Neo-Eden’s docks. The night air was thick with the scent of salt and diesel, and the frenetic energy of the harbor buzzed like electricity. Kaito looked down on the workers scrambling around like ants. Bright flood lights illuminated the docks from above casting criss-crossing shadows where shipping containers formed towers. The dock workers toiled away loading boxes and pallets into the containers, most likely ignorant of the contents within.

“How are you going to figure out the sources here, Kaito?” he asked himself. He was beginning to regret cutting out on Kiji and Tank. They seemed like nice enough people, but they were too embedded in the newer parts of the city to be trusted. Besides, if what Kiji had said was true, they were both liabilities. If their Netcon enhancements could go out without warning, they couldn’t help him.

"Oi, careful with that!" Snapping Kaito from his thoughts, a gruff voice shouted amidst the chaotic orchestra of machinery and laborers.

Forklifts hummed and groaned as they hauled containers onto waiting ships, and dockworkers scurried about, guiding the process with practiced ease. Kaito leapt from his vantage point on the building down to the docks. Kaito navigated the maze of containers and crates. A secluded section of the docks drew his attention. Here, a series of unmarked crates were being quietly loaded onto a nondescript freighter. It was an older-style freighter without nearly as many holo screens as the others. The operation had an air of secrecy that piqued Kaito's interest.

Using the shadows as cover, Kaito edged closer. It was then he felt a subtle vibration from the coin in his pocket, a sensation growing steadily stronger as he neared the crates. The lights overhead flickered and dimmed. Like a wave overtaking the docks, all the machines shut down one by one. His coin pulsed. It grew heavier and heavier, threatening to pull him down through the docks themselves. Rummaging in his pocket, he produced the coin. It was hot. Hot and glowing white. Fearing it would reveal his position, he clenched his fist tight around it, but the heat seared his hand. Ultimately, the pain forced him to let go. He dropped the coin, and it bounced on the ground with a ringing that Kaito was sure would alert someone.

The coin only bounced once, after the initial bounce it hung in the air a foot or so off the ground, slowly rotating.

Kaito’s eyes widened. “What is …”

The question hung in the air only long enough for the coin to respond by floating towards one of the boxes, slowly at first but gaining momentum. Finally, it pressed itself against one of the crates. Carefully, Kaito pried open the crate to see what had drawn the coin. He pushed aside layers of packing material and paused once he’d dug down to the contents - a collection of ancient artifacts, each exuding a sense of history and power.

The coin continued to push against the crate tapping furiously to get inside. Kaito snatched the coin from the front of the crate expecting it to burn his hand again. To his surprise, it was actually cool to the touch. As Kaito lifted the coin, it began to pulsate with a soft, rhythmic light. Intrigued, he held the coin close to various artifacts. To his astonishment, one of the pieces, a mengu - an intricately carved red oni faceplate - responded to the coin's proximity. A faint glow emanated from both objects, creating a resonance that seemed to hum with ancient energy.

Kaito realized these were no ordinary artifacts. They bore the hallmarks of the same era as the Blade of Ages. As Kaito examined the mengu further, he discovered engravings on the inside similar to those on the coin. It was as if these objects were part of a larger puzzle, pieces of a forgotten legacy scattered across time.

Before Kaito could delve deeper, the dock lights returned, and the sound of approaching footsteps forced him to conceal himself. He quickly closed the crate and vanished into the shadows of a nearby container. Peering from his hiding spot, he saw a group of rugged dock workers returning to secure the shipment now that the power was restored.

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“Let’s get this over with before the next outage,” the heavy-set man in the lead said. “The Architect said we gotta get this on the boat tonight.”

The Architect… Kaito didn’t recognize the name.

Kaito's breath stilled, his senses sharpening at the mention of the first real clue about who was behind the attack and the other strange happenings of the night. Hidden in the shadows, he watched the dock workers, now revealed as minions of this mysterious Architect, approach the crate containing the ancient artifacts. His hand instinctively hovered over the hilt of his sword. He waited for them to discover the tampering. He hadn’t had much time to hide his tampering with the crate and was sure they would discover him.

The workers, rough and focused, began securing the crate.

“Hey,” a young worker began kneeling by the artifact crate. “Does this look right to you?”

“Oh no. That’s not good. That’s not good. Sal, you want to come over here and check this out?” another worker quite a few years his elder said.

A heavy-set man, presumably Sal, plodded over and shook his head. “No. That’s been messed with. It wasn’t like that before break time. Alright, guys, someone’s been messin’ with the Architect’s stuff. Spread out, see if you can find them.”

Kaito's mind raced. He needed to act, but a direct confrontation with so many would be reckless. The faint glint of metal caught his eye—a stack of metal rods nearby. A plan formed in his mind.

Moving with a practiced stealth, Kaito silently approached the stack. He picked up a rod, weighing it in his hand. It was perfect for a distraction. He hurled it towards the far end of the dock, where it clanged loudly against a container.

The workers spun around, their attention diverted. "What was that?" one of them barked, peering into the darkness.

"Go check it out," Sal ordered, two of the men nodding and departing from the group.

Kaito used their moment of distraction to edge closer to the remaining workers. His heart pounded in his ears, but his training kept him calm.

As the two workers ventured further away, Kaito positioned himself behind a stack of crates, just a few feet from the heavy-set leader. He knew he had to incapacitate them quickly and silently.

In one fluid motion, Kaito sprang from his hiding place, his blade singing as it sliced through the air. The leader turned just in time to see Kaito's silhouette descend upon him. Kaito's hand struck the man's neck, a precise hit to render him unconscious. The leader crumbled to the ground, a silent heap.

The remaining workers turned in shock, only to be met by Kaito's unwavering resolve. With the grace of a dancer and the precision of a warrior, Kaito engaged. His sword was an extension of his will, each movement a blend of beauty and lethality.

One worker lunged with a crowbar, but Kaito sidestepped, using the attacker's momentum against him. The worker stumbled forward, and Kaito used the hilt of his sword to knock him out.

The last worker, younger and less experienced, hesitated. Fear flashed in his eyes. Kaito could see he was no seasoned criminal. "Run," he commanded, and the young man didn't need telling twice.

In the span of a few heartbeats, the threat was neutralized. Kaito stood alone amidst the fallen, his chest heaving slightly with exertion. He quickly tied up the unconscious men, ensuring they couldn't alert others to his presence.

Kaito returned to the crate, his mind now on the mengu and its connection to the Blade of Ages. This wasn't just smuggling; it was a theft of history, of legacy. He carefully repacked the crate except for the ornate faceplate, hiding the evidence of his discovery.

A new urgency filled him. The Architect, whoever they were, had deep roots in Neo-Eden's underworld, roots that entangled the very artifacts Kaito was sworn to protect. He needed to understand why. Why the Blade of Ages? Why these artifacts? What was The Architect's endgame?

With a careful blend of stealth and speed, Kaito retreated from the scene, taking the resonating mengu with him. The discovery at the docks had opened a new path in his quest - a path that beckoned him to explore the connections between the ancient artifacts, the coin, and the stolen Blade of Ages.