Chapter 3: The only thing worth fighting for

### Followed by

Chapter 4A: Ashes to ashes, Chapter 4B: The laughter that will bury you all, Chapter 4C: Those whom the gods wish to destroy are first driven insane

Chapter 3 "The only thing worth fighting for" is the third among four narrative chapters that compose the main plot of the videogame Dry Drowning. It is the last one to feature a murder case the player must solve as completing it will unlock one among three possible endings.

Since Dry Drowning features a choice based system that influences both how the plot evolves and specific dialogues that take place within it, some parts of this page have been *\*\*\*labeled with asterisks and set to Italic, implying a different version of a given dialogue also exists\*\*\**. The Alternative Dialogues sections associated to each narrative branch provide a full list of the possible alternatives.

Much like Chapter 2, this chapter too comes in four different variants that directly depend on choices made by the player while playing through the first one (more information on route spawning is included at the end of Chapter 1's page). The final choice has once again very relevant consequences as it will contribute to determine which specific ending the player ends up unlocking.

Chapter 3 also features a new unique dynamic: in order to progress, the player must unite information retrieved from two different time frames. The first one is Mordred's present and the second one are his memories from six years earlier, which can be accessed by clicking on a photo obtained at the beginning. As a result, some parts of the walkthroughs have been labeled with \*PAST\* or \*PRESENT\* in order to signal clearly that the player is expected to switch from one time frame to the other (representing the detective's recollections of crucial events from his past).

## JailedBaker Freya Route (spoilers):

**\*PROLOGUE\***: David Casey secretly greets a shady individual in his office, who promptly points out how uncomfortable he feels in front of the lawyer's optimistic attitude given the terrible things that happened around the city as of lately.

\*\*\*David is actually surprised by his guest's decision to show up so early rather than wait for things to have settled after the Hephaestus incident, but the guest replies the events ultimately played to their advantage since they drew the city's attention away from the real danger: the lawyer can't help but agree.\*\*\**(CONTACT'S TIMING Dialogue, triggered if the player concluded Chapter 2 with a WayOut)*

Nevertheless, David is pleased to announce the plan is proceeding just as scheduled and that he highly doubts anyone would ever suspect his guest, expecially considering how much chaos the bombing of the Black Bands' headquarters has caused. He compliments his guest for coming up with such a cunning move, to which the guest replies he was hoping David would at least show some remorse for the victims. The lawyer jokingly replies he tries to think of them as martyrs for the cause. The guest then asks David wheter the girl cop knows anything in regargs to what's happening next: David's reply is negative, though he's also confident she would eventually side with them since she wants revenge more than anyone else.

*\*\*\*The guest is pleased by David's answer but now wants to know the most important thing: whether the lawyer managed to gain Mordred and Hera's trust. David replies he was obviously successful since their current situation didn't leave them much of a choice. The guest is once again pleased and suggests the two of them can ultimately advance their plan to the next step.\*\*\* (TRUST Dialogue, triggered if the player accepted David's offer in Chapter 2)*

The guest gives David one final warning on how from this point onwards there'd be no turning back: David replies he's nothing but eager to begin, ending the conversation.

**\*PAST\***: Six years before, shortly after Foley Investigations managed to arrest the two people allegedly responsible for Pandora's murders, Mordred and Hera are preparing to meet the press. The detective is very nervous and a very caring Hera is trying to cheer him up. Shortly afterwards they are joined by a third individual, here introduced as Leon Basset: a policeman and friend of the two. Leon suggests Mordred should try improving his public image now that he's considered a hero, to which Mordred ironically replies Leon should be enjoying himself somewhere else rather than bothering him. The policeman however explains he came to grant Hera's wish: a commemorative picture of such a special day. Mordred tries to protest but to no avail, and the picture is taken.

**\*PRESENT\***: Several months after the showdown with the Smith brothers Mordred is looking at that very picture, ironically pointing out he hasn't aged well at all. Hera joins him in recalling those moments, wondering how long they'll have to keep hiding in their past memories to experience happiness.

*\*\*\*Mordred finds some solace in remembering Eugene Smith's plan has been thwarted and that the madman is now locked up in jail. Hera asks him whether he had any news from Dean, but the detective replies negatively, suggesting Dean and Thalia were likely successful in escaping Nova Polemos. Mordred can't help but have second thoughts on having set the android free, as he fears foreign superpowers would surely try to capture her if they ever found out about her real nature. The worst aspect of such a scenario would be that Thalia has effectively unlimited access to all of Nova Polemos' secret information: a leak of that magnitude could easily trigger an unprecedented diplomatic crisis, and the only thing standing in the way of such a catastrophe is the vague hope that Dean was smart enough to keep Thalia hidden somewhere safe. Nevertheless, Mordred also concludes he and Hera have even more urgent problems.\*\*\* (HEPHAESTUS AFTERMATH Dialogue, triggered if the player ended Chapter 2 with a WayOut)*

Hera asks Mordred whether Baker is what makes him so worried but the detective replies he's actually more concerned with having to live on temporary jobs and the little money they receive from the police, ironically commenting that tailing cheating husbands was never his life ambition. Hera replies he should be thankful to still have clients to begin with, also suggesting Baker's case might actually be what saved them, forcing the newspapers to start talking about them again and thus providing advertisement indirectly. Nevertheless, Hera is also worried about what Baker might try to do, as he surely didn't stop hating them for everything that happened. Mordred also finds unsettling that they don't have a clue yet in regards to who might have bombed the Black Bands headquarters. The conversation is then interrupted by the sudden arrival of an AquaOS message from Leon Basset, who showed up for the first time in almost six years to ask Mordred a secret meeting in district 6. Surprised by the arrival of a message from their former friend after such a long time, Hera can't help but wonder why he wants them to meet him in such a remote place: Mordred replies it must be because that's where The Island is located. Hera can't believe Leon is asking them to go back to such a horrible place but Mordred is confident it must be very important, as he doesn't expect Leon to have simply stopped hating them after what happened six years before. Moreover, the message made it clear it has to do with Pandora. Hera suggests they could ask Freya to join, but Mordred replies he doesn't feel confident in involving her just yet as the glove incident is still being investigated. Moreover, updating her later would also give him the chance to ask her whether she was able to discover anything regarding the encrypted emails in the meantime. Mordred and Hera thus leave for their destination alone.

   The first reunion between Leon and Mordred doesn't go very well: the negative consequences of Mordred's past scandal are revealed to have hit Leon just as hard. Fortunately, Hera is able to calm them both down so Leon begins his explanations. To begin with, he once again makes it clear he still holds a grudge for the past incident: two innocent people died and his professional and personal life became a nightmare simply because he decided to follow Mordred's decision of creating false evidence to frame the two people they were suspecting. Mordred objects by reminding Leon he willingly followed him, showing just as much confidence in the suspects' involvement and concluding together with him there was no other way to corner them. After yet another outburst of anger, Leon changes topic and starts explaining how The Island changed after that incident. The place was originally designed to act as a shelter for old people who were either homeless or unemployed, but at some point its owners must have realized the big profits that could be earned by simply forcing the residents to work for free in exchange for their accomodation. Ever since that moment every elder who failed to pass the Patterson test lost ownership of all of his goods (which became state-owned) and was deported to The Island, now effectively akin to a prison. Despite this The Island is still advertised as a mere retirement house and almost no one is aware of what actually happens there since access to it is denied without a special permission: it is ultimately unlikely anyone would ever care either, as Nova Polemos' citizens are quite infamous for rarely paying attention at what happens beyond their own backyard anyway. Mordred will then move to the most important topic: the Pandora related information Leon promised him. His former friend thus shows him a piece of paper he found underneath his door three days earlier with nothing but a date written on it: September 26th, at 21:30. Hera quickly realizes the date and hour written on the note match the date and time of the Pandora murder that occurred at The Island six years earlier. As if that wasn't enough, Leon specifies exactly two hours separate them from the date and hour mentioned in the note, suspecting Pandora might be up to something in order to celebrate the anniversary of his victim's death: he is extremely confident the real Pandora must have sent it as nearly no one has any information related to that murder, let alone its exact date and time. Hera however objects it would be really strange for Pandora to announce in advance one of his moves. Leon concurs: he ultimately summoned them at The Island not because he expects something to actually happen but rather because he concluded Pandora must have followed their latest moves for some reason. Despite the old grudges, Leon recognizes dealing with Pandora should have maximum priority, suggesting the three of them should team up and wait untill 21:30, just in case something indeed happens. In the meantime he also asks them to share all the information they have regarding the Variagian incident and the Hephaestus case. Hera is willing to trust him, but the ultimate choice is left to the player: he can choose to have Mordred either tell Leon the truth or mislead him with false information. If the player chooses to have Mordred mislead him, Leon will react with disappointment and not hide he was hoping the two had discovered more, but will nonetheless thank them for sharing the few information they possess. Mordred will apologize, claiming the police went to great lengths in order to hamper their investigations and that the current situation with the Black Bands only made things even harder. If the player chooses to have Mordred tell him the truth, Leon will comment things are even worse than he imagined and that he finally understands why he had been cut off from both investigations, cursing all of his colleagues. In either case the conversation will be interrupted by the sound of people screaming coming from the Island. The three will thus rush to its entrance, quickly realizing a murder has indeed just occurred. Leon uses his authority as a police officer to order the guards to let the three of them in, asking Mordred to start investigating while he proceeds to lock all the exits. Hera instead proceeds to call the police, but not before noticing the murder scene looks identical to the one from six years earlier.

**\*PAST\***: Mordred and Hera arrive at the crime scene of a murder upon having been summoned urgently by Leon. Their friend immediatly explains Pandora has hit again but is also confident they have him in the palm of their hands: the security recordings clearly show no one left the Island after 21.30 (the time of the murder) and the exits are now locked, implying he must be trapped inside. Hera can't help but feel surpised as she wouldn't expect a killer as meticolous as Pandora to commit such a mistake but Mordred prefers to keep his focus on facts rather than speculations and is eager to start investigating right away. Before doing so however, Leon suggests it would be better if the two listen to his recap of what the police was able to discover so far. He begins by remarking he is one hundred percent sure no one could have left the Island as the walls surrounding its perimeter are too high to climb and any suspicious movement would also be caught by the security cameras. He then proceeds to share the victim's identity: his name was Terry Oath and he was none other than the son of The Island's founder and director, Maximilian Oath. Leon also specifies Terry was rumored to be a very controversial figure within The Island, though he too is surprised Pandora would dare to go as far as to target someone with such influence. Unfortunately he wasn't able to find out more so he also advices Mordred to look for more information on this matter, warning him however that Terry's father obviously didn't take the death of his son lightly, meaning a conversation with him would likely turn into a terrible experience. Finally, Leon explains the dynamic of the murder: the victim broke a window located at the 5th floor of the main building and fell into the artificial pond in the middle of the plaza. That wasn't however the cause of death as prior to that his throat had been cut and his eyebulbs and mouth had been filled with boiling wax. The victim was also found wearing a pair of angel wings that belong to one of several costume sets used at The Island during theatrical plays. Incidentally, the rehearsal room used for these plays happens to be where the victim fell from, but how Pandora was able to kill him without being noticed remains a mystery. Hera suggests they should first of all try to take a look at the rehearsal room since that's likely where the victim was killed, but Leon explains it would take him some time to grant them access to it. Mordred and Hera thus decide to start with the victim's body, well aware that Pandora's intention was to reenact the myth of Icarus. The evidence found on it corroborates Leon's conclusions as the glass cuts and bruises on the victim's shoulder are compatible with an impact on a window. There were however no signs of struggles, suggesting the victim either failed to notice his assailant or didn't try to defend himself. Mordred concludes his investigation by asking Leon if there are any suspects so far: Leon replies most definitely there are.

    **\*PRESENT\***: With no more than a few minutes available before the police arrives, Mordred examines the body to find out as much as he can. Compared to the scene from six years earlier some things seem to be identical but others are remarkably different. Specifically, the angel wings worn by the victim and his glass wounds look exactly the same, but this time the victim's throat had not been touched and the boiling wax had apparently only hit his eyes, prompting Mordred to suspect something might have forced Pandora to change his initial plans. Signs of burns are also visible on several of the victim's fingers, also covered in wax. The commemorative case next to the pond is completely shattered and covered in blood, suggesting the victim might have crashed into it. A safety shoe landed among the nearby bushes as well, likely lost by the victim during its fall. The detective has fortunately also enough time to take a look at the surroundings, noticing the presence of a security camera right next to the crime scene and also some strange dents on the statue that stands in the middle of the artificial pond, representing the founder of The Island. The timetable of The Island is also prominently displayed on a nearby wall, allowing Mordred to learn that the local curfew begins at 20:30. Hera then finally returns, claiming the police has arrived as well: the two thus quickly leave the crime scene and wait inside the main building, where all the people are being gathered for identification. While they wait for the police to finish (confident that Leon would somehow be able to justify their presence inside the place) the detective also proceeds to update Hera in regards to the differences between this murder and its past counterpart. Their conversation is however interrupted by the loud protests of an individual who claims the police has no right to detain him: both immediatly realize it's Maximilian Oath. Mordred tries to greet him, but as soon as Maximilian recognizes them and remembers who they are he tries to call the security to have them kicked out. Mordred tries to convince him it's in his best interest if he lets them stay and help with the investigations, lest risking a much worse disaster. Maximilian however replies he has no idea of what Mordred is talking about as the situation is perfectly under control, let alone a minor incident could never damage the reputation of one of the most renowned places of Nova Polemos: he is obviously lying and the mask Mordred sees on him furtherly confirms so. Before he can proceed to press the Island's director though, the detective realizes he must recollect his past experiences with him in order to better understand his weaknesses.

**\*PAST\***: Leon explains the two main suspects are two famous actors named Jennifer Kingston and Robert Harrington. They allegedly held a grudge against the victim but Leon was unfortunately unable to confirm so. He was also unable to determine why they were at The Island in the first place, suggesting Mordred should begin his interrogation by focusing on these points. Hera suggests once more they should also speak with the Island's director as soon as they have the chance to, receiving yet again Leon's warning due to his current mental state. Nevertheless, he also specifies finding him would be easy since no one was able to convince him to leave the murder scene. Mordred decides to interrogate the suspects first. The first contact with them doesn't go very well: the two are clearly not taking things as seriously as they should and actually seem more interested in convincing Hera to join them in their next play, upsetting Mordred. Fortunately, Hera is able to explain the situation and the two start cooperating. Mordred begins by asking them why they were at the Island and what's their relationship with Maximilian Oath: Jennifer and Robert explain the Island's founder wanted to improve the resident's living conditions by allowing them to dedicate themselves to various forms of arts, including theatre. During the past years several theatre actors had thus been hired both to organize plays and teach the elders to act, Jennifer and Robert being two among the many: their work mostly consisted in giving the elders acting lessons in the reharsal room (thus allowing Mordred to confirm the existence of such a room and its connection to the suspects). Mordred then asks them whether they knew the victim: the two reply they obviously did since he was their employer's son, though they also specify he had quite a terrible reputation within The Island. The two even go as far as claiming the motive behind the murder might have been revenge, possibly related to Terry's terrible management of the budget: the ultimate result of his growing corruption and power thirst were infrastructures of substandard quality that frequently caused incidents and collapses. Finally, Mordred asks them what would be their alibi: the two justify themselves claiming they were practicing together in their quarters at the time of the murder. Unfortunately almost no security cameras exist, meaning no one else can confirm their claim. Since the question didn't prompt the appearence of any mask, Mordred is prone to believe them at first. He starts having second thoughts when he asks them one last question though: whether the two were simple actors that didn't have anything to do with the murder. Jennifer tries claiming the two didn't hold any grudges against neither Maximilian nor his son, jokingly pointing out killing their employers wouldn't do them any good: her final statements cause a mask to appear on her face. Mordred thus thanks them for their cooperation and proceeds to leave along with Hera in order to update her. The two conclude they should try taking a look at the rehearsal room as soon as possible, but also realize Leon still needs more time to grant them access to the place.

Mordred thus decides to try speaking with The Island's director in the meantime. Much like Leon had anticipated he is still mourning the death of his son and gets visibly upset by Mordred's intrustion (the detective's own rude manners not helping at all). Nevertheless he is quickly convinced to cooperate upon being promised he would sit in the first row during the execution of the culprit. Mordred and Hera begin by asking Maximilian more about the victim: he explains Terry was a noble and intelligent person and that he had gone to great lengths in order to keep his son as close to him as possible, specifically by making him a supervisor at The Island. Terry's main job consisted in managing the budget, meaning the renovation and expansion of several of the areas were ideas of his own. Naturally, Maximilian is totally oblivious in regards to why Pandora would ever choose to kill his son. Mordred thus changes topic and asks Maximilian to tell him more about The Island's architecture: Maximilian explains the base project revolved around the construction of a very solid perimeter of walls as he feared the elder's homes would otherwise become an easy target for burglars. He also wanted to create something monumental that would be remembered as a masterpiece. Unfortunately it eventually became necessary to create more space and since the original project was not built to be scalable the only way to do so was to optimize the already existing one by adding the labyrinth of stairs and multiple floors that currently exists. Finally, Mordred tackles the most important topic: the rumor, allegedly confirmed by the two actors, that his son was actually not as spotless as Maximilian believed and that he had been involved in multiple episodes of corruption. Maximilian loses his temper and blames said rumor on the envy and incompetence of the other people behind the incident, allowing Mordred and Hera to confirm something terrible had indeed happened: the Island's director explains a pillar had suddendly collapsed during a theatrical play a couple of years earlier causing the death of two elders, though this tragedy was never mentioned by the media as it was nothing but an unfortunate accident. At the time of the incident Jennifer and Robert had not been employed at The Island yet and were actually hired right after along with others in order to replace the former company, which decided to resign following the tragedy: Maximilian curses the two as they showed yet again to be nothing but ungrateful backstabbers. He also swears there would be severe ripercussions and more strict rules, as his son had nothing to do with the incident: the infrastructures' failure was nothing but the consequence of people taking advantage of him behind his back. Now furious, he refuses to answer any more questions and demands Mordred and Hera to leave. The detective complies and realizes Maximilian must be really convinced of his son's innocence since he sees no masks on him, understanding he will have to find another way to unveil Terry Oath's wrongdoings.

**\*PRESENT\***: Mordred and Hera try to speak with Maximilian again but his reaction is just as wrathful since he still blames them for how horribly things went after he decided to trust them last time. Thanks to his recollection the detective realizes he must rely on fear in order to convince the Island's founder to cooperate. He thus claims that should Maximilian refuse to help them he might be the next one to die: the damaged statue near the artificial pond proves beyond reasonable doubt that local residents actually hate him. Maximilian's reaction obviously confirms Mordred hit the nail on the head. The detective thus continues his assault, suggesting the residents' motive might be that things at The Island took a sinister turn after the death of Maximilian's son. The director clutches at straws, claiming both the number of residents and the Island's reputation have done nothing but improve over time. Mordred however turns the table against the director and claims the only reason behind such an increase is the Patterson test. He suggests Maximilian must have found himself in a tough spot after the government started pressuring him, forcing him to elaborate a radical solution: convincing the government that The Island could still have use as a prison, one in which elders could easily be hauled off allowing the state to expropriate their goods. The ultimate proof of the Island's transformation is the recent addition of so many security cameras, which didn't exist six years earlier. Maximilian is thus forced to admit the truth: the elders had become more and more restless, forcing him to adopt drastic measures and do his best to cover up the problem, lest the outbreak of a scandal that would destroy everything him and his son had worked so hard to build. He still tries to claim he didn't know the victim though, which is obviously yet another lie: due to his critical situation the detective expects Maximilian to have been as careful as possible in choosing his collaborators, and the safety shoe found next to the corpse leaves no doubt that the victim was actually a member of his staff. Maximilian finally gives in and confesses the victim's name was Andrew Joanesse, one of the most young and skilled technicians of the new theatrical company, one he had actually founded himself in order to honor the memory of his son. The director has no idea of why Andrew was killed, as he was a honest and kind person and had also positive relationships with all the other members of the company. Only one of them however was present when Andrew died: Maximilian suggests Mordred should try speaking with him, also specifying he would find him in the Darkroom (the storage room where all the paintings are kept), a name that immediatly gives Hera the chills due to her past terrible experience. The director also grants Mordred access to the rehearsal room and the residents' rooms, clarifying that some residents might be involved but that he should ultimately see for himself. He then walks away, leaving Mordred and Hera with a final remark: despite having caused the death of two innocents they both have his gratitude, as Jennifer and Robert had gone to great lengths to ruin him and deserved to die regardless of Pandora. Before moving on with the investigations, Mordred decides to spend a few more minutes recollecting the past with Hera in order to focus on other crucial details from six years earlier.

**\*PAST\***: When Mordred tells Leon about his ability to see masks on people (and more specifically about having seen one on Jennifer), the policeman remains skeptic at first. Soon however the police sends him information about the two victims of the pillar collpase that occurred years earlier, forcing him to change his mind: they turn out to be Jennifer's father and mother. Mordred immediatly suggests Jennifer's employment at The Island might have been part of a wider plan aimed at killing Terry Oath to avenge her parents, but Leon points out assuming she is Pandora wouldn't make any sense since the serial killer's former victims had no connection with her whatsoever. Mordred insists, suggesting she could still be an accomplice: it would make sense for Pandora to choose a new one before each murder in order to ensure he had plenty of information about his victims. Leon refuses to believe such a farfetched theory, accusing Mordred of having developed an obsession that is now blinding his sense of judgement and making him accuse the wrong people. Hera sides with Leon, convincing Mordred they should at least take a look at the rehearsal room before drawing any conclusion. On behalf of the police Leon thus grants them the access codes they need and lets them go, focusing his own efforts elsewhere. As soon as Mordred and Hera enter the rehearsal room the detective begins to frantically look for evidence, hoping to find something capable of proving that Jennifer is the culprit. The first two things that catch his attention are a rope and a chair in the middle of the room, suggesting Terry had likely been tied before dying. The broken window indicates the victim had been thrown out right after, also suggesting Pandora disfigured him just before his flight due to the amount of wax lying on the floor underneath. Hera also manages to spot a small piece of cloth between the glass shards: Mordred is able to confirm it comes from a nearby costume labeled with Jennifer's name, thus convincing himself he found the piece of evidence he was looking for. One last element remains however a complete mystery: wax signs representing a sun, a moon and a hand with several circles beneath them had been drawn on one of the walls, apparently for no logical reason. Mordred and Hera ultimately reach different conclusions: Hera is convinced they found a dead end as they were unable to find any blood traces nor evidence capable of explaining how Pandora managed to bring Terry Oath to the room. Mordred on the other hand claims he's now fully convinced Jennifer is the culprit and wants to proceed against her. Hera protests, claiming they could easily end up killing two innocents: whoever ends up being accused would likely be executed fast due to the city's thirst for revenge against Pandora. Mordred however explains that's exactly what he intends to take advantage of, as Pandora won't ultimately be defeated unless the two quit playing by the rules themselves. Hera admits he isn't entirely wrong and reassures him she intends to remain by his side no matter what, but can't ultimately hide her utter disgust as she already figured what Mordred has in mind. She tells Mordred he may proceed, though she prefers remaining in the rehearsal room to give a second look in case they missed something. Mordred thus returns to the hall and asks Jennifer where her partner is: she replies he must be in their quarters, causing a strange rotation of masks to appear on her face. Just as the detective starts to lose lucidity because of the unsettling vision Leon suddendly shows up and asks him about Hera with an extremely worried expression on his face. Mordred explains he left her in the rehearsal room, causing Leon to panic even more and claim the two must run there immediatly. The shocking series of events proves to be too much for Mordred, who dreads more than anything the possibility of something terrible having happened to Hera: he ends up losing consciousness and falling to the ground.

**\*PRESENT\***: Hera's visibly shocked expression makes Mordred realize she still hasn't fully recovered from her past trauma, meaning insisting any longer on recalling their memories would make her suffer tremendously: he thus suggests the two should take a break and resume their investigation. Unfortunately for them The Island is a real maze and they easily end up getting lost while trying to reach their next destination, finding themselves in inner corridor 44 instead. After having realized their mistake, just as they are about to leave a strange old man arrives and claims a superior force must have arranged their seemingly random meeting. Mordred is baffled by such a claim and tries ignoring him but the man, who introduces himself as Jimmy Thompson, insists he has crucial information regarding both Pandora and the victim. The detective thus decides to spend a few minutes listening to what he has to say, extremely surprised by the fact Jimmy is seemingly saying the truth since he sees no mask on him. Unfortunately, Mordred was actually right in assuming it was a waste of time since Jimmy quickly turns out to be a mentally deranged individual (and also a conspiracy theorist) who can provide no useful information. In this sense Jimmy is indeed convinced he's telling Mordred the truth but can't even properly remember the victim's name, also claiming Pandora is the invention of a secret lobby that obeys extraterrestrial beings. Hera makes one last attempt, asking him if he happens to know someone who could provide more information: Jimmy claims the ones who know everything are The Island's owners as they are trying to eradicate the good from it. This time however he also goes more in detail, attempting to prove his point by explaining what the Island's rules are like: those who fall ill and become unable to work must be looked after by their partner. In addition if neither of them can work they both get evicted, which is effectively a death sentence since residents lose all their goods upon entering The Island for the first time. Mordred and Hera are unfortunately confident this last part must be real and not just a product of Jimmy's vivid imagination. The two are however also aware that's as much as they can get from the poor old man, so they thank him for his help and proceed to leave.

Mordred and Hera eventually manage to reach the Darkroom, immediatly causing Hera to feel unsettled. A figure emerges from the darkness, ironically asking if the shape of the room is giving her dizziness. Hera tries to change topic pretending she's actually interested in seeing the paintings, but the man claims he perfectly knows who they are (and consequently what happened to Hera in the Darkroom six years earlier), explaining they became akin to legends among the elders (who seldom have much else to speak of anyway). He expresses solidarity for Hera's terrible experience and introduces himself as Lee Graves. The positive reply he gives when Mordred and Hera ask him if he knew the victim confirms he is the person they were looking for: he immediatly offers his full cooperation, allowing them to ask any question. Mordred begins by asking him what changes were made to the Darkroom compared to six years before, so Lee explains he installed interactive pillars capable of showing a rotation of all of the paintings: the images change every fifteen minutes in order to represent the volatility of art and more generally of life itself. The paintings' themes are usually chosen by the elders and the exhibitions often include contributions from external artists as well, sometimes even from Lee himself. Unfortunately, the recent incident forced him to stop both the pillars and the associated clocks. Satisfied, Mordred asks him about his relationship with the victim. Lee describes Andrew as an extremely talented individual who had a lot of potential as a painter. The two of them were very close since he was the only person Lee truly admired in the new art company, enough so he even has plans to create an art exhibition to honor his memory. Convinced they heard enough, Mordred and Hera thank him for his help and proceed to leave. The detective can't help but suspect Lee and Andrew might have actually been a lot closer than it looks due to how much affection Lee showed towards him.

Mordred and Hera choose to visit the rehearsal room next: fortunately for them Leon's influence was enough to prevent the police from altering the scene before their arrival. Compared to six years earlier the victim had apparently fallen from the exact same window, breaking it in a very similar fashion. The detective however spots fingerprints on the nearby wall, suggesting this time the victim might have tried to resist by holding onto it. Most of the wax landed next to the window, implying Pandora likely burned his victim just before hurling him like last time. This time however the killer left the empty wax jars in the room instead of taking them with him. Mordred and Hera are unfortunately unable to find additional evidence and are confident the security cameras wouldn't help them either: the rehearsal room didn't have any and the killer likely knew how to avoid the few installed elsewhere. Nevertheless, they also conclude Pandora's sequence of actions seems to indicate he was in a hurry and likely had to improvise. Surprisingly, this didn't prevent him from following a regular pattern while pouring wax on the face of a resisting victim, ultimately also implying the victim had not been caught off guard. The most relevant difference compared to six years earlier remains however the strange drawings: let alone the past ones still remain a mystery, this time there were none.

