Morion, sebagai tempat berkumpulnya para penjahat paling berbahaya, tentu saja sering mengalami insiden dan kecelakaan. Akibatnya, banyak kematian terjadi. Mayat yang ditemukan di Morion dipindahkan oleh tim pemindah jenazah. Mereka menghubungi keluarga almarhum untuk menanyakan pengaturan pemakaman sebelum melanjutkan. Jika tidak ada anggota keluarga, kremasi dilakukan. Renzo, yang tidak memiliki keluarga, diputuskan jenazahnya akan dikremasi di dalam Morion. Setelah membersihkan sel isolasi tempat Renzo ditahan, ia dipindahkan ke kamar mayat untuk persiapan kremasi. "...Anda ingin menemuinya? Renzo?" Ada pengunjung yang mencari Morion. Seorang wanita mengenakan pakaian elegan dan topi bertepi lebar yang menutupi wajahnya. Saat ia berjalan, bunyi klik-klak sepatu hak tingginya jarang terdengar di Morion. "Aku selalu berpikir aku harus membalas budinya suatu hari, tapi kemudian aku mendengar dia meninggal mendadak." Petugas resepsionis tampak bingung. Renzo telah diklasifikasikan sebagai salah satu penjahat paling berbahaya di dalam Morion, sehingga ia dikunci dalam sel isolasi. Ia akan tetap di sana sampai mati. Tentu saja, kunjungan dan panggilan telepon dilarang. Jadi, jika seseorang ingin bertemu Renzo, itu memerlukan pelariannya atau pengurangan hukuman seumur hidupnya yang menunggu pembebasan. Keduanya hampir mustahil. "Aku terus berpegang pada harapan tipis untuk bertemu dengannya lagi suatu hari. Bisakah aku setidaknya melihat wajahnya?" Wanita itu berkata, suaranya bergetar. Air mata menggenang di matanya yang memikat, terlihat di balik topinya. Ia menyekanya dengan tangannya seolah ingin menyembunyikannya. "Permisi, tapi apa hubungan Anda dengan Renzo?" "...Sulit untuk mengatakan dia punya hati yang baik. Dia tampak seperti seseorang yang hanya melakukan apa yang dia mau." Itu akurat. Pengamatan yang sangat akurat. "Namun, justru karena sifatnya yang suka bertindak sesuka hati itulah aku diselamatkan. Tahukah Anda? Di wilayah Dustar, perbudakan masih merajalela." Wanita itu mengangguk saat staf tampak mempersingkat kata-katanya. "Dia menyelamatkanku. Tentu saja, baginya, itu hanya sesuatu yang dia lakukan sambil lalu, melihat bencana yang tidak bisa dia biarkan begitu saja. Aku hanya ikut terseret di dalamnya. Tapi yang jelas aku selamat berkat dia." Memang. Staf itu mengangguk. Itu persis seperti Renzo. "Kami akan mengantarmu ke kamar mayat. Tiga instruktur akan menemanimu. Tidak apa-apa?" "Tentu saja. Aku akan puas jika bisa melihat wajahnya saja." Wanita itu mengangguk, dan staf melaporkan situasi melalui telepon. Setelah beberapa saat, tiga instruktur mendekati wanita itu dan salah satunya berbicara. "Kami akan menunjukkan jalannya. Silakan lewat sini." Wanita itu menerima perlindungan dan bimbingan dari tiga instruktur. Setibanya di kamar mayat, instruktur di depan membuka pintu. Saat ini, hanya satu mayat terbaring di kamar mayat. Instruktur memindahkan yang terbaring di tempat tidur beroda ke tengah. Wajah mayat ditutupi kain. Instruktur