The city buzzed in the aftermath of the Kavros Isen incident. Though calm had returned to the streets, Riku's mind remained sharpened, his senses on edge. He knew the real threat — Akuma Kurogane and the High Codes — still lingered in the darkness.
One of Riku's clones strode through the eastern side of the city, near the markets that had barely reopened after the chaos. His energy was faint but stable — designed to move unnoticed, cloaked beneath a thin Essence veil.
As he passed a quiet tea shop nestled between two warehouses, a woman with short black hair and violet eyes stepped out, wiping her hands with a cloth. She seemed cautious at first, but something about the clone's presence made her pause.
"You…" she said softly, staring intently.
The clone turned. "Do you need something?"
"You were part of that fight… the one with the man in the white cloak. Kavros Isen, wasn't it?" she said, stepping forward, her voice low but firm.
The clone stiffened slightly. "You know him?"
"I own this shop," she gestured back toward the small wooden building. "About a week ago, he came in. Strange man. Quiet. Kept glancing at the corners of the room, as if talking to someone who wasn't there."
She looked around before leaning closer.
"He told me his name. Kavros Isen. I remembered it when I saw the broadcast… and something felt off about him from the beginning. So, I followed him after he left."
The clone's eyes narrowed. "Where did he go?"
"There's an old, abandoned storehouse behind my shop," she explained. "Beyond that… a narrow trail leads into a forest. Not many people know it's there. But I watched him go in. I didn't follow — something told me not to. The way he moved… it wasn't normal."
The clone nodded, then touched a glowing sigil over his chest — transmitting the information directly back to the original Riku, who stood atop the Raiden Edge Guild's terrace.
Within moments, Riku's eyes opened mid-meditation. He processed the memory his clone had relayed, every word and image vivid in perfect clarity.
A hidden forest behind an old shop… Kavros went there before the attack. Could it be a base? Or a meeting point?
Riku stood, storm clouds still lingering in his mind as he prepared for the next move.
The hunt for the High Codes had just found its first trail.