Mordred and Hera thus decide to move on and visit the residents formerly mentioned by Maximilian: they turn out to be a couple of married elders. The lady speaks for them both and explains her husband seldom speaks at all as of lately. Nevertheless, she also understands Mordred and Hera's need to discover more about Andrew Joanesse and agrees to help them as long as they respect his husband's quiet. Mery explains Andrew was very close to Daryl as he considered him a mentor to look up to, up to a point he often visited them to receive feedback on his works: his death is actually the main reason that caused Daryl to fall into depression and lose the ability to speak. Mordred thus asks Mery whether Andrew had any enemies or ever mentioned Pandora at all but Mery replies he did nothing unusual aside from complaining about his employers every now and then. Mordred thus moves on and asks her how long she and her husband had been living at the Island. Mery explains they both failed the Patterson test seven years earlier, meaning they both witnessed the former murder as well. This prompts Mordred to ask them whether they also noticed Maximilian's change of behaviour, explaining he suspects Andrew's death might be related to it. Mery claims Mordred is exaggerating as Maximilian merely added a bit more security cameras after the incident: while the loss of his son surely had its impact she reassures the detective he is still widely respected. Unsurprisingly, Mery's latest claims cause Mordred to see a mask on her face. The detective realizes he must press her harder so he decides to exploit the information he learned earlier, suggesting Mery and Daryl might be on the verge of eviction since neither of them is able to work anymore. While Hera is disgusted by Mordred's ruthless allegations, Mery confirms he is unfortunately right and that she and her husband have become quite desperate because of that. Hearing this makes Hera very sad, so she focuses on trying to comfort Mery. Mordred however shows no care and asks her whether this very last issue had anything to do with Andrew's death, suggesting it might have perhaps angered him and prompted him to look for revenge only to end up killed before he could act. Mery, now very upset, rejects all allegations: Andrew had actually long since known about it and was actually planning to help them. The mask shows up once more but Hera steps in to stop the escalation, apologizing on behalf of her partner and thanking Mery for her help. Before the two can leave Daryl speaks for the first time, unfortunately talking nonsense: he warns Mordred that "the room is only for those who deserve to spend their life in darkness" and that "the fox eats her cub to survive, not for selfishness". Mordred and Hera finally leave, the detective being very satisfied as he believes he might be onto something due to Mery's mask. Hera however is very upset and confronts him for his behaviour as soon as they are alone. The player has to decide Mordred's final answer, choosing between accepting her critics or claiming the end justifies the means. If he chooses to have Mordred accept her critics, Hera will point out the Island's residents are already living a terrible experience, prompting the detective to promise he will try to be more tactful. If he chooses to have Mordred claim the end justifies the means, the detective will explain the two will never make any progress with Pandora unless they accept they sometimes need to be more harsh, expecially given how everyone seems to be involved in one way or another. Hera will thus conclude the conversation by asking him not to make the same mistake of six years earlier, as this time the consequences would be as massive as they can get.

Mordred and Hera then receive a message recalling them to the main hall. Once they arrive they are pleased to learn that Freya was among the officers dispatched at the Island to investigate the murder, allowing them to have a much needed conversation with her to exchange information regarding everything that happened as of lately. To begin with, Freya explains the police concluded Baker might actually be involved with the bombing of his own headquarters, implying he was trying to create martyrs in order to justify an uprising. His plan was at least partly successful as a vast portion of the city is now in turmoil and believes the Black Bands were victim of a conspiracy, claiming the elections were rigged and that a second vote is needed. The resulting riots already caused many wounded and even two victims, yet the media chose to censor them in the vain hope it would help stopping their spread. Although the Black Bands deny any involvment with the protests Freya is sure they must actually be the ones who orchestrated them. Her ultimate conclusion is that Baker wants to exploit the chaos to hit his enemies directly without being noticed, which obviously includes Mordred and Hera too. Since he's still too powerful to be stopped despite his imprisonment, Freya suggests the two should either go into hiding or flee the city altogether. Both Hera and Mordred acknowledge how dangerous the situation is but also insist on wanting to close the Pandora case first: Hera claims she wouldn't be able to cope with the regret of having given up, while Mordred is confident the fame they would gain if they succeed would be enough to ensure their safety.

*\*\*\*Freya then updates the detective on the Hephaestus case, explaining the police tried looking for Dean and Thalia in order to have them testify against Eugene. The search had been unsuccessful at first, but received a terrible twist when Dean's dead body was eventually discovered outside the city's walls, ten days having passed since. Assuming that Thalia is the killer would be the most logical conclusion but Dean's neck was broken with such a strength it would seem impossible for a human to have done it, let alone a woman. Freya thus asks Mordred if he knows anything that could shed some light on the mystery. The detective is caught off guard as stopping Thalia would be imperative but revealing her secret and more importantly that he first handedly helped her escape could cause him to be put under investigation as well. The player has to decide Mordred's ultimate reaction, choosing between either having him lie on the events or having him unveil the truth about the androids. If the player chooses to have Mordred unveil the truth about the androids the detective will recap the events and specify he was responsible for Dean and Thalia's escape, justifying himself by claiming he'd never expect Thalia to kill Dean, let alone she hasn't been confirmed as the killer yet. Both Hera and Freya will be very upset: Hera will accuse him of having yet again not trusted her enough to tell while Freya will remark how massive the negative consequences could be, suggesting Mordred should stay out of the matter from now on. If the player chooses to have Mordred lie on the events the detective will claim he's just as oblivious as Freya since he didn't have any chance to talk to neither Dean nor Thalia, being entirely focused on stopping Eugene. He will also claim he doesn't know the purpose of the mechanical bodies found in the lab, suggesting they might have been test dummies used by Hephaestus. Freya will believe him since Hephaestus actually gave the exact same explanation but won't hide her frustration as she was hoping Mordred would be more helpful. She will also mention she failed to make any progress with the encrypted emails.\*\*\* (FREYA HEPHAESTUS Dialogue, triggered if the player ended Chapter 2 with a WayOut)*

*\*\*\*Finally, Freya confronts Mordred on the most controversial topic: the glove found at Treasury Park. She begins by clarifying that although she did not appreciate Mordred's attempt to compromise her position by giving it to David, she is willing to forgive him since he later admitted his faults and also saved her life.\*\*\* (FREYA GLOVE Dialogue, triggered if the player gave David the glove in Chapter 1 and admitted having done so in Chapter 2)*

She explains how after months of investigations she eventually discovered evidence suggesting someone from the police deliberately concealed the glove in order to frame Baker. Someone else however made it magically reappear as soon as Mordred arrived at the park, someone Freya expects to have acted on behalf of David himself. While it made perfect sense for David to want the glove in order to defend Baker, it's very strange how he waited for Mordred to pick it up rather than entrust his secret accomplice with the task of retriving it. Freya suspects the existence of a wider scheme in which David is involved, also pointing out the lawyer had gone to great lengths to pit Mordred against her, ultimately testing the detective's loyalty to him. She advices Mordred not to trust him untill she's able to discover more on the matter. Mordred can't help but feel she is right, expecially considering the mysterious plan David mentioned in their private encounter. On the other hand though he also contemplates the possibility of Freya being actually the person responsible for the glove's disappearence, implying her allegations against David could be an attempt to cover her own involvement: in the worst case scenario both of them could actually be hiding something. Nevertheless the detective decides to move on and focus again on the case at hand. Fortunately for him and Hera, Freya allows them to ask questions about the pieces of evidence they were able to find thus far. First of all Mordred shows Freya the safety shoe found next to the victim, explaining he was able to discover his identity thanks to it. He then asks her about the victim's burned fingers and whether there's a connection with the wax jars found in the rehearsal room: Freya answers there is, as the victim's fingerprints matched those on the jars and were actually the only ones found on them. This complicates the scenario even more: the ultimate implication would be that Pandora was wearing gloves, the victim had tried to resist him and despite this the killer had still managed to pour the wax with astonishing precision. Even more confusing are the glass cuts on the victim's arms, which Mordred discusses next: they would seem to imply the victim was using his arms to protect his face when the glass broke, but this would also mean Pandora had somehow managed to make him face the window before hurling him. Freya cryptically remarks the two are thinking too linearly and that eventually they too would figure out the ultimate conclusion. Mordred thus changes topic and shows Freya the damaged statue at the entrance, remarking residents have been restless as of lately and that the victim was allegedly connected to some of them, giving him a possible lead to work on. He then discusses the security cameras, unfortunately concluding their recordings would probably not help them at all. Freya however points out they remain a relevant element regardless because the killer's awareness of their location implies he knows the Island very well. Finally, Mordred shows Freya the note sent to Leon by Pandora, prompting her to wonder why the killer didn't assassinate his victim at 21:30 to remain true to his word: Hera points out something might have changed his initial plans forcing him to adapt, the curfew that takes place at 20:30 possibly being a major factor of influence in this sense. The conversation is then suddendly interrupted by loud screams coming from nearby: Freya orders Mordred and Hera to remain where they are while the police proceeds to figure out what happened, but the two immediatly start running towards the screams, much to her dismay.

They eventually arrive in one of the corridors, finding the dead body of Daryl Hope sitting on a chair. They also immediatly spot an envelope in his hands with their names written on it: with no longer than a few seconds before the police arrives the two barely manage to snatch it, quickly realizing it's yet another riddle of Pandora's. More specifically, the letter mentions a game that has been going on for decades and three codes corresponding to three symbols, supposedly connected to its solution. Just as they start wondering how the serial killer could kill his victim without being spotted by the security cameras (let alone dragging him all the way up to the corridor) the police arrives and proceeds to take control of the area. Fortunately for Mordred and Hera the first one to notice their presence is their friend Leon, who quickly commands them to move away from the scene and follow him, lest be arrested themselves as suspects. He also orders them to hand over the letter they just found, though the content puzzles him just as much. Scolding them for having acted too recklessly, he gives them a warning: he believes the serial killer might have chosen them as his next target while the police is starting to suspect they could actually be tampering with evidence and secretly be on Pandora's side. Nevertheless, Leon also agrees figuring out the letter's meaning should remain the top priority, so Mordred points out there must be a connection with the drawings they found six years earlier, using their picture as evidence. He also claims the "codes" Pandora mentioned must be related to people who are closely connected to the Island and are likely the key to find the place where Hera was brought when she was abducted six years earlier, a place no one managed to find as of now. Leon observes the security cameras may eventually help them figure out the dynamic of the last murder. In the meantime, he also suggests going over what they were able to find thus far to plan their next move. The three ultimately conclude the most relevant elements are the fact Pandora knows the location of the security cameras (thus killing his first victim in one of the few rooms that had none) and that he probably used a concealed passage to sneak around and carry his victims, one which the letter could help them find. Mordred thus suggests he and Hera should interrogate the suspects once more to look for evidence that could confirm the existence of a secret passage. Leon instead decides to focus on gaining access to the security recordings, though not before harshly reminding Mordred he still hates him. Left alone with Hera, the detective claims he's finally starting to see the full picture. One of the most vital pieces is however still buried in Hera's most dreadful memory: she understands she can't keep running from her past and accepts recalling the events one last time together with him.

As expected, Hera's recall of her traumatic experience takes quite the toll on her. The detective's own recollection isn't much happier, as he clearly remembers how after fainting upon learning of Hera's abduction he woke up and immediatly became furious. In Mordred's memories, Leon tries in vain to calm him down explaining Hera has been found and is now safe (albeit obviously traumatized) but the detective makes it clear he has had enough, concluding it's time to take justice into their own hands. He thus proposes Leon a plan, and while the policeman is at first quite horrified by it he eventually understands how two are out of options: he ultimately accepts but also warns Mordred that if things end up not working out as planned he wouldn't hesitate to put the blame on him and him alone. The plan is thus set in motion: Leon uses his influence to have the two main suspects summoned before Mordred, allowing the detective to buy time. They immediatly throw shots at the detective for having been allegedly mistreated by the police and also mock him for his former fainting. Mordred explains they have little to joke about as he has evidence that links them to the murder and sees also a plausible motive in the death of Jennifer's parents. The suspects reject his allegations causing a mask to appear once more on Jennifer's face: this time it constantly fluctuates, disappearing, reappearing again and changing shape. The behaviour of Jennifer's mask becomes even more erratic when she ironically asks Mordred what happened to his colleague, causing the detective to succumb to fear and lose consciousness once more. Just as he hits the ground though, he hears the police breaking in: the suspects are ultimately arrested just as planned. After recovering, Mordred has the chance to speak with Leon and confirm their plan was successful: while the two suspects were busy with the detective, his friend exploited his rank to enter their quarters and deposit false evidence (actually connected to former murders) in order to have them framed. Leon can't help but question their actions but Mordred explains he had been thinking about a desperation move like this for quite a long time, believing it would be the only way to stop the murders: the innocents they had just condemned would not only finally give the city a culprit to blame but also give the real killer a plausible scapegoat, forcing him to stop his kills in exchange for being left alone and unpunished. The two ultimately conclude they cannot turn back anymore and prepare to welcome back Hera: the detective's last memory is the speechless and broken expression she had when they were finally reunited. Back in the present, Hera finds herself finally able to get over the trauma and remember the piece of the code she was given during her abduction.

Mordred and Hera decide their next move should be trying to speak with the Island's founder once more, suspecting he might possess the second part of the code. As soon as they bring up the topic a mask shows up on his face, confirming their assumption is correct. Maximilian tries at first to avoid the conversation altogether but ultimately accepts to answer Mordred's questions when the detective makes clear they are one step away from arresting his son's killer. Since Maximilian would never openly speak about the code just yet, the detective decides to try a different approach and asks him about what happened in the wake of the scandal that followed the pillar collapse, aware that pressing the Island's founder on the most crucial details would eventually make him spill the beans. Maximilian thus explains how after the incident most residents started to openly revolt against his son, accusing him of being responsible for it. This in turn forced him to introduce very harsh security measures, despite the many petitions advocating against it. Mordred asks more details about these petitions, so Maximilian clarifies they were all launched by the same person: said person first opposed the concept of security measures implemented by modifying the Island's architecture hiding behind the claim they would ruin the place's beauty, and later also protested against the introduction of security cameras pointing out they'd jeopardize both people's privacy and the artistic atmosphere of the Island. Incidentally this person was also in charge of the Darkroom six years earlier, a role appointed by Maximilian himself in the vain hope he would stop opposing his decisions and help him rebuild the residents' trust instead. When asked about the identity of this individual Maximilian pretends he doesn't remember, but Mordred and Hera realize way too easily he is speaking of Daryl Hope. The Island's founder can't help but lose his temper due to how much of a thorn in his side Daryl has been: as if his hostility weren't enough the old man's stubborness eventually caused him to fall ill, forcing the director to remove him from his position. Naturally, this caused Maximilian's reputation to sink even further due to Daryl's popularity among the elders. The Island's founder makes it clear he blames Daryl and his relentless opposition to security measures for the death of his son, prompting Mordred to ask him whether the two had any kind of connection. After hesitating at first, Maximilian confesses his son had secretly struck a deal with Daryl in order to save his own reputation: Terry was expected to make a full commitment to ensure the infrastructures' safety and in turn Daryl would use his influence among the elders to promote a less negative view of him. In addition, Daryl also gained the freedom to expand his Darkroom through the creation of a new chamber. As a form of thanksgiving the old man gifted Terry a strange painting and a letter containing apparently meaningless words. Mordred immediatly asks Maximilian more information about the painting and the letter, correctly guessing the "meaningless words" are actually the second part of the code. Finally, the detective confronts Maximilian about the new chamber Daryl asked to build, accusing him of having refused to share with them such a vital piece of information. Maximilian defends himself claiming he didn't know about it untill he decided to read some old letters of his son no longer than a couple of weeks earlier, thus discovering his secret cooperation with Daryl: Mordred can't help but wonder whether the last murder might be connected to this discovery somehow. At last the Island's founder claims he told Mordred and Hera everything he knew and leaves, exhausted by the conversation. The two were ultimately able to conclude a secret passage did indeed exist, but remain oblivious in regards to why Pandora would ever want to kill Daryl (since the two were apparently supporting each other) or Terry (since he turned out to have been just a mere pawn in the hands of Daryl).

The two however also conclude there is only one person who could possess the final piece of code: Daryl's wife. They thus decide to pay her one last visit, though Hera also begs Mordred to be more considerate this time since she just lost her husband. Just as they arrive at her quarters the detective also receives the security camera recordings he requested, depicting the murder of Daryl and confirming his worst suspicions. Despite the premises Mery seems surprisingly calm so the detective begins his interrogation, asking her whether Daryl had anything to do with the murder of Andrew Joanesse. She predictably denies any involvement on her husband's part as his physical conditions would have made it impossible, let alone Andrew was almost akin to a son for them: just as predictably a mask shows up on her face. Understanding she's not willing to cooperate that easily, Mordred begins a complete reconstruction based on all the information he and Hera were able to discover. To begin with, Daryl had been both the person in charge of the darkroom when the first incident occurred and the main reason that prevented security cameras from being installed in crucial areas directly connected to the murders, including the rehearsal room and the darkroom itself. This ultimately allowed Pandora to move a lot more freely, something the detective does not deem a coincidence: he instead suggests Daryl was actively cooperating with him because he longed for Terry Oath's death just as much as the serial killer, blaming the founder's son for the terrible downturn things had taken at the Island. His death proved unfortunately not enough to change things and actually made the situation worse, thus forcing Daryl and Pandora to organize a second murder in the hope it would draw the media's attention on the Island's conditions: the timing of this second murder was not coincidental either as waiting any longer would have otherwise caused Daryl and his wife to be evicted. Since the lockdown following the second murder was fast enough to prevent any information leak, Mordred concludes Daryl's death must have been one final desperate attempt on his part to catch the media's attention, suggesting he must have asked himself to be killed by the serial killer. Hera questions the detective's final claim as she doesn't believe Pandora would ever take such a big risk given Daryl died in an area covered by security cameras. Mordred replies he now believes Pandora's arrest might be something the serial killer had actually accounted for, which would also explain the note he had sent them before the murder: in line with this interpretation he was secretly trying to involve them in the final part of his plan, closing a cycle that possibly began with the drawings he left six years earlier. Mery loses her temper and accuses them of having no evidence, even suggesting there might be no recordings at all and that the detective must be trying to bait her into speaking against her husband. Mordred thus replies by finally revealing the identity of the man shown in the recordings: Pandora is actually none other than Lee Graves. The revelation shocks Mery as she can't quite understand why Lee would ever choose to show himself, thus confirming she knew since the beginning. Mordred concludes by pointing out there was another reason for Daryl to set up his own murder: protecting Mery herself. Since no one would ever risk the reputational damage connected with mistreating the wife of one of Pandora's victim, he had ultimately ensured she could not be evicted no matter what. The detective's last statement causes Mery to finally yield her confession, explaining her husband was indeed just as caring as Mordred had predicted, though she also begged him multiple times to stop cooperating with a monster as heartless as Pandora. She finally shares with them the last piece of code and advices them to be as careful as they can be before leaving. Left alone with Hera, a triumphant Mordred is now ready for the final confrontation with Pandora. Hera is however still puzzled as the two were ultimately unsuccessful in explaining how the serial killer managed to kill Andrew, let alone how the last few twists are making things look way too easy: she ultimately suggests they should probably ask Leon or the police for help but Mordred promptly refuses, adamant he alone must be the one who apprehends the killer without sharing the glory with anyone.

Mordred explains he and Hera need first of all to head back to the darkroom. Once there the detective reveals his final deduction: there's a connection between that room and the drawings they found six years earlier, in that the circles represent the clocks above the paintings. This implies they must be set at the same times suggested by the drawings for something to happen since the paintings were programmed to rotate accordingly: 12:20 the first one, 10:10 the second one and 7:58 the third one, from left to right. As a result, three paintings matching the riddles mentioned in the three pieces of code effectively show up, suggesting Mordred and Hera likely found the entrance to Pandora's hideout. Hera remembers the paintings were designed to be interactive and advices Mordred to take a closer look. The detective concludes the real purpose of the three codes is to conceal an input sequence that must be pressed in a specific order on each painting: the noose, the head of the goddess, the spider's mouth and the top-left web on the first one. The shield, the blade, the helmet and the Gorgon on the second one. The flower, the kiss of the gods, the musical instrument and the face of the artist on the third one. After the detective presses the buttons on all three of them a door leading to a secret passage opens before him. Although Hera insists on escorting him through, Mordred decides he should be the only one to proceed inside, claming she already went through enough trauma and that at least one of them should remain behind in order to ask for help in case of need. Once inside the detective has just enough time to realize his AquaOS lost its signal before Lee makes his appearance.

Mordred immediatly draws his gun but Lee invites him to calm down, explaining thanks to him he would soon become famous: just as Mordred had expected he deliberately intends to be captured. Before apprehending him though, the detective asks him one last question: whether he had really been Pandora all along. Lee answers affirmatively, but much to Mordred's surprise a mask appears on his face. The detective suspects some kind of trick but Lee taunts him suggeting his next question should be whether he killed Andrew: the mask appears once again, throwing Mordred into confusion. Lee thus suggests with irony the detective should keep asking questions, as that would inevitably force the truth out of him: though he dislikes the idea, the detective dislikes even more the possibility of leaving crucial details unanswered. He thus begins his reconstruction: after Andrew started working at the Island he quickly fell under the influence of Lee and Daryl, eventually becoming involved in a plan aimed at recreating the murder from six years earlier. Andrew arrived at the rehearsal room using the secret passage, but Lee clarifies he was perfectly conscious when he did so, implying he followed him there spontaneously. The artist also criticizes Mordred for being too narrow-minded, inviting him to better reflect on a detail that looks very different compared to the former murder: the wax patterns on the victim's face. The detective's original explanation for the patterns' irregularity was that the victim had tried to defend himself, as the burned fingers also seemed to suggest. Lee however makes it clear he's once again mistaken, prompting Mordred to finally understand: the real reason Andrew's fingers were burned is that he had actually poured the wax himself. The wounds found on his arms were instead the consequence of him jumping out of the window immediatly afterwards, ultimately committing suicide in order to reenact the flight of Icarus once more. With no choice left but to accept this shocking discovery, Mordred still doesn't understand Andrew's motive for following Pandora's absurd plan to his own death. Comparing Andrew to Herostratus, Lee explains the glory of being remembered forever would be a more than valid motive, though Andrew also had another one: protecting the real Pandora. Lee's last statement ultimately implies Pandora had actually been Daryl all along, his six years hiatus being nothing but the consequence of his imprisonment within the Island: had Andrew not committed suicide, both him and his wife would have been evicted much like Mordred had already understood. The revelation of the real Pandora being actually none other than Daryl implies Mordred cannot capture him anymore, causing the detective to become furious: both his glorious future and the possibility of redeeming himself are now gone, let alone he and Hera spent the past few months chasing ghosts and imitators. Pleasured by how Mordred's first thoughts are always for his personal profit, Lee invites the detective to calm down and listen to the rest of the story. He explains Daryl picked him as his successor once his health conditions worsened as he was the only artist the old man deemed worthy: his vision, his methods and his hideout were thus all passed down to him, in the hope the apprentice would continue the killing spree even after the master's passing. Lee however had other plans, in that he could never settle for becoming a mere imitation of Pandora: his true goal is instead to surpass him. This is ultimately also the reason he left Mordred a clear trail that would guide him to Pandora's room: in the beginning both the codes and the drawings were actually nothing but nonsense Daryl had used to impress the public and confuse investigations. Being the curator of the darkroom Lee had however arranged the paintings and the access codes to Pandora's hideout in a way that made it look like Daryl's bogus codes had actually real meaning. And the ultimate reason is that much like Mordred had already fathomed Lee intends to have the detective capture him under the claim he is the real Pandora, granting them the glory they both crave. Mordred immediatly understands the implications: should he refuse Lee's offer he would have to come out of Pandora's hideout empty handed, meaning the police would not only punish him for having repeatedly violated the rules but also treat him as a suspect, possibly causing him to undergo a second trial as well. Should he instead accept, the city's attention would shift on his successful capture of Pandora: all his personal problems would be solved but his success would also overshadow the mistreating of the elders trapped within the Island, causing their suffering to be forgotten. Moreover, Hera would likely never fogive Mordred if she ever found out he deliberately took part in Lee's hoax. The choice is ultimately left to the player and will conclude the narration of Chapter 3, unlocking one among three possible game ending chapters.

## Alternative Dialogues (JailedBaker Freya Route):

* **CONTACT'S TIMING:** *\*\*\*David apologizes for the short notice, explaining the current conditions of AquaOS made coming in contact as hard as it could be, expecially with someone as meaningful as his guest. The guest however grumpily asks David to get straight to the point.\*\*\* (triggered if the player concluded Chapter 2 with a BlackOut)*
* **TRUST:** *\*\*\*The guest is pleased by David's answer but now wants to know the most important thing: whether the lawyer managed to gain Mordred and Hera's trust. David replies he was unfortunately unsuccessful, as the two are apparently fully committing to getting themselves killed. The guest thus replies David knows what must be done.\*\*\* (triggered if the player refused David's offer in Chapter 2)*
* **HEPHAESTUS AFTERMATH:** *\*\*\*Mordred finds some solace in knowing that the information loss following the destruction of AquaOS would make any future legal action against them almost impossible. On the same topic, Hera mentions many of the old files are actually being restored on a new database, albeit with fragmented data that is often outdated. She also points out such a situation must be a nightmare for the police more than anyone, but Mordred can't help but feel happy about it given all the trouble the police had put them through in the past. Hera acidly comments they would suffer the negative consequences too as information from past cases is now almost impossible to find: had the detective at least tried to contact her before siding with Eugene she would have ultimately never let him destroy AquaOS. Hera also asks Mordred whether he had any news regarding Dean and the possible consequences connected to the discovery of a living android. Mordred replies he doesn't since the police obviously covered everything up but also claims he is confident no one at Hephaestus would be able to replicate Huber's work anytime soon. Hera also feels a bit sad for Thalia, but Mordred grumpily claims the two have more urgent things to worry about.\*\*\* (triggered if the player ended Chapter 2 with a BlackOut)*
* **FREYA HEPHAESTUS:** *\*\*\*Freya then asks the detective to speak about the Hephaestus case. She bluntly explains she finds it kind of odd that Mordred went to great lengths to have Dean convicted as the only culprit despite the fact it was actually Eugene who destroyed both the lab and AquaOS. Moreover, Dean never stopped claiming Mordred and Eugene were trying to frame him and Thalia now seems to have mysteriously disappeared too. Mordred realizes he can't afford to tell the whole truth, so he decides to come up with a plausible lie. The player has to decide to which extent Mordred lies, choosing between having him lie on everything or having him at least unveil the truth regarding the androids. If he chooses to have Mordred lie on everything, the detective will claim Dean and Thalia tried to preemptively kill Eugene in order to stop him from destroying the professor's masterpiece but were ultimately unsuccessful: when the detective arrived Eugene had already destroyed both the lab and AquaOS, Thalia had already fled and Dean was about to kill his own brother in retaliation, the only thing Mordred had ultimately managed to prevent. The detective will also explain that despite the fact Eugene had also committed a crime, his duty was to focus on apprehending whoever assassinated the professor along with the foreign ambassador. Freya will be baffled, claiming she doesn't entirely believe his story but that she has no choice but to trust it for now. If the player chooses to have Mordred unveil the truth about the androids, he will admit the androids were real and claim Thalia chose to side with Eugene after discovering Dean had conspired with the foreign ambassador to kill the professor: she was aware she would die as a consequence but ultimately didn't mind since after her husband's death she had lost her own will to live. Mordred also explains Thalia herself had given him the location of the lab hoping he would be able to stop Dean from killing his brother, but that he wasn't given a chance to talk neither of them out of their plan. Freya will ultimately trust Mordred's story, understanding that the reason behind his silence is that no one would believe him anyway, expecially after the destruction of AquaOS' and the following confusion.\*\*\* (triggered if the player ended Chapter 2 with a BlackOut)*
* **FREYA GLOVE, first variant:** *\*\*\*Finally, Freya confronts Mordred on the most controversial topic: the glove found at Treasury Park. She begins by acidly remarking she's well aware Mordred lied to her and that he was actually responsible for David having it. The detective objects he merely sticked to his duties since he was working for the lawyer. Freya only refrains from insisting because she owes Mordred her life.\*\*\* (triggered if the player gave David the glove in Chapter 1 and refused to admit having done so in Chapter 2)*
* **FREYA GLOVE, second variant:** *\*\*\*Finally, Freya confronts Mordred on the most controversial topic: the glove found at Treasury Park. She begins by expressing her gratitude to Mordred for refusing to give it to David, clarifying it later turned out to be a piece of evidence even more crucial than they had initially thought.\*\*\* (triggered if the player refused to give David the glove in Chapter 1 and claimed having done so to keep it as a trump card in Chapter 2)*
* **FREYA GLOVE, third variant:** *\*\*\*Finally, Freya confronts Mordred on the most controversial topic: the glove found at Treasury Park. She begins by ironically mocking Mordred for being a true gentleman, as not only he avoided giving it to David but later also openly admitted having done so to protect her.\*\*\* (triggered if the player refused to give David the glove in Chapter 1 and claimed having done so to protect Freya in Chapter 2)*

## DeadBaker Freya Route (spoilers):

**\*PROLOGUE\***: David Casey secretly greets a shady individual in his office, who promptly points out how uncomfortable he feels in front of the lawyer's optimistic attitude given the terrible things that happened around the city as of lately.

