Chapter Text
Red-stained silver.
The sound of heels clacking against a linoleum floor.
A black dress flowing in the wind that came in through a shattered window.
In that room, smiling in the moonlight, was a beautiful young lady, pale silver eyes as lifeless as the corpses behind her.
She approached the balcony door, curtains flaring up and flying the wind that suddenly picked up.
Unbothered, the beauty stepped through the curtains that threatened to fly into her face and let out a laugh.
If one were to describe that laugh, many different answers would arise.
A laugh like bells ringing. Like birds singing. Like a wind chime swaying in the wind.
But to the corpses laid behind the beauty, in a grisly array of gore, walls painted red, surely that sound must have been the most terrifying thing in the world.
And pinned to the maroon-stained walls, a piece of paper fluttered helplessly against the severed hand that it was pierced through.
On that paper, read the following words:
Long live the Bloodstained Queen.
.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.
The sound of paper meeting a wooden desk made Shinei Nouzen suppress a sigh against his coffee, and took a resigned sip.
“Another one?” He lifted his head to meet a pair of purple eyes. Eyes that belonged to the Captain of the 86th Unit, Grethe Wenzel, and his superior. “Where was it this time?”
“Residential districts of Sankt Jeder, neighborhood Santa Opor,” Grethe smiled.
“Santa Opor?” Shin raised an eyebrow at the familiar name. “Isn’t that where-”
“Yeah, it was hella noisy in the morning,” Raiden, who had appeared behind him, peered over his shoulder. “Theo thought it was a raid.”
“Oi, can you blame me?” Theo shouted from a couple of desks over.
Shin glanced at the blonde, whose green eyes were annoyed as he leaned back in his chair. Haruto was sitting at the desk across from him, struggling to hide his laughter.
“What else are you supposed to think when there are a shit-ton of police lights everywhere next to your neighborhood?”
“Language, Theo,” Anju scolded lightly, hitting him with a case file. “Captain Wenzel, I collected the older reports in case you wanted them for reference.”
Trailing behind her was Dustin, who adjusted his glasses nervously. His silver eyes glinted in the sunlight that was streaming in through the office windows. “Was it the Bloody Regina again?”
“Who else would it be to get us all gathered like this?” Raiden huffed, looking around. “Where are Kurena and Kaie?”
“They went to go get coffee,” Haruto said cheerfully. Standing up, he started heading towards Shin’s desk, Theo following. “I’m sure they’ll be back in a few moments.”
“What was it for this time, anyways?” Raiden looked over the papers that Shin was currently trying to read.
A family of four. He looked over the names. None of them sounded familiar. Two daughters. One was 17 years old, the other 13. Lived at 701 Tourmaline Avenue.
No past records of crime. Their father was working a stable job as an accountant, their mother as a clerk. So what exactly made the Gran Mur send the Bloody Regina after them?
He frowned, and went to the next page. There was the autopsy report and time of death.
They were suspected to be killed around 4:58 AM. The father had taken multiple shots to the torso. The mother's throat slit. The two daughters had gotten merciful shots through the head.
Looking at the pictures of the family, the only thing that really stood out was the fact that the entire family was Alba.
“Who were they?” Shin met Grethe’s eyes, and he knew she could hear the hidden question in his voice.
Who were they to us and the Gran Mur?
“Their father, Allen, was working as a mole for us. Before he moved here, he was part of the Gran Mur until he found a stable job and his wife. Quitting is equivalent to death, but he didn’t want to do any of their dirty work. So we offered him an alternative, and I suppose he was caught.” Grethe sighed.
“That explains why the Bloody Regina went after him,” Anju remarked. “The Gran Mur despises traitors, right?”
“I wasn’t aware that the Bloody Regina even wasted her time on deserters, though?” They all started at Kaie’s cheery input.
The dark-haired Orienta smiled at all of them, holding a thermos of coffee and a bagel in her hand. Next to her was Kurena, who briefly made eye contact with him before flushing and looking away. “She only goes after high-profile targets, right?”
