Renjiro stood in the alleyway long after The Ghost had vanished, their final words lingering in his mind. Then we are alike.
That wasn’t just a passing remark. It carried weight—something deeper than mere curiosity. And Renjiro had learned long ago that words held as much power as the hands that wielded them.
He exhaled, rolling his shoulders as he turned back into the city streets. The night was thinning, dawn creeping into the horizon. The encounter was over, but the game had only just begun.
The Ghost had given him a thread to pull. And Renjiro planned to unravel it.
The Inner Cellar: Part 1
Instead of returning to the streets, Renjiro closed his eyes and allowed his consciousness to drift inward. A sensation like sinking into still water overtook him as the world around him faded.
When he opened his eyes again, he was no longer in the city. He stood in a vast, endless void illuminated by shifting blue light—the Inner Cellar. The place where the fragments of his past lives lingered.
Yet, this time, it was empty.
Save for one.
A lone figure sat in the distance, cross-legged in the center of the void, waiting.
Renjiro stepped forward, his footsteps silent against the nothingness beneath him. He already knew who it was.
His first life—Kazuki.
The original Renjiro. The man who had started it all.
The man lifted his head, his face calm but sharp. He looked exactly as Renjiro remembered—dark hair neatly tied back, piercing eyes that held the weight of countless decisions.
“You’ve been expecting me,” Renjiro said, stopping a few feet away.
Kazuki exhaled slowly. "Life one thousand. You took longer than I expected."
Kazuki nodded. “It was only a matter of time.”
Renjiro crossed his arms. “You’re the only one here.”
“For now,” the first life replied. “The others will come when the time is right.”
Renjiro narrowed his eyes. “And why are you waiting?”
Kazuki studied him carefully. “Because you’re at a crossroads. You can feel it, can’t you? The moment where things begin to shift.”
Renjiro let out a slow breath. “The Ghost.”
His past self nodded. “They’re different. And you know that. But more than that, they see you.”
Renjiro frowned. “What does that mean?”
Kazuki leaned forward slightly. “You’ve existed across countless lives. But how many times has someone truly looked at you, beyond the surface?”
Renjiro hesitated.
The first life continued. “This isn’t just another opponent. This isn’t just another obstacle. This is something new.”
Silence stretched between them before Renjiro finally smirked. “You’re being cryptic on purpose.”
His first life smiled faintly. “It’s not cryptic if you already know the answer.”
Renjiro clicked his tongue. “Tch. Fine. Keep your riddles. I’ll figure it out myself.”
Kazuki simply inclined his head. “You always do.”
With that, the Inner Cellar began to fade. The blue light receded, and reality began to take hold once more.
Renjiro opened his eyes—
And found himself standing at the entrance of The Hunter’s Den.
Unveiling the Hunt: Part 2
The Underground Network was still stirring as Renjiro arrived. The bar was a different one this time—The Hunter’s Den—a place where mercenaries and bounty hunters exchanged names and payments under the dim glow of neon lights.
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It didn’t take him long to find who he was looking for.
A woman sat at the far end of the bar, dressed in a fitted dark coat, her blonde hair cascading over one shoulder. A lit cigarette dangled between her fingers, the smoke curling lazily above her.
Renjiro approached, sliding into the seat beside her. “Didn’t think you’d be awake at this hour, Lian.”
Lian took a slow drag of her cigarette before flicking her golden eyes toward him. “Didn’t think you’d be stupid enough to make enemies with a ghost.”
Renjiro smirked. “You know them?”
Lian exhaled the smoke through her nose, setting her cigarette down in the ashtray. “Not personally. But I know what they are.”
Renjiro’s fingers drummed against the wooden bar. “And what’s that?”
Lian leaned forward slightly, voice dropping low. “A specter of death. If they’ve taken an interest in you, it means someone powerful wants you gone.”
Renjiro chuckled, leaning back. “Good. I was starting to feel left out.”
Lian shook her head. “You think this is funny?”
“I think this is an opportunity.”
She studied him for a moment before sighing. “You always were a reckless bastard.”
Renjiro grinned. “And you always gave me the best information.”
Lian took another slow drag, then exhaled. “Fine. But if you get yourself killed, don’t haunt me.”
