Chapter 36: The Embrace of Steel

The air still vibrated with the echoes of the injustice that Sakolomé and Salomé had endured at the hands of the infamous Doctor Grijan. Fueled by a newfound determination, they had resolved to flee this den of discrimination, to find the safety of their home.

Salomé, overcome by fatigue and the turmoil of events, had succumbed to sleep. Her head rested, innocent, on Sakolomé's shoulder, who carried her through the labyrinthine corridors. Each step was a question, an uncertainty about the destination that awaited them. The boundary between the known and the unknown blurred with every turn.

Suddenly, the silence was shattered. A barrier of steel and uniforms appeared before them. Soldiers, faces impassive, stood like an impassable rampart.

Sakolomé's gaze, once sparkling with life, was now a frozen mirror, reflecting exhaustion and a profound weariness. He examined them, a deceptive calm masking an inner storm.

"Don't move, kid!" roared a voice, sharp as a blade. A rifle, menacing, pointed towards Sakolomé.

Thoughts swirled in the young man's mind. His eyes betrayed hesitation, an inner struggle. Words remained prisoners in his throat.

*(I gave in to anger, unleashed my powers without restraint... Mom and Dad have told me enough times, I can't afford to rebel again. I have to control myself...)*

With a bitter resolution, Sakolomé froze. His muscles tensed, ready to leap, but he forced them into obedience.

*(Just hope they don't hurt Salomé... She's not responsible for any of this.)*

Three police officers advanced, their steps echoing on the floor. One, with feigned brutality, snatched Salomé, still asleep, from Sakolomé's arms. The others, with a curt gesture, applied handcuffs to him. The cold metal bit into his skin, a promise of deprivation of liberty.

Sakolomé fixed his gaze on the officer holding Salomé, a glimmer of hope in his eyes.

"Hey... mister... Please... Tell me you won't hurt her!"

The officer was taken aback. He plunged his gaze into Sakolomé's, discovering in it a wounded soul, overwhelmed with regret. He saw a young man haunted by his mistakes, the weight of the world weighing on his shoulders.

"She's just going home, kid. That's your sister, right? We're going to take you to the station, ask you a few questions..."

A timid smile touched Sakolomé's lips. He nodded, resigned.

Outside, a dense crowd had gathered, a sea of faces eager for information. The clamor of their murmurs filled the air. The news of the incident inside must have spread like wildfire.

Escorted by the police officers, Sakolomé crossed this human hedge, their gazes weighing on him like a judgment. He had become, in an instant, a criminal in everyone's eyes.

Yet, in the middle of this indistinct mass, he distinguished familiar figures. Bakuzan and Bakuran were there, their faces lit up with a wave of encouragement. They made friendly gestures, eliciting a fleeting smile from Sakolomé.

His gaze continued its exploration of the crowd, stopping on Madame Alia. Her features were etched with sadness, a maternal concern veiling her gaze. Sakolomé offered her a reassuring smile, seeking to appease her fears.

Then, his eyes fell on his classmates. Their faces displayed a bitter, almost jubilant satisfaction. The fate that was befalling Sakolomé seemed to delight them.

He was not surprised. He expected no compassion from them. He had never been one of them, and he knew it.

*(No point in hoping for leniency from them... They never liked me anyway.)*

He was brutally shoved into the police vehicle. The doors slammed with a sinister echo. The engine roared, and the car drove away from Grijan High School.

A feeling of disgust washed over Sakolomé. Everything that touched this man, his name, repulsed him. He had never imagined Grijan capable of such baseness. Disappointment gnawed at him. Even if he managed to prove his innocence, he knew he would avoid this man at all costs. There was an impassable chasm between Grijan and him, a disparity in social status that nothing could bridge. Society, he knew, would always take the side of the powerful.

The car was inexorably moving away from the city, sinking into a deserted and arid landscape. Worry grew in Sakolomé.

*(Why are they taking us so far? Wouldn't it have been simpler to take me directly to the Monor City station? Unless...)*

He questioned the officer sitting next to him.

"Um... mister... Where are we going?"

The officer replied, a sinister tone in his voice:

"Looks like someone has already decided your fate, kid. You're going to rot in prison for quite a while, it seems!"

