With the Chimera Strain eradicated, Atlantis begins to rebuild. Souden Damu, before returning to Japan, has a secretive conversation hinting at deeper council agendas and the need to keep Moksh in the dark. While the team celebrates their victory, they are left with a lingering sense of mystery and the knowledge that unseen forces are still at play within the Paranormal Council.
The city, a bruised phoenix, was slowly rising from the ashes of chaos. The tremors had subsided, the smoke dissipated, and a fragile semblance of normalcy was creeping back into the lives of its inhabitants. Yet, for Moksh, the quiet was a deceptive veil, a prelude to a storm brewing within the confines of his own mind.
His room, a sanctuary of scattered papers and flickering screens, held the weight of untold secrets. The rhythmic click of his keyboard was a counterpoint to the anxious cadence of his phone call with Tara. Her voice, usually a melody of warmth, was laced with a palpable tension.
"Moksh, you need to come back," she pleaded, her voice trembling. "I can't bear this uncertainty. It's…it's suffocating. You're always busy, always distant. I feel like I'm losing you."
"Tara, my sweet sister," Moksh reassured, his voice a low, soothing rumble, "no one can steal your brother from you. I won't let them."
"Just…come back soon," she whispered, the line going dead.
Moksh's gaze returned to the laptop screen, the ghostly image of Professor Kazuto Kirigaya looping endlessly. The professor's final message, a cryptic confession of responsibility, was a puzzle box, its pieces scattered across the digital landscape. Moksh had spent days dissecting the video, running it through every conceivable program, searching for hidden layers, for the truth that lay buried beneath the surface.
A sharp knock echoed through the room, shattering the silence.
"Who is it?" Moksh asked, his voice sharp.
"It's Albert," came the reply.
"The door's open."
Albert, Grandmaster Elias's loyal aide, entered, his eyes scanning the room with a practiced efficiency.
"Grandmaster Elias wants to see you," he announced, his tone devoid of warmth.
"Tell him I'm busy," Moksh replied, his eyes glued to the screen. "I'll be there shortly."
"Busy? You've been staring at that laptop for days. This isn't just 'busy,' Moksh. You're defying a direct order."
"I've found something," Moksh said, his voice laced with urgency. "Something about Professor Kirigaya."
He played the professor's video for Albert, the confession echoing in the room. Albert's face grew pale, his eyes widening in recognition.
"If we'd had this earlier…" he began, his voice trailing off. "S.S. Peterson wouldn't have…he wouldn't have lost his first case."
"Forget the past," Moksh interrupted, his voice sharp. "Focus on what Kirigaya is saying. He's admitting responsibility."
"Yes, but…he's saying he's responsible for his own actions," Albert said, his voice laced with confusion. "He's saying he made a mistake."
"He died saving me," Moksh said, his voice thick with emotion. "His body…it was never found. The paranormal entity…he burned everything."
"Yes, it could be evidence," Albert conceded. "But what about the diary? Did you find anything?"
"An encrypted file," Moksh replied, his eyes gleaming with excitement. "A close look…it's a note."
Albert leaned closer, his eyes scanning the cryptic message on the screen.
"From seed of thought, a tower grew, in lands of rising sun's soft hue. A final gate, where wisdom slept, was breached, and then the master wept. What journey's end, where pupil's might, eclipsed the source of guiding light?"
"It's a riddle," Albert said, his voice laced with confusion.
"Professor Kirigaya loved riddles," Moksh said, his voice a low growl. "But what does it mean? 'Seed of thought'? 'Tower'? 'Rising sun'? 'Final gate'? 'Master wept'? 'Pupil's might'?"
He ran a hand through his hair, his mind racing, trying to decipher the cryptic message.
"I've been trying to solve it for days," he said, his voice laced with frustration.
Another knock echoed through the room. Albert opened the door to reveal Pragya, her eyes filled with a quiet sadness.
"Grandmaster Elias wants to see Moksh," she said, her voice soft.
"I told him," Albert said, his voice laced with exasperation. "He's…he's busy."
"He needs to see him now," Pragya insisted, her eyes pleading.
Moksh sighed, the weight of the unsolved riddle pressing down on him. He knew he couldn't ignore the Grandmaster any longer.
"Alright," he said, rising from his chair. "Let's go."
As Moksh followed Pragya, a chilling thought pierced his mind. Kirigaya's riddle, a seed of thought, a rising sun... was it a map? A map to what? And who was the weeping master? The question remains.