Aion didn't know what happened. He just found himself sitting in a chair with Alphonse, Aira, and Aria all present, each of them with varying expressions.
Aira tried to maintain composure, but her crossed arms that were being squeezed tightly by her hands told a different story.
Aria, with tears pouring down her face, looked at Aion like he was the most unfortunate soul in the world.
And Alphonse, who had a grim expression as he stared deeply into Aion's eyes.
"Huh? Where…what…?" Aion tried to figure out what was happening.
Although he'd seen their expressions, he had a confused expression because he didn't understand.
What didn't he understand?
He could tell that it was something important. But for some reason he couldn't think of what it was.
His brain felt like mush.
Hell, his limbs felt like they wouldn't respond.
"Aion…?" Aria was the first to speak. She quickly grabbed Aion's hands and said, "You're back, you're really back, right?"
"Huh?"
"Don't overwhelm him, Aria," Alphonse spoke, a tiny bit of relief in his eyes.
"Alphonse…?" Aion asked, dazed. "Why do you look so…ah…for some reason I can't think of the word…I'm sorry…"
The moment he said, 'I'm sorry,' he felt like he couldn't breathe; he grabbed his neck with his right hand as if touching it could make it better. But that seemed to only stress him out more. The thought of something around his neck made his head explode, and he began coughing violently.
It was like an asthma attack, one that he's experienced several times in his past, but he thought a brand new body like this wouldn't cause something like that.
Externally, he thought he felt people trying to do something, but internally none of it registered. All he saw was a dark room.
That's strange, isn't it? It's quite bright from the lunar eclipse, after all.
But despite that, it was so, so dark; it was suffocating to the point where he couldn't breathe.
He needed to let go of his neck, but he couldn't, and worse than that, he was remembering what happened.
He wanted to scream, but nothing came out.
Finally, he felt something hit him across the face, snapping him out of it.
In front of him stood Sam, who looked ready to cry and scream in rage. It appeared Sam had punched him.
"You idiot! You massive idiot! I told you!"
"Sam, don't blame him!" Alphonse hissed. "It's my fault. I didn't even consider the fact that with some of the servants dying, that room could be unlocked with the keys…if I had just thought of that!"
Alphonse tightened his fists until they grew white.
"No, it's my fault," Aria began while sobbing. "If I had just stayed with Aion the whole time then…! Hk!"
Aria broke down into uncontrollable sobbing.
"Sister…I…had noticed Aion leaving…but I didn't want to…" Aira said no more, her head hanging.
"Aira…"
"All of you shut up! Don't you see none of you even compare to what I've done!? I'm the one who dragged him here! He clearly wasn't ready for a party, and yet I selfishly dragged him into this! It's all my fault!" Sam slammed a fist down onto his leg.
For some reason, seeing all of this made Aion cry.
No, he supposed that it wasn't just some random reason. He knew why, but admitting something like that would be damning to his heart.
"Aion?" Sam asked.
"My bad, it's just…" Aion trailed off. "I'm glad."
Sam didn't seem like he understood. Even Alphonse didn't seem to understand his intention with what he said.
"So tell me, what's the situation?" Aion asked.
Perhaps he was a fool for advancing. No, he probably was. More than likely if anything else came along that could damage his heart, he'd probably break, or maybe he had a few more blows in him. It wasn't like he could read himself well enough in such a fragmented state.
The point was, Aion was about to snap. Even now his head was in pain as somewhere in the back of his head he occasionally heard those damned words.
But more than that, he was pissed.
"Aion, I want you to sit the rest of this out," Alphonse said.
"I agree." Sam immediately jumped onto the idea. "You've been sending yourself into misery over people you barely know. This is our problem."
"I also agree," Aria said, her tears subsiding. "I think…you've done enough…"
"I disagree with both of you," Aira spoke up. "I believe Mr. Belial can put an end to this. No, he's probably the only one who can."
"What do you mean?" Sam asked, irritation rising a little in his voice.
"Think about it for a moment. He's the only one who seems even remotely familiar with poison. Furthermore, he was on the second floor when that tragedy happened. The rest of us were on the first floor."
