The squad stood at the edge of the hatch.
The stone was old—too old. Cracks ran through its surface like veins. It pulsed, like a heartbeat buried underground.
Shukan stared at it. His golden eye flickered, scanning for movement.
Nothing.
But that silence? It wasn’t empty.
It was waiting.
Aetheron let out a slow breath, rolling his shoulders. “Alright. Who wants to be the first idiot to step into the abyss?”
Yurei smirked. “Was that a volunteer?”
Aetheron scoffed. “Hell no.”
Chronos ignored them both. He was already calculating. His circuits burned gold as he reached out—touching the stone.
It was warm.
That was wrong.
Everything down here was supposed to be cold. The King’s remains should have been like untouched ruins—dead, frozen in time.
But this wasn’t dead.
This was alive.
Chronos narrowed his eyes. “There’s something… off.”
Shukan, still breathing heavy, clenched his fists. “More than usual?”
Chronos didn’t answer.
Instead, he pressed down.
click.
The hatch snapped open.
A gust of hot air shot out. Stale. Stagnant. But beneath that—
Something else.
Aetheron’s wings flared as he pulled back. “...Did the floor just breathe?”
Shukan said nothing. He felt it too.
The space below wasn’t just open.
It was inhaling.
Yurei stepped forward, peering down. The hole was wide. It led into darkness. The walls looked like they had been carved—not by hands, but by something larger.
Something with claws.
Shukan exhaled. His chest still hurt. His body was still weak.
But he moved first.
He jumped.
Chronos’ circuits flared. “Wait—”
Too late.
Shukan dropped.
Darkness swallowed him whole.
His feet hit the ground. Hard. His knees buckled, but he caught himself—breathing, stabilizing.
The air was thick. Heavy. Wrong.
The walls stretched unnaturally. Too tall. Too wide. Like something tried to imitate a real structure—but failed.
Behind him—
Aetheron landed, wings dimmed. “Could’ve given a warning before jumping into hell, dude.”
Yurei dropped next, rolling her shoulder. “Yeah, well. That’s just how he is.”
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Chronos landed last. His eyes immediately scanned the environment. His circuits pulsed.
The readings were unstable. Reality here was…
Fractured.
Shukan took a slow breath. He felt it.
There was something here.
Something alive.
And then—
Footsteps.
A single humanoid figure stepped out of the darkness ahead.
Walking toward them.
Not in a rush.
Not aggressive.
Just… approaching.
Shukan froze.
His heartbeat finally spiked.
Aetheron tensed. "Who—"
Then—
The figure spoke.
"It took you long enough."
Along the walls, glyphs and patterns stretched across, reaching through the cracks in the hard metal like floor.
Shukan, still in disbelief, managed the courage to say something. "A-Akira...?"
His foot tripped on his other boot, causing him to fall on the floor. But he didn't get up.
The moment Shukan hit the floor, his mind split.
The impact rattled his bones, but his body didn’t register the pain.
Because his heartbeat stuttered.
Because the second he saw her—
The past slammed into him like a falling star.
White walls. Bright lights. The cold hum of something mechanical.
Shukan was small.
His feet barely touched the ground from where he sat. His arms were crossed. His chest felt too tight.
His father was standing near the door.
Silent. Stiff. Avoiding eye contact.
His mother was seated beside him.
One hand resting on his shoulder. Not gripping. Not holding. Just… there.
As if to remind herself he was real.
The room was quiet.
Too quiet.
Except for her voice.
"You have to understand."
Shukan’s small hands clenched into fists.
He didn’t speak.
Didn’t move.
The chair across from him was empty.
But it wasn’t supposed to be.
Someone should have been sitting there.
Someone should have been next to him.
But she wasn’t.Because she was gone.
Shukan’s breath caught in his throat.
His fingers twitched against the cold metal floor.
His body was here.
But his mind was there.
In that white room.
In that memory.
"Akira..."
He barely realized he said it out loud.
But the figure—no, the woman in front of him—
She reacted.
A slow blink. A tilt of her head.
Not shocked. Not angry.
Just expectant.
Like she had been waiting for him to say it.
Aetheron squinted, looking between them. "You know... her?"
Chronos’ circuits pulsed, but his voice was colder than before.
"Why... are you still here?"
Shukan finally pushed himself up. His body felt weak. His limbs felt disconnected.
His heartbeat was wrong.
Because this wasn’t just shock.
This wasn’t just recognition.
This was denial.
He stared at her. Hard.
She didn’t flinch.
Didn’t look away.
Her red eyes locked onto his. Patient. Amused.
Shukan exhaled sharply, his voice shaking. "You're not supposed to be here."
Akira just smiled. "Neither are you."
The moment she said that, Shukan wasn't in the present anymore.
The air in the underground chamber was heavy, but his body felt weightless.
His chest tightened. His vision blurred. Jikan pulsed violently inside him—too much, too fast.
Because this wasn't just a memory.
This was reliving it.
The house was quiet.
Too quiet.
Shukan's breath hitched as he stepped inside, his boots barely making a sound against the floor.
The air smelled wrong.
Copper. Thick.
His stomach twisted.
Something inside him already knew.
He took another step forward.
Then—
He saw them.
His parents.
Their bodies weren't whole.
They were torn. Twisted.
Blood splattered the walls, pooling onto the wooden floor beneath them.
The scene was wrong.
Horrifically, impossibly wrong.
Shukan's mind blanked.
His body locked up.
His heart pounded.
And then—
A single voice.
Calm. Steady.
"You're late, little brother."
Shukan’s golden eye snapped up.
She was standing there.
Akira.
Her red eyes glowed in the dim light.
Her hands weren’t shaking. Her expression wasn’t panicked.
She just… stood there.
Like this wasn’t new.
Like she had been waiting.
Shukan's body finally moved. He stumbled forward, his hands hitting the bloodstained floor.
His breath came in ragged gasps. His chest felt like it was caving in.
His parents weren’t moving.
They weren’t breathing.
They weren’t—
"What... did you do?"
His voice cracked.
Akira’s expression didn’t change.
She just tilted her head.
"I did what had to be done."
Shukan stopped breathing.
His fingers twitched against the floor.
This wasn’t real.
This wasn’t real.
Akira took a slow step forward, her boots making a soft click against the floor.
"You weren’t supposed to see this."
Shukan's hands curled into fists.
His body was shaking. His mind was screaming.
"Why."
A pause.
A soft sigh.
"Because if you knew the truth, you’d die too."
Shukan’s entire world shattered.