— Later that day —
The television flickered.
A red banner flashed across the screen.
[ BREAKING NEWS ]
The anchor's voice came fast— slightly strained.
"We are receiving multiple reports from central Linoria—"
"Eyewitnesses claim that a man appeared suddenly in the middle of an intersection—"
"—holding what appears to be a body—"
The footage cut abruptly.
Shaky camera.
People screaming.
Phones raised.
A blurred figure stood at the center—
Standing still.
Holding someone.
The video froze.
Then cut.
Another clip replaced it.
"Moments after his appearance—"
"—bodies began falling from the sky."
The anchor adjusted his earpiece mid-sentence.
For a brief moment—his eyes shifted off-camera.
The anchor paused.
Just for a second.
Too long.
"…We cannot verify the authenticity of this footage."
Another video played.
A hand shaking violently.
A body hitting the ground.
A scream cut the audio.
Feed lost.
The screen flickered again.
"Authorities have not released an official statement—"
"However… sources suggest immediate containment measures are already in place—"
The screen split into multiple panels.
One showed a crowd running.
Another—
completely black.
"There are also reports—unconfirmed—that certain footage is being removed shortly after upload—"
The anchor hesitated again.
"…We advise viewers to remain calm."
The broadcast glitched.
For a moment—
the screen went completely black.
Then returned.
"We will continue to update this situation as more information becomes available."
The red banner remained.
[ INCIDENT ONGOING ]
---
Somewhere unknown Location.
Zekai watched the report on Tv in silence.
His hands were handcuffed. He adjusted the cuffs slowly.
He sat inside a completely white room. The walls, the ceiling, even the floor were painted the same dull white, making it impossible to judge distance or depth. The space felt empty, controlled… and strangely familiar.
It reminded him of the white space.
The place where he had met Zero.
The same suffocating stillness lingered here.
He sat across a table. Opposite him was a man in a black suit—calm, composed, watching him without fear.
A faint trail of smoke curled upward between them.
Sebastian held a cigarette loosely between his fingers, the ember glowing dimly in the silent room. He tapped the ash once against the edge of the table—slow, controlled.
The movement wasn't casual.
Measured.
Like he was regulating something unseen.
He didn't rush his breath.
Didn't waste it either.
Every inhale was steady.
Every exhale—deliberate.
The smoke didn't linger long.
It thinned out quickly—
like even the air in the room didn't want to stay around him.
Unlike the chaos outside, there was no tension in his expression. He observed Zekai without fear, without hesitation, as if he had already decided what kind of person he was dealing with.
The air between them was still. Both had a glass of water placed in front of them. Neither touched it.
This was the headquarters of the Bureau of Supernatural Affairs, hidden from the world. A place where incidents like this were contained, studied, and erased if necessary.
Zekai had been brought here for one reason.
His head remained slightly lowered, his gaze unfocused. His mind wasn't in the room. It was still somewhere else.
Still stuck on one thing.
Aron's face. Aron's voice. Aron's death. It kept repeating in his mind.
If I hadn't been late… Aron would still be alive.
The thought repeated without stopping.
His jaw tightened slightly—just once—before going still again.
His fingers tightened slightly against the metal cuffs. The cold metal pressed deeper into his skin—but he didn't loosen his grip.
Sebastian leaned back slightly in his chair.
"This situation has already spread like wildfire," he said calmly. "And you are at the center of it."
Zekai didn't respond.
His thumb pressed slowly against the edge of the cuff—metal digging into his skin—then stopped.
Sebastian continued, studying him carefully.
"Whatever," Sebastian continued, as if the silence didn't bother him. "I'm Sebastian. Captain of the Second Order."
Zekai didn't react. The introduction meant nothing to him.
"Do you know what BSA stands for?"
Zekai slowly raised his head, then tilted it slightly to the side.
Behind Sebastian, written clearly across the white wall in black lettering, were the words:
[ Bureau of Supernatural Affairs ]
Zekai stared at it for a moment. The meaning was obvious.
Then his eyes lowered again.
And yet—
Something inside him tightened.
A faint irritation formed.
If they existed…
A department that handles supernatural incidents… and still couldn't save Aron.
Then where were they when Aron was dying?
His eyes closed for a second.
He remembered everything. The other world. The fight. The pain. Aron struggling. Aron dying.
'Bullshit… BSA.'
"Then I'll ask directly," Sebastian said. "What happened in that world?"
Silence.
Sebastian didn't blink.
"The boy you were carrying in your arms… the one who died… Aron, right?"
"…Ah," Zekai answered quietly.
"What was he to you?" Sebastian asked.
Zekai's lips parted slightly.
The answer came immediately.
'He was like a younger brother.'
But the words never left his mouth.
Something inside him twisted sharply—like his own conscience was pressing down on his throat, stopping him from speaking.
Guilt.
Heavy. Unavoidable.
Zekai froze.
Not because he didn't know the answer—
But because saying it out loud…
would make it real.
The silence stretched longer than it should have.
Not empty—
waiting.
But nothing showed on Zekai face. His expression remained empty.
Sebastian watched him carefully. He understood that Zekai already knew.
Sebastian sighed and pushed the glass of water slightly toward him.
"Drink... you might be nervous... so calm down," Sebastian said, though his tone carried a hidden intent.
Zekai didn't touch it.
"I don't need anything," he said quietly. "Just leave me alone."
Sebastian's tone hardened slightly. "Don't be stubborn, Zekai. Stubbornness only drags people deeper into the abyss."
Zekai's thoughts shifted for a moment.
'Even falling into the abyss wouldn't be worse than this.'
At least pain would end there.
After a pause, Zekai finally reached for the glass.
But just as he brought it closer—Sebastian grabbed his wrist.
Firm.
Immediate.
Something moved.
A dark unseen energy flowed from Sebastian's hand into Zekai's body.
Zekai frowned slightly.
He could see it.
He understood what Sebastian was doing.
But he didn't resist.
He didn't care enough to.
"What are you—"
Sebastian's expression changed instantly.
For the first time— fear.
Shock.
Real shock.
His eyes widened as if something impossible had just happened.
'No… that's not possible…'
Sebastian activated his power and directed it toward Zekai, but nothing happened as he had expected. Even so, he didn't stop. He tried again.
He tightened his grip and tried again. He pushed more energy into Zekai.
Deeper this time.
But the moment it entered— something inside him rejected it instinctively.
It was expelled.
A violent reaction.
Sebastian's body lifted off the ground—
then slammed backward like something had rejected him entirely, as if struck by an invisible force. His body lifted and crashed several feet away.
The lights flickered once—
like the room itself reacted.
The chair toppled.
The impact echoed through the room.
Zekai didn't move. He stared at his own hand.
Not from fear.
From something he didn't understand.
"…What just happened?"
For the first time, even he didn't understand.
✦ End of The chapter 12 - Interrogation ✦