[The virtual chamber flickered to life once again, its walls an endless grid of blue light. Seven chairs hung suspended in the digital void. This time, no introductions—just the heavy silence of leaders who had all tasted the sting of the police's raid.]
[Irisyvell sat back with arms folded, her image shimmering faintly. Caucus' snake-like eyes darted through streams of data. Steag rubbed his forehead, still half-asleep but grim. Farther across, Vlad's avatar burned red, a manifestation of his anger, while Aegir's watery silhouette undulated with amusement. Yvach leaned forward, elbows on knees, a predator watching the room. Seraph's chair was dark, absent.]
Vlad: Enough delays. The police have clawed their way into our warehouse and seized what they could. That is no longer a minor inconvenience—it's a direct challenge.
Aegir: smirking Direct challenge? Or your incompetence, Vlad? You let Yggdrasil slip, and now she's feeding them information. What did you expect?
Vlad: snarling Watch your tongue, Aegir. Yggdrasil may have betrayed me, but she was my weapon. You laugh now, but when your own squad cracks, you'll choke on your arrogance.
[Yvach let out a booming laugh that echoed across the chamber, clearly enjoying the friction.]
Yvach: Ha! I haven't seen such tension since the Kyrlien Force first tore a city block apart. Keep going, this is better than any broadcast.
[Steag raised a weary hand.]
Steag: Enough. We can't waste time sniping at each other. The infiltration showed us something important—the police found only part of the shipment. The rest of the goods are still out there, but if we don't move them soon, they'll trace the trails.
Irisyvell: coolly He's right. We lost a stockpile, but not the core. Behemoth's reconstruction, Leviathan's upgrades, the next strike—all of it depends on what's left. We relocate now, before the Investigations Unit tightens the net.
[Caucus hissed through his teeth, fingers dancing across unseen controls.]
Caucus: Relocation paths are ready. But we'll need decoys and pawns to slow them. They'll expect us to run. We should make them bleed for it.
[Aegir chuckled again, though her gaze flicked to Vlad with a thin edge.]
Aegir: Perhaps our red wolf here still has some bite left. Can you manage that, Vlad? Or has Yggdrasil taken it all?
[Vlad's avatar leaned forward, eyes blazing.]
Vlad: Mock me again and you'll see how deep my fangs go. I'll oversee the relocation myself—and when we're done, I'll personally drag Yggdrasil back into the dark.
[Steag exhaled, trying to defuse the tension.]
Steag: Then it's decided. We move the remaining goods tonight. Each Arch handles their share. I'll send Dream Prowl as a screen.
Irisyvell: pLeasure Strike will deploy as well. But this time, no mercy. If the police interfere again, we erase their entire unit.
[The chamber darkened as one by one the avatars dissolved, leaving only the sound of static and Yvach's fading chuckle.]
[The virtual chamber flickered like a cold aurora, each Arch seated in their own shimmering projection. Where Seraph's throne once burned bright, only a dim, empty outline pulsed at the far end of the circle.]
[Caucus leaned back in his chair, reptilian eyes glinting in the holographic light. His own unit, Voracis, was intact and operating smoothly, but the absence of Seraph still gnawed at him. For all the chaos around the Seven, that missing presence made the chamber feel strangely hollow.]
Caucus:quietly, almost to himself Strange. Seraph is gone, and we're left without that edge. Voracis is fine — they've never failed me — but it feels like the spine of the Seven has shifted.
[Across from him, Aegir gave a humorless chuckle, the liquid silhouette of her avatar rippling like a wave.]
Aegir: Oh, please. You and your glum metaphors. Throneborne's absence doesn't change our plans. We move, as always.
[Irisyvell tilted her head, a small, knowing smile playing at her lips.]
Irisyvell: Focus on the living pieces, Caucus. Voracis is solid. Use them. Seraph's silence is their own problem.
[Steag, sitting cross-legged with arms folded, gave a small sigh and tried to ease the tension.]
Steag: We've all lost someone in one way or another. But the window's closing. If we don't shift the goods tonight, the police will hit us again.