mendekati wajah mayat itu. "Kalau begitu, saya akan membuka kainnya." Saat instruktur membuka kain, Renzo terbaring di sana, wajahnya sudah dingin. Wanita itu menutup mulutnya dengan kedua tangan dan bergumam seolah meratap. Ia mendekati Renzo dengan langkah tidak stabil. "Oh, jadi apa jadinya dirimu? Tuan Renzo yang malang......" Ujung jari wanita itu menyentuh wajah Renzo. Sudut mata para instruktur berkedut, tapi mereka menahan diri untuk tidak menghentikannya. Saat mengucap itu, wanita itu mengulurkan tangannya. Untuk sesaat, para instruktur tidak mengerti maksudnya. Berjabat tangan? Tos? Jari telunjuk, tengah, dan manis tangan wanita itu menunjuk masing-masing instruktur. Kepala para instruktur tertembus. Dalam sekejap. Jari-jari yang telah berubah menjadi tentakel ditarik kembali, dan wanita itu mengibaskan darah dari jari-jarinya. "Hmm, jariku memang agak pegal kalau tidak menggunakan aura. Tapi berkat itu, mereka tidak menyadarinya." Saat manusia berhadapan satu sama lain, aspek yang paling diwaspadai adalah pengoperasian aura atau mana. Manusia yang tidak menggunakan Qi memiliki keterbatasan kekuatan. Oleh karena itu, manusia cenderung lengah terhadap mereka yang tidak menggunakan aura, memberikan keuntungan yang tidak disengaja. Terlebih lagi, jika makhluk itu bukan benar-benar manusia, tapi hanya menyamar sebagai manusia, bahayanya menjadi lebih fatal. "Kalau begitu mari kita mulai, Tuan Renzo." Wajah wanita itu berkerut. Sesuatu tampak merayap naik dari bawah lehernya, menggeliat hingga wajahnya berubah tanpa suara tulang sedikit pun. Wajahnya yang berubah total itu androgini, identik dengan yang terlihat di auditorium Constel. Itu Kraken. "Wajah ini memang lebih nyaman." Mampu bebas berubah dari wajah ke seluruh tubuh, mengapa bersikeras kembali ke bentuk ini? Kraken mempertanyakan tindakannya sendiri. Mungkin, bahkan dalam bentuk manusia, ada penampilan asli. "Baiklah, mengesampingkan itu, kita punya pekerjaan yang harus dilakukan." Kraken menggerakkan tangannya ke arah dada Renzo yang terbaring. Seperti yang diduga, detak jantungnya telah berhenti total. Renzo di sini jelas sudah mati. Untuk mendapatkan nyawa, seseorang harus kehilangan nyawa. Teknik yang hanya bisa dilakukan Kraken. Bukan, ini lebih mirip tabu daripada teknik. Tepat saat itu, alarm kamar mayat berbunyi nyaring. Bukan, mungkin itu alarm yang berbunyi di seluruh Morion. Mereka telah menyadari keanehan di sini. "Seperti yang diduga, mereka cepat. Tapi sudah terlambat." Sebuah lubang terbuka di telapak tangan Kraken. Sesuatu yang berputar di dalam tubuh Kraken meluncur keluar. Ia meledak keluar dari telapak tangan yang terbuka dan menusuk ke dada Renzo. Seluruh tubuh Kraken berdenyut. Denyutan itu menjalar ke telapak tangannya, akhirnya meresapi Renzo. Darah menetes dari mulut Kraken. Namun, Kraken tetap tersenyum, menahan rasa sakit yang luar biasa. Akhirnya, saat Kraken melepaskan tangannya dari dada Renzo. Mata Renzo terbuka lebar.
Bab Bonus untuk @Joe Smith dan @Jr194 dari Ko-fi!
