Death Justice System

Chapter 3

"Adrian, are you in there?"

Elias remained still for a moment, his gaze fixed on the door. The voice behind the thin wood sounded young, slightly breathless, and implied a level of familiarity far too close to the original owner of this room. He cast a brief glance at the cracked smartphone on the desk, then looked back at the door. So, this was one of Adrian's acquaintances. Or perhaps, his friend. Whatever his status, Elias had absolutely no intention of opening that door until he knew exactly who he was dealing with.

"Adrian?" The voice called out again, this time accompanied by another knock. "We're going to be late."

Elias frowned. Late for what? Right as the question formed, fragments of an unfamiliar memory drifted to the edge of his consciousness. A classroom. A university campus. Stacks of books. A class schedule. The memories didn't surface as complete, intact pieces, but rather as weak, disjointed, and random impressions. Yet, it was enough to give him an answer: College. Apparently, this young man named Adrian Kaelen had a routine waiting for him.

Elias looked down at his borrowed body. His physical condition was still abysmal. The System had even classified his status as 'unstable,' and judging by the weakness creeping through his legs, forcing himself to walk across campus was certainly not a good idea. Besides, he had much more important things to deal with. Marcus Vance was still out there roaming free. And Elias had no intention of wasting his second chance at life just to sit and listen to a classroom lecture. He finally reached out and turned the doorknob.

A young man stood in the doorway. He looked to be around the same age as Adrian, perhaps slightly taller. His dark hair was neatly combed, a stark contrast to the disheveled reflection Elias had seen in the mirror earlier. The young man looked fresh and quite well-groomed. A backpack hung from one of his shoulders, while one hand gripped a lit smartphone displaying the time. The moment the door opened, a look of sheer relief washed over his face.

"You finally opened it." The young man's gaze quickly swept over Elias from head to toe. "You look terrible."

Elias did not respond.

The young man frowned. "Are you sick?"

Still no answer. An awkward silence slowly settled over the two of them. Elias observed him carefully. There was indeed a look of concern on the young man's face, but the expression didn't feel entirely natural. His eyes darted around too quickly, as if he were confirming something rather than simply making sure Adrian was okay. Interesting. The memories inside Elias's head finally offered up a name: Leo. Leo was Adrian's friend. At least, that was the conclusion drawn from the remaining fragments of memory.

Leo glanced toward the dormitory hallway. "We have to leave now. The professor doesn't tolerate lateness anymore, remember?"

"I'm not going." The answer slipped out so quickly that even Elias was slightly surprised by how naturally the words left his mouth.

Leo blinked in confusion. "What?"

"I'm not going to class."

Leo stared at him in disbelief. "Why?"

"I have something I need to do."

"Like what?"

Elias's expression remained flat and unreadable. "Something."

Leo's eyebrows knitted tightly together. "Adrian, we're already running late. Whatever your business is, you can do it after class."

"No." The answer was delivered calmly. Absolute and undeniable.

Leo seemed to have trouble processing the rejection. "Come on. You already skipped class yesterday."

"I told you, I'm not going."

"But why?"

Elias looked him dead in the eye. "Because I have business to take care of."

Leo's countenance shifted slightly. "What business?"

Elias stayed silent. Leo waited. When the silence dragged on, the young man stepped closer. "What exactly are you doing?"

"Nothing you need to worry about."

"Then tell me."

Elias's eyes narrowed sharply. Leo seemed to realize that his prodding was starting to sound aggressive. However, instead of backing down, the young man forced an awkward smile. "Come on, Adrian. We're friends, right?" Elias remained unfazed. "There shouldn't be any secrets between us," Leo continued.

The sentence was spoken in a casual tone. Yet, there was something beneath those words that instantly caught Elias's highly trained ears. There shouldn't be any secrets between us. Rather than sounding like the genuine concern of a friend, the phrase felt much more like a demand.

Elias leaned his shoulder slightly against the doorframe. "You don't need to know everything."

Leo's smile vanished in an instant. "Why are you acting like this?"

"Like what?"

"You're being weird."

Elias almost smiled cynically. Weird. Perhaps. But the fact was, he was not Adrian. And if Leo had spent enough time around the real Adrian, sooner or later the young man was bound to notice the change. Even so, Elias had absolutely no intention of offering any justifications.

Leo glanced toward the end of the hallway again. "Adrian, seriously. Just come with me. We can talk about whatever is bothering you on the way."

"I'm not going."

"You said you had something to do."

"I do."

"Then what is it?"

Silence. Leo's patience seemed to be wearing thin. "What could possibly be more important than class?"

Elias stared at the young man for a long moment. There was something deeply unsettling about the way Leo continuously tried to corner him.

"I don't think that's any of your business."

Leo's body went stiff. "Adrian."

"What?"

"I'm just trying to help."

"I didn't ask for your help."