[Caucus exhaled slowly, fingers drumming on the armrest before straightening his back and re-sealing his mask of control.]
Caucus: Fine. Relocation it is. Voracis will cover the southern route and keep the pressure off your transports."
[Vlad smirked darkly at the exchange, while Aegir's ripple of laughter carried across the chamber like mocking rain.]
[Steag pressed on quickly before the mood could fracture further:]
Steag: Then it's settled. Tonight the goods move. We strike before the Investigations Unit regroups.
[One by one the avatars dissolved into light, leaving only the faint outline of Seraph's empty chair pulsing at the edge of the circle.]
[Ren woke before the alarm even buzzed. Years of habit had his body moving before his mind had caught up — feet on the cold floor, hands bracing against the edge of the mattress. The dim grey of morning leaked through the shutter slats, turning the cramped room into lines of shadow.]
[He dropped to the floor and started his push-ups, slow and methodical. One. Two. Three. His breath came steady, but his thoughts refused to. By the time he switched to crunches and then to a hanging bar in the doorway for pull-ups, his muscles were warm and his head was full.]
[Every morning had been the same since he'd joined the Fiends: wake, train, eat, prepare for the next move. It was supposed to clear him; it always had. But today it didn't. Today the memory of Sera's eyes on the warehouse floor crept into every rep.]
Ren: Why did she shout that? Why didn't she just shoot me and end it…?
[He finished his sets, sweat running down his arms, then stood, rolling his shoulders. A kettle hissed on a single electric burner; he poured the water over instant coffee and sat at the tiny table. Across from him, the chair stayed empty.]
[On the far wall, his coat with the Four Fiends insignia hung like a flag of a country he no longer recognised. The TV screen on mute replayed clips of the Shibuya raid — blurred figures of police, crates being seized, a voiceover about "missing contraband" scrolling across the ticker.]
[He took a slow sip of the bitter drink.]
Ren: Still out there. Still unfinished. And Vlad will send me back into it soon enough…
[His hand clenched around the mug until his knuckles whitened. The routine went on, but the calm it once gave him was gone.]
[Ren's morning flowed on autopilot. After the coffee he laced up his running shoes and hit the back alley behind the complex, jogging through the pale streets while the city still yawned awake. Steam curled from the grates, pigeons scattered from the pavement, and his footsteps echoed off shuttered storefronts.]
[He kept his pace even, breathing in for four steps, out for four, like he'd been taught. The air was damp and smelled faintly of rain and exhaust. Normally he'd find that smell grounding. Today it only seemed to underline how far he'd drifted from the person he was supposed to be.]
[By the time he returned, sweat clung to his neck and collarbone. He toweled off, did a slow set of stretches, then sat cross-legged on the floor to cool down. His mind refused to empty.]
Ren: Her name isn't Yggdrasil anymore. Sera… She should've been an enemy. She looked right at me, and still she let me walk out.
[He opened his locker and stared at the neatly arranged gear — knives, comms, his mask, the long coat with the Four Fiends sigil folded beneath it. He closed it again before the memories could spill out.]
[A small cracked radio played low in the corner, tuned to some generic morning news: "…police still sorting seized items from last night's raid, with several shipments unaccounted for…" He turned the knob down until the voice was a whisper.]
[Ren poured a second cup of coffee, hands steady but jaw tight. Every movement — washing the cup, wiping the counter, pulling on a plain shirt — felt like a ritual to keep the noise in his head at bay. But the noise stayed.]
[He sat on the edge of his bed, elbows on his knees, staring at the floorboards. Outside, the city was fully awake now; horns and voices rose through the window. He still hadn't figured out what he was going to do next.]
[Ren sat there a long time, mug cooling in his hands, eyes unfocused. His muscles still hummed from the run, but the stillness of his apartment made the ache inside louder. You've always known which orders to follow. Why can't you even decide if you're still one of them?]
[A faint vibration crawled across the nightstand. He glanced over; his secure communicator pulsed a dim red. No name, just the usual encrypted channel ID. He let it buzz once…twice…before picking it up.]