“Yes, that’s true, but…” Grethe frowned. “Perhaps Allen found something that could’ve threatened the Gran Mur, and they wanted to make sure there was no chance of it getting out. I’ll ask the IU once they finish analyzing the crime scene.”
Her frown turned into an annoyed scowl at the mention of the Investigation Unit. Shin had one guess why, and it wasn’t a what, but a who.
“I assume there was no evidence left behind?” Shin raised an eyebrow at the captain.
Grethe let out a rueful smile. “Nothing incriminating. Just a severed hand with a note.”
Shin flipped through the papers until he found one with the pictures of the crime scene.
There, a photo of a severed hand pinned to the wall by a single dagger. In the palm of hand was a torn paper, with the words written in elegant, loopy cursive.
Long live the Bloodstained Queen.
The Bloody Regina.
One of the most infamous assassins of the Mafia group known as the Gran Mur. They were located in the wastelands of the Republic of San Magnolia, more specifically in their capital– Liberté et Égalité– and had committed several terrorist attacks against the Federacy of Giad.
Most notable was the bombing of the Embassy building that had been erected for the Republic. It was interpreted as the former political power unwilling to cooperate with the Federacy now and in the future and had cemented the Mafia group as a national threat.
The Bloodstained Queen had only furthered their reputation. Having risen into the spotlight over a year ago, she had earned her nickname after killing an entire building of political leaders and ambassadors without being caught.
The only sign that she had done it was a single note that read identical to the picture he was staring at.
Since then, the Federacy’s law enforcement had been working furiously to stop the Gran Mur, even implementing a specially trained unit for the Mafia- if the Legion hadn’t come into play.
“So basically, it’s another dead end,” Theo groaned. “That’s so damn annoying.”
As the blonde was smacked over the head by Anju–again– Shin couldn’t help but sympathize. He reached over and picked up the old homicide reports, flipping through them.
Despite having been trying desperately to find any details about the mysterious assassin, they had only gotten the bare minimum.
The fact that she was a woman was mostly confirmed through the message in which they referred to her as the “Bloodstained Queen” and a security guard who was on his deathbed gave a vague description of his attacker.
She was…beautiful. I didn’t get to see her face, I didn’t have to see it to know she was stunning. He could still remember the guard’s words as he wheezed out his words. She was in a black dress…with long silver hair that looked like it was made of pure starlight, a white rose tucked behind her ear.
That was all they managed to get out of him. Shin recalled the only phrase that the guard had repeated while conscious was that she looked like an angel sent from hell.
Shin sighed, setting the papers down. It was only 8 in the morning, and he was already exhausted down to his very bones.
Grethe shot him a wry smile. “Tired already, Lieutenant?”
“Unfortunately, yes,” Shin rubbed his face. “I may have to get a stronger shot of coffee later to get me through the day.”
Raiden stifled a snort behind him. “Are you sure that isn’t just an excuse to see Lena?”
Shin glared at his friend, ignoring the badly-concealed giggles from his coworkers. “Nobody asked you, Raiden.”
“Oh, that’s a good idea!” Kaie said with a mischievous grin. “We can drop by the coffee shop after lunch. Do you guys have a problem with that?”
“What, and watch Shin struggle to interact with his crush? Sounds great! Can I record?” Haruto laughed gleefully.
“Only if you want a death wish, dumbass,” Theo elbowed his Haruto, who wilted underneath Shin’s death glare. “Yeah, that sounds fine. I need more coffee anyways.”
“I’m down,” Raiden nodded. Kurena nodded as well, though much more reluctantly.
“As long as we get food beforehand,” Anju smiled.
“Hm? What is this I hear? Our ever-stoic lieutenant here has a crush?” Grethe gasped, covering her mouth in shock. Or, it would be shocked if Shin didn’t spot the conspiratorial grin on her face. “Why haven’t I heard anything about this?”