Leo's mouth opened, then clamped shut again. For a moment, he looked genuinely bewildered by the reaction. To Elias, it was an almost comical sight.

Leo took another step forward. "There are no secrets between us, Adrian. You know that."

Elias's expression finally hardened completely. He stood up straight, no longer leaning against the doorframe, and fixed Leo with a piercing glare. "What exactly are you trying to find out?"

Leo froze. "I—nothing."

"You've already asked me where I'm going three times."

"That's because you're acting strange."

"And?"

Leo hesitated. Elias continued to stare at him sharply. A long silence stretched between them. Finally, Leo forced out a small, discordant laugh. "You're my friend. I have the right to be worried, don't I?"

Elias's gaze remained as cold as ice. "Concern doesn't require an interrogation."

The muscles in Leo's jaw tightened. "I'm not interrogating you."

"Yes, you are."

"I just want to know where you're going."

Elias exhaled slowly. His patience was completely depleted. "And what exactly are you going to do if I don't tell you?" Leo was struck completely speechless. Elias stepped closer, closing the distance between them. "Follow me?"

Instinctively, Leo took a half-step back. The reaction was minuscule, barely noticeable, but Elias caught it. He always recorded every behavioral detail in his surroundings. The original Adrian might not have noticed it, but Elias's forensic instincts processed everything.

Leo's expression turned awkward. "Why are you being so hostile?"

"I'm not being hostile."

"You clearly are."

Elias stared at him intently for several seconds. When he finally spoke, his tone was quiet, yet heavy and oppressive. "Were you never taught about personal boundaries at home?"

Leo froze entirely. The dormitory hallway seemed to suddenly become soundproof. For a few tense seconds, neither of them spoke a word. Leo stared at Elias with wide eyes, as if he had just heard a stranger speaking through his friend's mouth.

"Personal boundaries?" he repeated in disbelief.

"Yes." Elias's gaze didn't waver in the slightest. "Everyone has them."

Leo swallowed hard. "I was just..."

"Trying to be a friend?" Elias cut in mercilessly.

"Yeah."

"Then act like one."

The words were not spoken loudly. They didn't need to be. Leo looked genuinely shell-shocked. His eyes busily searched Elias's face, perhaps hoping to find the familiar, nervous expression Adrian always wore. But there was absolutely nothing there. No apology. No hesitation. No fear. There was only a ruthless, unreadable, ice-cold stare.

Leo's fingers gripped his backpack strap even tighter. "Okay." He forced a stiff smile. "Fine. If you don't want to come, then... don't." Elias didn't reply. Leo took a step backward. "I'll go ahead." Still no response. "See you later, Adrian."

"Yeah," Elias answered curtly.

Leo's steps paused for a moment. He looked as though he wanted to say something else, but ultimately decided against it. "Right." He turned around and hurried down the hallway. The sound of his footsteps slowly faded toward the stairs, until they were eventually swallowed by the distance.

Elias remained standing in the doorway until he was absolutely certain Leo had gone. Only then did he close the door and turn the lock. The soft click brought silence back to Room 402. Elias stood frozen for a few seconds. Slowly, the look on his face shifted. That interaction had given him far more information than his conversation partner likely realized.

Leo knew the old Adrian very well. Well enough to instantly notice a drastic change in his personality. Yet strangely, the young man didn't immediately question whether his friend was dealing with a serious problem. Instead of checking on his safety or sanity, Leo had tried to pressure him and dig for information. That was highly suspicious.

Elias walked back to the desk. His eyes glanced briefly at the cracked smartphone screen. The System's previous warning immediately echoed in his head: Unauthorized access to Host's personal records is prohibited. Fine. He didn't need the phone. Not yet.

He moved to the leaning wardrobe and rummaged through its contents. Most of the clothes inside were worn out, faded, and smelled unpleasant. After a brief search, he found what he needed: a faded black jacket and a dark baseball cap. He pulled both items out and tossed them onto the mattress. Next, he felt underneath the mattress. Empty. He checked the desk drawer and found only a stack of old receipts, a few pens, and some old lecture notes. Finally, he discovered a worn leather wallet tucked beneath a pile of thick textbooks.

Elias opened the wallet. Inside was a student ID card, a few crumpled bills, a bank card, and a photograph. He barely glanced at the photo before sliding it back into its place. He didn't care. Not today. He grabbed the wallet and slipped it into the inner pocket of his jacket.

The System's recommendation echoed in his mind once again.

[Immediate recommendation: Rest and nutritional intake.]

Elias ignored it. He put on his jacket, pulled the brim of the cap down to shadow his eyes, and stared at his reflection in the cracked mirror one more time. The face staring back at him was still not his own. It didn't matter. He had a name now. Adrian Kaelen. He could handle that new identity later. For now, there was only one name that meant anything at all.

Marcus Vance.

Elias tugged the brim of his cap down even further. "I will find you."