\*\*\*David is actually surprised by his guest's decision to show up so early rather than wait for things to have settled after the Hephaestus incident, but the guest replies the events ultimately played to their advantage since they drew the city's attention away from the real danger: the lawyer can't help but agree.\*\*\**(CONTACT'S TIMING Dialogue, triggered if the player concluded Chapter 2 with a WayOut)*

Nevertheless, David is pleased to announce the plan is proceeding just as scheduled and that he highly doubts anyone would ever suspect his guest, expecially considering how much trouble the Black Bands are causing ever since they decided to take advantage of Baker's death to consolidate their power. The lawyer even goes as far as suggesting Baker could soon be followed by other victims, jokingly remarking he at least had the courtesy of paying his bill before his premature passing. The guest then asks David wheter the girl cop knows anything in regargs to what's happening next: David's reply is negative, though he's also confident she would eventually side with them since she wants revenge more than anyone else.

*\*\*\*The guest is pleased by David's answer but now wants to know the most important thing: whether the lawyer managed to gain Mordred and Hera's trust. David replies he was obviously successful since their current situation didn't leave them much of a choice. The guest is once again pleased and suggests the two of them can ultimately advance their plan to the next step.\*\*\* (TRUST Dialogue, triggered if the player accepted David's offer in Chapter 2)*

The guest gives David one final warning on how from this point onwards there'd be no turning back: David replies he's nothing but eager to begin, ending the conversation.

**\*PAST\***: Six years before, shortly after Foley Investigations managed to arrest the two people allegedly responsible for Pandora's murders, Mordred and Hera are preparing to meet the press. The detective is very nervous and a very caring Hera is trying to cheer him up. Shortly afterwards they are joined by a third individual, here introduced as Leon Basset: a policeman and friend of the two. Leon suggests Mordred should try improving his public image now that he's considered a hero, to which Mordred ironically replies Leon should be enjoying himself somewhere else rather than bothering him. The policeman however explains he came to grant Hera's wish: a commemorative picture of such a special day. Mordred tries to protest but to no avail, and the picture is taken.

**\*PRESENT\***: Several months after the showdown with the Smith brothers Mordred is looking at that very picture, ironically pointing out he hasn't aged well at all. Hera joins him in recalling those moments, wondering how long they'll have to keep hiding in their past memories to experience happiness.

*\*\*\*Mordred finds some solace in remembering Eugene Smith's plan has been thwarted and that the madman is now locked up in jail. Hera asks him whether he had any news from Dean, but the detective replies negatively, suggesting Dean and Thalia were likely successful in escaping Nova Polemos. Mordred can't help but have second thoughts on having set the android free, as he fears foreign superpowers would surely try to capture her if they ever found out about her real nature. The worst aspect of such a scenario would be that Thalia has effectively unlimited access to all of Nova Polemos' secret information: a leak of that magnitude could easily trigger an unprecedented diplomatic crisis, and the only thing standing in the way of such a catastrophe is the vague hope that Dean was smart enough to keep Thalia hidden somewhere safe. Nevertheless, Mordred also concludes he and Hera have even more urgent problems.\*\*\* (HEPHAESTUS AFTERMATH Dialogue, triggered if the player ended Chapter 2 with a WayOut)*

Hera asks Mordred if the current escalation in the suburbs is what's giving him concerns, in that following Baker's death the Black Bands started jailing a lot more immigrants and unemployed people on the pretext of interrogation. The detective replies affirmatively as there's no way to tell what they could be up to next, ultimately claiming he'd be ready to flee the city together with Hera should the situation become too dangerous for them. Hera doesn't share his optimism as the border controls are getting more strict than ever, ultimately concluding the real purpose of the city's walls is not to protect the citizens inside but rather to conceal the hell within and prevent people from escaping it. Mordred remains confident the Black Bands wouldn't dare trying anything too crazy just yet since they are limiting themselves to targeting vulnerable minorities in order to show their muscles. Hera however fears those minorities are just the first in line, implying the two of them would eventually follow. The conversation is then interrupted by the sudden arrival of an AquaOS message from Leon Basset, who showed up for the first time in almost six years to ask Mordred a secret meeting in district 6. Surprised by the arrival of a message from their former friend after such a long time, Hera can't help but wonder why he wants them to meet him in such a remote place: Mordred replies it must be because that's where The Island is located. Hera can't believe Leon is asking them to go back to such a horrible place but Mordred is confident it must be very important, as he doesn't expect Leon to have simply stopped hating them after what happened six years before. Moreover, the message made it clear it has to do with Pandora. Hera suggests they could ask Freya to join, but Mordred replies he doesn't feel confident in involving her just yet as the glove incident is still being investigated. Moreover, updating her later would also give him the chance to ask her whether she was able to discover anything regarding the encrypted emails in the meantime. Mordred and Hera thus leave for their destination alone.

    The first reunion between Leon and Mordred doesn't go very well: the negative consequences of Mordred's past scandal are revealed to have hit Leon just as hard. Fortunately, Hera is able to calm them both down so Leon begins his explanations. To begin with, he once again makes it clear he still holds a grudge for the past incident: two innocent people died and his professional and personal life became a nightmare simply because he decided to follow Mordred's decision of creating false evidence to frame the two people they were suspecting. Mordred objects by reminding Leon he willingly followed him, showing just as much confidence in the suspects' involvement and concluding together with him there was no other way to corner them. After yet another outburst of anger, Leon changes topic and starts explaining how The Island changed after that incident. The place was originally designed to act as a shelter for old people who were either homeless or unemployed, but at some point its owners must have realized the big profits that could be earned by simply forcing the residents to work for free in exchange for their accomodation. Ever since that moment every elder who failed to pass the Patterson test lost ownership of all of his goods (which became state-owned) and was deported to The Island, now effectively akin to a prison. Despite this The Island is still advertised as a mere retirement house and almost no one is aware of what actually happens there since access to it is denied without a special permission: it is ultimately unlikely anyone would ever care either, as Nova Polemos' citizens are quite infamous for rarely paying attention at what happens beyond their own backyard anyway. Mordred will then move to the most important topic: the Pandora related information Leon promised him. His former friend thus shows him a piece of paper he found underneath his door three days earlier with nothing but a date written on it: September 26th, at 21:30. Hera quickly realizes the date and hour written on the note match the date and time of the Pandora murder that occurred at The Island six years earlier. As if that wasn't enough, Leon specifies exactly two hours separate them from the date and hour mentioned in the note, suspecting Pandora might be up to something in order to celebrate the anniversary of his victim's death: he is extremely confident the real Pandora must have sent it as nearly no one has any information related to that murder, let alone its exact date and time. Hera however objects it would be really strange for Pandora to announce in advance one of his moves. Leon concurs: he ultimately summoned them at The Island not because he expects something to actually happen but rather because he concluded Pandora must have followed their latest moves for some reason. Despite the old grudges, Leon recognizes dealing with Pandora should have maximum priority, suggesting the three of them should team up and wait untill 21:30, just in case something indeed happens. In the meantime he also asks them to share all the information they have regarding the Variagian incident and the Hephaestus case. Hera is willing to trust him, but the ultimate choice is left to the player: he can choose to have Mordred either tell Leon the truth or mislead him with false information. If the player chooses to have Mordred mislead him, Leon will react with disappointment and not hide he was hoping the two had discovered more, but will nonetheless thank them for sharing the few information they possess. Mordred will apologize, claiming the police went to great lengths in order to hamper their investigations and that the current situation with the Black Bands only made things even harder. If the player chooses to have Mordred tell him the truth, Leon will comment things are even worse than he imagined and that he finally understands why he had been cut off from both investigations, cursing all of his colleagues. In either case the conversation will be interrupted by the sound of people screaming coming from the Island. The three will thus rush to its entrance, quickly realizing a murder has indeed just occurred. Leon uses his authority as a police officer to order the guards to let the three of them in, asking Mordred to start investigating while he proceeds to lock all the exits. Hera instead proceeds to call the police, but not before noticing the murder scene looks identical to the one from six years earlier.

**\*PAST\***: Mordred and Hera arrive at the crime scene of a murder upon having been summoned urgently by Leon. Their friend immediatly explains Pandora has hit again but is also confident they have him in the palm of their hands: the security recordings clearly show no one left the Island after 21.30 (the time of the murder) and the exits are now locked, implying he must be trapped inside. Hera can't help but feel surpised as she wouldn't expect a killer as meticolous as Pandora to commit such a mistake but Mordred prefers to keep his focus on facts rather than speculations and is eager to start investigating right away. Before doing so however, Leon suggests it would be better if the two listen to his recap of what the police was able to discover so far. He begins by remarking he is one hundred percent sure no one could have left the Island as the walls surrounding its perimeter are too high to climb and any suspicious movement would also be caught by the security cameras. He then proceeds to share the victim's identity: his name was Terry Oath and he was none other than the son of The Island's founder and director, Maximilian Oath. Leon also specifies Terry was rumored to be a very controversial figure within The Island, though he too is surprised Pandora would dare to go as far as to target someone with such influence. Unfortunately he wasn't able to find out more so he also advices Mordred to look for more information on this matter, warning him however that Terry's father obviously didn't take the death of his son lightly, meaning a conversation with him would likely turn into a terrible experience. Finally, Leon explains the dynamic of the murder: the victim broke a window located at the 5th floor of the main building and fell into the artificial pond in the middle of the plaza. That wasn't however the cause of death as prior to that his throat had been cut and his eyebulbs and mouth had been filled with boiling wax. The victim was also found wearing a pair of angel wings that belong to one of several costume sets used at The Island during theatrical plays. Incidentally, the rehearsal room used for these plays happens to be where the victim fell from, but how Pandora was able to kill him without being noticed remains a mystery. Hera suggests they should first of all try to take a look at the rehearsal room since that's likely where the victim was killed, but Leon explains it would take him some time to grant them access to it. Mordred and Hera thus decide to start with the victim's body, well aware that Pandora's intention was to reenact the myth of Icarus. The evidence found on it corroborates Leon's conclusions as the glass cuts and bruises on the victim's shoulder are compatible with an impact on a window. There were however no signs of struggles, suggesting the victim either failed to notice his assailant or didn't try to defend himself. Mordred concludes his investigation by asking Leon if there are any suspects so far: Leon replies most definitely there are.

    **\*PRESENT\***: With no more than a few minutes available before the police arrives, Mordred examines the body to find out as much as he can. Compared to the scene from six years earlier some things seem to be identical but others are remarkably different. Specifically, the angel wings worn by the victim and his glass wounds look exactly the same, but this time the victim's throat had not been touched and the boiling wax had apparently only hit his eyes, prompting Mordred to suspect something might have forced Pandora to change his initial plans. Signs of burns are also visible on several of the victim's fingers, also covered in wax. The commemorative case next to the pond is completely shattered and covered in blood, suggesting the victim might have crashed into it. A safety shoe landed among the nearby bushes as well, likely lost by the victim during its fall. The detective has fortunately also enough time to take a look at the surroundings, noticing the presence of a security camera right next to the crime scene and also some strange dents on the statue that stands in the middle of the artificial pond, representing the founder of The Island. The timetable of The Island is also prominently displayed on a nearby wall, allowing Mordred to learn that the local curfew begins at 20:30. Hera then finally returns, claiming the police has arrived as well: the two thus quickly leave the crime scene and wait inside the main building, where all the people are being gathered for identification. While they wait for the police to finish (confident that Leon would somehow be able to justify their presence inside the place) the detective also proceeds to update Hera in regards to the differences between this murder and its past counterpart. Their conversation is however interrupted by the loud protests of an individual who claims the police has no right to detain him: both immediatly realize it's Maximilian Oath. Mordred tries to greet him, but as soon as Maximilian recognizes them and remembers who they are he tries to call the security to have them kicked out. Mordred tries to convince him it's in his best interest if he lets them stay and help with the investigations, lest risking a much worse disaster. Maximilian however replies he has no idea of what Mordred is talking about as the situation is perfectly under control, let alone a minor incident could never damage the reputation of one of the most renowned places of Nova Polemos: he is obviously lying and the mask Mordred sees on him furtherly confirms so. Before he can proceed to press the Island's director though, the detective realizes he must recollect his past experiences with him in order to better understand his weaknesses.

**\*PAST\***: Leon explains the two main suspects are two famous actors named Jennifer Kingston and Robert Harrington. They allegedly held a grudge against the victim but Leon was unfortunately unable to confirm so. He was also unable to determine why they were at The Island in the first place, suggesting Mordred should begin his interrogation by focusing on these points. Hera suggests once more they should also speak with the Island's director as soon as they have the chance to, receiving yet again Leon's warning due to his current mental state. Nevertheless, he also specifies finding him would be easy since no one was able to convince him to leave the murder scene. Mordred decides to interrogate the suspects first. The first contact with them doesn't go very well: the two are clearly not taking things as seriously as they should and actually seem more interested in convincing Hera to join them in their next play, upsetting Mordred. Fortunately, Hera is able to explain the situation and the two start cooperating. Mordred begins by asking them why they were at the Island and what's their relationship with Maximilian Oath: Jennifer and Robert explain the Island's founder wanted to improve the resident's living conditions by allowing them to dedicate themselves to various forms of arts, including theatre. During the past years several theatre actors had thus been hired both to organize plays and teach the elders to act, Jennifer and Robert being two among the many: their work mostly consisted in giving the elders acting lessons in the reharsal room (thus allowing Mordred to confirm the existence of such a room and its connection to the suspects). Mordred then asks them whether they knew the victim: the two reply they obviously did since he was their employer's son, though they also specify he had quite a terrible reputation within The Island. The two even go as far as claiming the motive behind the murder might have been revenge, possibly related to Terry's terrible management of the budget: the ultimate result of his growing corruption and power thirst were infrastructures of substandard quality that frequently caused incidents and collapses. Finally, Mordred asks them what would be their alibi: the two justify themselves claiming they were practicing together in their quarters at the time of the murder. Unfortunately almost no security cameras exist, meaning no one else can confirm their claim. Since the question didn't prompt the appearence of any mask, Mordred is prone to believe them at first. He starts having second thoughts when he asks them one last question though: whether the two were simple actors that didn't have anything to do with the murder. Jennifer tries claiming the two didn't hold any grudges against neither Maximilian nor his son, jokingly pointing out killing their employers wouldn't do them any good: her final statements cause a mask to appear on her face. Mordred thus thanks them for their cooperation and proceeds to leave along with Hera in order to update her. The two conclude they should try taking a look at the rehearsal room as soon as possible, but also realize Leon still needs more time to grant them access to the place.

Mordred thus decides to try speaking with The Island's director in the meantime. Much like Leon had anticipated he is still mourning the death of his son and gets visibly upset by Mordred's intrustion (the detective's own rude manners not helping at all). Nevertheless he is quickly convinced to cooperate upon being promised he would sit in the first row during the execution of the culprit. Mordred and Hera begin by asking Maximilian more about the victim: he explains Terry was a noble and intelligent person and that he had gone to great lengths in order to keep his son as close to him as possible, specifically by making him a supervisor at The Island. Terry's main job consisted in managing the budget, meaning the renovation and expansion of several of the areas were ideas of his own. Naturally, Maximilian is totally oblivious in regards to why Pandora would ever choose to kill his son. Mordred thus changes topic and asks Maximilian to tell him more about The Island's architecture: Maximilian explains the base project revolved around the construction of a very solid perimeter of walls as he feared the elder's homes would otherwise become an easy target for burglars. He also wanted to create something monumental that would be remembered as a masterpiece. Unfortunately it eventually became necessary to create more space and since the original project was not built to be scalable the only way to do so was to optimize the already existing one by adding the labyrinth of stairs and multiple floors that currently exists. Finally, Mordred tackles the most important topic: the rumor, allegedly confirmed by the two actors, that his son was actually not as spotless as Maximilian believed and that he had been involved in multiple episodes of corruption. Maximilian loses his temper and blames said rumor on the envy and incompetence of the other people behind the incident, allowing Mordred and Hera to confirm something terrible had indeed happened: the Island's director explains a pillar had suddendly collapsed during a theatrical play a couple of years earlier causing the death of two elders, though this tragedy was never mentioned by the media as it was nothing but an unfortunate accident. At the time of the incident Jennifer and Robert had not been employed at The Island yet and were actually hired right after along with others in order to replace the former company, which decided to resign following the tragedy: Maximilian curses the two as they showed yet again to be nothing but ungrateful backstabbers. He also swears there would be severe ripercussions and more strict rules, as his son had nothing to do with the incident: the infrastructures' failure was nothing but the consequence of people taking advantage of him behind his back. Now furious, he refuses to answer any more questions and demands Mordred and Hera to leave. The detective complies and realizes Maximilian must be really convinced of his son's innocence since he sees no masks on him, understanding he will have to find another way to unveil Terry Oath's wrongdoings.

**\*PRESENT\***: Mordred and Hera try to speak with Maximilian again but his reaction is just as wrathful since he still blames them for how horribly things went after he decided to trust them last time. Thanks to his recollection the detective realizes he must rely on fear in order to convince the Island's founder to cooperate. He thus claims that should Maximilian refuse to help them he might be the next one to die: the damaged statue near the artificial pond proves beyond reasonable doubt that local residents actually hate him. Maximilian's reaction obviously confirms Mordred hit the nail on the head. The detective thus continues his assault, suggesting the residents' motive might be that things at The Island took a sinister turn after the death of Maximilian's son. The director clutches at straws, claiming both the number of residents and the Island's reputation have done nothing but improve over time. Mordred however turns the table against the director and claims the only reason behind such an increase is the Patterson test. He suggests Maximilian must have found himself in a tough spot after the government started pressuring him, forcing him to elaborate a radical solution: convincing the government that The Island could still have use as a prison, one in which elders could easily be hauled off allowing the state to expropriate their goods. The ultimate proof of the Island's transformation is the recent addition of so many security cameras, which didn't exist six years earlier. Maximilian is thus forced to admit the truth: the elders had become more and more restless, forcing him to adopt drastic measures and do his best to cover up the problem, lest the outbreak of a scandal that would destroy everything him and his son had worked so hard to build. He still tries to claim he didn't know the victim though, which is obviously yet another lie: due to his critical situation the detective expects Maximilian to have been as careful as possible in choosing his collaborators, and the safety shoe found next to the corpse leaves no doubt that the victim was actually a member of his staff. Maximilian finally gives in and confesses the victim's name was Andrew Joanesse, one of the most young and skilled technicians of the new theatrical company, one he had actually founded himself in order to honor the memory of his son. The director has no idea of why Andrew was killed, as he was a honest and kind person and had also positive relationships with all the other members of the company. Only one of them however was present when Andrew died: Maximilian suggests Mordred should try speaking with him, also specifying he would find him in the Darkroom (the storage room where all the paintings are kept), a name that immediatly gives Hera the chills due to her past terrible experience. The director also grants Mordred access to the rehearsal room and the residents' rooms, clarifying that some residents might be involved but that he should ultimately see for himself. He then walks away, leaving Mordred and Hera with a final remark: despite having caused the death of two innocents they both have his gratitude, as Jennifer and Robert had gone to great lengths to ruin him and deserved to die regardless of Pandora. Before moving on with the investigations, Mordred decides to spend a few more minutes recollecting the past with Hera in order to focus on other crucial details from six years earlier.

**\*PAST\***: When Mordred tells Leon about his ability to see masks on people (and more specifically about having seen one on Jennifer), the policeman remains skeptic at first. Soon however the police sends him information about the two victims of the pillar collpase that occurred years earlier, forcing him to change his mind: they turn out to be Jennifer's father and mother. Mordred immediatly suggests Jennifer's employment at The Island might have been part of a wider plan aimed at killing Terry Oath to avenge her parents, but Leon points out assuming she is Pandora wouldn't make any sense since the serial killer's former victims had no connection with her whatsoever. Mordred insists, suggesting she could still be an accomplice: it would make sense for Pandora to choose a new one before each murder in order to ensure he had plenty of information about his victims. Leon refuses to believe such a farfetched theory, accusing Mordred of having developed an obsession that is now blinding his sense of judgement and making him accuse the wrong people. Hera sides with Leon, convincing Mordred they should at least take a look at the rehearsal room before drawing any conclusion. On behalf of the police Leon thus grants them the access codes they need and lets them go, focusing his own efforts elsewhere. As soon as Mordred and Hera enter the rehearsal room the detective begins to frantically look for evidence, hoping to find something capable of proving that Jennifer is the culprit. The first two things that catch his attention are a rope and a chair in the middle of the room, suggesting Terry had likely been tied before dying. The broken window indicates the victim had been thrown out right after, also suggesting Pandora disfigured him just before his flight due to the amount of wax lying on the floor underneath. Hera also manages to spot a small piece of cloth between the glass shards: Mordred is able to confirm it comes from a nearby costume labeled with Jennifer's name, thus convincing himself he found the piece of evidence he was looking for. One last element remains however a complete mystery: wax signs representing a sun, a moon and a hand with several circles beneath them had been drawn on one of the walls, apparently for no logical reason. Mordred and Hera ultimately reach different conclusions: Hera is convinced they found a dead end as they were unable to find any blood traces nor evidence capable of explaining how Pandora managed to bring Terry Oath to the room. Mordred on the other hand claims he's now fully convinced Jennifer is the culprit and wants to proceed against her. Hera protests, claiming they could easily end up killing two innocents: whoever ends up being accused would likely be executed fast due to the city's thirst for revenge against Pandora. Mordred however explains that's exactly what he intends to take advantage of, as Pandora won't ultimately be defeated unless the two quit playing by the rules themselves. Hera admits he isn't entirely wrong and reassures him she intends to remain by his side no matter what, but can't ultimately hide her utter disgust as she already figured what Mordred has in mind. She tells Mordred he may proceed, though she prefers remaining in the rehearsal room to give a second look in case they missed something. Mordred thus returns to the hall and asks Jennifer where her partner is: she replies he must be in their quarters, causing a strange rotation of masks to appear on her face. Just as the detective starts to lose lucidity because of the unsettling vision Leon suddendly shows up and asks him about Hera with an extremely worried expression on his face. Mordred explains he left her in the rehearsal room, causing Leon to panic even more and claim the two must run there immediatly. The shocking series of events proves to be too much for Mordred, who dreads more than anything the possibility of something terrible having happened to Hera: he ends up losing consciousness and falling to the ground.

**\*PRESENT\***: Hera's visibly shocked expression makes Mordred realize she still hasn't fully recovered from her past trauma and that insisting on recalling the past any further would make her suffer tremendously: he thus suggests the two should take a break and resume their investigation. Unfortunately for them The Island is a real maze and they easily get lost while trying to reach their next destination, finding themselves in the inner corridor 44 instead. As soon as they arrive they spot a guest that is visibly younger compared to the average resident: he is angrily screaming towards the elders' quarters, claiming they are giving up and refusing to react to their own exploitation. When Mordred and Hera catch his attention the two try to explain they're detectives, only to end up accused of being slaves of the system themselves. An upset Hera asks him to at least return the favor and introduce himself, at which point the man explains his name is Luke Benton and that he is a political prisoner who has been deported to The Island by the will of the Black Bands. Noticing Hera's astonished expression, he claims the two of them are no different from the rest on the city, in that they are totally oblivious to the horrors that are currently happening around them, suggesting they should listen to his story. Mordred tries to explain the two have more urgent matters to deal with as they have a serial killer to catch, but Luke claims he's confident there might be a connection between the murder at The Island and what's happening to the rest of the city, ultimately convincing the detective to listen to him. Luke begins by explaining he was forcibly hired to work at The Island along with a lot of others, incidentally also receiving the order to move there and become a resident himself: ever since then, armed guards that respond directly to the Black Bands also began to supervise his activities. He is firmly convinced the Black Bands are trying to gather all of their political dissidents in one place. Their ultimate plan is to fuel even more the turmoil that began with Baker's assassination: should any of the dissidents dare to react to his imprisonment by doing something stupid, they would have the perfect pretext they need to publicly resort to violence without fearing ripercussions. Incidentally, he's trying to warn as many people as he can and to rally all the exploited residents under one single banner. Luke's words immediatly resonate with Hera's worst nightmares, as she started fearing such an outcome ever since she saw the police raid at Talon Square: she ultimately concludes the new president of the Black Bands must be even worse than she had imagined. Luke however corrects her, explaining he's merely carrying out an agenda already established by his predecessors in regards to both the political dissidents and the elders. He also explains the latter were the ones who ended up drawing the shortest end of the stick as they saw the risk of eviction grow dramatically. Hera is surprised as she believed The Island existed in the first place to prevent elders from being homeless, but Luke clarifies this only applies as long as a resident is capable of working: if he falls ill or becomes unable to work his partner is expected to look after him and if neither of them manages to remain productive enough they both get evicted. Mordred asks Luke what he meant when he said the murder might be connected to the Black Bands: Luke responds that if Pandora chose The Island to commit a murder his motive must be a political one. More specifically, Pandora's fame makes it so that any move of his ends up catching everyone's attention very quickly: because of this, the public spread of news related to his last murder would also indirectly spread news regarding the other horrors that take place at The Island, including the ones perpetuated by the Black Bands. The Black Bands specifically seem to be a primary target for the serial killer: in this sense Luke speculates Pandora might have orchestrated the murder of Treasury Park purposefully to have their leader framed and that he might even be the one who eventually shot him. Hera doesn't quite believe his theory as she points out Pandora is a psychopath and not an aspiring revolutionary, but Luke insists nonetheless and also claims the Black Bands are likely the ones that would want the serial killer dead the most. With that he concludes the conversation and leaves, explaining he has an important meeting. But not before having reminded Mordred and Hera that a grim future awaits everyone, expecially people like Hera (alluding at her condition of immigrant): this prompts the two to reflect on the violence and hatred that are afflicting the city, causing Hera in particular to regret now more than ever their former decision of helping the Black Bands.

Mordred and Hera eventually manage to reach the Darkroom, immediatly causing Hera to feel unsettled. A figure emerges from the darkness, ironically asking if the shape of the room is giving her dizziness. Hera tries to change topic pretending she's actually interested in seeing the paintings, but the man claims he perfectly knows who they are (and consequently what happened to Hera in the Darkroom six years earlier), explaining they became akin to legends among the elders (who seldom have much else to speak of anyway). He expresses solidarity for Hera's terrible experience and introduces himself as Lee Graves. The positive reply he gives when Mordred and Hera ask him if he knew the victim confirms he is the person they were looking for: he immediatly offers his full cooperation, allowing them to ask any question. Mordred begins by asking him what changes were made to the Darkroom compared to six years before, so Lee explains he installed interactive pillars capable of showing a rotation of all of the paintings: the images change every fifteen minutes in order to represent the volatility of art and more generally of life itself. The paintings' themes are usually chosen by the elders and the exhibitions often include contributions from external artists as well, sometimes even from Lee himself. Unfortunately, the recent incident forced him to stop both the pillars and the associated clocks. Satisfied, Mordred asks him about his relationship with the victim. Lee describes Andrew as an extremely talented individual who had a lot of potential as a painter. The two of them were very close since he was the only person Lee truly admired in the new art company, enough so he even has plans to create an art exhibition to honor his memory. Convinced they heard enough, Mordred and Hera thank him for his help and proceed to leave. The detective can't help but suspect Lee and Andrew might have actually been a lot closer than it looks due to how much affection Lee showed towards him.

Mordred and Hera choose to visit the rehearsal room next: fortunately for them Leon's influence was enough to prevent the police from altering the scene before their arrival. Compared to six years earlier the victim had apparently fallen from the exact same window, breaking it in a very similar fashion. The detective however spots fingerprints on the nearby wall, suggesting this time the victim might have tried to resist by holding onto it. Most of the wax landed next to the window, implying Pandora likely burned his victim just before hurling him like last time. This time however the killer left the empty wax jars in the room instead of taking them with him. Mordred and Hera are unfortunately unable to find additional evidence and are confident the security cameras wouldn't help them either: the rehearsal room didn't have any and the killer likely knew how to avoid the few installed elsewhere. Nevertheless, they also conclude Pandora's sequence of actions seems to indicate he was in a hurry and likely had to improvise. Surprisingly, this didn't prevent him from following a regular pattern while pouring wax on the face of a resisting victim, ultimately also implying the victim had not been caught off guard. The most relevant difference compared to six years earlier remains however the strange drawings: let alone the past ones still remain a mystery, this time there were none.