Shin let out a long-suffering sigh. “It is not a crush. Nor is it currently relevant to what we were talking about, Captain Wenzel.”
Grethe snickered. “Oh, but I think it’s quite interesting. Don’t you all agree?”
His coworkers chorused in general agreement, and it took all of Shin’s self-control not to strangle somebody at their laughter.
A vein ticked in his forehead, and Shin had to bury his face into his bandana to calm down.
He let out a long exhale, fingers itching to bury somebody six feet deep in the ground. Preferably Raiden.
“Alright, that’s enough teasing for now, back to work,” Grethe gave him one last smirk before clapping her hands and turning to the others. “You all better get your reports done if you want to go to that coffee shop.”
.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.
The sound of a bell tinkling accompanied by a warm, “Hello!” was what greeted Shin when he walked into the coffee shop. Behind the counter was Lena, who smiled at him. “Oh, Shin! It’s been a bit since I last saw you, hasn’t it?”
“Lena,” Shin nodded. “How have you been?”
“I’ve been good! A bit busy, in all honesty, but good. How about you?” He headed over where the silver-haired Alba was, pulling out his wallet to pay.
“It’s been alright,” Shin handed her his card. He’d been here more than enough times to need to look at the blackboard menu behind her. “The usual, please.”
“Of course! One medium dark roast coffee coming right up!” Lena hummed, taking his card.
Lena, or Vladilena Milizé. A barista he’d met by chance after he became an officer. Since he lived close by, both him and his brother tended to drop by the shop, eventually leading to his meeting with Lena.
As much as Raiden and his friends enjoyed teasing him about his crush on the barista– who was pretty, Shin knew that much at least– but in reality, he wasn’t very sure of his stance about her.
Figuring out platonic feelings and friendships was enough of a struggle for Shin. He didn’t even want to think about trying to figure out romantic feelings.
“Are the others coming as well?” Lena’s cheery voice snapped him back to reality, and he shrugged.
“They said they’d show up after they all got lunch,” Shin was internally thankful they weren’t here. They were noisy enough as is. “Let’s hope they take their time.”
Lena burst into giggles. “That’s mean, Shin! Surely you don’t mean that!”
Shin blinked a bit at that, and he couldn’t help staring at her.
Her laugh reminded him of the wind chimes his parents had when he was a kid, swaying in the wind. A slight flush crept onto his cheeks and he turned away, coughing into his fist.
“They’re already loud enough back at the station,” Shin mumbled, refusing to meet Lena’s eyes. “Knowing them, they’ll be even louder here.”
Lena smiled. “Oh, I don’t mind! We don’t have too many customers anyways, as you can see,” Her smile turned sheepish.
She was right. It was nearing the late afternoon, the time when the least customers came in. It wouldn’t be long before the shop would be preparing their evening drinks.
“How has business been?” Shin couldn’t help a small frown at the emptiness of the shop.
“It’s been going,” Lena sighed. “Thankfully, fall is beginning to approach, which is when the pumpkin spice craze starts up again. Once winter comes around, we should be good to go until summertime again.”
“That’s true,” Shin remarked. Fall was beginning to show in the reddening leaves of Sankt Jeder and in the chilliness that was sweeping through the country. “I wonder if there’s going to be a blizzard like last year.”
The Federacy wasn’t exactly known as the coldest country– that title went to the United Kingdom of Roa Gracia. But even then, it still got its fair share of snow, something that could be rather annoying to drive through when attempting to pursue a criminal.
“I hope so!” Lena lit up at the mention of a blizzard. “It was amazing to watch!”
Shin glanced at her and couldn’t completely wipe the small smile on his face at the childish excitement on her face. “I take it that you like the snow?”
Lena smiled brightly. “I do! It’s quite stunning, if I do say so myself. Pure, untainted snow is beautiful. It makes the city look ethereal, in a way.”
