The Loser | by Isaac7525

ged with severe embezzlement with funds from numerous companies in the city. The stolen funds had been discovered and redistributed, but the names of the companies won't be listed for the sake of public safety and to gradually simmer tension among management empires."

"We also learned that he has a son, Alonzo Cecilé, who was suspected to be working alongside him in his businesses, but his whereabouts and current position are unbeknownst to all at the moment."

He looked back up at the curly-haired man, slamming the newspaper back onto the counter. "He has a son?" 

He nodded, pointing at himself. "You're looking right at him." 

In the next half-a-second, Aizawa leapt behind the table and pinned the man to the floor, securing his hands behind his back. "Know anything about this?"

Aizawa grabbed the suitcase and pulled it down to the floor, pressing it against Alonzo. At that moment, the man nodded his head. "That's where my father received his medical treatment. And that address, that's the home of the owner of the Maison de Santé Asylum." 

"So...you manufactured the drug that was found inside your fathers restaurant? And he was given a suitcase by the asylum containing...peculiar items." 

Alonzo nodded. "Yes." 

"You also mentioned something involving his frontal lobe, mind elaborating?" 

The curly-haired man nodded his head. "It's called a lobotomy." 

He writhed a little in Aizawa's grip, but upon realizing his efforts were futile, he surrendered and continued explaining. 

"It's a rather controversial medical practice designed to de-stimulate a person and calm them down to almost unsettling levels."

"Calm him down..." Aizawa mumbled under his breath. He thought back to the incident inside of Sanson's office, where he watched the man undress and commit suicide with a needle. 

"He seemed calm, but I watched him frantically murder himself in cold blood," Aizawa pressed his foot down harder onto his back. 

"T-the surgery has varying degrees of success. Whoever Scalpel deems as 'fixed' is set free from the asylum, while those who he deems failures are discarded like trash, often killed with sedatives or murdered more brutally if they put up a fight."

Upon hearing all the information, Aizawa loosened his grip on Alonzo, allowing the man to breathe more steadily. "I'll ask you this again, who is Scapel?" 

Leo watched the entire scene, frozen in place. His icy-blue eyes remained fixated on the curly-haired man lying on the dirty ground. 

Alonzo slowly let out a long sigh, allowing the air to flow back into his lungs and grant him more stability. He looked back to Aizawa, rolling over onto his back as he smiled—the corners of his lips twitching slightly. 

"You'll find him where you'll find the wine."

Aizawa quickly registered his words, recalling Sanson's words back in his office. The wine he and Olivia had drunk was manufactured by the Maison de Santé Asylum, and he stated that he received it from the underground market. If the same person who made the wine also wants the drug that was found within the restaurant, which was being made by Alonzo, he'd most likely be down here, eager to get another hit of the product. 

"He's down here, isn't he?" Aizawa's voice lowered as he reached down and grabbed Alonzo, prompting the man back to his feet. The man's knees buckled slightly, his body leaning forward onto the table as he caught his breath. 

"Do you have breathing problems?" Leo asked, his voice laced with concern. 

"In a way, I do," Alonzo replied, his voice now hoarse. At this moment, he pulled out a small object from his pocket, it looked like a tube connected to a box. He put the tube to his mouth and inhaled deeply. 

"This allows me some proper air flow, the air down in the underground market isn't the best kind to breathe in on a regular basis."

After putting the box back inside his pocket, he continued with a chuckle. "Heh, half the crooks down here talk like they've inhaled an entire firepit of smoke and chemicals."

"So our culprit must also have these breathing and voice issues," Aizawa deduced, running a hand through his black stubble. 

"Most likely," Leo instinctively raised his high collar over his nose and mouth, breathing in deeply. "And to think my boss was lobotomized by this Scalpel guy."

...

The transport vehicle was an ordinary looking black carriage, the type I'd usually see being pulled by horses down the snow-covered road. The only distinguishable difference from the others was the plow-like structure in the front, designed to move snow aside as it made its way down the road. 

Shinso had stopped by my room one more time before I departed, wrapping me in a tight hug and sniffing my hair. The funny thing was the fact that he said he'd never smell my hair like this ever again. Sure, I didn't know what that meant, but I'm sure it wasn't ominous or foreboding. 

Captain Silas and Ms. Jessica escorted me into the transport carriage. The inside had fabrics reminiscent of the robes of the Pollinators, which I guessed was merely for aesthetics. After I got myself situated I was given another cup of tea, in the form of a small shot-like glass. This was to ensure my mental situation wouldn't fluctuate as the carriage began to move.

As the apartment gradually left my view, I turned out the window and noticed Shinso standing on the stone sidewalk, his hands stuffed into his pockets as he watched the carriage depart.

I turned back and rested my head on the backrest, sighing softly as I attempted to fall asleep. My eyes slowly fluttered closed, but Captain Silas's voice roused me from my half-slumber. 

"When we get there, you'll receive your garments. Change in the lavatory and we'll escort you to your conditioning." 

"Conditioning?" I asked, feeling wary and puzzled. 

The man with black hair looked back at me, his expression remaining solemn. "A series of simple tests and medical examinations to determine your position in the medical facility. If you didn't know, you'll be placed in the wing closest to the asylum quarters, possibly inside a wing with the patients."

Hearing his words my heart ran cold in my chest. I was going to be near crazy people?