"...And you're saying that technically none of us can verify each other's alibis…?" Alphonse dropped that bombshell, which caused Aion's eyes to widen.
"Woah, none of you four are possible for this case. When Esme died, I had confirmation on all of your locations."
"I'm afraid to break it to you, Aion," Aria said. "But when I was with the young master and Sam, someone could've probably slipped out of the room and committed the murder while they were bombarding the young master. The situation was way too hectic to keep track of it all."
"You're kidding?"
Aria didn't say anymore. Clearly she didn't feel great about something like that.
"Okay, then how about looking at it this way: Alphonse is eliminated because both his parents and Esme were killed, and he was clearly seen during the time Esme was killed. Sam is eliminated because he'd have no way to even access poison. Aira is eliminated because she was with me at the time of Esme's death, and finally Aria was with Alphonse during Esme's death! See? It all works out!" Aion smiled at his reasoning, confident he was right.
"Aion…" Aria whispered, her expression looking like she felt guilty about something.
"What?"
Aion looked at each of the three, Alphonse bit his lip, Sam didn't even meet his gaze, and Aira was clutching her arms once again, rubbing them lightly.
"...Guys…?" Aion asked, his confident expression fading.
"Aion," Alphonse began. "I know this might be taken the wrong way, but…"
"But what?"
"Are you absolutely positive Esme died?"
"What? Of course, I checked the pulse!"
"Okay, then let me ask you this: Are you sure that was Esme?"
"Huh? What are you talking about? She had the same hair color and clothing, plus she looked like Esme."
"Aion, the body that Aira and you found was missing when we went back to look."
"What?"
"So…the unfortunate meaning behind that is that it could've been a body dressed up to look like Esme, and that means the alibi all of us had for that is erased in an instant."
"Huh?"
"I mean, if you think about it, everyone was in the game room but Aira and you. How could Esme have been murdered?"
"Woah woah woah woah!" Aion couldn't take the information in immediately. "I mean, come on, that's crazy! Right?"
Aion scanned the other three, but none of them protested. Of course Aion knew. How could he not?
Alphonse was right. Aion hadn't even thought of that fact, but Esme was the only one missing from Aion's memory at the time. And if his memory was correct, that meant Esme had somehow been murdered without anyone being unaccounted for. And of course, by going through with actual fairness for mystery works, he had eliminated the possibility of a third party. But right now, he didn't care.
"But wait, doesn't that mean someone who wasn't invited to the party is lurking in the Manor?"
"I technically can't deny that idea," Alphonse said. "But that still doesn't stop our alibis from being moot; all you've done is add another possible suspect to the pool of options."
"That…that…! Oh yeah! How about this: why would you murder your parents, huh?"
"Aion…I opened up to you about how I was raised, right?"
"No, don't you pull that! Are you trying to get me to suspect you!?"
"It's not that. Of course not. I really appreciate you not immediately suspecting me despite me being a potential suspect."
"But this gets to my point." Aira decides to go back to her original point. "Aion is the most reliable person to solve this. He has no motive and he has an alibi. While the rest of us something can be made…"
"What are you talking about!? I can understand Alphonse, but you three!?"
"Sam tried to stop you from investigating," Aira began. "I mean, a killer would want fewer investigators, right?"
"But he could've killed me!"
"And on top of that, with most of the nobility gone at this point, his family would become the clear power house."
"What do you mean most of the nobility is gone?"
"The truth is Sam's family and Alphonse are the only nobles left alive."
Aion looked at Sam, who once again wouldn't meet Aion's eyes.
Aion's eyes widened; it was possible? How? No, Aion doesn't know how long he was out. And the picking off could've begun significantly earlier because of poison. The killer may have switched to more direct killing at this point, but it didn't change the fact that they began with using poison. When it comes to timelines, this killer had no need to worry about following any.
"And then there are sister and I," Aira continued, not letting Aion think any more. "The reality is, there are multiple reasons we could be the culprits. I mean, the nobility mistreats servants, some of the servants have a lot of disdain for each other, and Alphonse could've simply ordered us to take part with a threat to our lives."
