The Music Speaks

Once the morning comes, I change my clothes and I have breakfast in the cafeteria. Then, I return to my room, and open my computer. I begin my investigation by running the photographs I obtained through a special face recognition software. Among the dozens of photographs in my possession, only one of them shows a match in the software. A face and description are shown to me.

Name: Leon Brooks

Status: Wanted

[Melody]: suspected to be able to manipulate light in some way.

Crime: Murder

This man is a rogue [enlightened]. In this country, two types of people can be considered rogue [enlightened]. Either those who did not complete their two years at DaiKar or those who have committed crimes without complying with the necessary punishment. Shunned by society, they hide from the government and live in the shadows of the criminal underworld. They are generally guided by selfish desires, or they are simply drunk on their power.

'What would a rogue want with the shabby Lunar Groove Lounge...?'

I sense that there's more to this mystery than I originally thought. Why would a criminal [enlightened] go there? Considering that a human trafficker also favors this place, it seems there's more to it than meets the eye. It could always just be that this place is unexpectedly a really good night club, but my intuition tells me there's something fishy going on here.

As I search for more information about Leon Brooks on the net, I am unable to find much. All I come across is the details of his trial. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison for the murder of a little girl a few years ago but he escaped and was never seen again. Judging from my impression of him when I was spying on the Lounge, he can't be stronger than the early 1st stage, I should be able to make quick work of him. Thus, I concoct a plan. Today when I return to the Lounge, I will ambush Leon before he gets to the front door using the song of somnolence. Since he is weaker than me, he should fall asleep for at least a minute or two, giving me enough time to neutralize him. I'll make sure to bring sunglasses with me, in case he uses his light manipulation powers.

If Leon decides to not come that day, I will have to ambush someone else as a plan B, but I have a feeling he'll be there.

Once night falls, I make my way to the Lounge, I make sure to arrive before the time I saw Leon enter the Lounge the night before. I am patiently waiting for him to arrive while drinking coffe in a café down the street with a good view of the Lounge. At around midnight. I see someone down the street walking at a leisurely place in the direction of the Lounge, it's Leon, time to put the plan into action.

When he walks past the café I am sitting in, I transfer 15 notes to the shopkeeper and head outside. Leon is walking right in front of me talking to himself

"Damn them! Today, I'll get my hands on one of these 'new' pills of theirs!!"

'song of somnolence'

I strike my shield, a calming song is playing in Leon's soul. His eyes are heavy and his speech is becoming sluggish. He cannot fight whatever force is putting him to sleep. He stumbles backward and I catch him. I pretend to be his friend to avoid suspicion.

"Whoa there bud! Had too much to drink tonight, didn't you?"

He can barely understand the situation but manages to blurt out a few words before his consciousness slips away.

"W-what? Who are you?"

"It's me! Your buddy! Don't worry man, I'll get you home safe!"

I put his arm over my shoulder and carry him to a dark alley where I have ascertained the night before that people rarely come to. Once there, I tie his feet and hands and put on one of the three skin masks I bought at the market, 200 notes each. When he wakes up, my sharpsong is pointed at his throat and I instruct him to not make a sound if he wants to keep his head. He looks at me with worried eyes but nods in understanding. I start questioning him.

"You are to speak only when spoken to, understood?"

Worried, he pleads with me.

"I swear I'll have the money next month, tell your boss to just give me a bit more time!"

I slightly dig into his throat with the sharpsong, shedding a drop of blood. He looks back at me with panicked eyes. I speak to him.

"Shut up, why are you going to Lunar Groove?"

The panic fading from his face. He looks at me with a frown.

"Wait... Are you a law enforcer?? Screw you man, you guys aren't allowed to kill me!"

In a flash, I cover his mouth and slice off one of his fingers. His muffled scream can be heard through my hand. Staring into my eyes, Leon understands that I will not hesitate to take his life if the situation demands it, I have no sympathy for him.

"Answer the question Leon."

"...Okay, okay , sorry. What else would I be going there? I want 'that'"

"What are you talking about?"

Leon looks at me with a perplexed expression trying to deduce my identity. He explains that what he's referring to is a new type of doping on the market that is supposed to make the [enlightened] momentarily stronger. He was on his way to get his hands on one in hopes of being able to escape the country with it by bulldozing through the borders.

'This explains the high traffic of [enlightened] around the place'

Knowing that criminals are thorough about who they do business with, I ask Leon if there is some sort of special code needed to enter the place and have access to this item. I sense that Calvin's presence at the Lounge is linked to it.

"W-well, there's two conditions to have access to where the pills are sold, the first one is to be [enlightened], you'll be okay on that front. The second one is to tell the bouncer the secret passcode"

"What's the passcode?"

"Once you get in front, to know if they are being sold, you'll ask him 'Is the music loud tonight?', to which he'll answer, 'Louder than ever', you then have to reply 'Bring me to the quietest corner then'"

I cover Leon's mouth and slice off another of his fingers. He lets out another muffled scream. He may be lying; I need to make sure. People are most honest in the face of pain. With tears in his eyes, he speaks to me.

"What the hell man!? I told you everything I know!!"

"Be honest, next is your head."

My sharpsong is grazing the side of his throat.

"....Alright, it's just that... They'll never let you in if you don't have a membership card or if you're not with someone who has one."

"Give me yours then."

"That... won't work, they have their ways, they'll know..."

"Hmm. Then you'll come with me."

I apply first aid on his wounds and explain that if he thinks of doing anything funny, I can draw my sharpsong and kill him faster than anyone can protect him. I know that he won't gamble on his life, hence, I am not worried about betrayal, at least until we get inside The Lunar Groove Lounge. After that, I already have counter measures in place.