The words seemed caught in my throat, unable to release, so I remained silent the rest of the trip. 

Gradually, the buildings outside the carriage depleted in number and height, slowly worsening in condition until we reached an area reminiscent of the industrial district of the kingdom. Smokestacks stretched as far as the eye could see, pumping a constant trail of thick, black smoke into the air. A myriad of different smells violated my nose even through the windows of the carriage. 

I noticed a dog scurry to the other end of the road, barely missing our carriage. Its ribs were prominent, a tell-tale sign it hadn't been eating. 

"Everything here looks so...miserable," I commented, pressing my hand against the window, causing a small smear of my handprint to quickly surface. 

The duo in the front seats didn't comment, looking ahead with indifferent expressions on their faces. Soon, the carriage came to a halt in front of a large, stone building resembling a castle. All of the windows were dark from the inside, allowing no one to view the building's interior from any angle. It was a contrast to the other buildings in the kingdom, giving off an sullen, almost maleficent aura from outside.

Lining the entry into the asylum were neatly trimmed plants, the stone path to the building branched off in the middle to give way to a water fountain that had been turned off for the winter. There was a small flight of steps, accompanied by pillars on the side, that led to the large front doors, which were made of dark wood with handles that seemed shaped like malevolent spirits.

In the time in the carriage, the clouds had conquered the sky, bracing to let down their usual torrent of snow.

At that moment, Captain Silas stepped out of the carriage and made his way towards me. This time, he wrapped a piece of cloth around his mouth and nose before opening the carriage door, a habit he hadn't exhibited earlier. 

"Why that?" I asked, glaring at the dark-colored cloth on his face. His deep eyes that resembled unending pools of murky water were locked on my form as I made my way to the door. Before I left, I had actually been changed into my black coat, vest, and cravat, making me appear like a noble boy rather than a medical patient. 

It was almost like the duo preferred perfectionism over convenience and well-being.

We silently approached the front door, Captain Silas's hand on my shoulder in an uncomfortable embrace as he used his other hand to knock on the heavy doors. 

The wind blew around us, whispering in our ears for a few moments. Snow had begun to gently fall from the sky, a stark contrast to the storm of last night. Shortly after, the doors opened, and a woman with red, curly hair and a sharp face looked down at us. Her eyes flickered with something I couldn't read the moment she caught sight of my gray skin and black cracks all over my body.

"Ahh, we've heard about your arrival," she said, bending down to look at me. What made me uncomfortable was that she wasn't much taller than me, so regular face-to-face conversation would have been more appropriate. Her lips curled into a gum-branding smile as she extended her right hand, which trembled slightly.

I hesitantly shook her hand back, smiling softly in return.

"Enough with the formalities, where's the changing room?" Captain Silas asked, his voice carrying a no-nonsense tone. 

The woman with red hair flinched slightly as if sensing some unseen danger. She quickly stood back up and adjusted her nurse's attire, before pointing down the hallway.

"Allow me to escort you," Before she could even round the corner, she looked back at us, her expression twitching slightly. 

"If you've cared to notice, we sometimes let out more...lucid patients walk around the medical wing. Don't be bothered by them."

We all nodded in silent understanding. As we began to walk forward, I caught sight of the numerous other patients walking down the hallways on either side. They were all clad in matching white garments, a simple shirt and pants with a collar. It resembled a jail uniform without the restraint. On their chests were bronze badges with their names labeled on them, alongside a series of digits and numbers I didn't bother to decrypt.

The nurse stopped by a door, her hands swiftly picking through her keys as she chose the one corresponding to the correct room. After a few seconds of fumbling, which I sensed annoyed Captain Silas, she opened the changing room. Inside, my pale-white uniform was waiting for me, alongside my identity badge.

...

"You're not wearing your glasses," Wilfred said as he entered the room. Raymond was situated in a medical bed, the lower half of his abdomen was wrapped entirely in thick, white bandages that were visible through his partially unbuttoned pajama shirt.

"I don't really need them to see; they're simply cosmetic," Raymond said with a twitching, weak smile.

As Ayumi entered the room beside Wilfred, the boy's emerald eyes narrowed. "Who are you?" 

"I'm a friend of your brother," She replied with a smile. 

Upon hearing her statement, Raymond's nerves seemed to gradually weaken. He leaned up in his bed, prompting an elbow onto the desk as he reached for his mug of now cold tea. After sipping for a short while he put it back down and faced the two. 

"You cared enough to visit?" His lips curled into a smile, an almost mischievous one. 

"You're my brother, why wouldn't I?" Wilfred replied, sitting down on the foot of the bed, his sunken eyes never leaving Raymond's form. 

"I thought you'd condemn yourself to sweeping the floors all day like the servant you are," Raymond leaned back in his bed and chuckled.

"That's mean, apologize you damn bastard," Ayumi took a defensive step forward, offering Wilfred a gentle smile.

"Excuse me, that was crude of myself to extrude," Raymond wiped the edge of his mouth with a spare napkin and kept speaking. 

"That creature was unlike one I had ever seen; I'd consider myself dead if it wasn't for the Pollinators." 

"Yeah..." Wilfred looked down at the floor, frowning. 

"What exactly happened?" Ayumi asked, looking in Raymond's direction with a raised eyebrow. 

At that moment, the boy's voice lowered to an almost foreboding whisper. "The first signs of the Blood Moon."