Morion, being a gathering place for the most dangerous criminals, naturally experiences frequent incidents and accidents. Consequently, there are many deaths. Bodies found in Morion are transferred by the corpse disposal team. They contact the deceased's family to inquire about funeral arrangements before proceeding. If there are no family members, cremation is carried out. Renzo, having no family, it was decided to have his body cremated within Morion. After cleaning up the solitary cell where Renzo had been confined, he was moved to the morgue in preparation for cremation. "…You wish to see him? Renzo?" There was a visitor looking for Morion. A woman wearing an elegant outfit and a wide-brimmed hat that concealed her face. As she walked, the click-clack of her high heels was a sound rarely heard in Morion. "I've always thought I must repay him someday, but then I heard he suddenly died." The receptionist looked troubled. Renzo had been classified as one of the most dangerous criminals within Morion, hence he was locked in solitary confinement. He was to remain there until his death. Naturally, visitations and phone calls were prohibited. So, if someone wishes to meet Renzo, it would require either his escape or a commutation of his life sentence awaiting release. Both are virtually impossible. "I've been clinging to the slim hope of seeing him again one day. Can I at least see his face?" The woman said, her voice breaking. Tears welled up in the captivating eyes visible beneath her hat. She brushed them away with her hand as if to hide them. "Excuse me, but what is your relationship with Renzo?" "…It’s hard to say he had a good heart. He seemed like someone who just did whatever he wanted." That would be accurate. A very accurate observation. "However, it's because of his do-what-I-want nature that I was saved. Did you know? In the Dustar region, slavery is still rampant." The woman nodded as the staff member seemed to shorten their words. “He saved me. Of course, to him, it was just something he did in passing, seeing a calamity he couldn’t leave alone. I was just caught up in it. But it’s clear I was saved thanks to him.” Indeed. The staff member nodded. It was just like Renzo. “We’ll take you to the mortuary. Three instructors will accompany you. Is that alright?” “Of course. I’d be satisfied if I could just see his face.” The woman nodded, and the staff member reported the situation over the phone. After a short while, three instructors approached the woman and one of them spoke. “We will show you the way. This way, please.” The woman accepted the protection and guidance of the three instructors. Upon reaching the mortuary, the instructor in the lead opened the door. Currently, only one corpse was laid out in the mortuary. The instructor moved the one lying on the wheeled bed to the center. The face of the body was covered with a sheet. The instructor approached the body’s face. “Then, I will remove the sheet.” As the instructor removed the sheet, Renzo lay there, his face already cold. The woman covered her mouth with both hands and muttered as if lamenting. She approached Renzo with unsteady steps. “Oh, what has become of you? Poor Lord Renzo……” The woman’s fingertips touched Renzo’s face. The corners of the instructors’ eyes twitched, but they refrained from stopping her. As she said that, the woman extended her hand. For a moment, the instructors didn’t know what she meant. Shake hands? A high-five? The index, middle, and ring fingers of the woman’s hand pointed at each instructor respectively. The instructors’ heads were pierced. In an instant. The fingers that had transformed into tentacles retracted, and the woman shook the blood off her fingers. “Hmm, my fingers do get a little sore when I don’t use my aura. But thanks to that, they didn’t even notice.” When humans face each other, the most cautious aspect is the operation of aura or mana. A human not using Qi has limitations to their power. Therefore, humans tend to let their guard down around those who do not use aura, offering an inadvertent advantage. Moreover, if that being isn't truly human, but merely masquerading as one, the danger becomes even more fatal. "Shall we begin then, Lord Renzo." The woman's face writhed. Something seemed to crawl up from beneath her neck, squirming until her face transformed without so much as a sound of bone. Her completely changed face was androgynous, identical to that seen in the auditorium of Constel. It was Kraken. "This face really is more comfortable." Being able to freely change from face to entire body, why insist on returning to this form? Kraken questioned its own actions. Perhaps, even in human form, there's an original appearance. "Well, leaving that aside, we have work to do." Kraken moved its hand towards Renzo's chest, who was lying down. As expected, the heartbeat had completely stopped. The Renzo here was undoubtedly dead. To gain a life, one must lose a life. A technique only Kraken could perform. No, this was more akin to a taboo than a technique. Just then, the mortuary's alarm blared loudly. No, perhaps it was an alarm ringing throughout all of Morion. They've noticed the anomaly here. "As expected, they're quick. But it's already too late." A hole opened in Kraken's palm. Something twisted inside Kraken's body rushed forth. It burst out of the open palm and plunged into Renzo's chest. Kraken's entire body pulsed. That pulsation traveled down its palm, eventually suffusing Renzo with it. Blood trickled from Kraken's mouth. Yet, Kraken remained smiling, enduring the excruciating pain. Eventually, when Kraken removed its hand from Renzo's chest. Renzo's eyes snapped open.
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