[Vlad's voice, low and sharp, cut through the line.]
Vlad: Ren. Report. You disappeared from the fallback site. I want to know why.
[Ren pinched the bridge of his nose.]
Ren: I didn't disappear. I pulled the elites back before the cops boxed us in. You're welcome.
[A short, derisive laugh from the other end.]
Vlad: You sound just like her. Yggdrasil. Always playing hero. then the tone hardened Don't forget which side you're on.
Ren: I haven't. Yet.
[For a heartbeat there was only static. Then Vlad spoke again, more measured.]
Vlad: We've got fragments of our stock scattered all over Shibuya thanks to that raid. Aegir's team is already retrieving what they can. You will coordinate with them tonight. No freelancing.
[The call cut off before Ren could answer.]
[He stared at the blank screen a moment longer, thumb hovering over the power button. Then he set it face down on the table and let out a slow breath.]
Ren: Yet...
[The word hung in his head, heavier than it should have been.]
[He got up, poured out the cold coffee and stood at the window, watching the city churn far below.]
[For the first time in years, the thought didn't feel like a joke.]
[The safehouse was quiet in a way it had never been. No alarms, no coded comms, just the soft hiss of a kettle on the stove and the hum of an old ceiling fan. Kei was half-asleep on the couch, bandaged arm hanging over the side; Mio had finally let her hair down and was sprawled on a beanbag with a first-aid kit open beside her. Shizuka sat cross-legged on the floor, carefully re-wrapping Shirou's knee while he winced and tried to joke it off.]
Shizuka: Stop moving. she scolded softly You'll tear the stitches.
Shirou: You sound like Reina... he murmured, but his eyes were warm as he watched her fuss over him.
[Kei cracked one eye open and gave a weak grin.]
Kei: Couple's domestic scene in the middle of a warzone. How cute.
[Shizuka flushed, but didn't stop working.]
Shizuka: Shut up and drink your water, Kei. You're pale.
[Mio tied off Kei's bandage and added quietly.]
Mio: Half of SoveCle's toys are still out there. They'll come back for them.
[Shirou reached out and brushed Shizuka's hair back from her face.]
Shirou: All that matters is we're still alive. he said simply We'll figure the rest out.
[She leaned into his touch, eyes closing.]
Shizuka: We'd better. she whispered Because next time… it's going to be worse.
[Kei snorted from the couch.]
Kei: Then we train harder. Sleep first, plan later.
[The kettle clicked off. Someone poured tea. For the first time in days, the four of them felt almost like a family instead of a strike team.]
[Steam curled up from the mugs as they all sat in comfortable silence. Kei had already dozed off; Mio was scrolling absently through her phone, earbuds in. For the first time all night it was just Shirou and Shizuka looking at each other without noise between them.]
[Shirou shifted, testing his bandaged knee.]
Shirou: It's holding. he said with a little grin Guess I'll still be able to walk tomorrow.
[Shizuka's fingers lingered on his, hesitant.]
Shizuka: Don't push yourself. You saved me more times than I can count tonight.
[He chuckled and scratched the back of his neck.]
Shirou: Actually… speaking of tomorrow… I've been thinking. After everything, we deserve at least one normal day. What if we took a day off and just… went somewhere together?
[Her eyes widened slightly.]
Shizuka: Somewhere… like where?
[He hesitated, then smiled.]
Shirou: Remember the school garden? Back in high school — the first place we ever saw each other. I've been thinking about it a lot lately. We could go there. Or the riverside park where the festival lights used to be, or that old coffee shop by the station, or even the arcade we used to sneak into. Just… somewhere that's ours.
[Shizuka's expression softened, nostalgia flickering in her eyes.]
Shizuka: You still remember all of that?
Shirou: I remember everything about those days. he said simply And I'd like to go back with you — not as strangers passing each other, but as us, now.
[For a moment she was quiet, then she squeezed his hand.]
Shizuka: I'd like that too… but only after we finish this mission. No more running back into danger halfway through a date.
[He laughed softly.]
Shirou: Deal. Mission first. Then the garden.
