could not talk with him.
With no fingers, he could not comfort him.
'Aisio, schay aiive. Ive happiiy. Gee power. Gee moiiie… I yow-' (Alessio, stay alive. Live happily. Get power. Get money… I love-)
The younger kid didn't understand much of what was said. He only heard one word correctly…
Power!!!
Damian understood everything. Tears were already pouring down his cheeks.
He came closer to the younger kid and saw his face clearly for the first time.
"... It's me."