The 100 Year Old Debt #Wattys2023

Epilogue

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2018

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Some time after the report of Facsimile's death, a group of officers arrive at the scene of the crime. The body was found on the floor, and what came of it was nothing more than a corpse who suffered from bruises and broken bones. Discourse was happening, some suggesting that someone must have gotten inside, while others thought it could have been done by suicide. Amidst the chaos, however, a lone officer walked away from the crowd. Instead, adopting to leave the building and head straight to Green's trail, a scenic route that takes you to the countryside. With his hands tucked in his pockets, he greeted all passersby with positive energy, much to some of the stationed officers' curiosity. Within a few minutes of taking this route, he reached his destination, an abandoned church where moss and decay had overcome the man-made structures. Inside, a broken chandelier loomed inside, with rows of benches either broken or placed in file lines. Through a set of stairs that could be found in the back area, he descended until he found a secret chamber where a cast of shadowy figures were waiting for him inside, expecting him to arrive. With not a moment to lose, he directs his attention to the group.

"I assume everyone's here?" asked the disguised stranger.

"Yes, sir."

"Good. Was anybody followed?"

"No tail on my end, sir."

"Any tails were smashed to dust, hoo-ha!"

"..."

"I survived without a problem. Guess lady luck's on my side today."

"You opened us a window to get here. Considering they're chasing your ghost, that gave us plenty of time to escape."

"Terrific."

"I assume everything went well for you?"

"The officers are still as stupid as ever. And considering I killed him of using my Guardian, they're going to have plenty of time to consider the nature of the crime."

After getting a change of clothes, the party continued exchanging words.

"But still, who would have thought we had to kill Facsimile? He used to work here with us. Sure he got annoying sometimes, but to end this way?" said a young man.

"It is regrettable. Just like everyone here, he was raised here to work with us and contribute to a growing future. With the chemical knowledge he possessed, he could have done more than any of us could imagine. Unfortunately, his thirst for vengeance overcame his senses."

"Hoo-ha! But his family still wronged him though. Did we really have to kill him because he wanted justice?" said a gruff voice from the shadows.

"The sins of the past often haunt those that follow. As much as we try to run away from them, we can't. I'm sure the old headmaster there must have been suffering fatigue because of all the bad things his family had done, despite living as a saint. The weight of guilt is already enough, especially for someone who had nothing to do with that. Which would make sense why he even offered Facsimile a job to atone. And yet, in the end, despite our best wishes to turn his life around, he still stayed the same. Caving in his desire to kill the last line of the Cugini family, and, in the process, revealing our existence."

"So, what now? We target the people from the Agency?" said a lanky fellow sitting on a chair.

"And why would we do that?" replied a soft-spoken woman.