During the interrogation (2/3)

"Sorry. It's been a difficult day."

Odell quickly retracted.

"My two friends are still on ER, so…"

"That's why we need your cooperation on telling us everything you know." The officer

Odell looked up and then shook his head.

"I swear this is all. What I said was nothing but the truth."

"Okay, let's go over everything you have said. So you are telling me that this person that attacked you four had previously killed your landlord, who is a seventeen years old teen, to steal his appearance and ability, and today, he took that as an advantage to lure you four into rescuing him when he was on the side of the highway being threatened by a creature he summoned himself."

"Then you four repelled the creature, but one of your mates, Jessica, discovered who controlled that creature in reality and decided to attack him while convincing you three of her theory. Then you four chased the subjects all the way by the terrain until he stopped and revealed his 'true power'."

The last words were pronounced louder than normal by the officer.

'Seriously? True power? How old is this dude again?'

Twirling a pen in his hands, the officer again inspected Odell's features, trying to probe his face for embarrassment or awkwardness or similar emotions. But there was none, he was sitting there as if that was perfectly normal and his stare on the notepaper was a message waiting for him to continue.

The officer sighed and did so.

"Revealed his true power… and… oh, here it is: Along with his intentions of killing you four to steal your abilities. Seeing this, you led your friends to fight him and your attacks easily killed him, But that turned out to be an illusion, but back then you guys didn't know and thought he was actually immortal."

"Your friend Willie stood up opting for stopping suspect alone so you three could escape, but then thanks to few imperfections of the illusions and unique qualities of your abilities, you and Jessica could notice what things were fake."

"Now realizing that he's weaker than you thought, you four chased him again, this time back to the place where everything started. Subsequently, everything was successful and after wounding the suspect, you caught him with your plant manipulation ability. And when you left with Jessi… why did you leave the three of them again?"

"To call the MDW, that's why you guys arrived, don't you?"

"Ahm… Actually, no, we did it because a driver on the road saw you five fighting and dialed emergency line to report a clandestine fight between Manifester."

"...…"

"Anyway, so when you and Jessica left the place to do your things, the suspect summoned the black smoke poisoning your two friends, Tedd and Willie. Noticing that until later. You used your ability to get them out of there and after all that, out of concern for the health of your mates, you and Jessica decided to abandon your intention of catching the suspect or waiting for the MDW to arrive. Right?"

"Yes… pretty much that was it."

"But if the poison was so strong and effective as to trap two Manifesters, why he didn't use it to defeat you four all together before, when you just caught him."

"Maybe he didn't have enough mana left to use it, when we caught him he started absorbing mana." Odell was a quick thinker, it didn't take long for him to devise a theory.

"Then why not wait until you two came back to, again, defeat you four altogether."

This time, Odell remained in silence, touching his chin to think of a deeper reason.

But the officer did not wait.

"Or even before, when you guys were found surrounding him in way of protection. He could use it back then too, didn't he?"

The restless man did not know what to answer. If the officer who only heard the facts could notice the loophole in his story, has also had this question in the back of his mind for some time now.

But having the question did not guarantee coming up with an answer. The doing of the fake Sebastian was still an unsolved mystery for him.

"Maybe there were some restrictions to the ability? Or some conditions to be met to be more damageful?" Odell replied unsurely.

"I don't know man, you're the person that is telling me the story." The officer shrugged.

"You think I made it up?"

"No no, it's just that there are a lot of things that don't make sense. And your statement isn't enough to help us understand it fully." But even if he clarified like that, distrust was still all over his face. "Anything else you would like to add?"

"Yes, that he possibly possesses an ability to revive himself. At first, we didn't believe it and thought it was a lie he was using to cover up the illusion, but then my friend Jessica detected it with her ability-."

"That his mana disappeared and then appeared, I know, I know, you said it tons of times already."

"Oh, if you have that written down, I have no problems then."

"Yeah, thanks for the information you have provided to us. Now if you excuse me, I'll have to report all this incident to my superior, please stay in this room until we call you again."

The officer stood up from the chair and shook Odell's hand.

After a few courtesies, the man walked up toward the door.

But before opening it to exit the room, he turned around and stared at the man behind.

"But have you thought that there might be another explanation for all that happened?"

"Like what?" Odell asked curiously.

"Like something more realistic."

"You mean…"

"Yeah, in that direction, the logical one."

"Another explanation… more realistic… logical… like… Oh my lord! Like he already possessed my friend's bodies!"

"?????"

"Oh! How could I not think about that, it was all a plan to persuade us. I and Jessica were not there to see it, so anything could happen… He changed of body! It makes a lot of sense now! That's why Jessica felt one of the mana sources dying!"

"Because it did for a second when switching between the bodies!"

Odell returned a radiant look at the officer, full of excitement.

"Worthy of being an elite of the MDW! Even if you were not at the scene, you were able to see clues that I didn't find!"

"You could have simply said it, but instead, you chose to lead me with your words by your thinking process! You really are a selfless police!"

The officer's smile got frosted on his face. He was actually gonna tell him that 'what if that was his actual landlord, and he and his friends beat him together.'

"Yeah… Sometimes… ahm… you need to ignore the emotions involved and stare at the intentions of the actions made."

"Sorry for thinking before that the MDW agents were no more than lucky people who awakened before me, and that if I was in that place, I could do better. I sincerely apologize for those immature thoughts."

"Yeah, it's all right, questioning MDW agent's professionalism, it happens all the time, ha…ha…ha…"

"Thank you for helping on this case, and don't doubt to sent people to secure the room of Willie and Tedd."

"In the case that the theory turns out to be true, and one of them isn't them anymore, do not hesitate to end his life, my friend would not want his body and appearance to be misused by his killer."

'How lucky they are for having you as a friend.' The officer teased.