Sakolomé was stunned.

"Imprisoned? But I didn't do anything! I'm innocent!"

The officer sighed, a mixture of resignation and sympathy in his gaze.

"Listen, kid, we don't really know what happened. Even access to the surveillance cameras is forbidden to us. We're cops, we want justice for everyone, but you have to understand... When high-placed people are involved, the law can be... flexible."

"What do you mean?!" Sakolomé was dumbfounded.

The officer continued, a bitter cynicism in his voice:

"Think about it, kid... Between an adored genius, capable of revolutionizing the world, and a kid of no importance, descended from a lineage of criminals, who will justice side with? Even if the former is guilty?"

The truth struck Sakolomé full force. He understood the implacable logic underlying this charade.

Justice, in the ruthless world of politics and higher interests, was not always favorable to pariahs.

"Yes... mister... I understand perfectly..." His voice was stifled, filled with bitterness.

The officer looked at him with fleeting compassion.

"Listen, kid, we're not fans of injustice. This story won't go unpunished, justice or not. We're going to give you some tests. If you're telling the truth, if the investigation proves us right, we'll do everything we can to get you out of there. Justice or nothing!"

Sakolomé smiled, a glimmer of hope in his eyes.

"Thank you, mister... You're the best... But... where are you taking me, exactly?"

"To the Monor Desert Prison. A gloomy place, populated by the worst criminals in the country. I hope you don't have to face them."

"What?! I'm innocent and I'm locked up with monsters?!"

The officer sighed again.

"That's what makes us believe your sentence is rigged. They want to make you disappear. My name is Édouard. Remember my name. One day, I'll make justice triumph, even against the greatest in this world!"

Sakolomé, despite everything, maintained his smile.

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Édouard. I'm Sakolomé Satsujin Otoko!"

Édouard, with solemn gravity, said to him:

"Then, Sakolomé, try to survive in there. We'll fight to get you out of this hell."

Sakolomé, his gaze determined, replied:

"Understood, sir!"

The car stopped in front of a massive fortress, a dark scar in the vastness of the desert. Monor Prison.

Sakolomé was led into an isolated room where he underwent a series of tests.

The results were unequivocal. Sakolomé was telling the truth. Grijan's attitude was more than reprehensible, and Sakolomé's reaction, a simple response to an aggression.

Yet, he was then led to a tiny, cold cell, where he found himself alone.

A police officer, before leaving him, handed him a meager meal.

"As promised, kid..."

Sakolomé nodded and took the food.

The night passed, long and solitary. Sakolomé spent his first night behind bars in Monor Prison.

In the morning, a police officer woke him up by banging violently on the cell door.

"Get up, kid! We have orders to change your block!"

Sakolomé stretched, his body stiff from discomfort.

"Change my block? Why?"

The officer shrugged, indifferent.

"Direct order from the chief. You have to be transferred to the Clans' Quarter!"

The Clans' Quarter? Sakolomé's interest was piqued.

"The Clans' Quarter?!"

The officer confirmed.

"Yeah. That's where we pile up the worst criminals in the country, the members of the biggest clans. Amazing, but it seems you're the only Killer Man around!"

*(What does he mean by that?)*

"Uh... What do you mean by that?"

"The Killer Man, isn't that supposed to be a bunch of criminals?"

Sakolomé sighed.

The officer opened the cell and ordered Sakolomé to come out.

A new outfit awaited him, a bright red uniform, a symbol of his degradation.

*(So, that's the style here...)*

The officer watched Sakolomé put on his new outfit. Then, he put the handcuffs on him.

"Let's go!"

Sakolomé, flanked by the officer, walked through the corridors. Other prisoners, locked behind rusty bars, watched them with morbid curiosity.

"What's a kid like that doing in prison?!"

"Hey, kid! Didn't you like school?"

"Hahaha! This is no place for princesses!"

The prisoners vied with insults and provocations.

Sakolomé, stoic, kept his cool.

These men, massive, tattooed, exuded an aura of terror.

Finally, they arrived in front of an imposing gate. The officer opened it, revealing a dark staircase.

Sakolomé followed the officer in the arduous ascent of the steps.

They reached a vast courtyard. The officer led him to a cell, which he opened with a metallic clank.