"What the hell!? You're just creating a narrative so I'm the only one with no motive. I mean, it's all just hypotheticals; I know all of you well enough. I mean, none of you could do that, right?"
"That's right, but think of the situation after tonight," Aira continued her case. "If the town ever finds out we were the ones that investigated when we had clear motives, do you really think they'd accept something like that?"
"..." Aion gritted his teeth and then said, "I'm an outsider, though! Sure, I have no immediate motive, but what if I were just someone who liked killing, huh? I have no alibi for any of the murders! So I'm a clear suspect, right!?"
Aira sighed and said, "Esme's disappearance."
"Huh?"
"With the possible fake body theory, you're completely free from suspicion. Although, even if it were the real Esme, it wouldn't matter all too much."
"How? I mean, you said it's gone. I was on the second floor when it happened!"
"Did you forget? When we reinvestigated it was gone, emphasis on the reinvestigation part. The thing was, we didn't know where your scream came from, so we had searched the part of the floor before we found you in shock. It was only after that the body disappeared."
"But that gives you all alibis for the whole thing!"
"I hate to admit it, but we messed up. We split up…"
"Why would you ever do that!?" Aion practically screamed that. "Don't you remember what's happened every single fucking time you absolute dumbasses split up!?"
"Someone needed to watch you, which we assigned Sam to. And since you were in no state to offer him an alibi, he becomes a suspect. Alphonse wanted to return to the first floor to finish his investigation, since he hadn't finished yet. Sister and I agreed to that. And finally we stayed together."
Aion was about to protest how that didn't give them an alibi, but they're twins…
"Fuck!" Aion cursed. "You've screwed us!"
"Don't you think we already know that!?" Alphonse shouted. "I mean, seriously! I thought we were all safe with Esme's death too! But this! This defied every expectation I had! How was I supposed to predict that!?"
"But—!"
"Even if I stayed with Aira and Aria, she already countered that possibility. I could've threatened them."
"But this is all so ridiculous! Who would spin a narrative like that!? Who would even come up with that!?"
"Ah…" Sam let out a sound of realization.
"Right…he doesn't know, huh?" Aria was the next one to say something.
"We should've told him…" Aira said, averting her eyes and looking at Sam.
Sam looked conflicted before coming to another realization and saying, "Alexander! That's who! You know how he is; he's all about using logic! Hahaha…"
Clearly that wasn't what he was going to say.
"Wait a minute—" Alphonse began, but Sam interrupted.
"I mean, you got close with Alexander, right?"
Did I ever mention that? Aion thought. He couldn't remember.
"And I wouldn't say we are close. Like, I don't deny Alexander is like that, but that's clearly not who you were going to say. And Alphonse, what were you about to say?"
Alphonse looked hesitant before saying, "I didn't want you to think ill of Alexander…I mean, you clearly care about the people you care about…"
"And you, Sam?" Aion asked, turning toward Sam.
Sam seemed to be thinking up some excuse, so Aira tried to jump in, "He was—"
"I want to hear it from Sam directly."
"Fine, I'll tell you!" Sam broke under the pressure. "But just agree to not investigate!"
"We can't have that!" Aira shouted.
"I won't say anything otherwise!"
"I agree," Aion said.
"Huh!?" Aira looked flabbergasted. "Don't you understand the situation we're in!? We can't have that!"
"Does anyone else have objections?"
Aion looked at Aria and Alphonse. Both had pensive looks, like both options were unpleasant.
"Come on, weren't you two against me investigating? I mean, what could have possibly changed!?"
"I…can't disagree with Aira like this…" Aria said.
He supposed that Aria had spoken before Aira, so in this case it would be actively opposing her own sister.
"And you, Alphonse?"
"I…I want to agree to Sam's terms, I do…"
"You say that like you're about to add a 'but' to it."
