Thrive of Justice

As the crew made their way in, the grotesque environment awaited: the living room of a luxurious hotel, distorted into a scenario of havoc and dread. The white and furry carpet was tainted crimson red, due to all the blood dropped onto it, as the room was infested with the pure smell of rot. Part of the moon's shine welcomed itself inside, through the several gaps craved at the adorned black curtain and through the broken windows.

In the epicenter of the room, there was an fancy and adorned cream couch, that was severely damaged, and was being only useful to keep the victim's body still and in the range of the piercing moon light that made its way inside. The body was of a tall man, who was already over forty. His black suit and tie were completely stained and his body was badly damaged next to his chest and neck.

The lead agent of the crew, an young woman under the alias of Agent Vandelia, contemplated the scene, as her expression shifted into disgust. Her eyes swiftly pictured the whole place, as she carefully approached the body, and as she got down on her knees right in front of the body, she demanded:

'What do we know about the victim?', her morbid tone commanded a response to come to the fore, in order to explain this tragedy

'This man is Mr. Albert Wright, an executive that came from London and had an appointment with the executives of Kedan District for tomorrow evening', the second agent in the lead, a man nearly the same age as Agent Vandelia, Agent Echo, responded with a neutral, more professional tone 'It is said that he was escorting another man inside his room before the accident"

Agent Vandelia listened carefully, without removing her eyes from the body. Given the fact that Mr. Wright lead another man inside, it could've been a fight that lead to this tragedy. Before moving away from the body, she noticed a white thing inside Mr. Wright's suit, and gently tapped it before picking it on with her gloved hands. It was a simple ace of hearts card, innocently waiting inside that man's suit, but as for her, that was a huge sign of concern.

'Agent Echo, you come with me!', her elevated tone of voice pierced through the air, as she made her way through the crew of agents who were brought for this investigation, and she raised the card high in the air, showing it to everyone present, 'You all finish the procedures for this investigation while me and Agent Echo are going to confirm our concerns'

Distressingly, both of the lead agents headed down to their vehicles in order to call the Veron Control Center, or VCC for short. Many crimes before were related to this same ace of hearts card, and since they could be related with the same Veromonian, the investigation could only go on with the presence of an specialized agent of the VCC. As they finally made their way to their car, both agents were low on breath, thanks the adrenaline that was going through their body.

Surprisingly, as soon as they called, the own president of the VCC, Mr. Haru Otogami picked up, with notable joviality on his tone of voice.

'Oh, my esteemed Agent Vandelia!', he let out a polite laughter from the other side of the line before continuing, 'How may I be of help today?'

'We found another of his cards', Vandelia replied, simply, but fiercely, 'I know this is abrupt, but we need an appointment with the research team in order to...'

Suddenly, Mr. Otogami interrupted her.

'My apologies, Agent Vandelia, however I demand you to leave that case open for a short while', despite Mr. Otogami not having a mocking tone, Vandelia's face shifted into madness and her right hand firmly pressed the phone after hearing this, 'You and Agent Echo are being required in the head-quarters. I promise to give all details once you get here, just come as soon as you can'

'Yes, sir...', she reluctantly said, as she closed her eyes lightly, lifted her chin a little and let out a sigh, as a sign of frustration

Her initial reaction was to ponder a little before acting; why would Mr. Otogami demand her to leave a case when they managed to get a high clue? Delusional in her pondering, Agent Echo gave her a gentle touch with his fist on her right shoulder, forcing her back of her own world to the cold reality ahead.

'What did Mr. Otogami said to make you so frustrated, Minami?', Agent Echo's eyebrows were lowered as a sign of concern, and all his formality vanished now

'He wants us to leave the case open for a while and make our way to the head quarters', her tone of voice shifted to total frustration and a slight anguish of abandoning her position, 'He told me that we would receive further explanations once we get there'

In a timely fashion, Agent Vandelia turned the car on, and swiftly, but silently, both of them made their way towards the agency. 

The VCC agency was located in another district, which was a district full of military corporations, whether they're governamental or not. In this case, the VCC agency is a complex full of buildings, but their real head-quarters was located in a tall building, full of sapphire blue windows on its surroundings, reflecting all of the beautiful moon shine.

