"I, no, there's just no way that—"
"How could they ever be my friend when I killed their parents!?"
Those words of the past stopped Aion from finishing his attempt at a declaration on Luna's innocence.
Although her claim had been in relation to Aira and Aria's parents, she had claimed she was a murderer.
At the end of the day, Aion knew not of how far Luna's alleged sins stretched over this town.
He felt sick.
Like he was going to vomit out everything inside him until he was left as an empty husk.
Perhaps that would be better, being something that was nothing at the same time. Avoiding the weight of thought. Avoiding the weight of judgement. Avoiding the weight of feeling.
Avoiding the weight of being.
Aion thought he heard Aira and Sam, but he couldn't quite tell.
It was like his senses were melding and clashing into harmony and dissonance, leaving him completely lost like a newborn.
Even the sensation of his fingertips was numb, like it was fading away, leaving him with nothing as he fell deeper and deeper into the pit that was swallowing his resolve and heart.
However, despite this, Aion took a breath.
When thinking rationally, Aion knew that even if Luna had been the alleged killer and she too admits to it, there clearly was something that had happened that exonerated her from punishment.
Furthermore, even if she did so happen to be the true culprit behind those killings of the past, Luna should have no way of being involved in the killings of the Magnatium Manor. If Aion's original supposition was correct, the culprit lay amongst the dead of the last loop, in an attempt to bury the truth to never be dredged up to the light of day.
"I know you are quite fond of her." Aira had apparently decided to continue speaking. "However, I believe it'd be best for you to know the truth; after all, you wish to end your thoughts on the murder of the Mrs., yes?"
Aion looked deeply into Aira's eyes; although covered somewhat by bangs, he could see a deep-seated resentment filling them. Of course, it wasn't that surprising. Aira fully believed that her parents had been murdered by Luna.
"Sorry, I lost my cool for a second," Aion said with a self-derisive laugh.
Sam's eyes widened and his mouth fell a little open when he saw that.
"The truth of the matter is, whether Luna actually did or not does not matter. I mean, even if we're ignoring the impossibility of an eight-year-old girl committing such murders, Luna Amaryllis is not the murderer here."
"The impossibility…? Ah, well, I suppose that isn't crazy to say," Aira said.
"Hm?" Aion raised an eyebrow. "I mean, I've seen her. She isn't exactly smart or strong, and even then, she was eight. And since we can ignore a physically difficult crime style, that really eliminates the two major and conventional options: a complex and intelligently elaborate one or a physical altercation. After all, to my knowledge, there's a lowball of four victims; it just seems way too unlikely to have been performed by an eight-year-old."
Aira stared at Aion's eyes, something flickering within those covered eyes, but he couldn't quite tell what it was.
"Sir, Luna Amaryllis is…" Aira trailed off.
"Look, it's a scapegoat thing," Sam interjected. "Magna needed something to blame for the unfortunate accident, and Luna happened to be in the best position for that."
"The best position was a child?"
"..." Sam didn't offer anything else, choosing to avert his eyes from adding anything more.
"I believe discussing it won't be all that much more insightful, sir…" Aira said.
"Weren't you the one blaming her?"
"Yes…but I highly doubt she is the culprit in this case like you said. Luna, she doesn't have any way to access the Magnatium Manor, so ultimately considering her sins from so long ago is a pointless endeavor."
"I'd rather not just accept the narrative you claim exists."
"I can understand that. However, I am merely trying to get you to focus on the case instead. I'd rather the discussions be dried up than continue off on some tangent that leads nowhere."
Aion sighed. Ultimately, he wasn't going to convince Aira that Luna wasn't the culprit. To her, Luna killed her family, so simply forgiving such a heinous act would be impossible for most people. So he couldn't give her too much flack. At the end of the day, it was just grieving, even if she was slandering someone else.
Of course, is it slander if that's the narrative Magna chose?
Aion couldn't quite say. It's like if someone were accused of cheating on a romantic partner, even if there was no evidence, more than likely the belief would start becoming the normal perspective among everyone. After all, people are more likely to sympathize with a clear victim. And thus vilify the "victimizer." Looking at it that way, Aira likely wasn't the one who came up with the tale in the first place. After all, she would've been around eight at the time. So if, all her life since then, she's been told Luna is the murderer, is that crazy and wrong to believe that?
Of course, ethically speaking, Aira wasn't in the right. But socially she absolutely was. Especially in an environment that treats Luna like she is. Being a detractor like Sam was probably on the rarer end.
"Fine, I suppose that isn't an unfair thing to say. We did start this argumentation with me in mind after all," Aion said, his voice housing a twinge of disappointment that both seemed to pick up on.
"Sir, if I may be frank…" Aira trailed off and looked intently into Aion's eyes.
"...Go ahead…"
"Luna, no, rather, I know you are rather fond of Luna. But I believe you should get to know someone more before being fond of them. You've only known her for a week. It's not like you've known her as long as Sam or I."