Mordred and Hera thus decide to move on and visit the residents formerly mentioned by Maximilian: they turn out to be a couple of married elders. The lady speaks for them both and explains her husband seldom speaks at all as of lately. Nevertheless, she also understands Mordred and Hera's need to discover more about Andrew Joanesse and agrees to help them as long as they respect his husband's quiet. Mery explains Andrew was very close to Daryl as he considered him a mentor to look up to, up to a point he often visited them to receive feedback on his works: his death is actually the main reason that caused Daryl to fall into depression and lose the ability to speak. Mordred thus asks Mery whether Andrew had any enemies or ever mentioned Pandora at all but Mery replies he did nothing unusual aside from complaining about his employers every now and then. Mordred thus moves on and asks her how long she and her husband had been living at the Island. Mery explains they both failed the Patterson test seven years earlier, meaning they both witnessed the former murder as well. This prompts Mordred to ask them whether they also noticed Maximilian's change of behaviour, explaining he suspects Andrew's death might be related to it. Mery claims Mordred is exaggerating as Maximilian merely added a bit more security cameras after the incident: while the loss of his son surely had its impact she reassures the detective he is still widely respected. Unsurprisingly, Mery's latest claims cause Mordred to see a mask on her face. The detective realizes he must press her harder so he decides to exploit the information he learned earlier, suggesting Mery and Daryl might be on the verge of eviction since neither of them is able to work anymore. While Hera is disgusted by Mordred's ruthless allegations, Mery confirms he is unfortunately right and that she and her husband have become quite desperate because of that. Hearing this makes Hera very sad, so she focuses on trying to comfort Mery. Mordred however shows no care and asks her whether this very last issue had anything to do with Andrew's death, suggesting it might have perhaps angered him and prompted him to look for revenge only to end up killed before he could act. Mery, now very upset, rejects all allegations: Andrew had actually long since known about it and was actually planning to help them. The mask shows up once more but Hera steps in to stop the escalation, apologizing on behalf of her partner and thanking Mery for her help. Before the two can leave Daryl speaks for the first time, unfortunately talking nonsense: he warns Mordred that "the room is only for those who deserve to spend their life in darkness" and that "the fox eats her cub to survive, not for selfishness". Mordred and Hera finally leave, the detective being very satisfied as he believes he might be onto something due to Mery's mask. Hera however is very upset and confronts him for his behaviour as soon as they are alone. The player has to decide Mordred's final answer, choosing between accepting her critics or claiming the end justifies the means. If he chooses to have Mordred accept her critics, Hera will point out the Island's residents are already living a terrible experience, prompting the detective to promise he will try to be more tactful. If he chooses to have Mordred claim the end justifies the means, the detective will explain the two will never make any progress with Pandora unless they accept they sometimes need to be more harsh, expecially given how everyone seems to be involved in one way or another. Hera will thus conclude the conversation by asking him not to make the same mistake of six years earlier, as this time the consequences would be as massive as they can get.

Mordred and Hera then receive a message recalling them to the main hall. Once they arrive they are pleased to learn that Freya was among the officers dispatched at the Island to investigate the murder, allowing them to have a much needed conversation with her to exchange information regarding everything that happened as of lately. To begin with, Freya updates Mordred and Hera on the escalation that followed Baker's death, explaining the situation is much worse than what the media are reporting: as if the arbitrary arrests were not enough, rumors of the first summary executions had started to be heard. She suggests the victims were likely enemies of the Black Bands who had been targeted by their most radical extremists, also implying the deportation of many other political dissidents to the Island could actually be a countermeasure taken by the moderate wings in order to delay an onslaught they do not want just yet. Unfortunately the influence of the radical extremists is about to grow even stronger due to one of them succeeding to Baker as the party leader: the infamous Roland Loveless, a marketing tycoon already known for perpetuating racism and being responsible for extortions and other acts of violence. Freya clearly sees a deliberate scheme aimed at fueling hatred to manifacture political consent: not even finding Baker's killer could stop the escalation at this point (as a matter of fact she even goes as far as suggesting the Black Bands could have killed him on purpose). She is ultimately also well aware a return to the same horrors that plagued the city thirty years earlier is inevitable, implying Mordred and Hera should flee the city as soon as possible since immigrants like Hera are the Black Bands' main target. She also offers to help them cross the border in order to repay her debt to Mordred once the Pandora case is closed.

*\*\*\*Freya then updates the detective on the Hephaestus case, explaining the police tried looking for Dean and Thalia in order to have them testify against Eugene. The search had been unsuccessful at first, but received a terrible twist when Dean's dead body was eventually discovered outside the city's walls, ten days having passed since. Assuming that Thalia is the killer would be the most logical conclusion but Dean's neck was broken with such a strength it would seem impossible for a human to have done it, let alone a woman. Freya thus asks Mordred if he knows anything that could shed some light on the mystery. The detective is caught off guard as stopping Thalia would be imperative but revealing her secret and more importantly that he first handedly helped her escape could cause him to be put under investigation as well. The player has to decide Mordred's ultimate reaction, choosing between either having him lie on the events or having him unveil the truth about the androids. If the player chooses to have Mordred unveil the truth about the androids the detective will recap the events and specify he was responsible for Dean and Thalia's escape, justifying himself by claiming he'd never expect Thalia to kill Dean, let alone she hasn't been confirmed as the killer yet. Both Hera and Freya will be very upset: Hera will accuse him of having yet again not trusted her enough to tell while Freya will remark how massive the negative consequences could be, suggesting Mordred should stay out of the matter from now on. If the player chooses to have Mordred lie on the events the detective will claim he's just as oblivious as Freya since he didn't have any chance to talk to neither Dean nor Thalia, being entirely focused on stopping Eugene. He will also claim he doesn't know the purpose of the mechanical bodies found in the lab, suggesting they might have been test dummies used by Hephaestus. Freya will believe him since Hephaestus actually gave the exact same explanation but won't hide her frustration as she was hoping Mordred would be more helpful. She will also mention she failed to make any progress with the encrypted emails.\*\*\* (FREYA HEPHAESTUS Dialogue, triggered if the player ended Chapter 2 with a WayOut)*

*\*\*\*Finally, Freya confronts Mordred on the most controversial topic: the glove found at Treasury Park. She begins by clarifying that although she did not appreciate Mordred's attempt to compromise her position by giving it to David, she is willing to forgive him since he later admitted his faults and also saved her life.\*\*\* (FREYA GLOVE Dialogue, triggered if the player gave David the glove in Chapter 1 and admitted having done so in Chapter 2)*

She explains how after months of investigations she eventually discovered evidence suggesting someone from the police deliberately concealed the glove in order to frame Baker. Someone else however made it magically reappear as soon as Mordred arrived at the park, someone Freya expects to have acted on behalf of David himself. While it made perfect sense for David to want the glove in order to defend Baker, it's very strange how he waited for Mordred to pick it up rather than entrust his secret accomplice with the task of retriving it. Freya suspects the existence of a wider scheme in which David is involved, also pointing out the lawyer had gone to great lengths to pit Mordred against her, ultimately testing the detective's loyalty to him. She advices Mordred not to trust him untill she's able to discover more on the matter. Mordred can't help but feel she is right, expecially considering the mysterious plan David mentioned in their private encounter. On the other hand though he also contemplates the possibility of Freya being actually the person responsible for the glove's disappearence, implying her allegations against David could be an attempt to cover her own involvement: in the worst case scenario both of them could actually be hiding something. Nevertheless the detective decides to move on and focus again on the case at hand. Fortunately for him and Hera, Freya allows them to ask questions about the pieces of evidence they were able to find thus far. First of all Mordred shows Freya the safety shoe found next to the victim, explaining he was able to discover his identity thanks to it. He then asks her about the victim's burned fingers and whether there's a connection with the wax jars found in the rehearsal room: Freya answers there is, as the victim's fingerprints matched those on the jars and were actually the only ones found on them. This complicates the scenario even more: the ultimate implication would be that Pandora was wearing gloves, the victim had tried to resist him and despite this the killer had still managed to pour the wax with astonishing precision. Even more confusing are the glass cuts on the victim's arms, which Mordred discusses next: they would seem to imply the victim was using his arms to protect his face when the glass broke, but this would also mean Pandora had somehow managed to make him face the window before hurling him. Freya cryptically remarks the two are thinking too linearly and that eventually they too would figure out the ultimate conclusion. Mordred thus changes topic and shows Freya the damaged statue at the entrance, remarking residents have been restless as of lately and that the victim was allegedly connected to some of them, giving him a possible lead to work on. He then discusses the security cameras, unfortunately concluding their recordings would probably not help them at all. Freya however points out they remain a relevant element regardless because the killer's awareness of their location implies he knows the Island very well. Finally, Mordred shows Freya the note sent to Leon by Pandora, prompting her to wonder why the killer didn't assassinate his victim at 21:30 to remain true to his word: Hera points out something might have changed his initial plans forcing him to adapt, the curfew that takes place at 20:30 possibly being a major factor of influence in this sense. The conversation is then suddendly interrupted by loud screams coming from nearby: Freya orders Mordred and Hera to remain where they are while the police proceeds to figure out what happened, but the two immediatly start running towards the screams, much to her dismay.

They eventually arrive in one of the corridors, finding the dead body of Daryl Hope sitting on a chair. They also immediatly spot an envelope in his hands with their names written on it: with no longer than a few seconds before the police arrives the two barely manage to snatch it, quickly realizing it's yet another riddle of Pandora's. More specifically, the letter mentions a game that has been going on for decades and three codes corresponding to three symbols, supposedly connected to its solution. Just as they start wondering how the serial killer could kill his victim without being spotted by the security cameras (let alone dragging him all the way up to the corridor) the police arrives and proceeds to take control of the area. Fortunately for Mordred and Hera the first one to notice their presence is their friend Leon, who quickly commands them to move away from the scene and follow him, lest be arrested themselves as suspects. He also orders them to hand over the letter they just found, though the content puzzles him just as much. Scolding them for having acted too recklessly, he gives them a warning: he believes the serial killer might have chosen them as his next target while the police is starting to suspect they could actually be tampering with evidence and secretly be on Pandora's side. Nevertheless, Leon also agrees figuring out the letter's meaning should remain the top priority, so Mordred points out there must be a connection with the drawings they found six years earlier, using their picture as evidence. He also claims the "codes" Pandora mentioned must be related to people who are closely connected to the Island and are likely the key to find the place where Hera was brought when she was abducted six years earlier, a place no one managed to find as of now. Leon observes the security cameras may eventually help them figure out the dynamic of the last murder. In the meantime, he also suggests going over what they were able to find thus far to plan their next move. The three ultimately conclude the most relevant elements are the fact Pandora knows the location of the security cameras (thus killing his first victim in one of the few rooms that had none) and that he probably used a concealed passage to sneak around and carry his victims, one which the letter could help them find. Mordred thus suggests he and Hera should interrogate the suspects once more to look for evidence that could confirm the existence of a secret passage. Leon instead decides to focus on gaining access to the security recordings, though not before harshly reminding Mordred he still hates him. Left alone with Hera, the detective claims he's finally starting to see the full picture. One of the most vital pieces is however still buried in Hera's most dreadful memory: she understands she can't keep running from her past and accepts recalling the events one last time together with him.

As expected, Hera's recall of her traumatic experience takes quite the toll on her. The detective's own recollection isn't much happier, as he clearly remembers how after fainting upon learning of Hera's abduction he woke up and immediatly became furious. In Mordred's memories, Leon tries in vain to calm him down explaining Hera has been found and is now safe (albeit obviously traumatized) but the detective makes it clear he has had enough, concluding it's time to take justice into their own hands. He thus proposes Leon a plan, and while the policeman is at first quite horrified by it he eventually understands how two are out of options: he ultimately accepts but also warns Mordred that if things end up not working out as planned he wouldn't hesitate to put the blame on him and him alone. The plan is thus set in motion: Leon uses his influence to have the two main suspects summoned before Mordred, allowing the detective to buy time. They immediatly throw shots at the detective for having been allegedly mistreated by the police and also mock him for his former fainting. Mordred explains they have little to joke about as he has evidence that links them to the murder and sees also a plausible motive in the death of Jennifer's parents. The suspects reject his allegations causing a mask to appear once more on Jennifer's face: this time it constantly fluctuates, disappearing, reappearing again and changing shape. The behaviour of Jennifer's mask becomes even more erratic when she ironically asks Mordred what happened to his colleague, causing the detective to succumb to fear and lose consciousness once more. Just as he hits the ground though, he hears the police breaking in: the suspects are ultimately arrested just as planned. After recovering, Mordred has the chance to speak with Leon and confirm their plan was successful: while the two suspects were busy with the detective, his friend exploited his rank to enter their quarters and deposit false evidence (actually connected to former murders) in order to have them framed. Leon can't help but question their actions but Mordred explains he had been thinking about a desperation move like this for quite a long time, believing it would be the only way to stop the murders: the innocents they had just condemned would not only finally give the city a culprit to blame but also give the real killer a plausible scapegoat, forcing him to stop his kills in exchange for being left alone and unpunished. The two ultimately conclude they cannot turn back anymore and prepare to welcome back Hera: the detective's last memory is the speechless and broken expression she had when they were finally reunited. Back in the present, Hera finds herself finally able to get over the trauma and remember the piece of the code she was given during her abduction.

Mordred and Hera decide their next move should be trying to speak with the Island's founder once more, suspecting he might possess the second part of the code. As soon as they bring up the topic a mask shows up on his face, confirming their assumption is correct. Maximilian tries at first to avoid the conversation altogether but ultimately accepts to answer Mordred's questions when the detective makes clear they are one step away from arresting his son's killer. Since Maximilian would never openly speak about the code just yet, the detective decides to try a different approach and asks him about what happened in the wake of the scandal that followed the pillar collapse, aware that pressing the Island's founder on the most crucial details would eventually make him spill the beans. Maximilian thus explains how after the incident most residents started to openly revolt against his son, accusing him of being responsible for it. This in turn forced him to introduce very harsh security measures, despite the many petitions advocating against it. Mordred asks more details about these petitions, so Maximilian clarifies they were all launched by the same person: said person first opposed the concept of security measures implemented by modifying the Island's architecture hiding behind the claim they would ruin the place's beauty, and later also protested against the introduction of security cameras pointing out they'd jeopardize both people's privacy and the artistic atmosphere of the Island. Incidentally this person was also in charge of the Darkroom six years earlier, a role appointed by Maximilian himself in the vain hope he would stop opposing his decisions and help him rebuild the residents' trust instead. When asked about the identity of this individual Maximilian pretends he doesn't remember, but Mordred and Hera realize way too easily he is speaking of Daryl Hope. The Island's founder can't help but lose his temper due to how much of a thorn in his side Daryl has been: as if his hostility weren't enough the old man's stubborness eventually caused him to fall ill, forcing the director to remove him from his position. Naturally, this caused Maximilian's reputation to sink even further due to Daryl's popularity among the elders. The Island's founder makes it clear he blames Daryl and his relentless opposition to security measures for the death of his son, prompting Mordred to ask him whether the two had any kind of connection. After hesitating at first, Maximilian confesses his son had secretly struck a deal with Daryl in order to save his own reputation: Terry was expected to make a full commitment to ensure the infrastructures' safety and in turn Daryl would use his influence among the elders to promote a less negative view of him. In addition, Daryl also gained the freedom to expand his Darkroom through the creation of a new chamber. As a form of thanksgiving the old man gifted Terry a strange painting and a letter containing apparently meaningless words. Mordred immediatly asks Maximilian more information about the painting and the letter, correctly guessing the "meaningless words" are actually the second part of the code. Finally, the detective confronts Maximilian about the new chamber Daryl asked to build, accusing him of having refused to share with them such a vital piece of information. Maximilian defends himself claiming he didn't know about it untill he decided to read some old letters of his son no longer than a couple of weeks earlier, thus discovering his secret cooperation with Daryl: Mordred can't help but wonder whether the last murder might be connected to this discovery somehow. At last the Island's founder claims he told Mordred and Hera everything he knew and leaves, exhausted by the conversation. The two were ultimately able to conclude a secret passage did indeed exist, but remain oblivious in regards to why Pandora would ever want to kill Daryl (since the two were apparently supporting each other) or Terry (since he turned out to have been just a mere pawn in the hands of Daryl).

The two however also conclude there is only one person who could possess the final piece of code: Daryl's wife. They thus decide to pay her one last visit, though Hera also begs Mordred to be more considerate this time since she just lost her husband. Just as they arrive at her quarters the detective also receives the security camera recordings he requested, depicting the murder of Daryl and confirming his worst suspicions. Despite the premises Mery seems surprisingly calm so the detective begins his interrogation, asking her whether Daryl had anything to do with the murder of Andrew Joanesse. She predictably denies any involvement on her husband's part as his physical conditions would have made it impossible, let alone Andrew was almost akin to a son for them: just as predictably a mask shows up on her face. Understanding she's not willing to cooperate that easily, Mordred begins a complete reconstruction based on all the information he and Hera were able to discover. To begin with, Daryl had been both the person in charge of the darkroom when the first incident occurred and the main reason that prevented security cameras from being installed in crucial areas directly connected to the murders, including the rehearsal room and the darkroom itself. This ultimately allowed Pandora to move a lot more freely, something the detective does not deem a coincidence: he instead suggests Daryl was actively cooperating with him because he longed for Terry Oath's death just as much as the serial killer, blaming the founder's son for the terrible downturn things had taken at the Island. His death proved unfortunately not enough to change things and actually made the situation worse, thus forcing Daryl and Pandora to organize a second murder in the hope it would draw the media's attention on the Island's conditions: the timing of this second murder was not coincidental either as waiting any longer would have otherwise caused Daryl and his wife to be evicted. Since the lockdown following the second murder was fast enough to prevent any information leak, Mordred concludes Daryl's death must have been one final desperate attempt on his part to catch the media's attention, suggesting he must have asked himself to be killed by the serial killer. Hera questions the detective's final claim as she doesn't believe Pandora would ever take such a big risk given Daryl died in an area covered by security cameras. Mordred replies he now believes Pandora's arrest might be something the serial killer had actually accounted for, which would also explain the note he had sent them before the murder: in line with this interpretation he was secretly trying to involve them in the final part of his plan, closing a cycle that possibly began with the drawings he left six years earlier. Mery loses her temper and accuses them of having no evidence, even suggesting there might be no recordings at all and that the detective must be trying to bait her into speaking against her husband. Mordred thus replies by finally revealing the identity of the man shown in the recordings: Pandora is actually none other than Lee Graves. The revelation shocks Mery as she can't quite understand why Lee would ever choose to show himself, thus confirming she knew since the beginning. Mordred concludes by pointing out there was another reason for Daryl to set up his own murder: protecting Mery herself. Since no one would ever risk the reputational damage connected with mistreating the wife of one of Pandora's victim, he had ultimately ensured she could not be evicted no matter what. The detective's last statement causes Mery to finally yield her confession, explaining her husband was indeed just as caring as Mordred had predicted, though she also begged him multiple times to stop cooperating with a monster as heartless as Pandora. She finally shares with them the last piece of code and advices them to be as careful as they can be before leaving. Left alone with Hera, a triumphant Mordred is now ready for the final confrontation with Pandora. Hera is however still puzzled as the two were ultimately unsuccessful in explaining how the serial killer managed to kill Andrew, let alone how the last few twists are making things look way too easy: she ultimately suggests they should probably ask Leon or the police for help but Mordred promptly refuses, adamant he alone must be the one who apprehends the killer without sharing the glory with anyone.

Mordred explains he and Hera need first of all to head back to the darkroom. Once there the detective reveals his final deduction: there's a connection between that room and the drawings they found six years earlier, in that the circles represent the clocks above the paintings. This implies they must be set at the same times suggested by the drawings for something to happen since the paintings were programmed to rotate accordingly: 12:20 the first one, 10:10 the second one and 7:58 the third one, from left to right. As a result, three paintings matching the riddles mentioned in the three pieces of code effectively show up, suggesting Mordred and Hera likely found the entrance to Pandora's hideout. Hera remembers the paintings were designed to be interactive and advices Mordred to take a closer look. The detective concludes the real purpose of the three codes is to conceal an input sequence that must be pressed in a specific order on each painting: the noose, the head of the goddess, the spider's mouth and the top-left web on the first one. The shield, the blade, the helmet and the Gorgon on the second one. The flower, the kiss of the gods, the musical instrument and the face of the artist on the third one. After the detective presses the buttons on all three of them a door leading to a secret passage opens before him. Although Hera insists on escorting him through, Mordred decides he should be the only one to proceed inside, claming she already went through enough trauma and that at least one of them should remain behind in order to ask for help in case of need. Once inside the detective has just enough time to realize his AquaOS lost its signal before Lee makes his appearance.

Mordred immediatly draws his gun but Lee invites him to calm down, explaining thanks to him he would soon become famous: just as Mordred had expected he deliberately intends to be captured. Before apprehending him though, the detective asks him one last question: whether he had really been Pandora all along. Lee answers affirmatively, but much to Mordred's surprise a mask appears on his face. The detective suspects some kind of trick but Lee taunts him suggeting his next question should be whether he killed Andrew: the mask appears once again, throwing Mordred into confusion. Lee thus suggests with irony the detective should keep asking questions, as that would inevitably force the truth out of him: though he dislikes the idea, the detective dislikes even more the possibility of leaving crucial details unanswered. He thus begins his reconstruction: after Andrew started working at the Island he quickly fell under the influence of Lee and Daryl, eventually becoming involved in a plan aimed at recreating the murder from six years earlier. Andrew arrived at the rehearsal room using the secret passage, but Lee clarifies he was perfectly conscious when he did so, implying he followed him there spontaneously. The artist also criticizes Mordred for being too narrow-minded, inviting him to better reflect on a detail that looks very different compared to the former murder: the wax patterns on the victim's face. The detective's original explanation for the patterns' irregularity was that the victim had tried to defend himself, as the burned fingers also seemed to suggest. Lee however makes it clear he's once again mistaken, prompting Mordred to finally understand: the real reason Andrew's fingers were burned is that he had actually poured the wax himself. The wounds found on his arms were instead the consequence of him jumping out of the window immediatly afterwards, ultimately committing suicide in order to reenact the flight of Icarus once more. With no choice left but to accept this shocking discovery, Mordred still doesn't understand Andrew's motive for following Pandora's absurd plan to his own death. Comparing Andrew to Herostratus, Lee explains the glory of being remembered forever would be a more than valid motive, though Andrew also had another one: protecting the real Pandora. Lee's last statement ultimately implies Pandora had actually been Daryl all along, his six years hiatus being nothing but the consequence of his imprisonment within the Island: had Andrew not committed suicide, both him and his wife would have been evicted much like Mordred had already understood. The revelation of the real Pandora being actually none other than Daryl implies Mordred cannot capture him anymore, causing the detective to become furious: both his glorious future and the possibility of redeeming himself are now gone, let alone he and Hera spent the past few months chasing ghosts and imitators. Pleasured by how Mordred's first thoughts are always for his personal profit, Lee invites the detective to calm down and listen to the rest of the story. He explains Daryl picked him as his successor once his health conditions worsened as he was the only artist the old man deemed worthy: his vision, his methods and his hideout were thus all passed down to him, in the hope the apprentice would continue the killing spree even after the master's passing. Lee however had other plans, in that he could never settle for becoming a mere imitation of Pandora: his true goal is instead to surpass him. This is ultimately also the reason he left Mordred a clear trail that would guide him to Pandora's room: in the beginning both the codes and the drawings were actually nothing but nonsense Daryl had used to impress the public and confuse investigations. Being the curator of the darkroom Lee had however arranged the paintings and the access codes to Pandora's hideout in a way that made it look like Daryl's bogus codes had actually real meaning. And the ultimate reason is that much like Mordred had already fathomed Lee intends to have the detective capture him under the claim he is the real Pandora, granting them the glory they both crave. Mordred immediatly understands the implications: should he refuse Lee's offer he would have to come out of Pandora's hideout empty handed, meaning the police would not only punish him for having repeatedly violated the rules but also treat him as a suspect, possibly causing him to undergo a second trial as well. Should he instead accept, the city's attention would shift on his successful capture of Pandora: all his personal problems would be solved but his success would also overshadow the mistreating of the elders trapped within the Island, causing their suffering to be forgotten. Moreover, Hera would likely never fogive Mordred if she ever found out he deliberately took part in Lee's hoax. The choice is ultimately left to the player and will conclude the narration of Chapter 3, unlocking one among three possible game ending chapters.

## Alternative Dialogues (DeadBaker Freya Route):

* **CONTACT'S TIMING:** *\*\*\*David apologizes for the short notice, explaining the current conditions of AquaOS made coming in contact as hard as it could be, expecially with someone as meaningful as his guest. The guest however grumpily asks David to get straight to the point.\*\*\* (triggered if the player concluded Chapter 2 with a BlackOut)*
* **TRUST:** *\*\*\*The guest is pleased by David's answer but now wants to know the most important thing: whether the lawyer managed to gain Mordred and Hera's trust. David replies he was unfortunately unsuccessful, as the two are apparently fully committing to getting themselves killed. The guest thus replies David knows what must be done.\*\*\* (triggered if the player refused David's offer in Chapter 2)*
* **HEPHAESTUS AFTERMATH:** *\*\*\*Mordred finds some solace in knowing that the information loss following the destruction of AquaOS would make any future legal action against them almost impossible. On the same topic, Hera mentions many of the old files are actually being restored on a new database, albeit with fragmented data that is often outdated. She also points out such a situation must be a nightmare for the police more than anyone, but Mordred can't help but feel happy about it given all the trouble the police had put them through in the past. Hera acidly comments they would suffer the negative consequences too as information from past cases is now almost impossible to find: had the detective at least tried to contact her before siding with Eugene she would have ultimately never let him destroy AquaOS. Hera also asks Mordred whether he had any news regarding Dean and the possible consequences connected to the discovery of a living android. Mordred replies he doesn't since the police obviously covered everything up but also claims he is confident no one at Hephaestus would be able to replicate Huber's work anytime soon. Hera also feels a bit sad for Thalia, but Mordred grumpily claims the two have more urgent things to worry about.\*\*\* (triggered if the player ended Chapter 2 with a BlackOut)*
* **FREYA HEPHAESTUS:** *\*\*\*Freya then asks the detective to speak about the Hephaestus case. She bluntly explains she finds it kind of odd that Mordred went to great lengths to have Dean convicted as the only culprit despite the fact it was actually Eugene who destroyed both the lab and AquaOS. Moreover, Dean never stopped claiming Mordred and Eugene were trying to frame him and Thalia now seems to have mysteriously disappeared too. Mordred realizes he can't afford to tell the whole truth, so he decides to come up with a plausible lie. The player has to decide to which extent Mordred lies, choosing between having him lie on everything or having him at least unveil the truth regarding the androids. If he chooses to have Mordred lie on everything, the detective will claim Dean and Thalia tried to preemptively kill Eugene in order to stop him from destroying the professor's masterpiece but were ultimately unsuccessful: when the detective arrived Eugene had already destroyed both the lab and AquaOS, Thalia had already fled and Dean was about to kill his own brother in retaliation, the only thing Mordred had ultimately managed to prevent. The detective will also explain that despite the fact Eugene had also committed a crime, his duty was to focus on apprehending whoever assassinated the professor along with the foreign ambassador. Freya will be baffled, claiming she doesn't entirely believe his story but that she has no choice but to trust it for now. If the player chooses to have Mordred unveil the truth about the androids, he will admit the androids were real and claim Thalia chose to side with Eugene after discovering Dean had conspired with the foreign ambassador to kill the professor: she was aware she would die as a consequence but ultimately didn't mind since after her husband's death she had lost her own will to live. Mordred also explains Thalia herself had given him the location of the lab hoping he would be able to stop Dean from killing his brother, but that he wasn't given a chance to talk neither of them out of their plan. Freya will ultimately trust Mordred's story, understanding that the reason behind his silence is that no one would believe him anyway, expecially after the destruction of AquaOS' and the following confusion.\*\*\* (triggered if the player ended Chapter 2 with a BlackOut)*
* **FREYA GLOVE, first variant:** *\*\*\*Finally, Freya confronts Mordred on the most controversial topic: the glove found at Treasury Park. She begins by acidly remarking she's well aware Mordred lied to her and that he was actually responsible for David having it. The detective objects he merely sticked to his duties since he was working for the lawyer. Freya only refrains from insisting because she owes Mordred her life.\*\*\* (triggered if the player gave David the glove in Chapter 1 and refused to admit having done so in Chapter 2)*
* **FREYA GLOVE, second variant:** *\*\*\*Finally, Freya confronts Mordred on the most controversial topic: the glove found at Treasury Park. She begins by expressing her gratitude to Mordred for refusing to give it to David, clarifying it later turned out to be a piece of evidence even more crucial than they had initially thought.\*\*\* (triggered if the player refused to give David the glove in Chapter 1 and claimed having done so to keep it as a trump card in Chapter 2)*
* **FREYA GLOVE, third variant:** *\*\*\*Finally, Freya confronts Mordred on the most controversial topic: the glove found at Treasury Park. She begins by ironically mocking Mordred for being a true gentleman, as not only he avoided giving it to David but later also openly admitted having done so to protect her.\*\*\* (triggered if the player refused to give David the glove in Chapter 1 and claimed having done so to protect Freya in Chapter 2)*

## JailedBaker Emily Route (spoilers):

David Casey secretly greets a shady individual in his office, who promptly points out how uncomfortable he feels in front of the lawyer's optimistic attitude given the terrible things that happened around the city as of lately.

