Dense fog drifted through the overgrown forest behind the abandoned shop — the kind of mist that clung to your skin and made every step feel like a whisper in enemy territory. Trees knotted together overhead, branches twisted like claws reaching out from the shadows. The air was still, unnaturally quiet, broken only by the soft crunch of footsteps.
Two of Riku's clones moved silently at the forest's edge, their essence cloaks masking their presence. Behind them, four summoned knights—tall, armored figures pulsing with light-blue essence—scanned the ground, blades drawn, senses sharp. The knights spread out, covering a perimeter, while the clones swept through the underbrush.
Suddenly, there was a metallic clank beneath one of the knight's feet.
Thunk.
The clone turned instantly. "Hold."
The knight crouched, brushing away layers of moss and leaves. Beneath it—metal. Faded, dented, and rusted in places, but unmistakably a hatch.
"It's a bunker," the other clone muttered.
Together, they forced it open with a loud creak. A waft of stale, artificial air hissed upward, as if the forest had been holding its breath.
A staircase spiraled down into shadow. Black walls. Lined with smooth, unnatural alloy. Not human make.
The bunker wasn't just hidden—it was buried by time and secrecy.
One of the clones placed his palm to his chest and sent a pulse back to the original Riku.
Atop the balcony of Raiden Edge, Riku stood alone, overlooking the city. The sun dipped low in the sky, casting long shadows across the stone of the guild. The chatter of members in the courtyard below was distant, muted.
Then—Ping.
His expression sharpened. The pulse from his clone arrived in his mind like a silent alarm.
A bunker. Deep. Masked. Not on any city maps.
Riku's aura surged, silver fractals shimmering briefly across his skin.
Without a word, he turned. He passed Yumi in the main hall—her eyes widening slightly at the seriousness in his stride. She didn't stop him. She knew that look.
"Be careful," she said quietly.
Riku gave her a nod, then vanished.
He blurred through the city's rooftops, streaking toward the forest like a silver comet. Wind lashed against his cloak, his matching necklace with Yumi glowing faintly at his chest, resonating as if sensing danger ahead.
Within moments, he landed at the edge of the forest, where his clones and knights stood waiting.
Riku walked to the open hatch, peered inside the descending spiral, and felt it—the pressure. This place had seen things. Secrets slept here.
He spoke only once.
"Let's move."
Then Riku descended into the dark.