As for the inside of the building, it was a rather fancy and sleek corporation, with silk white walls, and an adorned ceiling. Both of the agents awaited for them to be called by Mr. Otogami, while restlessly seating on the main lobby's crimson arm chairs. 

'I am still wondering, is this really his card?', Agent Vandelia pulled up a conversation, as she carefully analyzed the card between her fingers, 'Considering that he was assumed dead for over two years now, it feels awfully off. What do you say?'

Agent Echo, despite being uneasy, shown by his shocked expression, with restless eyes and harsh breath, made a pause before answering, as he laid down his head, raised up his right arm to the ceiling and starred at it.

'You mean Tarot's? Whoever that card is from, it was found in a crime scene, so we have the duty to investigate it', all of his professionalism, visible through his tone of voice, was taken over by some sort of curiosity and inevitable concern, 'Although it might just be a crazy follower, the pattern was identical, and I don't think anyone could mimic that psycho'

Their conversation was suddenly interrupted by the arrival of Mr. Otogami in the main lobby, through a passage that most likely lead to a room full of elevators. Mr. Otogami was a tall man, who seemed to be over fifty years old. He was also wearing an open black suit, with a dark gray vest underneath, a white shirt and a tie at the same tone as the suit's.

'Welcome, Agents Echo and Vandelia!', as he approached, his lips shifted into a formal, but rather cordial smile, 'I truly apologize for making you go through the trouble of coming here in such an inconvenient timing. Please, do not concern yourselves, for your case is secure'

Despite receiving apologies accordingly, Agent Vandelia still seemed to be frustrated and impatient, and shortly after the formalities, she demanded, with both of her arms crossed, wearing a really displeased expression:

'Mr. Otogami, you promised to explain us everything as soon as we got here', her tone now lacked her former professionalism, due to her impatience, 'With all due respect, let us skip formalities, and settle matters, for I am not leaving a case opened in vain'

No verbal reaction came from Mr. Otogami as he glanced towards Agent Vandelia's boldness to defy her orders, just to protect this case. Being bold enough to confront upper orders is a mistake that only a few agents would dare to commit in their whole careers, so it was intriguing to face such a fierce determination into defending her position against these orders.

In the end, disregarding the agent's behavior, it didn't take much longer for Mr. Otogami to ask them to follow him. They made their way to the chamber which he came from when entering the main lobby, and it was indeed a room full of elevators. An elevator was picked at random, and when they got in, a red light scanned the three of them, and automatically directed the machine to the floor they had to go to.

As the metal doors opened, without delay, the trio went inside that sector, and down the hallway, in order to reach a room with a few more agents, and a circular wooden table. There was also a wall made of windows in the opposite side of the room's entrance.

Separating himself from the agents, Mr. Otogami went to the other end of the room, where there was a huge monitor with the agency's logo. As soon as Agents Echo and Vandelia took their respective seats, the meeting finally began.

'Welcome, ladies and gentleman, and thank you for your participation in this meeting', he politely gesticulated towards the audience as he spoke, 'I believe that most of you know why we are having this sudden meeting, but for those who don't, allow me to explain: it is to congratulate Agent Echo and Agent Vandelia for all of their efforts in our fight!'

In the same interval he finished this sentence, he started clapping, which in return, motivated the other agents to clap their hands as well. Without much of a reaction, both of the agents just faced that, and wondered if that was all that the meeting was about. Though, before they could react, Mr. Otogami continued.

'Esteemed agents, please do not take this as just an interruption of your duties, as I have a few announcements yet to be made!', directly towards the duo, Mr. Otogami attempted to justify himself for the abrupt call, 'You see, you both...'

A sudden static on the monitor abruptly interrupted him, and it showed an apparent video feed, of a masked figure, wearing an open and adorned purple suit, alongside a dark purple vest underneath it and lastly, he was wearing a shirt with its collar opened. The environment around him had dimmer lights, but his silk white hair and purple viper eyes had a certain highlight from underneath the porcelain mask.