Shin had to agree with that. Snow, in all of its disadvantages and annoyances, was something rather pleasing to the eye.
The sound of a bell tinkling made Shin immediately suppress a sigh. He stepped back from the counter, just in time for his coworkers to begin streaming into the shop, each of them calling their greetings to Lena.
He was always grateful for the fact that Lena never treated them differently, nor did he or his friends do to her.
As an Alba from the Republic, some were discriminated against in the Federacy, especially since the Gran Mur started becoming a threat to the nation.
Even then, many Alba didn’t hesitate to show their disdain for the multiracial country.
He assumed most were bitter from their loss of the war, and the wounds ran deep in their blood.
“I see Shin got here before any of us did,” Kaie shot him a sly grin. “You guys haven’t seen each other in a while, have you?”
“No, not really,” Lena smiled easily, taking their orders. “But I haven’t seen any of you in a while, either,” After they paid for their orders, Lena glanced at the door behind her. Sighing, she turned and yelled, “Annette!”
“What?” An irritated voice asked, and out came Lena’s coworker and friend, Henrietta. Or Annette, as Lena called her. “Oh. We have customers?”
“Yes, we do, and that means you have to start brewing,” Lena huffed, handing her a plastic cup.
“Yes, ma’am,” Annette said sarcastically.
Shin took a seat at one of the tables right next to the door, which offered a view out of the city outside.
People were out and about for lunch, and he vaguely remembered somebody mentioning school was on break. Which would explain the number of younger kids running along the streets, laughing.
In the distance, he could see new apartment complexes being built. They seemed to be put in place for the working class part of the city.
As somebody who lived in the wealthier part of Sankt Jeder, decently-sized homes or mansions were commonplace. It made sense, though. Considering the area the police department was located in was mostly a business district, there wasn’t much space for mansions.
The sound of footsteps made Shin look up. A white coffee mug was placed in front of him, Lena smiling at him.
“Here’s your coffee!” Lena said cheerfully. “I hope you like it!”
Shin picked up the mug and took an experimental sip. It was just as he liked it, bittersweet with a touch more bitter than sweet.
He closed his eyes and savored the taste. This would most definitely be able to get him through the rest of the day.
“Thank you,” Shin gave Lena a slight smile. “It’s delicious, like always.”
Lena beamed at the praise, but ended up not responding when Annette called her name. Within seconds, she was gone and working behind the bar again.
Raiden slid into the seat next to him, smirking. “Rejected yet again, I see.” In his hand was a paper coffee cup, most likely an iced americano.
“Shut up,” Shin took another sip of his coffee, letting the bitter taste drown out his murderous intent. He considered “accidentally” spilling his coffee onto Raiden, but decided against it.
Shin didn’t feel like wasting Lena’s hard work.
.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.
“In about four days from now, a ball will be hosted to celebrate our Chief of Police and his ten years of service,” Shin sighed into the to-go coffee cup he’d taken from the coffee shop.
“Don’t think I didn’t hear that, Shin,” Grethe glanced at him, but smiled nonetheless. “So the entirety of the Sankt Jeder Police Department will be attending.”
Shin suppressed a groan and raised his hand. “Permission to skip?”
His friends around him sniggered. They knew how much Shin hated formal gatherings, much less being forced to speak to the other officers.
“Actually, no,” Shin took a resigned sip of his coffee. A toast to his misery, he supposed. “Because there’s been a tip. The Bloody Regina will be there.”
All of them instantly snapped up, Shin sitting up and staring at Grethe. “Do we know who gave the tip?”
Grethe’s lips pursed. “Yes, we do. In fact, it was delivered personally.”
“Well, then who was it?” Theo tapped his pen against the table.
“You all are aware of the United Kingdom of Roa Gracia up north, correct?” Shin frowned, but nodded. “It appears, in an act of goodwill, the king has sent one of his sons down to the Federacy to attend this ball. Have any of you heard of Viktor Idinarohk?”
