Chapter 59

"Oboro was a phony, Aaron and Isaiah worked together in order to cover his tracks. Maxwell lost control and tried to find them, leading to his death with the ritual, and Madame Fitzgerald orchestrated the sudden deliberate exchange at her house, giving Cattleya the notes was completely intentional, in order to pin the bounty on her and not Aaron or Isaiah."

"Bingo!"

Raymond chuckled as he finished his beer, wiping the foamy mustache off of his mouth before speaking again.

"And since Isaiah worked with Oboro, he was able to know everything about him in order to carry out this murder. So in conclusion?"

My expression faltered and I felt my stomach sink to my feet.

"Aaron and Madame Fitzgerald were behind it all."

Raymond nodded, before standing up abruptly, he then turned to look at my full drink, noticing that I didn't even take a sip.

"You didn't drink anything, I guess I wasted that you would make in a month."

He then waved his hand, and the environment around us began to change, and before I knew it I was back at the street market, and upon checking the time, It hasn't even been 10 seconds since me and Raymond left.

"I'll see you soon."

Raymond's voice had an eerie tone to it as he picked up his groceries and walked away. I then looked back to where I previously saw Aaron and Shinso in the store, and they were giving me concerned and worried looks.

"Where'd you go?"

I shrugged, attempting to play off the sudden encounter with Raymond, except they never saw anything so it made things sort of easier.

"I thought I saw a cat, I wanted to pet it and then it walked away."

Aaron nodded with a little uncertainty, but he quickly brushed off the idea and walked further down the street.

"Hopefully Palau and Aizawa have the reports on the Nullifying bullets, we'll need them if we are to truly find Isaiah's intentions."

"Don't you already know his intentions?"

I then hammered up, making Aaron turn to me in confusion.

"I do, but that's not important."

Shinso then turned to look at Aaron, his expression dawning a tiny bit of anger.

"Then why did we go here to begin with?"

Aaron sighed after Shinso asked him the question, and he knew he had to spit it up eventually. 

"It was a scheme, ok?"

Shinso's eyes widened, and I pretended to look shocked as if I didn't already know all of this.

"Isaiah Walls, I know exactly what his true intentions are, he wants to cover his tracks due to what he did to Maxwell."

"The man who turned into a flesh blob?"

Aaron nodded, before he continued to speak.

"Maxwell's ritual was actually to siphon the power to find where the Nightshades were located, but he ended up dying in the process, now his physical and mental existence have completely vanished."

"So, Isaiah made Maxwell lose control? How could he do a ritual if he's a flesh blob, they can't speak, can't they?"

Aaron's eyes then turned into an emotion that we could clearly read.

"I helped him."

At this point, we were talking about this in the middle of the street, where anyone could listen in if they cared, maybe Aaron's feeling susceptible and doesn't care if he's corrupted by Isaiah.

"Why?"

Shinso's voice had a vulnerability that no one saw often, which made Aaron's expression falter more.

"I needed to find them too. Luckily I wasn't in the radius to be destroyed, but the residual effects of the ritual, and the artifacts that were there..."

He then reached into his pocket and took out the 4 armed statue, looking down at it with a remorseful look.

"I have all of them."

Shinso's eyes widened and softened at the same time, then he spoke in a tone of complete disbelief.

"Then why did we go here to begin with? I know it was a setup, but why did you have to kill Ransom like that, have Isaac bring him into his void-thingy and eat him up?!"

I could feel the tears ringing in Aaron's eyes as he began to speak again, this time his voice was shaky and faltering quickly.

"Sometimes when you have to get things done, deception, trickery and manipulation, sometimes you just lose your respect and value for human life."

Aaron then took a few steps back, before retreating back to the alleyway where we found the flesh blob, his whole body was trembling as he just completely broke down.

I could feel the tears welling in my eyes as well, as an empath, it was almost impossible to not relate and sympathize with the emotions of other people, and right now I felt like crying with him.

"Hey..."

My voice was hushed and quiet as I approached Aaron, before wrapping him in a gingerly hug. Feeling his warm skin and tender heartbeat against my ears was relaxing and all the more sad and heartbreaking at the same time.

"I don't want to become a monster, I don't want to become what he wants me to become."

His voice shattered my heart even more, his shaky and broken voice in my ears made my heart swell as I just tightened my hug around him even more.

But I didn't expect Aaron to return my hug, as I felt his warm arms wrap around my body, and pull me into his chest.

"Thanks, kid."

Aaron let out a strained and forced chuckle, and looked up at Aaron's face, which was stained with tears and an unexplainable emotion, pity.

"I'm sorry for all of this, I'm sorry I had Oboro shot, and I'm sorry that I had you involved in all of this..."

He murmured as he let me go, and I took a few steps away and saw him rubbing the tears from his eyes.

"Now, let's get back to the base."

His voice was a lot more controlled than before, as he left the alleyway and proceeded down the street and back towards the base. Me and Shinso followed him down the street until we arrived back at his house, where he pushed the door back and did all the rituals and accommodations in order to enter the building.