"Aira," Sam began. "I don't think that's fair. I mean, I'm against the narrative that Luna was the culprit in the tragedy.
"I know you are, but don't you see? Mr. Belial is choosing to trust in someone he barely knows."
"...Even if he didn't know her for long, is it so wrong to doubt that narrative?"
Aira's expression tightened before saying, "I…suppose that isn't wrong. But that's not what I'm getting at. To trust someone so easily, is it not dangerous in this environment? What if the killer tricks him?"
Aion snorted and said, "As if that could happen. Look, I may not be able to solve this case, but there's no way I could end up trusting a murderer."
"...You're quite confident in that, sir…" Aira said with a look of doubt.
"Aion, I think you're taking it a little too lightly," Sam warned. "I mean, I never would've imagined anyone here would murder anyone, and I've known them all for so long. But still…"
Aion's mouth tightened a little, and he realized that was probably it. The reason Sam was so adamant about Luna not being the culprit of the tragedy twelve years ago. Furthermore, it's probably the reason why he didn't like him looking into it, since that meant suspecting people he couldn't imagine were possible culprits.
That belief was naive. But it was one that Aion couldn't help but admire.
Yes, Aion could only smile and say, "That sentiment is nice; no, it is beautiful."
Sam's eyes widened a little and Aira reacted in turn. Apparently that reaction wasn't something either had anticipated.
"Aion…you…" Sam was lost for words, and he went silent.
"Look, I'm sure as the night goes, I'll be right."
"Huh?"
Aion said nothing more and scanned the room, searching for nothing in particular. All he saw was Alphonse staring, but when Aion locked eyes with him, he averted his gaze.
Perhaps Alphonse was interested in how Aion would continue acting. For whatever reason in this loop Alphonse seemed interested in him.
"..." Aion's eyes narrowed.
He hadn't considered it before, but Alphonse being interested in him, that's the most drastic change out of everyone.
"Well, I'm sure if we ever faced each other again, you won't deal with me going easy on you anymore. And when that happens, I'll be sure to savor your defeat."
He said that, didn't he? That was what he said near the end of the first loop. Was he being paranoid? Was he overthinking it? Or was he just creating a convenient answer to something bothering him?
If he was right, and that was a huge if in Aion's head, the original work, Crystal Machinations, would be far different than he initially thought.
I mean, Aion thought, is that really the case? Could he…really be looping along with me?
Looking at it for a second, several things stand out. First off, Alphonse behaved significantly differently this loop compared to last. And sure, Luna did as well, but that was the direct result of behaving differently with her. And considering how mentally unstable that girl is, such a change resulting in that difference wasn't too out of the question.
But Alphonse's change couldn't possibly be explained simply by "acting differently." When Sam had mentioned that he was the Aion Belial that he'd told Alphosne about, his interest suddenly spiked. While in the original loop, he didn't seem to care. But even that seems like it's getting too hasty.
"Hey, Sam," Aion began.
"Hm?" Sam looked back at Aion. He seemed to have been staring at Aira for some reason.
"When you mentioned me to Alphonse originally, what did you say?"
"Huh? Oh that? Uh, just that you were someone I…uh…" Sam then got flustered and shook his head, saying, "This is way too embarrassing!"
"..."
"What's that look for? Does it matter that much?"
"Yes."
"Uh…? Okay then…?" Sam seemed confused by it, but he continued, "But fine, I just said how you seemed like a good person and I wanted to be…friends…"
"That's it?"
"What else would I say!?" Sam practically yelled that, attracting the attention of a few people. "Ah…"
Then why…
Aion shook his head. There was no point in considering that. So, instead, Aion made a choice. Ultimately he wasn't getting anywhere with anything that had been plaguing him.
"Huh? Where are you going?" Sam asked.
Aira looked bewildered but followed and asked, "Wait, does that mean you're done with—"
"I think I have a vague idea," Aion said.
"Huh?" Aira's eyes widened, and she couldn't seem to accept that since she continued with, "How? I can help narrow it down, so let's continue."
Aion gave her a smile, which caused her to freeze in place. That caused someone to bump into her.
"Huh? Oh, it's just a dumb maid. Watch where you're going next time," Juno snapped. "Seriously, what was the Magnatium household thinking of hiring someone as careless as you?"
Aira stood up and bowed an apology. She turned to where Aion was but noticed he hadn't noticed and was now in front of Alphonse. This caused quite the stir among everyone present, especially because of one thing.
That thing, or rather, that expression on his face caused Aira to stiffen.
Aion had an amused smile on his face, but it wasn't one that lightened the mood. Probably because it was so unbefitting of the situation, Aira and the rest of the people present could only stare, waiting for whatever Aion was scheming behind that face.
"Yo, Alphonse," Aion began. "I have a question for you."
"Aion Belial has a question for me? Now that's truly interesting. Go ahead," Alphonse said with a benevolent smile.