[Her lips curved into a small, shy smile.]
Shizuka: Then it's a promise.
[Across the room Mio glanced up from her phone with a knowing smirk, but stayed quiet, letting the moment belong to them.]
[At the Shibuya Ward Police Department the Investigations Unit felt unusually quiet. The low hum of printers and the occasional ring of a phone were the only sounds filling the room.]
[Reina's chair at the end of the long desk sat empty; earlier that morning she had been called to a special Captain's Assembly downtown to debrief about the SoveCle raid. It meant, for the first time in weeks, the unit was without its captain's steady presence.]
[Sera sat at her usual workstation, long hair tied back, a pen between her fingers. She was reading through the thick stack of reports from the raid, marking corrections and cross-checking statements. Every so often her eyes would wander to the empty chair, then back down to the paperwork, her expression unreadable.]
[Across from her Ryou had kicked back in his seat, hands laced behind his head.]
Ryou: Feels weird without Captain barking at us. he muttered, a crooked grin on his face Like the teacher's left the classroom.
Shin: Which means no slacking off. she replied without looking up
[She was perched on the edge of a filing cabinet, flipping through an evidence log on a tablet. Her tone was cool but there was a trace of a smile at the corner of her mouth.]
Shin: We still have to process everything from the warehouse and coordinate with the other units.
[Ryou swung his feet down and reached for his own folder.]
Ryou: Yeah, yeah, I know. Paperwork isn't exactly my strong suit.
[Sera's voice cut through quietly.]
Sera: It's part of the job. We can't just fight; we have to follow through.
[Shin glanced at her, noticing how much calmer the former Yggdrasil looked compared to the night of the operation.]
Shin: You're different lately. she said softly In a good way.
[Sera didn't answer immediately, just pushed another finished report into the completed tray.]
Shin: We all change she said at last Especially after nights like that.
[The three fell into a rhythm — Ryou grumbling but doing his share, Shin double-checking evidence entries, Sera handling witness statements — the hum of the office slowly returning. The absence of Reina was obvious, but the unit was holding itself together.]
[Tokyo Metropolitan Police Headquarters – 9th-floor Conference Wing]
[The Captain's Assembly was already in progress when Captain Reina Kanzaki slipped into her seat. The long oval table was ringed with the heads of every major division: Captain Tatsuya Morimoto from Organized Crime Control, Captain Keiko Tanabe from Special Assault, Captain Daisuke Hayami from Cyber Investigations, and Captain Naomi Fukuda from the Intelligence Bureau. A giant digital display on the wall cycled through drone footage and heat maps from the SoveCle raid.]
Superintendent Hiroshi Takamura:
Captain Kanzaki, thank you for your quick response to last night's operation. We're here to assess fallout and decide the next steps.
[Reina Kanzaki sat straighter, her dark eyes steady.]
Reina: Our unit secured the warehouse. Most of the contraband was confiscated. However— she tapped a section of the map —several shipments were removed just before our arrival. We believe the SoveCle leadership anticipated a raid or had contingency plans.
[Low murmurs circled the table.]
Captain Keiko Tanabe: The news reports already calling it a success. How serious are the missing shipments?
Reina: Serious enough. Those goods weren't ordinary contraband. They're components that could be used for mechanical augmentation or weapons prototyping. If they're moved again we lose our lead on the higher-ups.
Captain Daisuke Hayami: We've traced fragments of their encrypted network to four separate storage nodes. We can hit one or two simultaneously, but we'll need cooperation from every unit here.
Reina: Then we coordinate it properly this time. The elite pawns are still active. They won't underestimate us again.
Captain Naomi Fukuda: Your unit's performance was impressive but unconventional. You deployed civilians — vigilantes — alongside sworn officers. That's not standard procedure.
[Reina met her gaze without flinching.]
Reina: They're not civilians in the ordinary sense. They have embedded intelligence and experience we couldn't duplicate in time. Without them we would have lost more personnel.
[The room went quiet for a heartbeat, the only sound the soft hum of the air conditioning.]