Unveiling the Hunt: Part 3
Lian led him into a secluded backroom, away from prying ears. A single lamp flickered overhead as she pulled out a worn leather folder from beneath the table.
“I don’t have a name,” she admitted, placing it in front of him. “But I have something close.”
Renjiro opened the folder. Inside were scattered reports, blurred surveillance photos, and witness testimonies that led nowhere.
“The Ghost isn’t a title. It’s a legend,” Lian continued. “Most people think they don’t actually exist.”
Renjiro traced a finger along one of the photos. A silhouette, blurred but unmistakable. “They exist.”
Lian gave him a dry look. “Yes, genius, I figured that out when you said you fought them.”
Renjiro smirked but didn’t look up. “So what’s in these files?”
Lian tapped a specific document. “Patterns. Sightings. A few locations where they’ve struck before.”
Renjiro skimmed the contents. The Ghost had been active in the shadows for years, executing high-profile targets with a precision few could match. But no confirmed identity. No known employer.
“They don’t kill randomly,” Lian added. “Every target was someone in power, someone involved in things that don’t make the news.”
Renjiro narrowed his eyes. “Assassinations.”
“Exactly.”
His mind pieced the information together. Someone wanted him dead, but The Ghost hadn’t moved for the kill. Which meant they weren’t just an assassin. They were deciding something.
He closed the folder, looking up at Lian. “Where’s the last place they were seen?”
The Inner Cellar: Part 2
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The moment Renjiro’s consciousness drifted inward, the familiar pull of the Inner Cellar overtook him. The vast, endless void of shifting blue light surrounded him, weightless yet heavy with the presence of past lives.
This time, he wasn’t alone.
Three figures sat in a circle at the center of the void, their forms both distinct and familiar.
Kazuki, Life One, remained cross-legged in his usual spot, his dark eyes studying Renjiro with quiet patience. But now, two more past lives had joined him.
A man with wild, unkempt silver hair and a jagged scar running down the left side of his face sat beside Kazuki, arms crossed. His expression was fierce, burning with untamed energy.
Life Ten—Raizen.
The second figure was calmer, more composed. His dark blue robe fluttered against the unseen current of the Inner Cellar, his short black hair neatly combed. A sharp contrast to Raizen’s raw intensity, his gaze was that of a strategist—calculating, thoughtful.
Life Twenty-Five—Shirogane.
Renjiro stepped forward, hands in his pockets. “So, what’s the occasion? Some kind of reunion?”
Raizen let out a low chuckle. “Took you long enough to get here, Life One Thousand.”
Kazuki gave Raizen a measured glance but didn’t correct him. Instead, he spoke with his usual calm. “You’ve started to change.”
Renjiro scoffed. “Took you this long to notice?”
Shirogane tilted his head slightly. “It’s different this time. The Ghost… you felt something, didn’t you?”
Renjiro’s smirk faltered. They were quick—too quick. They had already seen through his thoughts, picking up on the shift he barely acknowledged himself.
“…They’re watching me. But not just to kill me.”
Kazuki nodded. “And that intrigues you.”
Renjiro didn’t answer right away. He glanced at Raizen, whose smirk had widened. “Oh, I like this,” Raizen mused. “Someone finally making you second-guess yourself? That’s new.”
Renjiro rolled his eyes. “Relax. I just want to know why.”
Shirogane folded his hands in his lap. “That’s what you tell yourself. But curiosity is dangerous, even for you.”
Silence stretched between them.
Then, Kazuki spoke again. “You should tread carefully.”
Renjiro exhaled sharply. “You’re all acting like I’ve already lost.”
Raizen chuckled. “Not yet.”
Shirogane nodded. “But you’re close.”
Renjiro frowned. For once, he didn’t have a comeback.
Kazuki stood, his movements slow and deliberate. “You know what happens next, don’t you?”
Renjiro’s gaze darkened. “Yeah.”
He turned away from them, feeling the weight of their gazes on his back.
He wasn’t sure why, but this time, it really did feel different.
As the Inner Cellar faded, his mind anchored itself back to reality.
And for the first time in a long time—
Renjiro felt uncertain.