“Wasn’t he the prince who lost his succession rights?” Raiden tilted his head, confused.
“Correct. He will be attending the ball with his escorts, standing in place as a representative of the United Kingdom along with his escorts,” Grethe began handing around case files. “But he is also coming to aid us in our attempts to suppress both the Legion and the Gran Mur.”
“Why’re they sending the son who lost his succession rights, then?” Theo grunted. “Do they not care about us or anything?”
Shin frowned as he opened up the file. There, printed neatly on the paper, was a photo of said prince. It stated his age to match Shin’s.
In the photo, he had a benevolent smile paired with reddish-black, somewhat curly hair and cold, piercing amethyst eyes hiding behind a pair of oval-shaped glasses.
Skimming through the information that was provided about him, he stopped when he read over a certain snippet.
“No, it’s the opposite, isn’t it?” Shin looked up and narrowed his eyes at his captain. “They’re sending us their best. One of their Amethystus, in fact.”
They’re handing over one of their espers like it’s nothing. Shin frowned. Do they not want anything in return for that?
“Bingo,” Grethe offered him a thin smile. “And he will be actively working with this unit to crack down on the identities of the Bloody Regina and Legion members.”
“Don’t tell me we’re responsible for him, too,” Theo groaned.
Grethe shrugged helplessly. “It wasn’t my choice.”
“What, we have to babysit a prince?” Kurena scoffed. “That’s new.”
“Let me guess, we have to refer to him as His Esteemed Majesty,” Haruto snickered. “And we have to bow everytime we see him.”
“Don’t make me think about it,” Theo shuddered theatrically. “It’ll only make me even more pissed off.”
“Now, now, I’m sure he won’t be that bad,” Anju soothed. “Either way, we can’t do much. He’s royalty, after all.”
“Don’t worry! If he treats us as any lesser, Kaie can beat him up!” Haruto lit up.
Kaie rolled her eyes and laughed. “As if I’d be able to even touch him.”
“Oh! Oh! Will he have those giant, super muscular bodyguards that’ll stand there and look intimidating?” Haruto beamed.
“...Why do you seem excited about that prospect?” Dustin squinted at Haruto.
“Because I want to see Shin kick their asses! Or Kaie!” Haruto grinned, and promptly got smacked over the head by Anju. “Ow! What was that for?”
“Language,” Anju scolded. “And what are you thinking, picking a fight? We’ll get in trouble if we do that. He’s a visitor and a prince. Have some decency, Haru.”
“But it'd be so funny!” Haruto whined.
“It would be funny,” Theo muttered, and disguised it as a cough when Anju turned to glare at him.
“Okay, that’s enough messing around,” Grethe tapped the table lightly. “Prince Viktor suspects that the Bloody Regina will most likely go after Chief Zimmerman and any people of importance that may be attending, like the governors and our deputy chief. It may be a ball, but everybody there will be on high alert for the Bloody Regina.”
Theo raised his hand. “Do we have permission to shoot if we see her?”
“She is a high-level threat. Shoot, but if you can, try detaining her without too much injury. Understood?” Grethe turned to glare at all of them.
They all nodded.
“Good. Prince Viktor should arrive tomorrow afternoon, so be prepared for that,” Grethe stood up. “You’re to keep an eye on him at all times. While he is a visitor, we have our suspicions that he may be collaborating or even a part of the Dragon’s Corpse.”
Shin’s grip on his coffee cup tightened. “So we may have three crime syndicates on our hands?”
“Let’s hope we don’t,” Grethe responded grimly. “But if the worst-case scenario comes to light, then yes.”
She let them all sit in silence for a few minutes, comprehending that before announcing, “You’re dismissed. See you all tomorrow.”
.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.
“So, what’s got you feeling so grim?” Shin glanced at his brother, who was currently driving them back home. “I didn’t even have to peek,” Rei offered him a sheepish smile.