\*\*\*David is actually surprised by his guest's decision to show up so early rather than wait for things to have settled after the Hephaestus incident, but the guest replies the events ultimately played to their advantage since they drew the city's attention away from the real danger: the lawyer can't help but agree.\*\*\**(CONTACT'S TIMING Dialogue, triggered if the player concluded Chapter 2 with a WayOut)*

Nevertheless, David is pleased to announce the plan is proceeding just as scheduled and that he highly doubts anyone would ever suspect his guest, expecially considering how much chaos the bombing of the Black Bands' headquarters has caused. He compliments his guest for coming up with such a cunning move, to which the guest replies he was hoping David would at least show some remorse for the victims. The lawyer jokingly replies he tries to think of them as martyrs for the cause. The guest then asks David wheter he made up his mind on how to deal with the girl cop, to which the lawyer replies he already has a plan: the pieces are already lining up and all they ultimately have to do is just wait for someone to make the first move.

*\*\*\*The guest is pleased by David's answer but now wants to know the most important thing: whether the lawyer managed to gain Mordred and Hera's trust. David replies he was obviously successful since their current situation didn't leave them much of a choice. The guest is once again pleased and suggests the two of them can ultimately advance their plan to the next step.\*\*\* (TRUST Dialogue, triggered if the player accepted David's offer in Chapter 2)*

The guest gives David one final warning on how from this point onwards there'd be no turning back: David replies he's nothing but eager to begin, ending the conversation.

**\*PAST\***: Six years before, shortly after Foley Investigations managed to arrest the two people allegedly responsible for Pandora's murders, Mordred and Hera are preparing to meet the press. The detective is very nervous and a very caring Hera is trying to cheer him up. Shortly afterwards they are joined by a third individual, here introduced as Leon Basset: a policeman and friend of the two. Leon suggests Mordred should try improving his public image now that he's considered a hero, to which Mordred ironically replies Leon should be enjoying himself somewhere else rather than bothering him. The policeman however explains he came to grant Hera's wish: a commemorative picture of such a special day. Mordred tries to protest but to no avail, and the picture is taken.

**\*PRESENT\***: Several months after the showdown with the Smith brothers Mordred is looking at that very picture, ironically pointing out he hasn't aged well at all. Hera joins him in recalling those moments, wondering how long they'll have to keep hiding in their past memories to experience happiness.

*\*\*\*Mordred finds some solace in remembering Eugene Smith's plan has been thwarted and that the madman is now locked up in jail. Hera asks him whether he had any news from Dean, but the detective replies negatively, suggesting Dean and Thalia were likely successful in escaping Nova Polemos. Mordred can't help but have second thoughts on having set the android free, as he fears foreign superpowers would surely try to capture her if they ever found out about her real nature. The worst aspect of such a scenario would be that Thalia has effectively unlimited access to all of Nova Polemos' secret information: a leak of that magnitude could easily trigger an unprecedented diplomatic crisis, and the only thing standing in the way of such a catastrophe is the vague hope that Dean was smart enough to keep Thalia hidden somewhere safe. Nevertheless, Mordred also concludes he and Hera have even more urgent problems.\*\*\* (HEPHAESTUS AFTERMATH Dialogue, triggered if the player ended Chapter 2 with a WayOut)*

Hera asks Mordred whether Baker is what makes him so worried but the detective replies he's actually more concerned with having to live on temporary jobs and the little money they receive from the police, ironically commenting that tailing cheating husbands was never his life ambition. Hera replies he should be thankful to still have clients to begin with, also suggesting Baker's case might actually be what saved them, forcing the newspapers to start talking about them again and thus providing advertisement indirectly. Nevertheless, Hera is also worried about what Baker might try to do, as he surely didn't stop hating them for everything that happened. Mordred also finds unsettling that they don't have a clue yet in regards to who might have bombed the Black Bands headquarters. The conversation is then interrupted by the sudden arrival of an AquaOS message from Leon Basset, who showed up for the first time in almost six years to ask Mordred a secret meeting in district 6. Surprised by the arrival of a message from their former friend after such a long time, Hera can't help but wonder why he wants them to meet him in such a remote place: Mordred replies it must be because that's where The Island is located. Hera can't believe Leon is asking them to go back to such a horrible place but Mordred is confident it must be very important, as he doesn't expect Leon to have simply stopped hating them after what happened six years before. Moreover, the message made it clear it has to do with Pandora. Hera suggests they could ask Emily to join, but Mordred replies he doesn't feel confident in involving her just yet as the glove incident related to Freya is still being investigated. Moreover, updating her later would also give him the chance to ask her whether she was able to discover anything regarding William Payne. Mordred and Hera thus leave for their destination alone.

    The first reunion between Leon and Mordred doesn't go very well: the negative consequences of Mordred's past scandal are revealed to have hit Leon just as hard. Fortunately, Hera is able to calm them both down so Leon begins his explanations. To begin with, he once again makes it clear he still holds a grudge for the past incident: two innocent people died and his professional and personal life became a nightmare simply because he decided to follow Mordred's decision of creating false evidence to frame the two people they were suspecting. Mordred objects by reminding Leon he willingly followed him, showing just as much confidence in the suspects' involvement and concluding together with him there was no other way to corner them. After yet another outburst of anger, Leon changes topic and starts explaining how The Island changed after that incident. The place was originally designed to act as a shelter for old people who were either homeless or unemployed, but at some point its owners must have realized the big profits that could be earned by simply forcing the residents to work for free in exchange for their accomodation. Ever since that moment every elder who failed to pass the Patterson test lost ownership of all of his goods (which became state-owned) and was deported to The Island, now effectively akin to a prison. Despite this The Island is still advertised as a mere retirement house and almost no one is aware of what actually happens there since access to it is denied without a special permission: it is ultimately unlikely anyone would ever care either, as Nova Polemos' citizens are quite infamous for rarely paying attention at what happens beyond their own backyard anyway. Mordred will then move to the most important topic: the Pandora related information Leon promised him. His former friend thus shows him a piece of paper he found underneath his door three days earlier with nothing but a date written on it: September 26th, at 21:30. Hera quickly realizes the date and hour written on the note match the date and time of the Pandora murder that occurred at The Island six years earlier. As if that wasn't enough, Leon specifies exactly two hours separate them from the date and hour mentioned in the note, suspecting Pandora might be up to something in order to celebrate the anniversary of his victim's death: he is extremely confident the real Pandora must have sent it as nearly no one has any information related to that murder, let alone its exact date and time. Hera however objects it would be really strange for Pandora to announce in advance one of his moves. Leon concurs: he ultimately summoned them at The Island not because he expects something to actually happen but rather because he concluded Pandora must have followed their latest moves for some reason. Despite the old grudges, Leon recognizes dealing with Pandora should have maximum priority, suggesting the three of them should team up and wait untill 21:30, just in case something indeed happens. In the meantime he also asks them to share all the information they have regarding the Variagian incident and the Hephaestus case. Hera is willing to trust him, but the ultimate choice is left to the player: he can choose to have Mordred either tell Leon the truth or mislead him with false information. If the player chooses to have Mordred mislead him, Leon will react with disappointment and not hide he was hoping the two had discovered more, but will nonetheless thank them for sharing the few information they possess. Mordred will apologize, claiming the police went to great lengths in order to hamper their investigations and that the current situation with the Black Bands only made things even harder. If the player chooses to have Mordred tell him the truth, Leon will comment things are even worse than he imagined and that he finally understands why he had been cut off from both investigations, cursing all of his colleagues. In either case the conversation will be interrupted by the sound of people screaming coming from the Island. The three will thus rush to its entrance, quickly realizing a murder has indeed just occurred. Leon uses his authority as a police officer to order the guards to let the three of them in, asking Mordred to start investigating while he proceeds to lock all the exits. Hera instead proceeds to call the police, but not before noticing the murder scene looks identical to the one from six years earlier.

**\*PAST\***: Mordred and Hera arrive at the crime scene of a murder upon having been summoned urgently by Leon. Their friend immediatly explains Pandora has hit again but is also confident they have him in the palm of their hands: the security recordings clearly show no one left the Island after 21.30 (the time of the murder) and the exits are now locked, implying he must be trapped inside. Hera can't help but feel surpised as she wouldn't expect a killer as meticolous as Pandora to commit such a mistake but Mordred prefers to keep his focus on facts rather than speculations and is eager to start investigating right away. Before doing so however, Leon suggests it would be better if the two listen to his recap of what the police was able to discover so far. He begins by remarking he is one hundred percent sure no one could have left the Island as the walls surrounding its perimeter are too high to climb and any suspicious movement would also be caught by the security cameras. He then proceeds to share the victim's identity: his name was Terry Oath and he was none other than the son of The Island's founder and director, Maximilian Oath. Leon also specifies Terry was rumored to be a very controversial figure within The Island, though he too is surprised Pandora would dare to go as far as to target someone with such influence. Unfortunately he wasn't able to find out more so he also advices Mordred to look for more information on this matter, warning him however that Terry's father obviously didn't take the death of his son lightly, meaning a conversation with him would likely turn into a terrible experience. Finally, Leon explains the dynamic of the murder: the victim broke a window located at the 5th floor of the main building and fell into the artificial pond in the middle of the plaza. That wasn't however the cause of death as prior to that his throat had been cut and his eyebulbs and mouth had been filled with boiling wax. The victim was also found wearing a pair of angel wings that belong to one of several costume sets used at The Island during theatrical plays. Incidentally, the rehearsal room used for these plays happens to be where the victim fell from, but how Pandora was able to kill him without being noticed remains a mystery. Hera suggests they should first of all try to take a look at the rehearsal room since that's likely where the victim was killed, but Leon explains it would take him some time to grant them access to it. Mordred and Hera thus decide to start with the victim's body, well aware that Pandora's intention was to reenact the myth of Icarus. The evidence found on it corroborates Leon's conclusions as the glass cuts and bruises on the victim's shoulder are compatible with an impact on a window. There were however no signs of struggles, suggesting the victim either failed to notice his assailant or didn't try to defend himself. Mordred concludes his investigation by asking Leon if there are any suspects so far: Leon replies most definitely there are.

    **\*PRESENT\***: With no more than a few minutes available before the police arrives, Mordred examines the body to find out as much as he can. Compared to the scene from six years earlier some things seem to be identical but others are remarkably different. Specifically, the angel wings worn by the victim and his glass wounds look exactly the same, but this time the victim's throat had not been touched and the boiling wax had apparently only hit his eyes, prompting Mordred to suspect something might have forced Pandora to change his initial plans. Signs of burns are also visible on several of the victim's fingers, also covered in wax. The commemorative case next to the pond is completely shattered and covered in blood, suggesting the victim might have crashed into it. A safety shoe landed among the nearby bushes as well, likely lost by the victim during its fall. The detective has fortunately also enough time to take a look at the surroundings, noticing the presence of a security camera right next to the crime scene and also some strange dents on the statue that stands in the middle of the artificial pond, representing the founder of The Island. The timetable of The Island is also prominently displayed on a nearby wall, allowing Mordred to learn that the local curfew begins at 20:30. Hera then finally returns, claiming the police has arrived as well: the two thus quickly leave the crime scene and wait inside the main building, where all the people are being gathered for identification. While they wait for the police to finish (confident that Leon would somehow be able to justify their presence inside the place) the detective also proceeds to update Hera in regards to the differences between this murder and its past counterpart. Their conversation is however interrupted by the loud protests of an individual who claims the police has no right to detain him: both immediatly realize it's Maximilian Oath. Mordred tries to greet him, but as soon as Maximilian recognizes them and remembers who they are he tries to call the security to have them kicked out. Mordred tries to convince him it's in his best interest if he lets them stay and help with the investigations, lest risking a much worse disaster. Maximilian however replies he has no idea of what Mordred is talking about as the situation is perfectly under control, let alone a minor incident could never damage the reputation of one of the most renowned places of Nova Polemos: he is obviously lying and the mask Mordred sees on him furtherly confirms so. Before he can proceed to press the Island's director though, the detective realizes he must recollect his past experiences with him in order to better understand his weaknesses.

**\*PAST\***: Leon explains the two main suspects are two famous actors named Jennifer Kingston and Robert Harrington. They allegedly held a grudge against the victim but Leon was unfortunately unable to confirm so. He was also unable to determine why they were at The Island in the first place, suggesting Mordred should begin his interrogation by focusing on these points. Hera suggests once more they should also speak with the Island's director as soon as they have the chance to, receiving yet again Leon's warning due to his current mental state. Nevertheless, he also specifies finding him would be easy since no one was able to convince him to leave the murder scene. Mordred decides to interrogate the suspects first. The first contact with them doesn't go very well: the two are clearly not taking things as seriously as they should and actually seem more interested in convincing Hera to join them in their next play, upsetting Mordred. Fortunately, Hera is able to explain the situation and the two start cooperating. Mordred begins by asking them why they were at the Island and what's their relationship with Maximilian Oath: Jennifer and Robert explain the Island's founder wanted to improve the resident's living conditions by allowing them to dedicate themselves to various forms of arts, including theatre. During the past years several theatre actors had thus been hired both to organize plays and teach the elders to act, Jennifer and Robert being two among the many: their work mostly consisted in giving the elders acting lessons in the reharsal room (thus allowing Mordred to confirm the existence of such a room and its connection to the suspects). Mordred then asks them whether they knew the victim: the two reply they obviously did since he was their employer's son, though they also specify he had quite a terrible reputation within The Island. The two even go as far as claiming the motive behind the murder might have been revenge, possibly related to Terry's terrible management of the budget: the ultimate result of his growing corruption and power thirst were infrastructures of substandard quality that frequently caused incidents and collapses. Finally, Mordred asks them what would be their alibi: the two justify themselves claiming they were practicing together in their quarters at the time of the murder. Unfortunately almost no security cameras exist, meaning no one else can confirm their claim. Since the question didn't prompt the appearence of any mask, Mordred is prone to believe them at first. He starts having second thoughts when he asks them one last question though: whether the two were simple actors that didn't have anything to do with the murder. Jennifer tries claiming the two didn't hold any grudges against neither Maximilian nor his son, jokingly pointing out killing their employers wouldn't do them any good: her final statements cause a mask to appear on her face. Mordred thus thanks them for their cooperation and proceeds to leave along with Hera in order to update her. The two conclude they should try taking a look at the rehearsal room as soon as possible, but also realize Leon still needs more time to grant them access to the place.

Mordred thus decides to try speaking with The Island's director in the meantime. Much like Leon had anticipated he is still mourning the death of his son and gets visibly upset by Mordred's intrustion (the detective's own rude manners not helping at all). Nevertheless he is quickly convinced to cooperate upon being promised he would sit in the first row during the execution of the culprit. Mordred and Hera begin by asking Maximilian more about the victim: he explains Terry was a noble and intelligent person and that he had gone to great lengths in order to keep his son as close to him as possible, specifically by making him a supervisor at The Island. Terry's main job consisted in managing the budget, meaning the renovation and expansion of several of the areas were ideas of his own. Naturally, Maximilian is totally oblivious in regards to why Pandora would ever choose to kill his son. Mordred thus changes topic and asks Maximilian to tell him more about The Island's architecture: Maximilian explains the base project revolved around the construction of a very solid perimeter of walls as he feared the elder's homes would otherwise become an easy target for burglars. He also wanted to create something monumental that would be remembered as a masterpiece. Unfortunately it eventually became necessary to create more space and since the original project was not built to be scalable the only way to do so was to optimize the already existing one by adding the labyrinth of stairs and multiple floors that currently exists. Finally, Mordred tackles the most important topic: the rumor, allegedly confirmed by the two actors, that his son was actually not as spotless as Maximilian believed and that he had been involved in multiple episodes of corruption. Maximilian loses his temper and blames said rumor on the envy and incompetence of the other people behind the incident, allowing Mordred and Hera to confirm something terrible had indeed happened: the Island's director explains a pillar had suddendly collapsed during a theatrical play a couple of years earlier causing the death of two elders, though this tragedy was never mentioned by the media as it was nothing but an unfortunate accident. At the time of the incident Jennifer and Robert had not been employed at The Island yet and were actually hired right after along with others in order to replace the former company, which decided to resign following the tragedy: Maximilian curses the two as they showed yet again to be nothing but ungrateful backstabbers. He also swears there would be severe ripercussions and more strict rules, as his son had nothing to do with the incident: the infrastructures' failure was nothing but the consequence of people taking advantage of him behind his back. Now furious, he refuses to answer any more questions and demands Mordred and Hera to leave. The detective complies and realizes Maximilian must be really convinced of his son's innocence since he sees no masks on him, understanding he will have to find another way to unveil Terry Oath's wrongdoings.

**\*PRESENT\***: Mordred and Hera try to speak with Maximilian again but his reaction is just as wrathful since he still blames them for how horribly things went after he decided to trust them last time. Thanks to his recollection the detective realizes he must rely on fear in order to convince the Island's founder to cooperate. He thus claims that should Maximilian refuse to help them he might be the next one to die: the damaged statue near the artificial pond proves beyond reasonable doubt that local residents actually hate him. Maximilian's reaction obviously confirms Mordred hit the nail on the head. The detective thus continues his assault, suggesting the residents' motive might be that things at The Island took a sinister turn after the death of Maximilian's son. The director clutches at straws, claiming both the number of residents and the Island's reputation have done nothing but improve over time. Mordred however turns the table against the director and claims the only reason behind such an increase is the Patterson test. He suggests Maximilian must have found himself in a tough spot after the government started pressuring him, forcing him to elaborate a radical solution: convincing the government that The Island could still have use as a prison, one in which elders could easily be hauled off allowing the state to expropriate their goods. The ultimate proof of the Island's transformation is the recent addition of so many security cameras, which didn't exist six years earlier. Maximilian is thus forced to admit the truth: the elders had become more and more restless, forcing him to adopt drastic measures and do his best to cover up the problem, lest the outbreak of a scandal that would destroy everything him and his son had worked so hard to build. He still tries to claim he didn't know the victim though, which is obviously yet another lie: due to his critical situation the detective expects Maximilian to have been as careful as possible in choosing his collaborators, and the safety shoe found next to the corpse leaves no doubt that the victim was actually a member of his staff. Maximilian finally gives in and confesses the victim's name was Andrew Joanesse, one of the most young and skilled technicians of the new theatrical company, one he had actually founded himself in order to honor the memory of his son. The director has no idea of why Andrew was killed, as he was a honest and kind person and had also positive relationships with all the other members of the company. Only one of them however was present when Andrew died: Maximilian suggests Mordred should try speaking with him, also specifying he would find him in the Darkroom (the storage room where all the paintings are kept), a name that immediatly gives Hera the chills due to her past terrible experience. The director also grants Mordred access to the rehearsal room and the residents' rooms, clarifying that some residents might be involved but that he should ultimately see for himself. He then walks away, leaving Mordred and Hera with a final remark: despite having caused the death of two innocents they both have his gratitude, as Jennifer and Robert had gone to great lengths to ruin him and deserved to die regardless of Pandora. Before moving on with the investigations, Mordred decides to spend a few more minutes recollecting the past with Hera in order to focus on other crucial details from six years earlier.

**\*PAST\***: When Mordred tells Leon about his ability to see masks on people (and more specifically about having seen one on Jennifer), the policeman remains skeptic at first. Soon however the police sends him information about the two victims of the pillar collpase that occurred years earlier, forcing him to change his mind: they turn out to be Jennifer's father and mother. Mordred immediatly suggests Jennifer's employment at The Island might have been part of a wider plan aimed at killing Terry Oath to avenge her parents, but Leon points out assuming she is Pandora wouldn't make any sense since the serial killer's former victims had no connection with her whatsoever. Mordred insists, suggesting she could still be an accomplice: it would make sense for Pandora to choose a new one before each murder in order to ensure he had plenty of information about his victims. Leon refuses to believe such a farfetched theory, accusing Mordred of having developed an obsession that is now blinding his sense of judgement and making him accuse the wrong people. Hera sides with Leon, convincing Mordred they should at least take a look at the rehearsal room before drawing any conclusion. On behalf of the police Leon thus grants them the access codes they need and lets them go, focusing his own efforts elsewhere. As soon as Mordred and Hera enter the rehearsal room the detective begins to frantically look for evidence, hoping to find something capable of proving that Jennifer is the culprit. The first two things that catch his attention are a rope and a chair in the middle of the room, suggesting Terry had likely been tied before dying. The broken window indicates the victim had been thrown out right after, also suggesting Pandora disfigured him just before his flight due to the amount of wax lying on the floor underneath. Hera also manages to spot a small piece of cloth between the glass shards: Mordred is able to confirm it comes from a nearby costume labeled with Jennifer's name, thus convincing himself he found the piece of evidence he was looking for. One last element remains however a complete mystery: wax signs representing a sun, a moon and a hand with several circles beneath them had been drawn on one of the walls, apparently for no logical reason. Mordred and Hera ultimately reach different conclusions: Hera is convinced they found a dead end as they were unable to find any blood traces nor evidence capable of explaining how Pandora managed to bring Terry Oath to the room. Mordred on the other hand claims he's now fully convinced Jennifer is the culprit and wants to proceed against her. Hera protests, claiming they could easily end up killing two innocents: whoever ends up being accused would likely be executed fast due to the city's thirst for revenge against Pandora. Mordred however explains that's exactly what he intends to take advantage of, as Pandora won't ultimately be defeated unless the two quit playing by the rules themselves. Hera admits he isn't entirely wrong and reassures him she intends to remain by his side no matter what, but can't ultimately hide her utter disgust as she already figured what Mordred has in mind. She tells Mordred he may proceed, though she prefers remaining in the rehearsal room to give a second look in case they missed something. Mordred thus returns to the hall and asks Jennifer where her partner is: she replies he must be in their quarters, causing a strange rotation of masks to appear on her face. Just as the detective starts to lose lucidity because of the unsettling vision Leon suddendly shows up and asks him about Hera with an extremely worried expression on his face. Mordred explains he left her in the rehearsal room, causing Leon to panic even more and claim the two must run there immediatly. The shocking series of events proves to be too much for Mordred, who dreads more than anything the possibility of something terrible having happened to Hera: he ends up losing consciousness and falling to the ground.

**\*PRESENT\***: Hera's visibly shocked expression makes Mordred realize she still hasn't fully recovered from her past trauma, meaning insisting any longer on recalling their memories would make her suffer tremendously: he thus suggests the two should take a break and resume their investigation. Unfortunately for them The Island is a real maze and they easily end up getting lost while trying to reach their next destination, finding themselves in inner corridor 44 instead. After having realized their mistake, just as they are about to leave a strange old man arrives and claims a superior force must have arranged their seemingly random meeting. Mordred is baffled by such a claim and tries ignoring him but the man, who introduces himself as Jimmy Thompson, insists he has crucial information regarding both Pandora and the victim. The detective thus decides to spend a few minutes listening to what he has to say, extremely surprised by the fact Jimmy is seemingly saying the truth since he sees no mask on him. Unfortunately, Mordred was actually right in assuming it was a waste of time since Jimmy quickly turns out to be a mentally deranged individual (and also a conspiracy theorist) who can provide no useful information. In this sense Jimmy is indeed convinced he's telling Mordred the truth but can't even properly remember the victim's name, also claiming Pandora is the invention of a secret lobby that obeys extraterrestrial beings. Hera makes one last attempt, asking him if he happens to know someone who could provide more information: Jimmy claims the ones who know everything are The Island's owners as they are trying to eradicate the good from it. This time however he also goes more in detail, attempting to prove his point by explaining what the Island's rules are like: those who fall ill and become unable to work must be looked after by their partner. In addition if neither of them can work they both get evicted, which is effectively a death sentence since residents lose all their goods upon entering The Island for the first time. Mordred and Hera are unfortunately confident this last part must be real and not just a product of Jimmy's vivid imagination. The two are however also aware that's as much as they can get from the poor old man, so they thank him for his help and proceed to leave.

Mordred and Hera eventually manage to reach the Darkroom, immediatly causing Hera to feel unsettled. A figure emerges from the darkness, ironically asking if the shape of the room is giving her dizziness. Hera tries to change topic pretending she's actually interested in seeing the paintings, but the man claims he perfectly knows who they are (and consequently what happened to Hera in the Darkroom six years earlier), explaining they became akin to legends among the elders (who seldom have much else to speak of anyway). He expresses solidarity for Hera's terrible experience and introduces himself as Lee Graves. The positive reply he gives when Mordred and Hera ask him if he knew the victim confirms he is the person they were looking for: he immediatly offers his full cooperation, allowing them to ask any question. Mordred begins by asking him what changes were made to the Darkroom compared to six years before, so Lee explains he installed interactive pillars capable of showing a rotation of all of the paintings: the images change every fifteen minutes in order to represent the volatility of art and more generally of life itself. The paintings' themes are usually chosen by the elders and the exhibitions often include contributions from external artists as well, sometimes even from Lee himself. Unfortunately, the recent incident forced him to stop both the pillars and the associated clocks. Satisfied, Mordred asks him about his relationship with the victim. Lee describes Andrew as an extremely talented individual who had a lot of potential as a painter. The two of them were very close since he was the only person Lee truly admired in the new art company, enough so he even has plans to create an art exhibition to honor his memory. Convinced they heard enough, Mordred and Hera thank him for his help and proceed to leave. The detective can't help but suspect Lee and Andrew might have actually been a lot closer than it looks due to how much affection Lee showed towards him.

Mordred and Hera choose to visit the rehearsal room next: fortunately for them Leon's influence was enough to prevent the police from altering the scene before their arrival. Compared to six years earlier the victim had apparently fallen from the exact same window, breaking it in a very similar fashion. The detective however spots fingerprints on the nearby wall, suggesting this time the victim might have tried to resist by holding onto it. Most of the wax landed next to the window, implying Pandora likely burned his victim just before hurling him like last time. This time however the killer left the empty wax jars in the room instead of taking them with him. Mordred and Hera are unfortunately unable to find additional evidence and are confident the security cameras wouldn't help them either: the rehearsal room didn't have any and the killer likely knew how to avoid the few installed elsewhere. Nevertheless, they also conclude Pandora's sequence of actions seems to indicate he was in a hurry and likely had to improvise. Surprisingly, this didn't prevent him from following a regular pattern while pouring wax on the face of a resisting victim, ultimately also implying the victim had not been caught off guard. The most relevant difference compared to six years earlier remains however the strange drawings: let alone the past ones still remain a mystery, this time there were none.

Mordred and Hera thus decide to move on and visit the residents formerly mentioned by Maximilian: they turn out to be a couple of married elders. The lady speaks for them both and explains her husband seldom speaks at all as of lately. Nevertheless, she also understands Mordred and Hera's need to discover more about Andrew Joanesse and agrees to help them as long as they respect his husband's quiet. Mery explains Andrew was very close to Daryl as he considered him a mentor to look up to, up to a point he often visited them to receive feedback on his works: his death is actually the main reason that caused Daryl to fall into depression and lose the ability to speak. Mordred thus asks Mery whether Andrew had any enemies or ever mentioned Pandora at all but Mery replies he did nothing unusual aside from complaining about his employers every now and then. Mordred thus moves on and asks her how long she and her husband had been living at the Island. Mery explains they both failed the Patterson test seven years earlier, meaning they both witnessed the former murder as well. This prompts Mordred to ask them whether they also noticed Maximilian's change of behaviour, explaining he suspects Andrew's death might be related to it. Mery claims Mordred is exaggerating as Maximilian merely added a bit more security cameras after the incident: while the loss of his son surely had its impact she reassures the detective he is still widely respected. Unsurprisingly, Mery's latest claims cause Mordred to see a mask on her face. The detective realizes he must press her harder so he decides to exploit the information he learned earlier, suggesting Mery and Daryl might be on the verge of eviction since neither of them is able to work anymore. While Hera is disgusted by Mordred's ruthless allegations, Mery confirms he is unfortunately right and that she and her husband have become quite desperate because of that. Hearing this makes Hera very sad, so she focuses on trying to comfort Mery. Mordred however shows no care and asks her whether this very last issue had anything to do with Andrew's death, suggesting it might have perhaps angered him and prompted him to look for revenge only to end up killed before he could act. Mery, now very upset, rejects all allegations: Andrew had actually long since known about it and was actually planning to help them. The mask shows up once more but Hera steps in to stop the escalation, apologizing on behalf of her partner and thanking Mery for her help. Before the two can leave Daryl speaks for the first time, unfortunately talking nonsense: he warns Mordred that "the room is only for those who deserve to spend their life in darkness" and that "the fox eats her cub to survive, not for selfishness". Mordred and Hera finally leave, the detective being very satisfied as he believes he might be onto something due to Mery's mask. Hera however is very upset and confronts him for his behaviour as soon as they are alone. The player has to decide Mordred's final answer, choosing between accepting her critics or claiming the end justifies the means. If he chooses to have Mordred accept her critics, Hera will point out the Island's residents are already living a terrible experience, prompting the detective to promise he will try to be more tactful. If he chooses to have Mordred claim the end justifies the means, the detective will explain the two will never make any progress with Pandora unless they accept they sometimes need to be more harsh, expecially given how everyone seems to be involved in one way or another. Hera will thus conclude the conversation by asking him not to make the same mistake of six years earlier, as this time the consequences would be as massive as they can get.