I guess I should paint a bit of a picture first," Aion mused. "You see, I'm a rather paranoid guy, you know? So this whole case has been really eating away at me. And I'd rather be in a place of comfort about it all, you know? I'm sure everyone here can agree, right?"
Despite the air Aion exuding being rather unpleasant, the guests and servants couldn't help but agree, a few even voicing that fact.
"So I wanted to ask, do you really think this is going to stop the killer?"
"What do you mean by that?"
"Well, the funny thing about poison is that any single one of us who has eaten any of the food or drunk any of the drinks is at risk of already being poisoned."
"Huh?" William let out a noise of a surprise, but soon fear crossed his face.
He wasn't the only one, of course. Several of the guests had already done that very thing, and it sent fear down every single one of them.
"What do you mean we're at risk!?" William yelled and rushed over to Aion.
Aion regarded him, barely, and said, "I imagine Agarus can confirm."
Agarus was singled out, and people turned toward him.
Aion, on the other hand, scanned the reactions of everyone present.
Aion had an idea. It wasn't anything damning, and it had a high chance of leading nowhere. But if his idea panned out…
Aion found what he was looking for, someone not staring at Agarus.
His idea wasn't based on anything concrete, but he figured that anyone not looking at Agarus (of course, excluding Agarus himself) more than likely had no concerns of being poisoned. Rather, their biggest concern would be someone else:
Me, Aion thought as his smirk widened. He almost laughed, but he couldn't; that drew attention to him.
In the current situation, Aion had exposed a hidden weapon that the killer had: the chance at already having victims selected. Thus, with that exposed, the killer would be concerned about what he was planning.
Of course, it wasn't a guarantee, but it was something to go off.
But there was one person looking right at him, and that person was Aria.
"Ah, well…that is true…" Agarus confirmed the situation causing an uproar.
In the confusion Aion slipped away from Alphonse and walked straight over to Aria.
"Huh? Aion? Do you need something?" Aria asked, confused.
"You didn't eat or drink anything at the party, did you?" Aion asked.
"Huh? Ah, well, yeah, you're right." Aria laughed. "I don't really believe I should do something like that on duty. Of course, none of the servants should've, but…"
"And yet…" Aion looked back at some of the panicking servants as they let out various lines and noises of distress.
Aria looked a little sad as she looked at Aira, who looked pale.
"You don't seem that concerned for Aira," Aion commented.
"Huh? Oh…well…I don't really think she would be poisoned…"
"Aria, I have a question."
"Hm? Go ahead!"
"Why were you staring at me when Agarus was put on the spot?"
"...Huh?"
Aion didn't really care about keeping it hidden; rather, his idea was something else.
"I'm just wondering, since even if you weren't necessarily at risk of being poisoned, isn't it odd to not look at who's the center of attention?"
Aria sighed and said, "Actually, I've been wanting to talk to you one on one."
"Me?"
"And that seemed like the perfect time since I noticed you were scanning the room. I think Alphonse picked up on that, but I think he had a bigger concern…"
"...That's why?"
"Yep!" Aria gave a bright and cheerful smile that looked completely void of any deceit or malice.
"..."
"What's wrong? Wait! Does that mean you were looking for the suspect—"
Aion covered Aria's mouth and whispered sharply, "Shut up! I don't want anyone possibly figuring that out. It could put them on higher guard."
Aion had probably already raised their guard with the stunt he pulled, but in this chaos, Aion basically allowed for the killer to act freely, meaning they could simply use a pin coated in poison or something small to quickly dispatch someone.
"Shit!" Aion cursed under his breath, and a panicked expression formed on his face.
He hadn't even considered that, he was too focused on such a small and stupid little plan that could only garner little to no information.
He quickly looked for Aira and Sam.
Aria pried herself out of Aion's grip and asked, "What's wrong?"
"I think I just put Aira and Sam at risk…"
"Huh?" Aria looked horrified and quickly also looked for (presumably) Aira.
Aira was looking around nervously and soon noticed Aion and Aria together, so she quickly came over.
"Sister and Mr. Belial, what are you two doing here?" Aira asked with a look of concern on her face.
Aion scanned Aira's body from head to toe, looking at all the exposed skin to see if he could spot a puncture or needle wound. But it probably would be too small.
"Sir…why are you looking at me like that…?" Aira asked with narrowed eyes.
"Nothing," Aion lied.
Soon he looked over at Sam, who had apparently gone to his family and was trying to calm them down.
Looking at the scene before him, Aion couldn't help but feel overwhelmed as he tried to keep track of everyone.
But soon, he noticed something.
"Esme is gone…" Aion mumbled.
"Esme?" Aria asked and looked around, her face growing pale.
Aira also looked bewildered and could only let out a noise of shock: "Huh?"
And then, "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
A scream sliced through the air as Aion saw someone collapse to the floor, violently coughing.
William Cornelius had been poisoned, and now, he was most assuredly going to die.