"You're right…the thing is…before you knew our situation, I could pretend like I had this all in the bag. Deny reality and all that. But now? That's no longer the case. I just don't. I'm s—" Alphonse stopped himself and changed his wording. "I'm just not…"
Alphonse was trying to convey something to Aion, something that couldn't be portrayed in words. Then Alphonse started drawing a circle with his finger against his leg.
Aion's eyes widened and he asked, "You don't think you can do it?"
"Why didn't you just say that?" Aira asked.
"It's hard to voice…" Alphonse said, looking away as if embarrassed.
But the truth was, Alphonse had been signaling that he couldn't do it this time. Of course, Aion could be reading into it wrong, but he didn't see anything else that Alphonse would be trying to hide so vehemently.
"Alphonse, please!" Sam turned toward Alphonse and started begging. "I—I just can't watch this anymore! This isn't his responsibility to bear! This isn't something he should've ever gone through!"
"So we should just let a killer get away with it all!? I can't do this!" Alphonse yelled. His expression looked weaker than anything Aion had ever seen up to this point.
"Gk!" Sam made a noise of frustration and gritted his teeth.
He couldn't say anything. Because if he did, it would only make him more suspicious than he already was. Him telling Alphonse he was on his own basically meant leaving it highly likely that this wouldn't be solved.
"So all of you are opposed or won't take a stance? Great, just great."
Aion squeezed his fists together in frustration.
"I'm…" Aria trailed off, realizing saying anything would probably make this situation worse.
"Mr. Belial, no, Aion," Aira was saying. "Please solve this case…I know it's selfish, but we need this solved. I need this solved…"
Aion looked at Aira's eyes. They were pleading with him desperately.
"That really isn't fair…finally referring to me by name…" Aion said with a mix of joy and sorrow.
He had wanted to hear her call him by his name ever since he realized she was alive again. He had failed to get close to her, so she had kept him at a distance, unlike the first loop.
"But I…" Aion hesitated.
He didn't want to say it.
"Can I have some time alone?" Aion asked.
The four all had mixed reactions, but all of them assented in the end, leaving the room so Aion could be on his own.
He was at a crossroads.
One that he was at the entire night.
Throughout the entire night he kept going back and forth between being the detective and being a bystander.
His actions, his thoughts, his feelings, his words—all of it was constantly contradicting itself.
All because he didn't know the choice he wanted to make.
This choice was something that has plagued him even since the first loop. Even if it hadn't affected him so much as it does now, it lingered in the back of his head, and he merely went with the flow.
And then, in the end, he let out his frustrations, anger, despair, sorrow, and everything onto Alphonse at the end of the first loop, trying to frame him as the killer—as Pride.
And now, he was confronted with the final ultimatum—a choice that would determine everything from now on.
I just…don't know what to do…That was all Aion could think, all he could manage in the situation he was in.
The two sides of him battled—his head and his heart.
And the winner was something Aion already knew. It was clear the entire time.
The winner was—
* * *
When Aion invited all four back in, they all stood or sat with an expression that one would see family or friends have outside of an operating room. Waiting for the answer that would determine something huge in their lives.
"So what's your decision?" Alphonse spoke for the group.
It was fitting; he was the most calm. He always has been. Sometimes he'd show weakness, but his stoicism was something he used as strength.
"I'll do it, I—"
"Ack!" Sam made a strange noise.
"Ah, Sam, I get that this is something that you're against but—"
But Sam wasn't making that noise because of shock. Instead—
—he vomited up blood.
"Sam!" Alphonse was the first to rush to his side, grabbing his shoulders to help the falling Sam not smack the ground.
Aria looked on in horror and screamed, "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
"It's still…not over…?" Aira asked.
And Aion stared on in horror. His heart felt like it was stabbed hard by a knife.
"Sam…? Oh, I know, it's all an act. I mean, it's a pretty tasteless joke. But you're just trying to lighten the mood, right? Or are you trying to convince me that I shouldn't pursue this? That's it, right? Sam, you really are such a nice guy to me…"
"Aion…" Alphonse mumbled.
"So Sam, I really appreciate it, you know?"
