[Book 2] Gate Guardian - Song of the Frozen Soul

PHASE 88 - ATONEMENT

PHASE 88 - ATONEMENT

My cold sweat ran to my neck. My bones trembled, and my eyes were wide open. I shouldn’t be surprised. I should have expected this much. There’s no way I could get out of this situation. I was a complete fool for thinking that everything will be back to normal.

“Tiara Hikari, you are under arrest for multiple counts of murder.” Jecchan’s words echoed inside my skull. The more that sentence repeats in my thought, the more terrified I get.

I bowed down, hiding my eyes behind my bangs. I made a series of soft breaths to calm myself. My heart is currently beating so fast that I’m worried if it’s going to burst.

“Don’t be ridiculous!” I heard Rikkun’s shout beside me. He’s certainly furious.

“Don’t you dare fight back, Alaric. We have witnesses who saw the killing of multiple Gate Guardians. Mianette and Heushac even saw how Tiara killed Erylle Fontaine.” Jecchan coldly glared.

“T-That’s…” Rikkun stuttered.

“It’s true, Ric,” Heushac mumbled. His blue eyes went to meet his best friend. “I saw her. I saw how Tiara brutally kills Sis Erylle.”

“No… No…” 

Rikkun bowed down in absolute denial of the fact. I can feel the pain Rikkun is taking on his chest. His hands are clenching as if he’s going to crush his own bones. I know he’s overly burdened just by staying on my side. I can’t be a dead weight for him anymore.

Slowly, I adjoined my hands and raised it in front of Jecchan. My mouth moved to unleash the tiny remaining flicker of justice I had in my mind.

“I wish to surrender.”

Hearing this, Rikkun immediately looked at my face. His eyes and mouth are opened wide. He was so surprised about my sudden surrender. In response, I gave a tearful smile at him, desperately trying hard to calm him down.

“This is for the greater good, Rikkun. It’s true. I killed a lot of people.”

“T-Tiara…”

“You said that death is not the proper way to atone for my sins… so I think this is the only other way. I’ll go with them.”

“Great.” Jecchan made a relieved sigh as she put a high-tech handcuff on my wrist. When the handcuff locked, I felt that my prana circuits have been tampered, preventing me to use any spells or even Quintessences like God Cores. 

Jecchan started to pull me by my handcuffs, and the other Gate Guardians and the SWAT team followed. As we walk in the corridors of the condominium, I made a final look at my love who appeared to be cold, lonely, and heartbroken.

<>

When we are in the police mobile, Jecchan, who has been sitting on my side the entire time, started a conversation with the Blazing Heart Members. She appeared to have a heated confrontation with them, especially against Mianette.

“Tiara is an Aether Crusade member, so she is under my turf. I would like to have special custody for her.” Jecchan said.

“And where are you planning on taking her?” Mianette asked.

“To the Kozukata Shrine. I’ll have the shrine maidens purify her curse.” 

“No can do, Miss Noctis.” Mianette frowned. “We can’t even locate the head of the Kozukata Shrine as of this moment. There was also this Necross Hades incident that happened in that shrine, so it is not safe to have her detained there.”