"Here's your new room, kid!"

Sakolomé approached and glanced inside.

A young man, dressed in the same red uniform, stood motionless, his eyes closed.

The officer removed Sakolomé's handcuffs and pushed him into the cell. Then, he closed the door.

"Have fun, kid! Make friends with your new cellmate!"

The officer walked away, leaving Sakolomé alone.

He turned around. The young man was still there, petrified.

Judging by his build, he must have been around fifteen years old.

Dark skin, brown hair, and slightly protruding ears.

*(What is he doing, standing there with his eyes closed?)*

Sakolomé approached and observed him carefully.

*(Looks like he's sleeping...)*

He headed for the bunk beds, basic and uncomfortable. He chose one and lay down.

*(He has a funny way of sleeping...)*

Sakolomé contemplated the ceiling, lost in his thoughts.

"Hey, you!" A voice startled him from his reverie.

Sakolomé straightened up and sat on his bed.

The other boy had opened his eyes and was staring at him.

"That's my bed!"

Sakolomé got up.

"Sorry. I didn't know you had already chosen it. And what good is a bed to you anyway? You sleep standing up!"

The boy stared at him in silence.

His gaze was intense, almost piercing. His bright red eyes gave him a strange charm.

He approached his bed and lay down on it.

Sakolomé headed for the other bed and lay down in turn.

He glanced at his cellmate.

He had noticed his cold and distant behavior.

*(Does he want to play tough? Or has he experienced something terrible here... Anyway, I doubt he'll agree to talk to me.)*

Suddenly, a police officer knocked on the door.

"Hey, you two! It's time to eat!"

He placed a tray in front of the cell, sliding it through a narrow opening at the bottom of the door.

The boy rushed and grabbed his meal.

The officer said with a smirk:

"Chimatsuri!"

The young man made an awkward gesture, and his meal fell to the ground.

"Hahahahaha! How easy is it with you!"

The officer turned away and walked away laughing.

Sakolomé looked at the young boy, motionless, his eyes fixed on his food lying on the ground.

*(What a waste...)*

Sakolomé got up and took his tray.

He turned to the young man.

"Hey... You can eat with me, if you want."

The boy looked up at Sakolomé.

"R... really?!"

Sakolomé nodded.

"Of course. Help yourself. I'm not very hungry anyway."

A smile lit up the boy's face.

"You know... Food is sacred... I accept to share your meal. Thank you for your gesture."

Sakolomé and the boy sat on the floor and ate together.

The young boy looked at Sakolomé.

"You seem nice. What's your name? I'm Yuki!"

Sakolomé: "Hum... Yuki... Nice to meet you, Yuki. I'm Sakolomé!"

Yuki: "What clan are you from?!"

Sakolomé: "Killer Man. Satsujin Otoko!"

Yuki: "I see... A dark clan. I'm from the Chimatsuri clan. It's my last name."

Sakolomé thought for a moment.

"The Chimatsuri clan doesn't have a reputation for being dangerous. How did you end up here?"

Yuki sighed.

"I have a vision of people that changed everything."

Sakolomé: "Do you think you deserve to be here?"

Yuki nodded.

Sakolomé was stunned.

"Really? Why?"

Yuki: "Sakolomé, you're a good person. I wonder how you can be here. I know how to recognize good people from bad... But you need to know that men are stupid. They are never satisfied!"

Sakolomé: "Hum..."

*(What is Yuki trying to tell me?)*

Yuki: "After what I experienced, I thought that stupid humans deserved to die. And that, it happened again and again... I preferred to be locked up so I wouldn't kill anymore."

Sakolomé: "You turned yourself in to the police?"

Yuki nodded.

Yuki: "Yes. I explained everything."

Sakolomé: "Will you be released one day?"

Yuki: "Yes. After a rehabilitation!"

Sakolomé was perplexed. Yuki wasn't telling him everything.

"But... Yuki... What exactly happened to you?"

Yuki smiled.

"Thank you for the meal, Sakolomé!"

He got up and went to lie down on his bed.

Sakolomé was even more disconcerted.

Who was Yuki, really? How long had he been in prison?

It didn't matter. He had to focus on his own situation, on this injustice he had to fight.