'Ah, my dear pursuers, it is such a delight to meet you once again. It has been a while since our last dance, so I hope you've missed it as much as I have', the masked figure moved to the side, and a gruesome scene, similar to the hotel's could be seen behind them, 'As you could say, I've been pretty busy myself, but I admit to have grown restless. The art hungers for a new canvas, so I willingly returned to this fussy stage'

The agents only reacted with dead silence, and shocked reaction, as their shiny and lively eyes suddenly lost their shine. Agent Vandelia clenched her fists into balls as she faced that mask, uneasy about what her intuition said of who was behind that mask. Her eyes were partially closed, focused on that single masked figure. 

As for Agent Echo, his eyes mimicked those of his partner, but he kept himself in a more analytical and calm positioning, as he kept his arms crossed, and watched every word the masked figure pronounced with unbreakable focus. It was then that the figure removed an ace of hearts card from their suit's pocket, and began once again.

'And I see you've found my little gift', said the figure, triumphantly as they held the card in front of the camera's view, 'A signature, if you may, a representation. A representation of the fate that await us all, a representation of what I am'

The figure gently removed their mask, showing the face of a man who barely reached thirty. He carried an enigmatic, though a bit sarcastic smile on his face as he faced the camera. That was when Agent Vandelia got taken over by her feelings and strongly punched the table, cracking it a little. To face that figure again meant one thing: Tarot was back. 

'Can anyone shut this transmission?!', Mr. Otogami helplessly shouted, taken aback by the shock of facing that unscrupulous killer once again

Most of the agents got up and attempted to find a way to shut the monitor off, however, it was entirely in vain. It felt like Tarot wanted them to watch this transmission by any means. The only ones who did not move an inch and waited patiently for the continuation of the message were Agents Echo and Vandelia, as their nerves were on the edge, about to explode.

'After all, the most beautiful bloom at dawn, alongside the nefarious touch of death', Tarot theatrically gesticulated to the camera as he spoke, and made a slight pause in his speech, 'That's what I am. I am the blooming artistry of death, I am... beauty'

His eyes gleamed with pride as he pronounced himself, and while the agents watching were filled with dread, demonstrated by their agonized expressions and nervous gesticulations, that killer was filled with drama and an odd perception of happiness. The killer stared at the camera as if he could peak through it, and Agent Vandelia replied with a disgusted expression.

'Though I fear that you, my esteemed agents, were nothing but mere spectators for my previous work of art', his viper eyes were now half-way closed, chilling anyone who dared to stare it, 'I desire to tarnish this world crimson with the only beauty that remains, and you may as well become part of my performances'

Agent Echo's reactions demonstrated notable confusion, as he blankly stared at the words which were announced by Tarot. Despite trying a lot to comprehend what was the main message of his speech, it felt like he just wanted to announce his return. As for Agent Vandelia, at the edge of her nerves, she disgustingly but carefully watched every movement that psycho made, incessantly staring him to death.

'Prepare yourselves, as the orchestra just began, and the rules are ever so simple', Tarot backed away a little as he wore the porcelain mask once again, 'Survive, or become a part of my magnum opus'

The transmission ended with another static, and the monitor returned to its original state. To say that everyone in the room was shocked would be an understatement. Agent Echo kept his analytical positioning, though he could not fully understand what was that all about. Tarot had returned, after an assumed death, and demonstrated all the drama and tragedy he had in store with such a direct announcement. More analysis meant more confusion, inevitably.

'Mr. Otogami, we called you to inquire about the first signal of this killer', Agent Vandelia, although politely, demanded impetuously, 'And yet, you called us for an important meeting. Since we are already here, we'd like more than a clap of hands, so please, tell us exactly why we were called'

With a slight pause, still recovering from his shock, Mr. Otogami finally let out a polite smirk, as if he was confident about Agent Vandelia's bright determination. As he cleared his throat, he began.

'You're absolutely right', his tone was filled with more confidence now, 'My apologies for all this delay in order to make any announcements. Agent Echo and Agent Vandelia, as I've mentioned, you both are valuable agents in our fight. Therefore, the association prepared a new duty for you'

Carefully, the duo listened to Mr. Otogami's words, with attentive eyes, feeling some sort of curiosity for what he would say next. Suddenly, another agent approached them, holding a tray with two badges, which he handed for them. In the badges, it was written in shiny silver typography 'Executive Agent' in both of them.

'Congratulations, agents', Mr. Otogami approached them while still wearing a polite and cordial expression, 'You both were selected to be in charge of the new agency of the association: Kotana Organization!'