When we did, we saw everyone sitting at the table, Cattleya and Demetrius looked shaken up, and Aizawa and Palau held the stack of reports in their hands.

"I see everyone's back."

Aaron said as he cleared his throat, before taking his seat and looking upon everyone in the organization.

Aaron said as he cleared his throat, before taking his seat and looking upon everyone in the organization.

"We went to bring back anyone who worked at Oboro's business, but due to his lack of divine protection or experience in mysticism in general, they turned into a flesh blob."

Cattleya's voice had an edge to it, as her eyes had an unreadable feeling in them, but upon some discernment anyone could see that it was fear.

"Isaiah, he must've known that important information was about to be revealed."

Aizawa stated, leaning back in his chair while looking directly at me and Shinso, and his expression told the 2 of us that we were feeling a little off.

"What's wrong with the boys?"

He then asked, looking at Aaron like he might murder him if he said the wrong thing. Aaron gulped hard and ran his fingers through his hair, which only aroused Aizawa's suspicion more. 

"Tell me, now."

Aaron looked upon everyone in the group, knowing that what he was about to tell them would break their trust and destroy the organization.

"I'm behind it."

His voice grew serious and genuine, as if he was confessing to a murder of some kind. The room then fell silent, and only the sound of the distant clamor of pipes was heard besides the dense atmosphere now filling the room.

"What?"

Cattleya spoke up, but her voice didn't completely show the emotion she was feeling, it shows more confusion out of anything. Her eyes narrowed and her brows furrowed, not completely believing Aaron's statement.

"It's true, and Madame Fitzgerald has deep involvement too. How do you think she got those notes?"

Cattleya then looked down at her seat in confusion and a little surprise, but a few seconds later she spoke up again.

"I knew Madame Fitzgerald had connections with the Nightshades, but I didn't speculate she had this deep of involvement."

She then bit her lip and rapped her fingers on the table, her common nervous habit. Carter then turned towards her with a look of worry in his face, as he planted a hand on her shoulder in an attempt to ease her nerves.

He then turned back to Aaron and raised an eyebrow.

"What do you mean by the fact that you were behind everything?"

He asked, his voice deadpan serious and a little concerned. Aaron swallowed his spit before speaking. 

"After Maxwell lost control completely, I helped him accommodate the right needs for the ritual, I have all the things the police found in the ritual site."

"Then how did the police find them if you had them before?"

Carter asked, his overall atmosphere now dedicated to getting all the information from Aaron.

"I used a replication ability, the identity of the Patience Routeway allowed me to replicate objects, I learned it a few years back and used it multiple times."

"But do the artifacts still have their abilities and can still be used?"

Aaron nodded, trying not to let out a chuckle. 

"No, the overground police are too stupid to know how to really use them."

After saying that, Aaron couldn't help but laugh. But this laugh didn't lighten up the atmosphere in the slightest, in fact it only made everyone's gut sink deeper, making them unable to speak.

Just then, a knocking sound was heard from somewhere, and upon closer inspection it came from behind the wall from where Aaron, me and Shinso came from.

"I'll be right back..."

Aaron's voice was laced with a strange sense of warning as he stood up and approached the wall, before pushing it open after pressing and murmuring on the rune pressed in.

He then proceeded down the hallway before approaching the site of his usual house, and opened the other door and entered his house. 

Aaron then stepped towards his door and opened it, where he saw an envelope situated on his front step.

Upon opening it, the contents of the envelope were laced in a golden trim, and cursive handwriting was placed on the surface.

"I hope this missive finds you in splendid spirits. With the utmost regard for the hallmark of elegance and refinement that your esteemed establishment embodies.

I wish to extend my heartfelt appreciation for the exquisite experiences you continually provide to your esteemed guests."

"As I anticipate an upcoming occasion that merits a gathering of both grandeur and grace, I am inclined to inquire about the opportunity of hosting a banquet at your illustrious venue. 

"The ambiance of sophisticated allure, paired with your renowned culinary mastery, presents an unparalleled setting for such a momentous affair."

"I envision an event that not only celebrates the joy of companionship but also captivates the senses with your delectable offerings and impeccable service."

It would be a sincere pleasure to discuss the possibilities and intricacies of orchestrating this gathering in a manner befitting the elegance and charm of your establishment."

"Please let me know a convenient time for us to converse further, or should you prefer, I would be most appreciative of any printed materials or brochures outlining your banquet services, menu selections, and available packages."

"Thank you for your attention to my humble request. I look forward to your favorable reply and the promise of a most splendid celebration in the heart of your distinguished hall."

Upon looking at the bottom of the invitation, the letter was actually from Madame Fitzgerald of all people, it wasn't out of style for her to to host events like this, but it was usually reserved for the elite of the kingdom, but now it was for almost everyone.

Aaron raised an eyebrow as he headed back to the headquarters and sat back down in his seat, he then looked upon everyone, who were shooting him curious glances.

"It looks like we're going to a party."