Mordred and Hera then receive a message recalling them to the main hall. Once they arrive they are pleased to learn that Emily was among the officers dispatched at the Island to investigate the murder, allowing them to have a much needed conversation with her in order to exchange vital information on everything that happened as of lately. To begin with, Emily explains the police concluded Baker might actually be involved with the bombing of his own headquarters, implying he was trying to create martyrs in order to justify an uprising. His plan was at least partly successful as a vast portion of the city is now in turmoil and believes the Black Bands were victim of a conspiracy, also claiming the elections were rigged and that a second vote is needed. The resulting riots already caused many wounded and even two victims, but the media opted for censorship in the vain hope it could help stop their spread. Although the Black Bands denied any involvment with the protests, Emily is sure they must actually be the ones who orchestrated them. Her ultimate conclusion is that Baker might try to take advantage of this chaos in order to directly punish his enemies without being noticed, which obviously includes Mordred and Hera too. Since despite his imprisonment he's still too powerful to be stopped, Emily suggests the two should either go into hiding or flee the city altogether. Hera agrees it would be better if they kept a low profile but Mordred objects it would be impossible if they succeed in arresting Pandora, also claiming the fame they would gain would then be enough to ensure their safety.

*\*\*\*Emily then updates the detective on the Hephaestus case, explaining the police tried looking for Dean and Thalia in order to have them testify against Eugene. The search had been unsuccessful at first, but received a terrible twist when Dean's dead body was eventually discovered outside the city's walls, ten days having passed since. The natural assumption would be that Thalia was the killer, but Dean's neck had been broken with a strength that goes well beyond what humans are capable of, let alone a woman. Emily thus asks Mordred if he has any information that could help her shed any light on the mystery. The detective is caught off guard, as stopping Thalia would be imperative but revealing her secret and more importantly the fact he helped her escape could cause him to be put under investigation as well. The player has to decide Mordred's ultimate reaction, choosing between either having him lie on the events or having him unveil the truth about the androids. If he chooses to have Mordred unveil the truth about the androids, the detective will recap the events and specify he was the one who let Dean and Thalia escape, justifying himself by claiming he'd never expect Thalia to kill Dean, let alone the fact she hasn't been confirmed to be the killer yet. Hera will be very upset and will accuse him of having yet again not trusted her enough to tell, while Emily will express her concerns regarding how massive the negative consequences of Thalia's escape could be: she will ultimately promise she would immediatly dispatch someone to deal with the issue and let Mordred know as soon as she has any news. If the player chooses to have Mordred lie on the events, the detective will claim he's just as oblivious as he didn't have any chance to talk to neither Dean nor Thalia, being him entirely focused on stopping Eugene. He will also claim he doesn't know the purpose of the mechanical bodies found in the lab, suggesting they might have been test dummies used by Hephaestus. Emily will ultimately trust him as Hephaestus actually gave the exact same explanation.\*\*\* (EMILY HEPHAESTUS Dialogue, triggered if the player ended Chapter 2 with a WayOut)*

*\*\*\*Emily then brings up the topic of Freya once again, this time also mentioning the issue of the missing glove that could have ruined her career. She promptly remarks she's well aware Mordred was the one who allowed David to have it, and although both him and Hera try to justify themselves claiming they were merely helping out their client, she acidly points out how doing so would have conveniently allowed them to get rid of the person that had bothered them the most.\*\*\* (EMILY GLOVE Dialogue, triggered if the player gave David the glove in Chapter 1)*

Nevertheless, she also explains the main point is actually another one: she firmly believes Pandora himself placed the glove on the murder scene after first concealing it, with the specific intent of having them find it.

*\*\*\*Hera immediatly points out this would imply Pandora was actually trying to get caught and that he must have had an accomplice within the police as well, so Emily decides it's time to share with them her ultimate and most important deduction (also because she wants to thank Mordred for having tried his best to save Freya's life): Pandora must actually be a police officer.\*\*\* (EMILY DEDUCTION Dialogue, triggered if the player lied about Freya's death in Chapter 2)*

This would explain why he was able to gain so much information about his victims and their whereabouts and also implies Mordred and Hera can't trust the police anymore, leaving David as the only trustworthy ally left to them. Hera objects the lawyer was the first one who wanted to ruin Freya's reputation since he asked them about the glove, but Emily claims she firmly believes the opposite to be true since she too had the chance to speak with him privately. She ultimately asks them to trust her, prompting Mordred to wonder whether she's really trying to help them or just pushing them into another trap. Finally, Emily allows Mordred and Hera to ask her questions about pieces of evidence they were able to find thus far. First of all Mordred shows Freya the safety shoe found next to the victim, explaining he was able to discover his identity thanks to it. He then asks her about the victim's burned fingers and whether there's a connection with the wax jars found in the rehearsal room: Emily answers there is, as the victim's fingerprints were actually the only ones found on them. This complicates the scenario even more, as the implication would be that Pandora was wearing gloves, the victim had tried to resist him and despite this the killer had still managed to pour the wax with astonishing precision. Even more confusing are the glass cuts on the victim's arms, which Mordred discusses next: they would seem to imply the victim was using his arms to protect his face when he broke the glass, but this would also mean Pandora had somehow managed to turn him to face the window after blinding him with the wax, all despite the victim's resistance. Emily suggests they might be looking at things with the wrong perspective but refuses to add anything else. Mordred then changes topic and shows Emily the damaged statue at the entrance, remarking residents have been restless as of lately and that the victim had connections with them, giving them a possible lead to work on. He then discusses the security cameras, unfortunately concluding their recordings would probably not help them at all. Emily however points out they remain a relevant element regardless because the killer's awareness of their location corroborates the hypothesis that Pandora is a police officer since police officers are the only outsiders who know where their exact placement. Finally, Mordred shows Emily the note sent to Leon by Pandora, prompting her to wonder why the killer didn't assassinate his victim at 21:30 to stay true to his word: Hera points out something might have changed his initial plans forcing him to adapt, the curfew that takes place at 20:30 possibly being a factor of influence too. The conversation is then suddendly interrupted by loud screams coming from nearby: Emily orders Mordred and Hera to remain there while the police proceeds to figure out what happened, but the two, much to her dismay, start running immediatly towards the screams.

They eventually arrive in one of the corridors, finding the dead body of Daryl Hope sitting on a chair. They also immediatly spot an envelope in his hands with their names written on it: with no longer than a few seconds before the police arrives the two barely manage to snatch it, quickly realizing it's yet another riddle of Pandora's. More specifically, the letter mentions a game that has been going on for decades and three codes corresponding to three symbols, supposedly connected to its solution. Just as they start wondering how the serial killer could kill his victim without being spotted by the security cameras (let alone dragging him all the way up to the corridor) the police arrives and proceeds to take control of the area. Fortunately for Mordred and Hera the first one to notice their presence is their friend Leon, who quickly commands them to move away from the scene and follow him, lest be arrested themselves as suspects. He also orders them to hand over the letter they just found, though the content puzzles him just as much. Scolding them for having acted too recklessly, he gives them a warning: he believes the serial killer might have chosen them as his next target while the police is starting to suspect they could actually be tampering with evidence and secretly be on Pandora's side. Nevertheless, Leon also agrees figuring out the letter's meaning should remain the top priority, so Mordred points out there must be a connection with the drawings they found six years earlier, using their picture as evidence. He also claims the "codes" Pandora mentioned must be related to people who are closely connected to the Island and are likely the key to find the place where Hera was brought when she was abducted six years earlier, a place no one managed to find as of now. Leon observes the security cameras may eventually help them figure out the dynamic of the last murder. In the meantime, he also suggests going over what they were able to find thus far to plan their next move. The three ultimately conclude the most relevant elements are the fact Pandora knows the location of the security cameras (thus killing his first victim in one of the few rooms that had none) and that he probably used a concealed passage to sneak around and carry his victims, one which the letter could help them find. Mordred thus suggests he and Hera should interrogate the suspects once more to look for evidence that could confirm the existence of a secret passage. Leon instead decides to focus on gaining access to the security recordings, though not before harshly reminding Mordred he still hates him. Left alone with Hera, the detective claims he's finally starting to see the full picture. One of the most vital pieces is however still buried in Hera's most dreadful memory: she understands she can't keep running from her past and accepts recalling the events one last time together with him.

As expected, Hera's recall of her traumatic experience takes quite the toll on her. The detective's own recollection isn't much happier, as he clearly remembers how after fainting upon learning of Hera's abduction he woke up and immediatly became furious. In Mordred's memories, Leon tries in vain to calm him down explaining Hera has been found and is now safe (albeit obviously traumatized) but the detective makes it clear he has had enough, concluding it's time to take justice into their own hands. He thus proposes Leon a plan, and while the policeman is at first quite horrified by it he eventually understands how two are out of options: he ultimately accepts but also warns Mordred that if things end up not working out as planned he wouldn't hesitate to put the blame on him and him alone. The plan is thus set in motion: Leon uses his influence to have the two main suspects summoned before Mordred, allowing the detective to buy time. They immediatly throw shots at the detective for having been allegedly mistreated by the police and also mock him for his former fainting. Mordred explains they have little to joke about as he has evidence that links them to the murder and sees also a plausible motive in the death of Jennifer's parents. The suspects reject his allegations causing a mask to appear once more on Jennifer's face: this time it constantly fluctuates, disappearing, reappearing again and changing shape. The behaviour of Jennifer's mask becomes even more erratic when she ironically asks Mordred what happened to his colleague, causing the detective to succumb to fear and lose consciousness once more. Just as he hits the ground though, he hears the police breaking in: the suspects are ultimately arrested just as planned. After recovering, Mordred has the chance to speak with Leon and confirm their plan was successful: while the two suspects were busy with the detective, his friend exploited his rank to enter their quarters and deposit false evidence (actually connected to former murders) in order to have them framed. Leon can't help but question their actions but Mordred explains he had been thinking about a desperation move like this for quite a long time, believing it would be the only way to stop the murders: the innocents they had just condemned would not only finally give the city a culprit to blame but also give the real killer a plausible scapegoat, forcing him to stop his kills in exchange for being left alone and unpunished. The two ultimately conclude they cannot turn back anymore and prepare to welcome back Hera: the detective's last memory is the speechless and broken expression she had when they were finally reunited. Back in the present, Hera finds herself finally able to get over the trauma and remember the piece of the code she was given during her abduction.

Mordred and Hera decide their next move should be trying to speak with the Island's founder once more, suspecting he might possess the second part of the code. As soon as they bring up the topic a mask shows up on his face, confirming their assumption is correct. Maximilian tries at first to avoid the conversation altogether but ultimately accepts to answer Mordred's questions when the detective makes clear they are one step away from arresting his son's killer. Since Maximilian would never openly speak about the code just yet, the detective decides to try a different approach and asks him about what happened in the wake of the scandal that followed the pillar collapse, aware that pressing the Island's founder on the most crucial details would eventually make him spill the beans. Maximilian thus explains how after the incident most residents started to openly revolt against his son, accusing him of being responsible for it. This in turn forced him to introduce very harsh security measures, despite the many petitions advocating against it. Mordred asks more details about these petitions, so Maximilian clarifies they were all launched by the same person: said person first opposed the concept of security measures implemented by modifying the Island's architecture hiding behind the claim they would ruin the place's beauty, and later also protested against the introduction of security cameras pointing out they'd jeopardize both people's privacy and the artistic atmosphere of the Island. Incidentally this person was also in charge of the Darkroom six years earlier, a role appointed by Maximilian himself in the vain hope he would stop opposing his decisions and help him rebuild the residents' trust instead. When asked about the identity of this individual Maximilian pretends he doesn't remember, but Mordred and Hera realize way too easily he is speaking of Daryl Hope. The Island's founder can't help but lose his temper due to how much of a thorn in his side Daryl has been: as if his hostility weren't enough the old man's stubborness eventually caused him to fall ill, forcing the director to remove him from his position. Naturally, this caused Maximilian's reputation to sink even further due to Daryl's popularity among the elders. The Island's founder makes it clear he blames Daryl and his relentless opposition to security measures for the death of his son, prompting Mordred to ask him whether the two had any kind of connection. After hesitating at first, Maximilian confesses his son had secretly struck a deal with Daryl in order to save his own reputation: Terry was expected to make a full commitment to ensure the infrastructures' safety and in turn Daryl would use his influence among the elders to promote a less negative view of him. In addition, Daryl also gained the freedom to expand his Darkroom through the creation of a new chamber. As a form of thanksgiving the old man gifted Terry a strange painting and a letter containing apparently meaningless words. Mordred immediatly asks Maximilian more information about the painting and the letter, correctly guessing the "meaningless words" are actually the second part of the code. Finally, the detective confronts Maximilian about the new chamber Daryl asked to build, accusing him of having refused to share with them such a vital piece of information. Maximilian defends himself claiming he didn't know about it untill he decided to read some old letters of his son no longer than a couple of weeks earlier, thus discovering his secret cooperation with Daryl: Mordred can't help but wonder whether the last murder might be connected to this discovery somehow. At last the Island's founder claims he told Mordred and Hera everything he knew and leaves, exhausted by the conversation. The two were ultimately able to conclude a secret passage did indeed exist, but remain oblivious in regards to why Pandora would ever want to kill Daryl (since the two were apparently supporting each other) or Terry (since he turned out to have been just a mere pawn in the hands of Daryl).

The two however also conclude there is only one person who could possess the final piece of code: Daryl's wife. They thus decide to pay her one last visit, though Hera also begs Mordred to be more considerate this time since she just lost her husband. Just as they arrive at her quarters the detective also receives the security camera recordings he requested, depicting the murder of Daryl and confirming his worst suspicions. Despite the premises Mery seems surprisingly calm so the detective begins his interrogation, asking her whether Daryl had anything to do with the murder of Andrew Joanesse. She predictably denies any involvement on her husband's part as his physical conditions would have made it impossible, let alone Andrew was almost akin to a son for them: just as predictably a mask shows up on her face. Understanding she's not willing to cooperate that easily, Mordred begins a complete reconstruction based on all the information he and Hera were able to discover. To begin with, Daryl had been both the person in charge of the darkroom when the first incident occurred and the main reason that prevented security cameras from being installed in crucial areas directly connected to the murders, including the rehearsal room and the darkroom itself. This ultimately allowed Pandora to move a lot more freely, something the detective does not deem a coincidence: he instead suggests Daryl was actively cooperating with him because he longed for Terry Oath's death just as much as the serial killer, blaming the founder's son for the terrible downturn things had taken at the Island. His death proved unfortunately not enough to change things and actually made the situation worse, thus forcing Daryl and Pandora to organize a second murder in the hope it would draw the media's attention on the Island's conditions: the timing of this second murder was not coincidental either as waiting any longer would have otherwise caused Daryl and his wife to be evicted. Since the lockdown following the second murder was fast enough to prevent any information leak, Mordred concludes Daryl's death must have been one final desperate attempt on his part to catch the media's attention, suggesting he must have asked himself to be killed by the serial killer. Hera questions the detective's final claim as she doesn't believe Pandora would ever take such a big risk given Daryl died in an area covered by security cameras. Mordred replies he now believes Pandora's arrest might be something the serial killer had actually accounted for, which would also explain the note he had sent them before the murder: in line with this interpretation he was secretly trying to involve them in the final part of his plan, closing a cycle that possibly began with the drawings he left six years earlier. Mery loses her temper and accuses them of having no evidence, even suggesting there might be no recordings at all and that the detective must be trying to bait her into speaking against her husband. Mordred thus replies by finally revealing the identity of the man shown in the recordings: Pandora is actually none other than Lee Graves. The revelation shocks Mery as she can't quite understand why Lee would ever choose to show himself, thus confirming she knew since the beginning. Mordred concludes by pointing out there was another reason for Daryl to set up his own murder: protecting Mery herself. Since no one would ever risk the reputational damage connected with mistreating the wife of one of Pandora's victim, he had ultimately ensured she could not be evicted no matter what. The detective's last statement causes Mery to finally yield her confession, explaining her husband was indeed just as caring as Mordred had predicted, though she also begged him multiple times to stop cooperating with a monster as heartless as Pandora. She finally shares with them the last piece of code and advices them to be as careful as they can be before leaving. Left alone with Hera, a triumphant Mordred is now ready for the final confrontation with Pandora. Hera is however still puzzled as the two were ultimately unsuccessful in explaining how the serial killer managed to kill Andrew, let alone how the last few twists are making things look way too easy: she ultimately suggests they should probably ask Leon or the police for help but Mordred promptly refuses, adamant he alone must be the one who apprehends the killer without sharing the glory with anyone.

Mordred explains he and Hera need first of all to head back to the darkroom. Once there the detective reveals his final deduction: there's a connection between that room and the drawings they found six years earlier, in that the circles represent the clocks above the paintings. This implies they must be set at the same times suggested by the drawings for something to happen since the paintings were programmed to rotate accordingly: 12:20 the first one, 10:10 the second one and 7:58 the third one, from left to right. As a result, three paintings matching the riddles mentioned in the three pieces of code effectively show up, suggesting Mordred and Hera likely found the entrance to Pandora's hideout. Hera remembers the paintings were designed to be interactive and advices Mordred to take a closer look. The detective concludes the real purpose of the three codes is to conceal an input sequence that must be pressed in a specific order on each painting: the noose, the head of the goddess, the spider's mouth and the top-left web on the first one. The shield, the blade, the helmet and the Gorgon on the second one. The flower, the kiss of the gods, the musical instrument and the face of the artist on the third one. After the detective presses the buttons on all three of them a door leading to a secret passage opens before him. Although Hera insists on escorting him through, Mordred decides he should be the only one to proceed inside, claming she already went through enough trauma and that at least one of them should remain behind in order to ask for help in case of need. Once inside the detective has just enough time to realize his AquaOS lost its signal before Lee makes his appearance.

Mordred immediatly draws his gun but Lee invites him to calm down, explaining thanks to him he would soon become famous: just as Mordred had expected he deliberately intends to be captured. Before apprehending him though, the detective asks him one last question: whether he had really been Pandora all along. Lee answers affirmatively, but much to Mordred's surprise a mask appears on his face. The detective suspects some kind of trick but Lee taunts him suggeting his next question should be whether he killed Andrew: the mask appears once again, throwing Mordred into confusion. Lee thus suggests with irony the detective should keep asking questions, as that would inevitably force the truth out of him: though he dislikes the idea, the detective dislikes even more the possibility of leaving crucial details unanswered. He thus begins his reconstruction: after Andrew started working at the Island he quickly fell under the influence of Lee and Daryl, eventually becoming involved in a plan aimed at recreating the murder from six years earlier. Andrew arrived at the rehearsal room using the secret passage, but Lee clarifies he was perfectly conscious when he did so, implying he followed him there spontaneously. The artist also criticizes Mordred for being too narrow-minded, inviting him to better reflect on a detail that looks very different compared to the former murder: the wax patterns on the victim's face. The detective's original explanation for the patterns' irregularity was that the victim had tried to defend himself, as the burned fingers also seemed to suggest. Lee however makes it clear he's once again mistaken, prompting Mordred to finally understand: the real reason Andrew's fingers were burned is that he had actually poured the wax himself. The wounds found on his arms were instead the consequence of him jumping out of the window immediatly afterwards, ultimately committing suicide in order to reenact the flight of Icarus once more. With no choice left but to accept this shocking discovery, Mordred still doesn't understand Andrew's motive for following Pandora's absurd plan to his own death. Comparing Andrew to Herostratus, Lee explains the glory of being remembered forever would be a more than valid motive, though Andrew also had another one: protecting the real Pandora. Lee's last statement ultimately implies Pandora had actually been Daryl all along, his six years hiatus being nothing but the consequence of his imprisonment within the Island: had Andrew not committed suicide, both him and his wife would have been evicted much like Mordred had already understood. The revelation of the real Pandora being actually none other than Daryl implies Mordred cannot capture him anymore, causing the detective to become furious: both his glorious future and the possibility of redeeming himself are now gone, let alone he and Hera spent the past few months chasing ghosts and imitators. Pleasured by how Mordred's first thoughts are always for his personal profit, Lee invites the detective to calm down and listen to the rest of the story. He explains Daryl picked him as his successor once his health conditions worsened as he was the only artist the old man deemed worthy: his vision, his methods and his hideout were thus all passed down to him, in the hope the apprentice would continue the killing spree even after the master's passing. Lee however had other plans, in that he could never settle for becoming a mere imitation of Pandora: his true goal is instead to surpass him. This is ultimately also the reason he left Mordred a clear trail that would guide him to Pandora's room: in the beginning both the codes and the drawings were actually nothing but nonsense Daryl had used to impress the public and confuse investigations. Being the curator of the darkroom Lee had however arranged the paintings and the access codes to Pandora's hideout in a way that made it look like Daryl's bogus codes had actually real meaning. And the ultimate reason is that much like Mordred had already fathomed Lee intends to have the detective capture him under the claim he is the real Pandora, granting them the glory they both crave. Mordred immediatly understands the implications: should he refuse Lee's offer he would have to come out of Pandora's hideout empty handed, meaning the police would not only punish him for having repeatedly violated the rules but also treat him as a suspect, possibly causing him to undergo a second trial as well. Should he instead accept, the city's attention would shift on his successful capture of Pandora: all his personal problems would be solved but his success would also overshadow the mistreating of the elders trapped within the Island, causing their suffering to be forgotten. Moreover, Hera would likely never fogive Mordred if she ever found out he deliberately took part in Lee's hoax. The choice is ultimately left to the player and will conclude the narration of Chapter 3, unlocking one among three possible game ending chapters.

## Alternative Dialogues (JailedBaker Emily Route):

* **CONTACT'S TIMING:** *\*\*\*David apologizes for the short notice, explaining the current conditions of AquaOS made coming in contact as hard as it could be, expecially with someone as meaningful as his guest. The guest however grumpily asks David to get straight to the point.\*\*\* (triggered if the player concluded Chapter 2 with a BlackOut)*
* **TRUST:** *\*\*\*The guest is pleased by David's answer but now wants to know the most important thing: whether the lawyer managed to gain Mordred and Hera's trust. David replies he was unfortunately unsuccessful, as the two are apparently fully committing to getting themselves killed. The guest thus replies David knows what must be done.\*\*\* (triggered if the player refused David's offer in Chapter 2)*
* **HEPHAESTUS AFTERMATH:** *\*\*\*Mordred finds some solace in knowing that the information loss following the destruction of AquaOS would make any future legal action against them almost impossible. On the same topic, Hera mentions many of the old files are actually being restored on a new database, albeit with fragmented data that is often outdated. She also points out such a situation must be a nightmare for the police more than anyone, but Mordred can't help but feel happy about it given all the trouble the police had put them through in the past. Hera acidly comments they would suffer the negative consequences too as information from past cases is now almost impossible to find: had the detective at least tried to contact her before siding with Eugene she would have ultimately never let him destroy AquaOS. Hera also asks Mordred whether he had any news regarding Dean and the possible consequences connected to the discovery of a living android. Mordred replies he doesn't since the police obviously covered everything up but also claims he is confident no one at Hephaestus would be able to replicate Huber's work anytime soon. Hera also feels a bit sad for Thalia, but Mordred grumpily claims the two have more urgent things to worry about.\*\*\* (triggered if the player ended Chapter 2 with a BlackOut)*
* **EMILY HEPHAESTUS:** *\*\*\*Emily then asks the detective to speak about the Hephaestus case. She bluntly explains she finds it kind of odd that Mordred went to great lengths to have Dean convicted as the only culprit despite the fact it was actually Eugene who destroyed both the lab and AquaOS, expecially since Dean never stopped claiming Mordred was actually involved too. Moreover, Thalia seems to have mysteriously disappeared too. Mordred realizes it would be unwise to tell her the whole truth, but is tempted to reveal at least part of it to win her trust. The player has to decide to which extent Mordred lies, choosing between either having him lie on everything or having him at least unveil the truth regarding the androids. If he chooses to have Mordred lie on everything, the detective will claim Dean and Thalia tried to preemptively kill Eugene in order to stop him from destroying the professor's masterpiece but were ultimately unsuccessful: when the detective arrived Eugene had already destroyed both the lab and AquaOS, Thalia had already fled and Dean was about to kill his own brother in retaliation, the only thing Mordred had ultimately managed to prevent. The detective will also explain that despite the fact Eugene had also committed a crime, his duty was to focus on apprehending whoever assassinated the professor along with the foreign ambassador. Emily will however still suspect he's hiding something, visibly expressing her frustration for the fact Mordred insists on not wanting to trust her and also claiming she would not forget. If the player chooses to have Mordred unveil the truth about the androids, he will admit the androids were real and that Thalia had chosen to side with Eugene after discovering Dean had conspired with the foreign ambassador to kill the professor: she was aware she would die as a consequence but ultimately didn't mind since after her husband's death she had lost her own will to live. Emily will ultimately trust Mordred's story, understanding the reason he kept quiet is that no one would believe him anyway.\*\*\* (triggered if the player ended Chapter 2 with a BlackOut)*
* **EMILY GLOVE:** *\*\*\*Emily then brings up the topic of Freya once again, this time also mentioning the issue of the missing glove that could have ruined her career. She first of all thanks Mordred for refusing to hand it over to David, thus protecting her reputation. The detective specifies he only did so because he wasn't sure if he could trust David just yet, but Emily claims she prefers to believe he also did so out of good intentions and not just utilitaristic thoughts.\*\*\* (triggered if the player refused to give David the glove in Chapter 1)*
* **EMILY DEDUCTION:** *\*\*\*Hera immediatly points out this would imply Pandora was actually trying to get caught and that he must have had an accomplice within the police as well, prompting Emily to share with them her ultimate and most important deduction (even though she still holds a grudge against Mordred because of his involvement in Freya's death): Pandora must actually be a police officer.\*\*\* (triggered if the player told the truth about Freya's death in Chapter 2)*

## DeadBaker Emily Route (spoilers):

David Casey secretly greets a shady individual in his office, who promptly points out how uncomfortable he feels in front of the lawyer's optimistic attitude given the terrible things that happened around the city as of lately.

\*\*\*David is actually surprised by his guest's decision to show up so early rather than wait for things to have settled after the Hephaestus incident, but the guest replies the events ultimately played to their advantage since they drew the city's attention away from the real danger: the lawyer can't help but agree.\*\*\**(CONTACT'S TIMING Dialogue, triggered if the player concluded Chapter 2 with a WayOut)*

Nevertheless, David is pleased to announce the plan is proceeding just as scheduled and that he highly doubts anyone would ever suspect his guest, expecially considering how much trouble the Black Bands are causing ever since they decided to take advantage of Baker's death to consolidate their power. The lawyer even goes as far as suggesting Baker could soon be followed by other victims, jokingly remarking he at least had the courtesy of paying his bill before his premature passing. The guest then asks David wheter he made up his mind on how to deal with the girl cop, to which the lawyer replies he already has a plan: the pieces are already lining up and all they ultimately have to do is just wait for someone to make the first move.

*\*\*\*The guest is pleased by David's answer but now wants to know the most important thing: whether the lawyer managed to gain Mordred and Hera's trust. David replies he was obviously successful since their current situation didn't leave them much of a choice. The guest is once again pleased and suggests the two of them can ultimately advance their plan to the next step.\*\*\* (TRUST Dialogue, triggered if the player accepted David's offer in Chapter 2)*

The guest gives David one final warning on how from this point onwards there'd be no turning back: David replies he's nothing but eager to begin, ending the conversation.

**\*PAST\***: Six years before, shortly after Foley Investigations managed to arrest the two people allegedly responsible for Pandora's murders, Mordred and Hera are preparing to meet the press. The detective is very nervous and a very caring Hera is trying to cheer him up. Shortly afterwards they are joined by a third individual, here introduced as Leon Basset: a policeman and friend of the two. Leon suggests Mordred should try improving his public image now that he's considered a hero, to which Mordred ironically replies Leon should be enjoying himself somewhere else rather than bothering him. The policeman however explains he came to grant Hera's wish: a commemorative picture of such a special day. Mordred tries to protest but to no avail, and the picture is taken.

**\*PRESENT\***: Several months after the showdown with the Smith brothers Mordred is looking at that very picture, ironically pointing out he hasn't aged well at all. Hera joins him in recalling those moments, wondering how long they'll have to keep hiding in their past memories to experience happiness.