“Is it that obvious?” Shin picked up his coffee cup and took a sip. It was almost empty.
“Perhaps not to people who don’t know you, but to your big brother? Yes, it is.” Rei laughed.
Shin sighed, and slumped in his seat. “It’s…been a long day.”
Rei frowned.
Is it the ball that’s coming up?
His brother’s voice rang through his mind, and Shin nodded silently.
It’s that tip from the prince, isn’t it? His brother huffed. That the Bloody Regina might be at the ball.
Not “might”, Rei. Shin drank the last of his coffee. She will. For sure.
And how do you know that? His brother glanced at him, confused. Willem didn’t mention anything about that.
Isn’t it obvious? Shin snorted softly. A celebration with some of the most important figures in the Federacy’s government are attending, along with the entire police department. It’s like dangling meat in front of a starving tiger.
Yes, but… Rei sighed. He could feel the worry flow and ebb from his brother in waves. I’m worried, Shin.
About what? Shin looked to the side. The city was mostly asleep, now that it was nearing midnight. Above, the crescent moon dimly illuminated the night and the sleeping city.
You and your friends. Shin didn’t bother reacting. This had been the topic of too many conversations between them. You know what they say about your unit, don’t you?
Of course I do. Shin shrugged. But I don’t care.
Rei huffed out something akin to a laugh. I know you don’t, but I still worry. You’ve been working in such a strenuous position and such a young age, not to mention you’re chasing after the most dangerous criminal groups in the Federacy. As your big brother, of course I can’t help but worry.
Well, I doubt I’m fit for any other unit except for the patrol unit. Shin’s mood instantly soured at the thought of the unit. But I’d rather not.
Rei rolled his eyes. Is it about that woman?
It’s not my fault she’s annoying. Shin retorted. If I can, I would like to avoid having a constant migrane.
This time, Rei laughed. That’s fair. She is quite a handful.
I don’t even want to think about her. Shin scowled. She’s annoying.
Rei chuckled. Now, now. I think that’s a bit too far.
Shin scoffed. No, it’s not. I’m being nice.
Okay, that’s enough for today. Rei smiled fondly at him, and reached over to ruffle Shin’s hair. He tried to pretend that he didn’t melt underneath the contact. But still. Be careful, okay? I don’t want you to get hurt.
Shin blinked at his brother. Are you not coming to the ball, big brother?
Of course I am. Rei smiled. But if the Bloody Regina does come, you’re going to be the ones at her heels, not me. So be careful. Promise?
I’ll try. Shin huffed. I can’t guarantee anything.
Well, then try harder, will you? Rei shook his head. You’re going to give me a heart attack one day.
Sure. Whatever you say. Shin hummed softly underneath his breath. Big brother. He added on an afterthought.
He tuned out what his brother said next, instead turned to watch the city passing by them. As they slowed down for a red light, Shin caught a flash of silver out of the corner of his eye.
He sat up abruptly at that, looking intently for whatever he had seen in that split second.
“Shin?” Rei asked, concerned. “What’s wrong?
…There was nothing. Shin sighed, and crossed his arms over his chest.
“It’s nothing.” Yet, as he said it, he couldn’t squash a hint of unease that squirmed its way into his mind.
It had seemed…familiar, in a way. It was on the tip of his tongue, but when he tried to think about it, he came up blank.
Even as he turned away and tried to focus on the host speaking on the radio, he couldn’t help but think about what he’d seen.
For the briefest moment, Shin could’ve sworn he saw a figure standing on the roof of a building. Bathed in the moonlight, silver hair flowing in the wind.
Perhaps, if he had looked at the building the mysterious person had been standing on, he would have noticed that they were on top of a certain coffee shop.
But he didn’t, and the figure was gone before he could blink.
I’m probably just imagining things again. Shin huffed into his bandana, eyes sliding closed. It’s been a long day, after all.
If only he had been imagining things.