The rain hadn't stopped.
It came down in walls of grey, drowning the smoldering bones of Project ZERO beneath its cold deluge. Lin stood alone in the ruins, the pendant still clutched in his hand, its once vibrant core now dimmed to a dull crackle. His black coat sagged under the weight of water, his shoulders hunched from exhaustion, grief, and something deeper—a silence that filled the space where his soul had once lived.
From behind him came the crunch of boots against scorched steel. Mao emerged through the mist and smoke, carrying a datapad, his eyes unreadable behind his glasses.
"Do you even know what you've done?" Mao asked, voice sharp, not from anger—from fear.
Lin didn't move.
"Time is dead. The lab is destroyed. The fragment is gone. And Hina… she's in a coma. You didn't just break protocol, Lin. You broke the future."
The pendant pulsed faintly in Lin's hand.
"I made a choice," he said, barely audible over the rain.
"You made the wrong one," Mao snapped, stepping closer. "We needed that data. We needed the relay intact. You let emotions dictate a mission meant to protect billions."
Lin turned to face him. His eyes, once vibrant with calculated rage, now shimmered with something far more human: regret.
"Rune smiled before she died. Not because I saved her. Because she saw me. That moment... was worth everything."
Mao's expression faltered.
"You think sentiment will shield you from what comes next? Asetter activity is rising. Gates are pulsing across Tokyo-9, Yokohama, even New Seoul. With Project ZERO gone, we have no anchor. No containment."
Lightning split the sky above. Lin flinched.
"Then we build something new. Without chains. Without monsters like Time."
Mao shook his head, then turned and walked off into the darkness.
Lin stood for a long while.
Alone.
---
Years Earlier – Rooftop Memory
It was summer.
He and Rune lay side by side on the flat roof of their orphanage. The stars blinked above like distant promises. Rune hummed a song he could no longer remember, her fingers drawing constellations in the air.
"That one looks like a wolf," she said, pointing.
Lin tilted his head. "Looks more like a frying pan."
She laughed. "You have no imagination."
"You have too much."
Rune turned toward him, eyes solemn. "You always protect me. Even when you were scared. Even when the others said we should forget. You held on."
Lin looked at her. She was so small. So fragile.
"I don't want to be a weapon," she whispered. "Promise me you'll never become one either."
He hesitated. Then linked his pinky with hers.
"I promise."
---
Now – Safehouse 7C, Western District
The interior lights buzzed softly. Lin sat motionless on the sofa, still drenched from the rain, a towel forgotten on his lap. His pendant sat on the table before him. He hadn't spoken since returning.
Misaki stepped in quietly, carrying a warm cup of tea. She set it down, then sat beside him.
"You did what you thought was right," she said.
"Was it?"
She looked at him, truly looked. "She knew you were there. Rune. She saw you. That's what mattered."
He didn't reply.
Misaki reached out and gently touched his hand. "You didn't fail her, Lin. You saved what was left of her. And you saved yourself."
A tear slid down his cheek, the first since everything fell apart.
---
Taskforce HQ, Unification Tower, Sector Zero
A massive briefing chamber echoed with cold authority. Seated around the table were five commanding officers, faces blurred on the digital feed. At the center stood a woman in a high-collared uniform, her silver-black hair braided with a military pin. Her name: Yumi Kisaragi.
One of the commanders leaned forward.
"By order of Directive 04: Asetter Management, we are restructuring."
Another voice followed. "Yumi Kisaragi, you are hereby appointed Chief Officer of Taskforce Aegis."
Yumi nodded. "Acknowledged."
"You are to lead operations against rogue Asetters, unknown Contractors, and unstable Gates across all sectors. Priority target: The Black Reaper, formerly BKA-201. Dead or alive."
Her eyes narrowed.
"Permission to apprehend him alive, if possible?"
"If he resists, eliminate him."
Yumi nodded once. "Understood."
As she exited the chamber, a shadow stepped beside her.
"Lin was your friend once," said Nel, now her second-in-command.
"That was another life," Yumi replied.
---
The Storm Moves On
That night, Lin stood once more beneath the rain. The skyline of Neo-Tokyo shimmered with blue gates in the distance, pulses of cosmic force stretching through reality.
The pendant in his hand flickered one final time, then died.
Misaki joined him in silence.
"They'll come for you now," she said.
"I know."
"Will you run?"
"No. I'll rewrite it. All of it."
The rain whispered over broken earth.
He looked at the sky, and for a moment, the stars seemed to watch him.
To be continued...