[Superintendent Hiroshi Takamura leaned forward, folding his hands.]
Superintendent Hiroshi Takamura: Let's move beyond last night. For the record, Captain Kanzaki, outline what we actually know about SoveCle from the beginning.
[Reina tapped her tablet. A timeline appeared on the display: black-market shipments, unexplained disappearances, coded messages.]
Reina: SoveCle began as a loose smuggling network five years ago, then consolidated under the Arches. Their operations stretch from Shibuya to Yokohama's docks and out into Kanagawa Prefecture. They're different from traditional yakuza groups — they're modular, tech-savvy, and use elite strike teams instead of street soldiers.
Captain Tatsuya Morimoto: They're also careful about their public face. Most fronts look like logistics or warehouse firms. By the time we get a warrant they've already moved on.
Captain Keiko Tanabe: So we need to predict where they'll be, not react after the fact. Your unit has inside knowledge, Kanzaki. That ex-member — Yggdrasil, wasn't it?
[Reina's expression didn't change.]
Reina: Officer Sera Kanzaki. Yes. She's provided intelligence on their structures and codenames. But the leadership adapts quickly, and she can't know every new cell they've built.
Captain Daisuke Hayami: If we combine her intel with our digital intercepts we can build a predictive model. We're already seeing data spikes around Shinagawa and Odaiba. Those could be the next transfer points.
Captain Naomi Fukuda: Then the key is simultaneous action. SoveCle survives because each Arch operates semi-independently. Hit them in one place and the others cover their retreat.
Reina: Agreed. We'll need decoys and misdirection to mask our movements. And better counter-intelligence to plug leaks. They're too well-informed.
Captain Tatsuya Morimoto: We also can't ignore their resources. Those 'elite pawns' you faced — that's not something normal criminals field. They're trained, modified, or both. If they're building more like them, we have a serious escalation coming.
Captain Keiko Tanabe: I propose we assemble a joint task force with the Self-Defense Forces' technical support for non-lethal countermeasures. Stun drones, portable EMPs, whatever it takes to level the field.
Superintendent Hiroshi Takamura: I'll bring that to the commissioner. In the meantime, Captain Kanzaki, tighten your unit. No unsanctioned moves. Coordinate with Morimoto and Hayami. If SoveCle's pattern holds, they'll try to relocate their remaining goods within 48 hours.
[Reina exhaled slowly.]
Reina: Understood, Superintendent Takamura.
[Meanwhile, Mio stood by the door of the apartment, already in a casual cardigan, her hair tied back.]
Mio: Kei. she called, holding up an empty tote bag We're out of half the fridge again. You're coming with me.
[Kei, sprawled on the couch scrolling through his phone, blinked.]
Kei: Eh? Why me? Ask Shirou—
Mio: Shirou's on mission prep and Ryokou's still asleep. You're the only one left.
[Mio cut him off. Her eyes narrowed just enough to make it clear this wasn't optional.]
[Kei groaned but pushed himself up.]
Kei: Fine, fine. Buy me red bean bread later.
Mio: Deal. she said, already pulling him toward the door
[Outside, the late-afternoon sun washed the Shibuya streets in warm orange. The neighborhood had the hum of normalcy that both of them hadn't felt in weeks: people walking dogs, the smell of bakeries, students chattering on their way home.]
[Kei stuffed his hands into his pockets.]
Kei: It's weird, you know. After everything at the warehouse, now we're just… buying eggs.
Mio: That's exactly why I want to. Mio replied Normal things remind you you're alive. she glanced at him Besides, you're hopeless at picking vegetables. This'll be fun.
[Kei smirked.]
Kei: Fun for you maybe.
[As they passed the little park where Shizuka and her once played when they were younger, Mio slowed down for a moment. The nostalgia of quieter times flickered across her face, but she didn't voice it.]
Mio: Let's get some snacks too. Everyone deserves something good tonight.
Kei: Okay, okay. You're the boss.
[They crossed the street together toward the supermarket's glowing sign, just two people in the crowd again — for a little while forgetting the chaos that waited for them back at HQ.]