*\*\*\*Mordred finds some solace in remembering Eugene Smith's plan has been thwarted and that the madman is now locked up in jail. Hera asks him whether he had any news from Dean, but the detective replies negatively, suggesting Dean and Thalia were likely successful in escaping Nova Polemos. Mordred can't help but have second thoughts on having set the android free, as he fears foreign superpowers would surely try to capture her if they ever found out about her real nature. The worst aspect of such a scenario would be that Thalia has effectively unlimited access to all of Nova Polemos' secret information: a leak of that magnitude could easily trigger an unprecedented diplomatic crisis, and the only thing standing in the way of such a catastrophe is the vague hope that Dean was smart enough to keep Thalia hidden somewhere safe. Nevertheless, Mordred also concludes he and Hera have even more urgent problems.\*\*\* (HEPHAESTUS AFTERMATH Dialogue, triggered if the player ended Chapter 2 with a WayOut)*

Hera asks Mordred if the current escalation in the suburbs is what's giving him concerns, in that following Baker's death the Black Bands started jailing a lot more immigrants and unemployed people on the pretext of interrogation. The detective replies affirmatively as there's no way to tell what they could be up to next, ultimately claiming he'd be ready to flee the city together with Hera should the situation become too dangerous for them. Hera doesn't share his optimism as the border controls are getting more strict than ever, ultimately concluding the real purpose of the city's walls is not to protect the citizens inside but rather to conceal the hell within and prevent people from escaping it. Mordred remains confident the Black Bands wouldn't dare trying anything too crazy just yet since they are limiting themselves to targeting vulnerable minorities in order to show their muscles. Hera however fears those minorities are just the first in line, implying the two of them would eventually follow. The conversation is then interrupted by the sudden arrival of an AquaOS message from Leon Basset, who showed up for the first time in almost six years to ask Mordred a secret meeting in district 6. Surprised by the arrival of a message from their former friend after such a long time, Hera can't help but wonder why he wants them to meet him in such a remote place: Mordred replies it must be because that's where The Island is located. Hera can't believe Leon is asking them to go back to such a horrible place but Mordred is confident it must be very important, as he doesn't expect Leon to have simply stopped hating them after what happened six years before. Moreover, the message made it clear it has to do with Pandora. Hera suggests they could ask Emily to join, but Mordred replies he doesn't feel confident in involving her just yet as the glove incident related to Freya is still being investigated. Moreover, updating her later would also give him the chance to ask her whether she was able to discover anything regarding William Payne. Mordred and Hera thus leave for their destination alone.

    The first reunion between Leon and Mordred doesn't go very well: the negative consequences of Mordred's past scandal are revealed to have hit Leon just as hard. Fortunately, Hera is able to calm them both down so Leon begins his explanations. To begin with, he once again makes it clear he still holds a grudge for the past incident: two innocent people died and his professional and personal life became a nightmare simply because he decided to follow Mordred's decision of creating false evidence to frame the two people they were suspecting. Mordred objects by reminding Leon he willingly followed him, showing just as much confidence in the suspects' involvement and concluding together with him there was no other way to corner them. After yet another outburst of anger, Leon changes topic and starts explaining how The Island changed after that incident. The place was originally designed to act as a shelter for old people who were either homeless or unemployed, but at some point its owners must have realized the big profits that could be earned by simply forcing the residents to work for free in exchange for their accomodation. Ever since that moment every elder who failed to pass the Patterson test lost ownership of all of his goods (which became state-owned) and was deported to The Island, now effectively akin to a prison. Despite this The Island is still advertised as a mere retirement house and almost no one is aware of what actually happens there since access to it is denied without a special permission: it is ultimately unlikely anyone would ever care either, as Nova Polemos' citizens are quite infamous for rarely paying attention at what happens beyond their own backyard anyway. Mordred will then move to the most important topic: the Pandora related information Leon promised him. His former friend thus shows him a piece of paper he found underneath his door three days earlier with nothing but a date written on it: September 26th, at 21:30. Hera quickly realizes the date and hour written on the note match the date and time of the Pandora murder that occurred at The Island six years earlier. As if that wasn't enough, Leon specifies exactly two hours separate them from the date and hour mentioned in the note, suspecting Pandora might be up to something in order to celebrate the anniversary of his victim's death: he is extremely confident the real Pandora must have sent it as nearly no one has any information related to that murder, let alone its exact date and time. Hera however objects it would be really strange for Pandora to announce in advance one of his moves. Leon concurs: he ultimately summoned them at The Island not because he expects something to actually happen but rather because he concluded Pandora must have followed their latest moves for some reason. Despite the old grudges, Leon recognizes dealing with Pandora should have maximum priority, suggesting the three of them should team up and wait untill 21:30, just in case something indeed happens. In the meantime he also asks them to share all the information they have regarding the Variagian incident and the Hephaestus case. Hera is willing to trust him, but the ultimate choice is left to the player: he can choose to have Mordred either tell Leon the truth or mislead him with false information. If the player chooses to have Mordred mislead him, Leon will react with disappointment and not hide he was hoping the two had discovered more, but will nonetheless thank them for sharing the few information they possess. Mordred will apologize, claiming the police went to great lengths in order to hamper their investigations and that the current situation with the Black Bands only made things even harder. If the player chooses to have Mordred tell him the truth, Leon will comment things are even worse than he imagined and that he finally understands why he had been cut off from both investigations, cursing all of his colleagues. In either case the conversation will be interrupted by the sound of people screaming coming from the Island. The three will thus rush to its entrance, quickly realizing a murder has indeed just occurred. Leon uses his authority as a police officer to order the guards to let the three of them in, asking Mordred to start investigating while he proceeds to lock all the exits. Hera instead proceeds to call the police, but not before noticing the murder scene looks identical to the one from six years earlier.

**\*PAST\***: Mordred and Hera arrive at the crime scene of a murder upon having been summoned urgently by Leon. Their friend immediatly explains Pandora has hit again but is also confident they have him in the palm of their hands: the security recordings clearly show no one left the Island after 21.30 (the time of the murder) and the exits are now locked, implying he must be trapped inside. Hera can't help but feel surpised as she wouldn't expect a killer as meticolous as Pandora to commit such a mistake but Mordred prefers to keep his focus on facts rather than speculations and is eager to start investigating right away. Before doing so however, Leon suggests it would be better if the two listen to his recap of what the police was able to discover so far. He begins by remarking he is one hundred percent sure no one could have left the Island as the walls surrounding its perimeter are too high to climb and any suspicious movement would also be caught by the security cameras. He then proceeds to share the victim's identity: his name was Terry Oath and he was none other than the son of The Island's founder and director, Maximilian Oath. Leon also specifies Terry was rumored to be a very controversial figure within The Island, though he too is surprised Pandora would dare to go as far as to target someone with such influence. Unfortunately he wasn't able to find out more so he also advices Mordred to look for more information on this matter, warning him however that Terry's father obviously didn't take the death of his son lightly, meaning a conversation with him would likely turn into a terrible experience. Finally, Leon explains the dynamic of the murder: the victim broke a window located at the 5th floor of the main building and fell into the artificial pond in the middle of the plaza. That wasn't however the cause of death as prior to that his throat had been cut and his eyebulbs and mouth had been filled with boiling wax. The victim was also found wearing a pair of angel wings that belong to one of several costume sets used at The Island during theatrical plays. Incidentally, the rehearsal room used for these plays happens to be where the victim fell from, but how Pandora was able to kill him without being noticed remains a mystery. Hera suggests they should first of all try to take a look at the rehearsal room since that's likely where the victim was killed, but Leon explains it would take him some time to grant them access to it. Mordred and Hera thus decide to start with the victim's body, well aware that Pandora's intention was to reenact the myth of Icarus. The evidence found on it corroborates Leon's conclusions as the glass cuts and bruises on the victim's shoulder are compatible with an impact on a window. There were however no signs of struggles, suggesting the victim either failed to notice his assailant or didn't try to defend himself. Mordred concludes his investigation by asking Leon if there are any suspects so far: Leon replies most definitely there are.

    **\*PRESENT\***: With no more than a few minutes available before the police arrives, Mordred examines the body to find out as much as he can. Compared to the scene from six years earlier some things seem to be identical but others are remarkably different. Specifically, the angel wings worn by the victim and his glass wounds look exactly the same, but this time the victim's throat had not been touched and the boiling wax had apparently only hit his eyes, prompting Mordred to suspect something might have forced Pandora to change his initial plans. Signs of burns are also visible on several of the victim's fingers, also covered in wax. The commemorative case next to the pond is completely shattered and covered in blood, suggesting the victim might have crashed into it. A safety shoe landed among the nearby bushes as well, likely lost by the victim during its fall. The detective has fortunately also enough time to take a look at the surroundings, noticing the presence of a security camera right next to the crime scene and also some strange dents on the statue that stands in the middle of the artificial pond, representing the founder of The Island. The timetable of The Island is also prominently displayed on a nearby wall, allowing Mordred to learn that the local curfew begins at 20:30. Hera then finally returns, claiming the police has arrived as well: the two thus quickly leave the crime scene and wait inside the main building, where all the people are being gathered for identification. While they wait for the police to finish (confident that Leon would somehow be able to justify their presence inside the place) the detective also proceeds to update Hera in regards to the differences between this murder and its past counterpart. Their conversation is however interrupted by the loud protests of an individual who claims the police has no right to detain him: both immediatly realize it's Maximilian Oath. Mordred tries to greet him, but as soon as Maximilian recognizes them and remembers who they are he tries to call the security to have them kicked out. Mordred tries to convince him it's in his best interest if he lets them stay and help with the investigations, lest risking a much worse disaster. Maximilian however replies he has no idea of what Mordred is talking about as the situation is perfectly under control, let alone a minor incident could never damage the reputation of one of the most renowned places of Nova Polemos: he is obviously lying and the mask Mordred sees on him furtherly confirms so. Before he can proceed to press the Island's director though, the detective realizes he must recollect his past experiences with him in order to better understand his weaknesses.

**\*PAST\***: Leon explains the two main suspects are two famous actors named Jennifer Kingston and Robert Harrington. They allegedly held a grudge against the victim but Leon was unfortunately unable to confirm so. He was also unable to determine why they were at The Island in the first place, suggesting Mordred should begin his interrogation by focusing on these points. Hera suggests once more they should also speak with the Island's director as soon as they have the chance to, receiving yet again Leon's warning due to his current mental state. Nevertheless, he also specifies finding him would be easy since no one was able to convince him to leave the murder scene. Mordred decides to interrogate the suspects first. The first contact with them doesn't go very well: the two are clearly not taking things as seriously as they should and actually seem more interested in convincing Hera to join them in their next play, upsetting Mordred. Fortunately, Hera is able to explain the situation and the two start cooperating. Mordred begins by asking them why they were at the Island and what's their relationship with Maximilian Oath: Jennifer and Robert explain the Island's founder wanted to improve the resident's living conditions by allowing them to dedicate themselves to various forms of arts, including theatre. During the past years several theatre actors had thus been hired both to organize plays and teach the elders to act, Jennifer and Robert being two among the many: their work mostly consisted in giving the elders acting lessons in the reharsal room (thus allowing Mordred to confirm the existence of such a room and its connection to the suspects). Mordred then asks them whether they knew the victim: the two reply they obviously did since he was their employer's son, though they also specify he had quite a terrible reputation within The Island. The two even go as far as claiming the motive behind the murder might have been revenge, possibly related to Terry's terrible management of the budget: the ultimate result of his growing corruption and power thirst were infrastructures of substandard quality that frequently caused incidents and collapses. Finally, Mordred asks them what would be their alibi: the two justify themselves claiming they were practicing together in their quarters at the time of the murder. Unfortunately almost no security cameras exist, meaning no one else can confirm their claim. Since the question didn't prompt the appearence of any mask, Mordred is prone to believe them at first. He starts having second thoughts when he asks them one last question though: whether the two were simple actors that didn't have anything to do with the murder. Jennifer tries claiming the two didn't hold any grudges against neither Maximilian nor his son, jokingly pointing out killing their employers wouldn't do them any good: her final statements cause a mask to appear on her face. Mordred thus thanks them for their cooperation and proceeds to leave along with Hera in order to update her. The two conclude they should try taking a look at the rehearsal room as soon as possible, but also realize Leon still needs more time to grant them access to the place.

Mordred thus decides to try speaking with The Island's director in the meantime. Much like Leon had anticipated he is still mourning the death of his son and gets visibly upset by Mordred's intrustion (the detective's own rude manners not helping at all). Nevertheless he is quickly convinced to cooperate upon being promised he would sit in the first row during the execution of the culprit. Mordred and Hera begin by asking Maximilian more about the victim: he explains Terry was a noble and intelligent person and that he had gone to great lengths in order to keep his son as close to him as possible, specifically by making him a supervisor at The Island. Terry's main job consisted in managing the budget, meaning the renovation and expansion of several of the areas were ideas of his own. Naturally, Maximilian is totally oblivious in regards to why Pandora would ever choose to kill his son. Mordred thus changes topic and asks Maximilian to tell him more about The Island's architecture: Maximilian explains the base project revolved around the construction of a very solid perimeter of walls as he feared the elder's homes would otherwise become an easy target for burglars. He also wanted to create something monumental that would be remembered as a masterpiece. Unfortunately it eventually became necessary to create more space and since the original project was not built to be scalable the only way to do so was to optimize the already existing one by adding the labyrinth of stairs and multiple floors that currently exists. Finally, Mordred tackles the most important topic: the rumor, allegedly confirmed by the two actors, that his son was actually not as spotless as Maximilian believed and that he had been involved in multiple episodes of corruption. Maximilian loses his temper and blames said rumor on the envy and incompetence of the other people behind the incident, allowing Mordred and Hera to confirm something terrible had indeed happened: the Island's director explains a pillar had suddendly collapsed during a theatrical play a couple of years earlier causing the death of two elders, though this tragedy was never mentioned by the media as it was nothing but an unfortunate accident. At the time of the incident Jennifer and Robert had not been employed at The Island yet and were actually hired right after along with others in order to replace the former company, which decided to resign following the tragedy: Maximilian curses the two as they showed yet again to be nothing but ungrateful backstabbers. He also swears there would be severe ripercussions and more strict rules, as his son had nothing to do with the incident: the infrastructures' failure was nothing but the consequence of people taking advantage of him behind his back. Now furious, he refuses to answer any more questions and demands Mordred and Hera to leave. The detective complies and realizes Maximilian must be really convinced of his son's innocence since he sees no masks on him, understanding he will have to find another way to unveil Terry Oath's wrongdoings.

**\*PRESENT\***: Mordred and Hera try to speak with Maximilian again but his reaction is just as wrathful since he still blames them for how horribly things went after he decided to trust them last time. Thanks to his recollection the detective realizes he must rely on fear in order to convince the Island's founder to cooperate. He thus claims that should Maximilian refuse to help them he might be the next one to die: the damaged statue near the artificial pond proves beyond reasonable doubt that local residents actually hate him. Maximilian's reaction obviously confirms Mordred hit the nail on the head. The detective thus continues his assault, suggesting the residents' motive might be that things at The Island took a sinister turn after the death of Maximilian's son. The director clutches at straws, claiming both the number of residents and the Island's reputation have done nothing but improve over time. Mordred however turns the table against the director and claims the only reason behind such an increase is the Patterson test. He suggests Maximilian must have found himself in a tough spot after the government started pressuring him, forcing him to elaborate a radical solution: convincing the government that The Island could still have use as a prison, one in which elders could easily be hauled off allowing the state to expropriate their goods. The ultimate proof of the Island's transformation is the recent addition of so many security cameras, which didn't exist six years earlier. Maximilian is thus forced to admit the truth: the elders had become more and more restless, forcing him to adopt drastic measures and do his best to cover up the problem, lest the outbreak of a scandal that would destroy everything him and his son had worked so hard to build. He still tries to claim he didn't know the victim though, which is obviously yet another lie: due to his critical situation the detective expects Maximilian to have been as careful as possible in choosing his collaborators, and the safety shoe found next to the corpse leaves no doubt that the victim was actually a member of his staff. Maximilian finally gives in and confesses the victim's name was Andrew Joanesse, one of the most young and skilled technicians of the new theatrical company, one he had actually founded himself in order to honor the memory of his son. The director has no idea of why Andrew was killed, as he was a honest and kind person and had also positive relationships with all the other members of the company. Only one of them however was present when Andrew died: Maximilian suggests Mordred should try speaking with him, also specifying he would find him in the Darkroom (the storage room where all the paintings are kept), a name that immediatly gives Hera the chills due to her past terrible experience. The director also grants Mordred access to the rehearsal room and the residents' rooms, clarifying that some residents might be involved but that he should ultimately see for himself. He then walks away, leaving Mordred and Hera with a final remark: despite having caused the death of two innocents they both have his gratitude, as Jennifer and Robert had gone to great lengths to ruin him and deserved to die regardless of Pandora. Before moving on with the investigations, Mordred decides to spend a few more minutes recollecting the past with Hera in order to focus on other crucial details from six years earlier.

**\*PAST\***: When Mordred tells Leon about his ability to see masks on people (and more specifically about having seen one on Jennifer), the policeman remains skeptic at first. Soon however the police sends him information about the two victims of the pillar collpase that occurred years earlier, forcing him to change his mind: they turn out to be Jennifer's father and mother. Mordred immediatly suggests Jennifer's employment at The Island might have been part of a wider plan aimed at killing Terry Oath to avenge her parents, but Leon points out assuming she is Pandora wouldn't make any sense since the serial killer's former victims had no connection with her whatsoever. Mordred insists, suggesting she could still be an accomplice: it would make sense for Pandora to choose a new one before each murder in order to ensure he had plenty of information about his victims. Leon refuses to believe such a farfetched theory, accusing Mordred of having developed an obsession that is now blinding his sense of judgement and making him accuse the wrong people. Hera sides with Leon, convincing Mordred they should at least take a look at the rehearsal room before drawing any conclusion. On behalf of the police Leon thus grants them the access codes they need and lets them go, focusing his own efforts elsewhere. As soon as Mordred and Hera enter the rehearsal room the detective begins to frantically look for evidence, hoping to find something capable of proving that Jennifer is the culprit. The first two things that catch his attention are a rope and a chair in the middle of the room, suggesting Terry had likely been tied before dying. The broken window indicates the victim had been thrown out right after, also suggesting Pandora disfigured him just before his flight due to the amount of wax lying on the floor underneath. Hera also manages to spot a small piece of cloth between the glass shards: Mordred is able to confirm it comes from a nearby costume labeled with Jennifer's name, thus convincing himself he found the piece of evidence he was looking for. One last element remains however a complete mystery: wax signs representing a sun, a moon and a hand with several circles beneath them had been drawn on one of the walls, apparently for no logical reason. Mordred and Hera ultimately reach different conclusions: Hera is convinced they found a dead end as they were unable to find any blood traces nor evidence capable of explaining how Pandora managed to bring Terry Oath to the room. Mordred on the other hand claims he's now fully convinced Jennifer is the culprit and wants to proceed against her. Hera protests, claiming they could easily end up killing two innocents: whoever ends up being accused would likely be executed fast due to the city's thirst for revenge against Pandora. Mordred however explains that's exactly what he intends to take advantage of, as Pandora won't ultimately be defeated unless the two quit playing by the rules themselves. Hera admits he isn't entirely wrong and reassures him she intends to remain by his side no matter what, but can't ultimately hide her utter disgust as she already figured what Mordred has in mind. She tells Mordred he may proceed, though she prefers remaining in the rehearsal room to give a second look in case they missed something. Mordred thus returns to the hall and asks Jennifer where her partner is: she replies he must be in their quarters, causing a strange rotation of masks to appear on her face. Just as the detective starts to lose lucidity because of the unsettling vision Leon suddendly shows up and asks him about Hera with an extremely worried expression on his face. Mordred explains he left her in the rehearsal room, causing Leon to panic even more and claim the two must run there immediatly. The shocking series of events proves to be too much for Mordred, who dreads more than anything the possibility of something terrible having happened to Hera: he ends up losing consciousness and falling to the ground.

**\*PRESENT\***: Hera's visibly shocked expression makes Mordred realize she still hasn't fully recovered from her past trauma and that insisting on recalling the past any further would make her suffer tremendously: he thus suggests the two should take a break and resume their investigation. Unfortunately for them The Island is a real maze and they easily get lost while trying to reach their next destination, finding themselves in the inner corridor 44 instead. As soon as they arrive they spot a guest that is visibly younger compared to the average resident: he is angrily screaming towards the elders' quarters, claiming they are giving up and refusing to react to their own exploitation. When Mordred and Hera catch his attention the two try to explain they're detectives, only to end up accused of being slaves of the system themselves. An upset Hera asks him to at least return the favor and introduce himself, at which point the man explains his name is Luke Benton and that he is a political prisoner who has been deported to The Island by the will of the Black Bands. Noticing Hera's astonished expression, he claims the two of them are no different from the rest on the city, in that they are totally oblivious to the horrors that are currently happening around them, suggesting they should listen to his story. Mordred tries to explain the two have more urgent matters to deal with as they have a serial killer to catch, but Luke claims he's confident there might be a connection between the murder at The Island and what's happening to the rest of the city, ultimately convincing the detective to listen to him. Luke begins by explaining he was forcibly hired to work at The Island along with a lot of others, incidentally also receiving the order to move there and become a resident himself: ever since then, armed guards that respond directly to the Black Bands also began to supervise his activities. He is firmly convinced the Black Bands are trying to gather all of their political dissidents in one place. Their ultimate plan is to fuel even more the turmoil that began with Baker's assassination: should any of the dissidents dare to react to his imprisonment by doing something stupid, they would have the perfect pretext they need to publicly resort to violence without fearing ripercussions. Incidentally, he's trying to warn as many people as he can and to rally all the exploited residents under one single banner. Luke's words immediatly resonate with Hera's worst nightmares, as she started fearing such an outcome ever since she saw the police raid at Talon Square: she ultimately concludes the new president of the Black Bands must be even worse than she had imagined. Luke however corrects her, explaining he's merely carrying out an agenda already established by his predecessors in regards to both the political dissidents and the elders. He also explains the latter were the ones who ended up drawing the shortest end of the stick as they saw the risk of eviction grow dramatically. Hera is surprised as she believed The Island existed in the first place to prevent elders from being homeless, but Luke clarifies this only applies as long as a resident is capable of working: if he falls ill or becomes unable to work his partner is expected to look after him and if neither of them manages to remain productive enough they both get evicted. Mordred asks Luke what he meant when he said the murder might be connected to the Black Bands: Luke responds that if Pandora chose The Island to commit a murder his motive must be a political one. More specifically, Pandora's fame makes it so that any move of his ends up catching everyone's attention very quickly: because of this, the public spread of news related to his last murder would also indirectly spread news regarding the other horrors that take place at The Island, including the ones perpetuated by the Black Bands. The Black Bands specifically seem to be a primary target for the serial killer: in this sense Luke speculates Pandora might have orchestrated the murder of Treasury Park purposefully to have their leader framed and that he might even be the one who eventually shot him. Hera doesn't quite believe his theory as she points out Pandora is a psychopath and not an aspiring revolutionary, but Luke insists nonetheless and also claims the Black Bands are likely the ones that would want the serial killer dead the most. With that he concludes the conversation and leaves, explaining he has an important meeting. But not before having reminded Mordred and Hera that a grim future awaits everyone, expecially people like Hera (alluding at her condition of immigrant): this prompts the two to reflect on the violence and hatred that are afflicting the city, causing Hera in particular to regret now more than ever their former decision of helping the Black Bands.

Mordred and Hera eventually manage to reach the Darkroom, immediatly causing Hera to feel unsettled. A figure emerges from the darkness, ironically asking if the shape of the room is giving her dizziness. Hera tries to change topic pretending she's actually interested in seeing the paintings, but the man claims he perfectly knows who they are (and consequently what happened to Hera in the Darkroom six years earlier), explaining they became akin to legends among the elders (who seldom have much else to speak of anyway). He expresses solidarity for Hera's terrible experience and introduces himself as Lee Graves. The positive reply he gives when Mordred and Hera ask him if he knew the victim confirms he is the person they were looking for: he immediatly offers his full cooperation, allowing them to ask any question. Mordred begins by asking him what changes were made to the Darkroom compared to six years before, so Lee explains he installed interactive pillars capable of showing a rotation of all of the paintings: the images change every fifteen minutes in order to represent the volatility of art and more generally of life itself. The paintings' themes are usually chosen by the elders and the exhibitions often include contributions from external artists as well, sometimes even from Lee himself. Unfortunately, the recent incident forced him to stop both the pillars and the associated clocks. Satisfied, Mordred asks him about his relationship with the victim. Lee describes Andrew as an extremely talented individual who had a lot of potential as a painter. The two of them were very close since he was the only person Lee truly admired in the new art company, enough so he even has plans to create an art exhibition to honor his memory. Convinced they heard enough, Mordred and Hera thank him for his help and proceed to leave. The detective can't help but suspect Lee and Andrew might have actually been a lot closer than it looks due to how much affection Lee showed towards him.

Mordred and Hera choose to visit the rehearsal room next: fortunately for them Leon's influence was enough to prevent the police from altering the scene before their arrival. Compared to six years earlier the victim had apparently fallen from the exact same window, breaking it in a very similar fashion. The detective however spots fingerprints on the nearby wall, suggesting this time the victim might have tried to resist by holding onto it. Most of the wax landed next to the window, implying Pandora likely burned his victim just before hurling him like last time. This time however the killer left the empty wax jars in the room instead of taking them with him. Mordred and Hera are unfortunately unable to find additional evidence and are confident the security cameras wouldn't help them either: the rehearsal room didn't have any and the killer likely knew how to avoid the few installed elsewhere. Nevertheless, they also conclude Pandora's sequence of actions seems to indicate he was in a hurry and likely had to improvise. Surprisingly, this didn't prevent him from following a regular pattern while pouring wax on the face of a resisting victim, ultimately also implying the victim had not been caught off guard. The most relevant difference compared to six years earlier remains however the strange drawings: let alone the past ones still remain a mystery, this time there were none.

Mordred and Hera thus decide to move on and visit the residents formerly mentioned by Maximilian: they turn out to be a couple of married elders. The lady speaks for them both and explains her husband seldom speaks at all as of lately. Nevertheless, she also understands Mordred and Hera's need to discover more about Andrew Joanesse and agrees to help them as long as they respect his husband's quiet. Mery explains Andrew was very close to Daryl as he considered him a mentor to look up to, up to a point he often visited them to receive feedback on his works: his death is actually the main reason that caused Daryl to fall into depression and lose the ability to speak. Mordred thus asks Mery whether Andrew had any enemies or ever mentioned Pandora at all but Mery replies he did nothing unusual aside from complaining about his employers every now and then. Mordred thus moves on and asks her how long she and her husband had been living at the Island. Mery explains they both failed the Patterson test seven years earlier, meaning they both witnessed the former murder as well. This prompts Mordred to ask them whether they also noticed Maximilian's change of behaviour, explaining he suspects Andrew's death might be related to it. Mery claims Mordred is exaggerating as Maximilian merely added a bit more security cameras after the incident: while the loss of his son surely had its impact she reassures the detective he is still widely respected. Unsurprisingly, Mery's latest claims cause Mordred to see a mask on her face. The detective realizes he must press her harder so he decides to exploit the information he learned earlier, suggesting Mery and Daryl might be on the verge of eviction since neither of them is able to work anymore. While Hera is disgusted by Mordred's ruthless allegations, Mery confirms he is unfortunately right and that she and her husband have become quite desperate because of that. Hearing this makes Hera very sad, so she focuses on trying to comfort Mery. Mordred however shows no care and asks her whether this very last issue had anything to do with Andrew's death, suggesting it might have perhaps angered him and prompted him to look for revenge only to end up killed before he could act. Mery, now very upset, rejects all allegations: Andrew had actually long since known about it and was actually planning to help them. The mask shows up once more but Hera steps in to stop the escalation, apologizing on behalf of her partner and thanking Mery for her help. Before the two can leave Daryl speaks for the first time, unfortunately talking nonsense: he warns Mordred that "the room is only for those who deserve to spend their life in darkness" and that "the fox eats her cub to survive, not for selfishness". Mordred and Hera finally leave, the detective being very satisfied as he believes he might be onto something due to Mery's mask. Hera however is very upset and confronts him for his behaviour as soon as they are alone. The player has to decide Mordred's final answer, choosing between accepting her critics or claiming the end justifies the means. If he chooses to have Mordred accept her critics, Hera will point out the Island's residents are already living a terrible experience, prompting the detective to promise he will try to be more tactful. If he chooses to have Mordred claim the end justifies the means, the detective will explain the two will never make any progress with Pandora unless they accept they sometimes need to be more harsh, expecially given how everyone seems to be involved in one way or another. Hera will thus conclude the conversation by asking him not to make the same mistake of six years earlier, as this time the consequences would be as massive as they can get.

