CHAPTER 13: THE EYE OF THE STORM
"Isn't that a bit harsh to say to someone you just met?"
Captain Selene leaned against the cold metal wall of the containment cell, her eyes tracing the glowing Jinx-chains that bound the prisoner. Despite his bloody appearance, she looked as relaxed as if she were at a café.
"Well, you should relax," she continued, her voice airy and light. "There's really no need to curse me out. After all, you're the one who got defeated by a handful of cadets who haven't even been officially certified yet. That's a bit of a blow to the reputation, don't you think?"
"TCH." The Curse User spat a mouthful of dark blood onto the floor. "What the hell are you doing here, woman? Are you here to add more salt to my wounds? If you've come to mock me, just get it over with and kill me."
"Well, enough of that. There's no need to keep exchanging words like this," Selene said, her tone suddenly shifting. The playful air vanished, replaced by a razor-sharp focus. "I want to get straight to the point rather than drag this out any longer. I have a very important question to ask, and I'd prefer it if you cooperated."
She stepped closer, the heels of her boots echoing like a ticking clock in the small, cramped cell.
"I'm also not expecting you to make this easy for me," she said. "So, you have a choice. You can take the easy way and talk, or you can take the hard way. Personally? I don't care which one you choose."
The prisoner looked up, his one good eye narrowing. "What could you possibly want to know that your little investigators haven't already asked?"
"Who gave you that power?" Selene asked, her voice dropping to a low, dangerous whisper. "Or rather, how did you learn it? There is no way a regular human could have mastered a Curse Transformation technique of that caliber on their own. Someone opened the door for you. Who was it?"
"HAH!" The man let out a dry, hacking laugh. "Always the same question. You guys don't ever learn, do you? You're just like the suits who were in here ten minutes ago. I ain't no snitch, woman. You can burn me, break me, or bury me I'm not saying a word."
Selene let out a soft, tired sigh. "Well, that's not a surprise. That's what you people always say. I really didn't want to use this today it gives me such a headache but you've left me with no choice."
"What... what are you doing?" The Curse User's eyes widened as Selene reached up to her face.
"Oh, nothing much," she said. "I'm just going to take a little peek at your mind."
She brushed her long hair away from the left side of her face. For a moment, the room seemed to go silent. Beneath her hair, her left eye was revealed. It wasn't like her right; it was a void of swirling, midnight-black energy, pulsing with an ancient, forbidden Curse. The pupil was a vertical slit that seemed to vibrate with a life of its own.
The moment the eye locked onto the prisoner, he froze.
"What the...AARGH! AARGH! AACCK!"
The Curse User's scream was blood-curdling. It wasn't a scream of physical pain, but of psychological violation. His body arched against the chair, the Jinx-chains rattling violently as Selene's dark eye literally stripped away his mental barriers. Memories, secrets, and fears were being forcibly pulled from his consciousness.
Ten seconds later, Selene covered her eye again, her breathing slightly heavy. The prisoner slumped forward, unconscious and drooling, his mind completely wiped blank for the moment.
"Phew..." Selene wiped a bead of sweat from her forehead. "It's not him either. Another dead end."
She stepped out of the cell, sliding the heavy door shut. Waiting for her in the corridor was a mysterious man who had followed her from the train. He wore a dark uniform with a red cloth mask covering the lower half of his face. He didn't speak a single word, standing as silent as a statue.
Selene looked at the masked man and then turned to Luke Blight, who was waiting at the end of the hall.
"Make sure he is sent to the specialized prison barrier immediately," Selene commanded. "He won't be a threat any longer. I've taken what I could, though it wasn't much. Is there anything else you need to report?"
"No, Captain," Luke Blight said, his eyes lingering on the closed cell door. "That is everything. My team and I will handle the rest of the cleanup and the prisoner transfer. We've secured the other hijackers as well."
"Alright then," Selene said, her playful demeanor returning as if she hadn't just shattered a man's mind. "See ya! I'll be heading back to the Headquarters now. I need a nap and a very large coffee. Bye-bye!"
She waved a hand over her shoulder and walked toward the exit, the masked man following silently behind her like a shadow.
Luke Blight watched her go, his expression grim. Once she was out of earshot, his companion a younger investigator who had been silent until now stepped forward.
"Wait... Senior Luke," the companion whispered, his eyes wide. "That woman... isn't she the new appointment for Sorcerer Captain this year? The one the newspapers were calling 'The Strongest Sorcerer'?"
"Ah... I guess this is your first time seeing her in person," Luke replied, reaching for his cigarettes. "Yes, you're right. That's Selene Lunaris. She doesn't listen to anyone not even the Higher Council. She does exactly what she likes, when she likes." And she is a Special Rank Socerer.
"Really! The junior said in surprise"
"Then why make her a Captain?" the companion asked, confused. "If she's that unstable, shouldn't she be under watch?"
"That's exactly why they made her a Captain," Luke said, lighting his cigarette and watching the smoke drift toward the ceiling. "My understanding is that the Higher-Ups realized they couldn't kill her, and they couldn't hide her. So, they gave her a title and a squad so they could at least keep her in a place where they can see her. It's an attempt to control her, though if you ask me, it's like trying to put a leash on a hurricane."
"Why do you say that?" his companion asked, looking toward the door where Selene had disappeared.
"Because," Luke said, his voice dropping low. "The Council thinks they are the ones using her. But when I look at her... I get the feeling she's the one using them. And now that she's taken an interest in that Elorin boy? God help us all."