"Aion…" Sam barely managed out Aion's name, he looked like he was almost completely gone. But he fought through the fatigue and pain and continued, "I know…you want to do this…I mean…it's so obvious you do…"
"Sam…you really don't need to continue this joke…" Aion said, but his voice was cracking, his body trembling.
"But please…no matter what…don't put yourself in anger, okay?" Sam gave a weak smile, and then the life that swam through Sam's eyes faded away.
"Sam? Sam!? This joke is really going too far, so you can stop pretending!"
Before Aion had realized, tears were streaming down his face.
"Please, Sam!" Aion grabbed Sam's hands and shook them. "Not again, please don't do this to me again! You have to be acting! You have to be! So please, please don't leave me like this!"
"Aion, just stop!" Alphonse snapped. "You already know the truth! So stop trying to deny this reality! Please, it's only making it more painful for the rest of us!"
Aion looked at everyone still alive, and he saw all of them had pained expressions; Aria was crying like she always did, Alphonse was struggling to fight back the tears, and Aira squeezed her arms tightly, causing her to wince in physical pain, not just emotional pain.
"Ah…Ahhhhh…" Aion let out several moans as he clenched Sam's hands harder. "I couldn't stop your death! I couldn't! Even though I promised to protect you—that I'd get involved for your sake! And yet, all I did was cause you distress the entire time, and you died hearing I'd go against your wishes!? What the hell is that!? What the fuck is that bullshit!? AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
Aion screamed his lungs out, letting all his tears fall while the others grieved in their own ways.
One by one they were all drained, leaving Aion looking completely exhausted.
Leaving him looking dead inside.
"I need to stop…" Aion mumbled.
He wasn't smart enough to solve something like this. At the end of the day, he was just a college student that could be argued to be above average. And the situation demanded not only someone much smarter—rather, it demanded a character who could make the jumps in logic required.
"Aion?" Aira asked. Her expression looked even more pained now.
"Aira, I know I've been saying it for a while, that I'd stop, or that I'd do it. But I know…I'm done…"
Aira's eyes widened. "You're…done…?"
Aion smiled sadly and said, "Yeah. This case isn't meant for me. No matter how much I think about it, I'll never get anywhere. Because I'm human."
Aion practically spat the last sentence. It dripped with utmost loathing, like it was the most disgusting thing in existence.
"Because you're human?"
Aion didn't reply to that. Ultimately, it was something he kept telling himself throughout this whole venture within this nightmare, but it was clear that was only a means of escaping his reality. Right now, right here, the fact that he was human, truly sunk in for the first time.
I think…no, I know part of me wished that maybe I really did get transmigrated…Because I think my dream could finally become a reality. A dream incapable of being fulfilled in reality. Because…
I dreamed of living in fiction, the thing I loved so dearly. Because if I were fiction, if I were a character, then I could attain everything I ever wanted! Characters go through meaningful journeys, but as a human I'm incapable. I don't have such a purpose!
So when this world came, I so desperately involved myself with this world, letting my heart sink deeper and deeper into it.
I tried to get closer to Aira because she was someone that could understand me, something I don't have in the real world.
I tried to get close to Sam because he was a support pillar I've never had.
I tried to get close to Alphonse, because he perfectly fit the framing of my hope to always see the good in people—to know that all people have reasons for becoming terrible.
I tried to get close to Aria in this loop originally because it would involve me with this case, all so I could have a purpose in this world.
And I tried to get close to Luna so I could be what I want to be.
All of this while my mind refused to accept such a thing. My heart and mind were at war because I couldn't accept such an opportunity to attain my dream. But now, I don't have any reason to want to pursue this dream anymore.
Not if I'm going to be hurting like this, not if I'm going to suffer like this!
Even if I loop again, I'm not returning to this God forsaken Manor! I'm just going to spend the Winter Solstice with Luna, let the night end, and finally wake up from this nightmare.
This world can't fulfill my dream.
I finally understand this fact.
And more than that, I can't fulfill my own dream.
Yes, I finally reached the reality my mind saw a long time ago, and now—
"—I'm done."