Mordred and Hera then receive a message recalling them to the main hall. Once they arrive they are pleased to learn that Emily was among the officers dispatched at the Island to investigate the murder, allowing them to have a much needed conversation with her in order to exchange vital information on everything that happened as of lately. To begin with, Emily updates Mordred and Hera on the escalation that followed Baker's death, explaining the situation is much worse than what the media are reporting: as if the arbitrary arrests were not enough, rumors of the first summary executions had started to be heard. She suggests the victims were likely minor enemies of the Black Bands who had been targeted by their most radical extremists, while the most important ones had instead been deported at the Island (since killing them is out of the question due to their fame). Unfortunately the influence of these radical extremists is about to grow even stronger due to one of them succeeding to Baker as the party leader: the infamous Roland Loveless, a marketing tycoon already known for perpetuating racism and being responsible for extorsions and other acts of violence. Emily clearly sees a deliberate scheme aimed at fueling hatred to manifacture political consent: not even finding Baker's killer would stop the escalation at this point (as a matter of fact she even goes as far as suggesting the Black Bands could have killed him on purpose). She is ultimately also well aware a return to the same horrors that plagued the city thirty years earlier is inevitable, implying Mordred and Hera should flee the city as soon as possible since immigrants like Hera are the Black Bands' main target.

*\*\*\*Emily then updates the detective on the Hephaestus case, explaining the police tried looking for Dean and Thalia in order to have them testify against Eugene. The search had been unsuccessful at first, but received a terrible twist when Dean's dead body was eventually discovered outside the city's walls, ten days having passed since. The natural assumption would be that Thalia was the killer, but Dean's neck had been broken with a strength that goes well beyond what humans are capable of, let alone a woman. Emily thus asks Mordred if he has any information that could help her shed any light on the mystery. The detective is caught off guard, as stopping Thalia would be imperative but revealing her secret and more importantly the fact he helped her escape could cause him to be put under investigation as well. The player has to decide Mordred's ultimate reaction, choosing between either having him lie on the events or having him unveil the truth about the androids. If he chooses to have Mordred unveil the truth about the androids, the detective will recap the events and specify he was the one who let Dean and Thalia escape, justifying himself by claiming he'd never expect Thalia to kill Dean, let alone the fact she hasn't been confirmed to be the killer yet. Hera will be very upset and will accuse him of having yet again not trusted her enough to tell, while Emily will express her concerns regarding how massive the negative consequences of Thalia's escape could be: she will ultimately promise she would immediatly dispatch someone to deal with the issue and let Mordred know as soon as she has any news. If the player chooses to have Mordred lie on the events, the detective will claim he's just as oblivious as he didn't have any chance to talk to neither Dean nor Thalia, being him entirely focused on stopping Eugene. He will also claim he doesn't know the purpose of the mechanical bodies found in the lab, suggesting they might have been test dummies used by Hephaestus. Emily will ultimately trust him as Hephaestus actually gave the exact same explanation.\*\*\* (EMILY HEPHAESTUS Dialogue, triggered if the player ended Chapter 2 with a WayOut)*

*\*\*\*Emily then brings up the topic of Freya once again, this time also mentioning the issue of the missing glove that could have ruined her career. She promptly remarks she's well aware Mordred was the one who allowed David to have it, and although both him and Hera try to justify themselves claiming they were merely helping out their client, she acidly points out how doing so would have conveniently allowed them to get rid of the person that had bothered them the most.\*\*\* (EMILY GLOVE Dialogue, triggered if the player gave David the glove in Chapter 1)*

Nevertheless, she also explains the main point is actually another one: she firmly believes Pandora himself placed the glove on the murder scene after first concealing it, with the specific intent of having them find it.

*\*\*\*Hera immediatly points out this would imply Pandora was actually trying to get caught and that he must have had an accomplice within the police as well, so Emily decides it's time to share with them her ultimate and most important deduction (also because she wants to thank Mordred for having tried his best to save Freya's life): Pandora must actually be a police officer.\*\*\* (EMILY DEDUCTION Dialogue, triggered if the player lied about Freya's death in Chapter 2)*

This would explain why he was able to gain so much information about his victims and their whereabouts and also implies Mordred and Hera can't trust the police anymore, leaving David as the only trustworthy ally left to them. Hera objects the lawyer was the first one who wanted to ruin Freya's reputation since he asked them about the glove, but Emily claims she firmly believes the opposite to be true since she too had the chance to speak with him privately. She ultimately asks them to trust her, prompting Mordred to wonder whether she's really trying to help them or just pushing them into another trap. Finally, Emily allows Mordred and Hera to ask her questions about pieces of evidence they were able to find thus far. First of all Mordred shows Freya the safety shoe found next to the victim, explaining he was able to discover his identity thanks to it. He then asks her about the victim's burned fingers and whether there's a connection with the wax jars found in the rehearsal room: Emily answers there is, as the victim's fingerprints were actually the only ones found on them. This complicates the scenario even more, as the implication would be that Pandora was wearing gloves, the victim had tried to resist him and despite this the killer had still managed to pour the wax with astonishing precision. Even more confusing are the glass cuts on the victim's arms, which Mordred discusses next: they would seem to imply the victim was using his arms to protect his face when he broke the glass, but this would also mean Pandora had somehow managed to turn him to face the window after blinding him with the wax, all despite the victim's resistance. Emily suggests they might be looking at things with the wrong perspective but refuses to add anything else. Mordred then changes topic and shows Emily the damaged statue at the entrance, remarking residents have been restless as of lately and that the victim had connections with them, giving them a possible lead to work on. He then discusses the security cameras, unfortunately concluding their recordings would probably not help them at all. Emily however points out they remain a relevant element regardless because the killer's awareness of their location corroborates the hypothesis that Pandora is a police officer since police officers are the only outsiders who know where their exact placement. Finally, Mordred shows Emily the note sent to Leon by Pandora, prompting her to wonder why the killer didn't assassinate his victim at 21:30 to stay true to his word: Hera points out something might have changed his initial plans forcing him to adapt, the curfew that takes place at 20:30 possibly being a factor of influence too. The conversation is then suddendly interrupted by loud screams coming from nearby: Emily orders Mordred and Hera to remain there while the police proceeds to figure out what happened, but the two, much to her dismay, start running immediatly towards the screams.

They eventually arrive in one of the corridors, finding the dead body of Daryl Hope sitting on a chair. They also immediatly spot an envelope in his hands with their names written on it: with no longer than a few seconds before the police arrives the two barely manage to snatch it, quickly realizing it's yet another riddle of Pandora's. More specifically, the letter mentions a game that has been going on for decades and three codes corresponding to three symbols, supposedly connected to its solution. Just as they start wondering how the serial killer could kill his victim without being spotted by the security cameras (let alone dragging him all the way up to the corridor) the police arrives and proceeds to take control of the area. Fortunately for Mordred and Hera the first one to notice their presence is their friend Leon, who quickly commands them to move away from the scene and follow him, lest be arrested themselves as suspects. He also orders them to hand over the letter they just found, though the content puzzles him just as much. Scolding them for having acted too recklessly, he gives them a warning: he believes the serial killer might have chosen them as his next target while the police is starting to suspect they could actually be tampering with evidence and secretly be on Pandora's side. Nevertheless, Leon also agrees figuring out the letter's meaning should remain the top priority, so Mordred points out there must be a connection with the drawings they found six years earlier, using their picture as evidence. He also claims the "codes" Pandora mentioned must be related to people who are closely connected to the Island and are likely the key to find the place where Hera was brought when she was abducted six years earlier, a place no one managed to find as of now. Leon observes the security cameras may eventually help them figure out the dynamic of the last murder. In the meantime, he also suggests going over what they were able to find thus far to plan their next move. The three ultimately conclude the most relevant elements are the fact Pandora knows the location of the security cameras (thus killing his first victim in one of the few rooms that had none) and that he probably used a concealed passage to sneak around and carry his victims, one which the letter could help them find. Mordred thus suggests he and Hera should interrogate the suspects once more to look for evidence that could confirm the existence of a secret passage. Leon instead decides to focus on gaining access to the security recordings, though not before harshly reminding Mordred he still hates him. Left alone with Hera, the detective claims he's finally starting to see the full picture. One of the most vital pieces is however still buried in Hera's most dreadful memory: she understands she can't keep running from her past and accepts recalling the events one last time together with him.

As expected, Hera's recall of her traumatic experience takes quite the toll on her. The detective's own recollection isn't much happier, as he clearly remembers how after fainting upon learning of Hera's abduction he woke up and immediatly became furious. In Mordred's memories, Leon tries in vain to calm him down explaining Hera has been found and is now safe (albeit obviously traumatized) but the detective makes it clear he has had enough, concluding it's time to take justice into their own hands. He thus proposes Leon a plan, and while the policeman is at first quite horrified by it he eventually understands how two are out of options: he ultimately accepts but also warns Mordred that if things end up not working out as planned he wouldn't hesitate to put the blame on him and him alone. The plan is thus set in motion: Leon uses his influence to have the two main suspects summoned before Mordred, allowing the detective to buy time. They immediatly throw shots at the detective for having been allegedly mistreated by the police and also mock him for his former fainting. Mordred explains they have little to joke about as he has evidence that links them to the murder and sees also a plausible motive in the death of Jennifer's parents. The suspects reject his allegations causing a mask to appear once more on Jennifer's face: this time it constantly fluctuates, disappearing, reappearing again and changing shape. The behaviour of Jennifer's mask becomes even more erratic when she ironically asks Mordred what happened to his colleague, causing the detective to succumb to fear and lose consciousness once more. Just as he hits the ground though, he hears the police breaking in: the suspects are ultimately arrested just as planned. After recovering, Mordred has the chance to speak with Leon and confirm their plan was successful: while the two suspects were busy with the detective, his friend exploited his rank to enter their quarters and deposit false evidence (actually connected to former murders) in order to have them framed. Leon can't help but question their actions but Mordred explains he had been thinking about a desperation move like this for quite a long time, believing it would be the only way to stop the murders: the innocents they had just condemned would not only finally give the city a culprit to blame but also give the real killer a plausible scapegoat, forcing him to stop his kills in exchange for being left alone and unpunished. The two ultimately conclude they cannot turn back anymore and prepare to welcome back Hera: the detective's last memory is the speechless and broken expression she had when they were finally reunited. Back in the present, Hera finds herself finally able to get over the trauma and remember the piece of the code she was given during her abduction.

Mordred and Hera decide their next move should be trying to speak with the Island's founder once more, suspecting he might possess the second part of the code. As soon as they bring up the topic a mask shows up on his face, confirming their assumption is correct. Maximilian tries at first to avoid the conversation altogether but ultimately accepts to answer Mordred's questions when the detective makes clear they are one step away from arresting his son's killer. Since Maximilian would never openly speak about the code just yet, the detective decides to try a different approach and asks him about what happened in the wake of the scandal that followed the pillar collapse, aware that pressing the Island's founder on the most crucial details would eventually make him spill the beans. Maximilian thus explains how after the incident most residents started to openly revolt against his son, accusing him of being responsible for it. This in turn forced him to introduce very harsh security measures, despite the many petitions advocating against it. Mordred asks more details about these petitions, so Maximilian clarifies they were all launched by the same person: said person first opposed the concept of security measures implemented by modifying the Island's architecture hiding behind the claim they would ruin the place's beauty, and later also protested against the introduction of security cameras pointing out they'd jeopardize both people's privacy and the artistic atmosphere of the Island. Incidentally this person was also in charge of the Darkroom six years earlier, a role appointed by Maximilian himself in the vain hope he would stop opposing his decisions and help him rebuild the residents' trust instead. When asked about the identity of this individual Maximilian pretends he doesn't remember, but Mordred and Hera realize way too easily he is speaking of Daryl Hope. The Island's founder can't help but lose his temper due to how much of a thorn in his side Daryl has been: as if his hostility weren't enough the old man's stubborness eventually caused him to fall ill, forcing the director to remove him from his position. Naturally, this caused Maximilian's reputation to sink even further due to Daryl's popularity among the elders. The Island's founder makes it clear he blames Daryl and his relentless opposition to security measures for the death of his son, prompting Mordred to ask him whether the two had any kind of connection. After hesitating at first, Maximilian confesses his son had secretly struck a deal with Daryl in order to save his own reputation: Terry was expected to make a full commitment to ensure the infrastructures' safety and in turn Daryl would use his influence among the elders to promote a less negative view of him. In addition, Daryl also gained the freedom to expand his Darkroom through the creation of a new chamber. As a form of thanksgiving the old man gifted Terry a strange painting and a letter containing apparently meaningless words. Mordred immediatly asks Maximilian more information about the painting and the letter, correctly guessing the "meaningless words" are actually the second part of the code. Finally, the detective confronts Maximilian about the new chamber Daryl asked to build, accusing him of having refused to share with them such a vital piece of information. Maximilian defends himself claiming he didn't know about it untill he decided to read some old letters of his son no longer than a couple of weeks earlier, thus discovering his secret cooperation with Daryl: Mordred can't help but wonder whether the last murder might be connected to this discovery somehow. At last the Island's founder claims he told Mordred and Hera everything he knew and leaves, exhausted by the conversation. The two were ultimately able to conclude a secret passage did indeed exist, but remain oblivious in regards to why Pandora would ever want to kill Daryl (since the two were apparently supporting each other) or Terry (since he turned out to have been just a mere pawn in the hands of Daryl).

The two however also conclude there is only one person who could possess the final piece of code: Daryl's wife. They thus decide to pay her one last visit, though Hera also begs Mordred to be more considerate this time since she just lost her husband. Just as they arrive at her quarters the detective also receives the security camera recordings he requested, depicting the murder of Daryl and confirming his worst suspicions. Despite the premises Mery seems surprisingly calm so the detective begins his interrogation, asking her whether Daryl had anything to do with the murder of Andrew Joanesse. She predictably denies any involvement on her husband's part as his physical conditions would have made it impossible, let alone Andrew was almost akin to a son for them: just as predictably a mask shows up on her face. Understanding she's not willing to cooperate that easily, Mordred begins a complete reconstruction based on all the information he and Hera were able to discover. To begin with, Daryl had been both the person in charge of the darkroom when the first incident occurred and the main reason that prevented security cameras from being installed in crucial areas directly connected to the murders, including the rehearsal room and the darkroom itself. This ultimately allowed Pandora to move a lot more freely, something the detective does not deem a coincidence: he instead suggests Daryl was actively cooperating with him because he longed for Terry Oath's death just as much as the serial killer, blaming the founder's son for the terrible downturn things had taken at the Island. His death proved unfortunately not enough to change things and actually made the situation worse, thus forcing Daryl and Pandora to organize a second murder in the hope it would draw the media's attention on the Island's conditions: the timing of this second murder was not coincidental either as waiting any longer would have otherwise caused Daryl and his wife to be evicted. Since the lockdown following the second murder was fast enough to prevent any information leak, Mordred concludes Daryl's death must have been one final desperate attempt on his part to catch the media's attention, suggesting he must have asked himself to be killed by the serial killer. Hera questions the detective's final claim as she doesn't believe Pandora would ever take such a big risk given Daryl died in an area covered by security cameras. Mordred replies he now believes Pandora's arrest might be something the serial killer had actually accounted for, which would also explain the note he had sent them before the murder: in line with this interpretation he was secretly trying to involve them in the final part of his plan, closing a cycle that possibly began with the drawings he left six years earlier. Mery loses her temper and accuses them of having no evidence, even suggesting there might be no recordings at all and that the detective must be trying to bait her into speaking against her husband. Mordred thus replies by finally revealing the identity of the man shown in the recordings: Pandora is actually none other than Lee Graves. The revelation shocks Mery as she can't quite understand why Lee would ever choose to show himself, thus confirming she knew since the beginning. Mordred concludes by pointing out there was another reason for Daryl to set up his own murder: protecting Mery herself. Since no one would ever risk the reputational damage connected with mistreating the wife of one of Pandora's victim, he had ultimately ensured she could not be evicted no matter what. The detective's last statement causes Mery to finally yield her confession, explaining her husband was indeed just as caring as Mordred had predicted, though she also begged him multiple times to stop cooperating with a monster as heartless as Pandora. She finally shares with them the last piece of code and advices them to be as careful as they can be before leaving. Left alone with Hera, a triumphant Mordred is now ready for the final confrontation with Pandora. Hera is however still puzzled as the two were ultimately unsuccessful in explaining how the serial killer managed to kill Andrew, let alone how the last few twists are making things look way too easy: she ultimately suggests they should probably ask Leon or the police for help but Mordred promptly refuses, adamant he alone must be the one who apprehends the killer without sharing the glory with anyone.

Mordred explains he and Hera need first of all to head back to the darkroom. Once there the detective reveals his final deduction: there's a connection between that room and the drawings they found six years earlier, in that the circles represent the clocks above the paintings. This implies they must be set at the same times suggested by the drawings for something to happen since the paintings were programmed to rotate accordingly: 12:20 the first one, 10:10 the second one and 7:58 the third one, from left to right. As a result, three paintings matching the riddles mentioned in the three pieces of code effectively show up, suggesting Mordred and Hera likely found the entrance to Pandora's hideout. Hera remembers the paintings were designed to be interactive and advices Mordred to take a closer look. The detective concludes the real purpose of the three codes is to conceal an input sequence that must be pressed in a specific order on each painting: the noose, the head of the goddess, the spider's mouth and the top-left web on the first one. The shield, the blade, the helmet and the Gorgon on the second one. The flower, the kiss of the gods, the musical instrument and the face of the artist on the third one. After the detective presses the buttons on all three of them a door leading to a secret passage opens before him. Although Hera insists on escorting him through, Mordred decides he should be the only one to proceed inside, claming she already went through enough trauma and that at least one of them should remain behind in order to ask for help in case of need. Once inside the detective has just enough time to realize his AquaOS lost its signal before Lee makes his appearance.

Mordred immediatly draws his gun but Lee invites him to calm down, explaining thanks to him he would soon become famous: just as Mordred had expected he deliberately intends to be captured. Before apprehending him though, the detective asks him one last question: whether he had really been Pandora all along. Lee answers affirmatively, but much to Mordred's surprise a mask appears on his face. The detective suspects some kind of trick but Lee taunts him suggeting his next question should be whether he killed Andrew: the mask appears once again, throwing Mordred into confusion. Lee thus suggests with irony the detective should keep asking questions, as that would inevitably force the truth out of him: though he dislikes the idea, the detective dislikes even more the possibility of leaving crucial details unanswered. He thus begins his reconstruction: after Andrew started working at the Island he quickly fell under the influence of Lee and Daryl, eventually becoming involved in a plan aimed at recreating the murder from six years earlier. Andrew arrived at the rehearsal room using the secret passage, but Lee clarifies he was perfectly conscious when he did so, implying he followed him there spontaneously. The artist also criticizes Mordred for being too narrow-minded, inviting him to better reflect on a detail that looks very different compared to the former murder: the wax patterns on the victim's face. The detective's original explanation for the patterns' irregularity was that the victim had tried to defend himself, as the burned fingers also seemed to suggest. Lee however makes it clear he's once again mistaken, prompting Mordred to finally understand: the real reason Andrew's fingers were burned is that he had actually poured the wax himself. The wounds found on his arms were instead the consequence of him jumping out of the window immediatly afterwards, ultimately committing suicide in order to reenact the flight of Icarus once more. With no choice left but to accept this shocking discovery, Mordred still doesn't understand Andrew's motive for following Pandora's absurd plan to his own death. Comparing Andrew to Herostratus, Lee explains the glory of being remembered forever would be a more than valid motive, though Andrew also had another one: protecting the real Pandora. Lee's last statement ultimately implies Pandora had actually been Daryl all along, his six years hiatus being nothing but the consequence of his imprisonment within the Island: had Andrew not committed suicide, both him and his wife would have been evicted much like Mordred had already understood. The revelation of the real Pandora being actually none other than Daryl implies Mordred cannot capture him anymore, causing the detective to become furious: both his glorious future and the possibility of redeeming himself are now gone, let alone he and Hera spent the past few months chasing ghosts and imitators. Pleasured by how Mordred's first thoughts are always for his personal profit, Lee invites the detective to calm down and listen to the rest of the story. He explains Daryl picked him as his successor once his health conditions worsened as he was the only artist the old man deemed worthy: his vision, his methods and his hideout were thus all passed down to him, in the hope the apprentice would continue the killing spree even after the master's passing. Lee however had other plans, in that he could never settle for becoming a mere imitation of Pandora: his true goal is instead to surpass him. This is ultimately also the reason he left Mordred a clear trail that would guide him to Pandora's room: in the beginning both the codes and the drawings were actually nothing but nonsense Daryl had used to impress the public and confuse investigations. Being the curator of the darkroom Lee had however arranged the paintings and the access codes to Pandora's hideout in a way that made it look like Daryl's bogus codes had actually real meaning. And the ultimate reason is that much like Mordred had already fathomed Lee intends to have the detective capture him under the claim he is the real Pandora, granting them the glory they both crave. Mordred immediatly understands the implications: should he refuse Lee's offer he would have to come out of Pandora's hideout empty handed, meaning the police would not only punish him for having repeatedly violated the rules but also treat him as a suspect, possibly causing him to undergo a second trial as well. Should he instead accept, the city's attention would shift on his successful capture of Pandora: all his personal problems would be solved but his success would also overshadow the mistreating of the elders trapped within the Island, causing their suffering to be forgotten. Moreover, Hera would likely never fogive Mordred if she ever found out he deliberately took part in Lee's hoax. The choice is ultimately left to the player and will conclude the narration of Chapter 3, unlocking one among three possible game ending chapters.

## Alternative Dialogues (DeadBaker Emily Route):

* **CONTACT'S TIMING:** *\*\*\*David apologizes for the short notice, explaining the current conditions of AquaOS made coming in contact as hard as it could be, expecially with someone as meaningful as his guest. The guest however grumpily asks David to get straight to the point.\*\*\* (triggered if the player concluded Chapter 2 with a BlackOut)*
* **TRUST:** *\*\*\*The guest is pleased by David's answer but now wants to know the most important thing: whether the lawyer managed to gain Mordred and Hera's trust. David replies he was unfortunately unsuccessful, as the two are apparently fully committing to getting themselves killed. The guest thus replies David knows what must be done.\*\*\* (triggered if the player refused David's offer in Chapter 2)*
* **HEPHAESTUS AFTERMATH:** *\*\*\*Mordred finds some solace in knowing that the information loss following the destruction of AquaOS would make any future legal action against them almost impossible. On the same topic, Hera mentions many of the old files are actually being restored on a new database, albeit with fragmented data that is often outdated. She also points out such a situation must be a nightmare for the police more than anyone, but Mordred can't help but feel happy about it given all the trouble the police had put them through in the past. Hera acidly comments they would suffer the negative consequences too as information from past cases is now almost impossible to find: had the detective at least tried to contact her before siding with Eugene she would have ultimately never let him destroy AquaOS. Hera also asks Mordred whether he had any news regarding Dean and the possible consequences connected to the discovery of a living android. Mordred replies he doesn't since the police obviously covered everything up but also claims he is confident no one at Hephaestus would be able to replicate Huber's work anytime soon. Hera also feels a bit sad for Thalia, but Mordred grumpily claims the two have more urgent things to worry about.\*\*\* (triggered if the player ended Chapter 2 with a BlackOut)*
* **EMILY HEPHAESTUS:** *\*\*\*Emily then asks the detective to speak about the Hephaestus case. She bluntly explains she finds it kind of odd that Mordred went to great lengths to have Dean convicted as the only culprit despite the fact it was actually Eugene who destroyed both the lab and AquaOS, expecially since Dean never stopped claiming Mordred was actually involved too. Moreover, Thalia seems to have mysteriously disappeared too. Mordred realizes it would be unwise to tell her the whole truth, but is tempted to reveal at least part of it to win her trust. The player has to decide to which extent Mordred lies, choosing between either having him lie on everything or having him at least unveil the truth regarding the androids. If he chooses to have Mordred lie on everything, the detective will claim Dean and Thalia tried to preemptively kill Eugene in order to stop him from destroying the professor's masterpiece but were ultimately unsuccessful: when the detective arrived Eugene had already destroyed both the lab and AquaOS, Thalia had already fled and Dean was about to kill his own brother in retaliation, the only thing Mordred had ultimately managed to prevent. The detective will also explain that despite the fact Eugene had also committed a crime, his duty was to focus on apprehending whoever assassinated the professor along with the foreign ambassador. Emily will however still suspect he's hiding something, visibly expressing her frustration for the fact Mordred insists on not wanting to trust her and also claiming she would not forget. If the player chooses to have Mordred unveil the truth about the androids, he will admit the androids were real and that Thalia had chosen to side with Eugene after discovering Dean had conspired with the foreign ambassador to kill the professor: she was aware she would die as a consequence but ultimately didn't mind since after her husband's death she had lost her own will to live. Emily will ultimately trust Mordred's story, understanding the reason he kept quiet is that no one would believe him anyway.\*\*\* (triggered if the player ended Chapter 2 with a BlackOut)*
* **EMILY GLOVE:** *\*\*\*Emily then brings up the topic of Freya once again, this time also mentioning the issue of the missing glove that could have ruined her career. She first of all thanks Mordred for refusing to hand it over to David, thus protecting her reputation. The detective specifies he only did so because he wasn't sure if he could trust David just yet, but Emily claims she prefers to believe he also did so out of good intentions and not just utilitaristic thoughts.\*\*\* (triggered if the player refused to give David the glove in Chapter 1)*
* **EMILY DEDUCTION:** *\*\*\*Hera immediatly points out this would imply Pandora was actually trying to get caught and that he must have had an accomplice within the police as well, prompting Emily to share with them her ultimate and most important deduction (even though she still holds a grudge against Mordred because of his involvement in Freya's death): Pandora must actually be a police officer.\*\*\* (triggered if the player told the truth about Freya's death in Chapter 2)*

## Consequences of Accepting Lee's offer (The Fall):

If the player chooses to have Mordred accept, Lee will react with joy and allow the detective to arrest him, though the detective will also warn him that if he were to ever change his mind and betray him he would make sure he'd regret it. Lee will thus reassure him, explaining he has no intention of tricking the person who helped him achieve his dream and asking Mordred how it feels to have just turned into a hero: after hesitating, the detective will reply it actually sucks. As the police proceeds to take Lee into custody the detective will reflect on his actions, concluding that despite the sense of bitterness and disgust he ultimately has no regrets: Pandora's nightmare is finally over and all the problems that haunted both him and Hera are gone with him. He will later proceed to deliver his first speech to the city, understanding how ambition and cynism are ultimately what works best at giving the city what it wants: all the people who formerly tried to tear his life apart are now ironically lined up and waiting for him to tell them the lies they desperately want to hear. Convinced that Hera's wellbeing is the most important thing he will also conclude that keeping her oblivious in regards to what really happened is a trivial price to pay in exchange for having won, the only thing that ultimately matters. Once at home Mordred will drag Hera closer to him, claiming the two of them can finally be together. Hera will however turn him down, explaining Mordred's AquaOS recovered its signal during his conversation with Lee. Disgusted, she will ask him to remain quiet, claiming it is over between them.

## Consequences of Refusing Lee's offer (The Redemption):

If the player chooses to have Mordred refuse, Lee will react with surprise and beg him to reconsider, stressing how his plan would grant him everything he always desired: fame, money and power. Mordred will however claim he's not interested in those things anymore: after finding out who Pandora really was the only feelings he's left with are pity and the desire to end the charade once and for all. Lee will thus lose his temper, pointing out Mordred's decision would doom them both: this time around the authorities would be relentless in destroying both his and Hera's public and private lives, frustrating all their past efforts. All Mordred will reply is they already tried for six years and always failed, but unfortunately for him they will at least partially prove Lee right: both him and Hera will be interrogated for hours, their latest misbehaviours at the Island only making matters worse. Despite the harsh situation, Mordred will feel proud for the very first time in years since what ended up prevailing was the truth. And knowing that despite everything they eneded up doing the right thing will make Hera just as proud, bringing the two closer to each other. Aware that the consequences of their actions will inevitably catch up to them very soon, the two find in their newly ignited passion for each other the strength they need to keep fighting, allowing their love to blossom.

## Trivia:

* The scene that takes place in Mordred's office six years earlier is the only one in the whole game to feature daylight: this is aimed at reinforcing the contrast between the grim present and a past which Mordred and Hera perceive as happier.
* Making the pact with Lee at the end of the chapter will allow the player to unlock the "Deal with the Devil" Steam achievement.
* Refusing the pact with Lee at the end of the chapter will allow the player to unlock the "...And justice for all" Steam achievement.