A Mark Left Behind

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***

"Hoho."

Blood spewed out of a man like water.

"Is this the last one? Hoho."

Around him were five bodies.

Each owed a 'debt' to the organization that they had not fulfilled.

"Why must people be so inconsistent with their deals, I wonder?"

"Truly, humans are fascinating."

"■?"

"Hoho."

Laughs and a one-sided conversation ensued as Alvis talked to himself.

"If it spreads just a little further I could take away everything."

"■."

"Hoho."

A white cube entered his mouth.

***

October 10, 1888.

"Watson, how many days has it been?"

Opening her journal, Watson spoke.

"It's been twenty-nine days since you decided on abandoning the cases…"

"Why must you say it like that? If those fools at Scotland Yard can do something without my assistance, don't you think they will grow as well? Especially that Lestrade, she still doesn't know that thieves deliberately ignore her with her poor hiding skills. She is a dullard I tell you."

Bringing out a watch, the time reads 7 AM.

The weather was once again turning cold.

"Oh well Watson, let's not keep our guest waiting and overtake our time."

As the duo headed onto the sparsely populated square, in the middle was a man, waiting with his head up looking into the sky and arms crossed behind his back.

"Why good morning, Miss Holmes."

With a smile, Alvis greeted.

"Yes, you as well, vile man."

"Hoho, I don't quite think that is how you normally greet people but thank you."

"..."

"Do you know what I hate about you the most?"

Alvis turned his head sideways.

"Oh? What might that be Miss Holmes?"

"...It is your irritating laugh and smile. Whenever you laugh it feels as if insects crawl on my body and your smile feels as if it is something supposed to be punched."

"Was I not always like this? Even in our first meeting I quite fondly remember you saying 'That irritating smile will get you killed' in the cafe."

"Yes, I remember that as well, if not for Watson preventing me back then I truly might have given you a couple of punches."

"Ah, well. Miss Holmes, are you finally done?"

"..."

The two faced each other with only a few feet apart.

"Yes, I have come and solved your long and tedious puzzle."

"Oh?" Alvis chuckled before continuing, "Tedious? I thought this puzzle would have been the greatest gift I could give a person such as yourself. My… My gift was considered 'tedious', hoho."

It was eerie.

Holmes could not help thinking everything about the man in front of her was eerie.

From his mannerisms to his irritating laugh.

She remembers clearly about the man in front of her.

From the time they met within the cafe where the man had laughed for the first time in front of her which caused her to almost lash out in irritation.

To the current moment, the man was truly a walking, breathing, talking 'being' that was not human. 

"Then, let me start."

"Yes, go ahead."

"From the first case back in January, the prostitute was killed and a letter was sent. Within that letter was a clear provocation towards me."

The 'being' laughed.

"Yes, that is so."

"At first my thoughts towards you were mere speculation but after you put my mana stone residue onto a note, that was when I was almost certain."

"..."

The smile of the 'being' never left. Like it was an imprint or how a typewriter would always put out the same letters in the same font. It was simply unnatural for a human to always have a smile.

Yet for this 'being', it was simply nature to do so.

"In the second case you talked with my partner and once she recalled and told me those words, I could tell for certain that you were the culprit."

Thus, it was not human.

Then… What was it?

"Of course I never had any evidence and merely some things that could only be said as superficial and so I waited until there were several cases to find clues but Copycats appeared, halting my process."

A Demon?

It could not.

The Crusades killed them all. But perhaps remnants remained.

"For several months after the appearance of Copycats, my work was enough to kill me."

Was it a Demon?

Holmes did not know.

"Finally this past month, the evidence was found. Such as illegal business within the underworld and a criminal organization which you had started."

The smile was still there, uncracked.

"And… The several murder cases which you caused several months ago killing five prostitutes over the span of five months."

"The evidence was already sent to Scotland Yard. Are you happy with my story?"

Finally, there was a crack.

The smile was gone and an emotionless face remained.

"It seems… You have outplayed me."

Holmes triumphed at her victory.

"Yes, you and the Princess will be going to jail for a death sentence."

