Although Danzan had not said anything special, his words made serious doubt rise in their hearts. If the officer died from a card related to lightning and the inquisitor was the only one onboard capable of summoning lightning, did that mean he was the killer?
The answer was screaming at Kairo, but he dared not voice it out. He was supposed to be in charge of protecting them and the prisoners, not murdering them.
"What are you insinuating, Danzan? If this fool had been touched by the Guilty Matrix, there would be no corpse left to be seen," Donsentos said, his eyebrows arching a terrifying glare, like he could go absolutely berserk at any moment.
"I never accused you, nor did I say it can't be you. Or maybe it might just be you. However, one thing is certain—the killer is among us. And frankly speaking, he is not even the real danger. The real danger is the meaning behind all of this and what it implies for all of us here," Danzan spoke with his usual nonchalance, dragging his feet away as he left too. "Kairo, it's up to you now," he casually said.
"This Danzan is exactly like the rumours say. They used to call him Mad Lightning. I might really start to believe he is mad for taunting Inquisitor Mar this way."
"Might be he's frustrated at the idea their department is the least effective. Just take a look—of all the departments, they only have three officers on board."
"Why are you all still here? Do you want to be accused of murder too?" Unable to keep it in anymore, Nyx yelled at the officers like she was their superior. Shaking their heads, they left one after the other, leaving Kairo and Nyx with the corpse.
"This doesn't make sense. I'm certain I didn't miss anyone's abilities. The Inquisitor Mar is really the only one able to summon lightning in here," Nyx kept repeating, trying to figure out the answer.
"No need to scratch your head on that. The answer is pretty obvious. I have two things I'm confident about. First, Donsentos Mar really did kill the officer. And secondly, he is one of the most loyal people on this submarine," Kairo said.
His reasoning was simple—Donsentos was the only one with lightning on board, but Kairo was also certain he wasn't a murderer because his eyes had nothing similar to that of the Surgeon or Corry. Kairo was well aware all of this was based solely on his intuition to see death in people's eyes, but he had no doubt. Now the question was: why would Donsentos do that?
"Are you even listening to what you're saying, Kairo? How can you affirm he's the murderer and that he didn't want to kill the officer at the same time? This is contradictory and makes absolutely no sense," Nyx said, slightly annoyed by his thought pattern.
"I know it sounds crazy," Kairo admitted.
For now, all he had were wild guesses, and he couldn't open his mouth carelessly. This was a four-star officer they were talking about. If he got angry, Kairo's head could be blown off at any moment.
After taking some time, Kairo and Nyx left the scene when a group of officers came for the 'cleaning'. They could not allow a dead body to lay in the middle of the way—especially so close to the grade four criminals.
Kairo took a deep breath at the fresh breeze of air around, observing the vast stormy ocean. Seated on the edges of a metallic platform, the duo played with their feet back and forth as they tried to piece together everything.
The submarine had an outer sphere in which they could get a closer look at the ocean, but away from the calm and nearer to the stormy parts. This was mostly for observation that this place had been added. Here, the cold watery breeze sneaked its way through the first layer, but not enough to cause any harm to anyone.
"Might be you should just take a step back and think of it with a clearer mind. Isn't this place beautiful, Kairo? Camilla said this was her favourite part of the submarine. Now I understand why," Nyx said, eyes beaming with joy as she observed. This special feeling of looking at the ocean from so close but without being able to touch it was exhilarating.
"Yeah, indeed, very beautiful," Kairo admitted. From time to time, they would see sparkles pop near the glass windows. They were like little jewels that swarmed along with the spinning currents, creating a halo of colors that undulated in the water.
"Hmm, you're right. Might be I need a clearer mind," Kairo said. Tilting his head to the side, on her profile view Kairo noticed Nyx's smile—lively and charming. Up close, her lips were rosy, sparking a newborn desire in his heart.
"Kairo, I figured out that this new mission would be interesting. But I didn't expect it to go this way. Since I left the care center in which I grew up, I feel alive and free—as if I had never been living before," she said, dangling her feet like a little girl.
Startled, Kairo's thoughts halted midway. Now very close to each other, this was the first time she spoke about her past to him. Kairo didn't know anything about growing up on a farm, as he only knew the sumptuous villas of his father. But it was clear life had not been a blessing for everyone. Yet despite that, her lively nature had persisted over the years. This energy was what kept Kairo attracted.
Already very close to each other, Nyx tilted her head in Kairo's direction, their eyes falling into each other while everything seemed to slow down. Finally, their lips met in a tender kiss. Barely a few seconds later, the duo separated, keeping their eyes away from each other.
In Kairo's mind, it was like a bubble had been lit up.
"It was my first time. Was it that bad? Hey, Kairo?" Nyx called out.
Kairo shook his head, his eyes widening in understanding.
"No, it was perfect," he said.
Nyx blushed in embarrassment but then probed more.
"You haven't stopped thinking about it," she said.
"I couldn't. And I think I found something. What if Donsentos did commit the murder, but he wasn't even aware he was committing the murder?" Kairo said.
Nyx's expression sharpened instantly.
"You mean he was manipulated... this makes perfect sense with your previous guess. If he was manipulated, then he wasn't acting on his own accord, but on that of someone else," Nyx said.
"Yes, and this would imply there is someone with a card that can manipulate others' minds on board. We have a scary traitor among us," Kairo added.
"We need to inform Danzan now."
Kairo stood up, about to leave, but Nyx caught him by the hand. Kairo smiled, leaning forward, but Nyx gently pushed him away with an amused smile.
"That's not the reason, Kairo. First, slow down and think of it," she said.
A little embarrassed, he retracted his face and looked at her with a clueless expression.
"If the traitor is someone who can manipulate the minds of his victim and force them to do what he wants, don't you think he might also have the ability to access their memory?" Nyx said forcing Kairo thoughtd to a pause.
"Remember, the information about the movement of each patrol team is communicated to their personal tablet, meaning the only people who know our movement are us and Fabian. "
Instinctively Kairo glanced at his own tablet. This was a little detail he almost missed.
"This was to ensure no one on board could exploit that against us. But if we reveal this, and the enemy has another victim and reads through their mind, he would know we have discovered his abilities—making it harder for us to get him."
After listening to her reasoning, Kairo smiled.
"You want us to bait him out," he said.
"Exactly. But we will need the help of Danzan and the Inquisitor himself. Remember, we have no idea if the card can be reactivated on the same person, or even if the person can be released from its grip. We will use that to our advantage," Nyx said.
Kairo nodded, and the duo returned to the inner layers of the submarine.