"Ah, not you little detective… But did you think this would be enough to deter me?"

***

—No. 

—Of course not.

—But it was enough to lower your guard even for a moment, isn't that right?

The 'being' who controlled my body laughed.

"Yes, you are right, I can see that you are fighting for control."

That irritating laugh like nails scratching a chalkboard.

I hated it.

I hate that the 'being' called 'God' so easily manipulated me into signing a contract with it.

—But… It seems you still don't quite understand just how ■■■■■■ your world is.

"?"

The being's brows furrowed and the smile that reappeared on its face had finally turned into a frown.

Whatever comes out his mouth cannot be trusted. They are all lies.

—In a game's perspective, what do you think is the most important? The graphics? The ease of playing? No… It's the game itself. If the game can't be played, how can you play the game?

—Mad God, what do you think I have learned over this year and a half? Just because you have possessed my body does not mean that you have fully taken control. It is obvious as you still follow my daily routine yet you have done something as atrocious as planning murder within my own body.

—So, using this ■■■■■■ system, you call a world, let me show you just how poor of a game designer you are.

I realized it once I found the Detective Conjecture.

The world… it is broken.

From some point it broke as if it was glass and the remaining pieces came back together to create this world.

The magic system is no different.

Dr. Frankenstein's words were not words rather meaningless rabble that somehow turned into 'knowledge'.

In other words…

"Hoho…"

Things such as magical contracts which rely on one's magic circuits which do not exist start to become meaningless.

In the start, my own magic circuits did not exist even when I came into this world.

It was only after the 'prophecy' could I be considered a 'resident' of the world.

Just as 'God' learned from me, I too learned from it.

I was fooled into believing that those magic circuits were mine. Just as the eyes in the body coexist with the rest of the nervous system despite being considered a foreign entity. It is the same with the magic circuits.

They are not mine. They were given forcefully.

Though, in order to 'expel' the guard of the doors needed to be fooled even for a moment.

—Perhaps at one point you were not like this.

"Dear friend, why can't you just give control?"

—That word. That word was the one you used to trap me within the contract.

My magic circuits were slowly being expelled from my body.

Even though it was artificial, it felt as if an entire layer of skin was peeling off.

The words on the contract were starting to unravel.

[B■ ■■d■r ■y control ■e ■n■■■ m■ control ■■ un■■■ ■y control ■e u■■e■ ■y control b■ ■n■e■ ■■ control ■■ ■■■■■ ■■ control]

In turn, anything 'bound' to it will also be 'expelled'.

—I can tell. You are merely a 'fragment' are you not? Just like those 'pieces' who watched me.

"Hoho, it seems you know quite a bit."

"Do you know? Even if you expel me from your body, you are already tied here by "■■■■". You cannot escape."

—I know that as well. Truly, this world you have created is broken. "■■■■"? How can you do this to a person who merely wants to make a mark on the world?

"Hoho."

The 'being' merely laughed once more.

—...

Many questions lingered within my mind.

How did this being change the world?

My previous actions were replaced with new actions only this 'being' would take.

I did not know if once [he] was expelled, my actions would return or if the memories within the various people would stay the same.

But none of those mattered at the current moment.

The words on the contract get clearer.

[Be ■nd■r ■y control ■e un■■■ my control ■■ un■e■ ■y control ■e u■■e■ ■y control b■ ■nde■ ■■ control ■■ ■■■e■ m■ control]

Until finally the words become as clear as morning dew.

[Be under my control be under my control be under my control be under my control be under my control be under my control]

—You truly are a horrendous being.

[He] was imperfect.

Six was the number of imperfection.

In other words [he] was merely a fragment.

As the final push was almost done, God suddenly spoke.

"It seems my time is near."

I could tell.

[He] was different then before.

[His] laugh had disappeared and [his] ever present smile too was gone.

I watched as [his] influence on the world disappeared.

They were transparent but reflected all colors at different angles, like prisms, almost invisible yet I could see them disappear.

Truly a scene full of wonder and loss.

I cannot understand many things but I understood one while watching [his] disappearance.

In his last moments, he felt at peace.