Days after the robbery, peace returned to the Mary Orphanage. Since the orphanage had only been a peripheral victim in the chaos, it quickly faded from public attention.
In a small upstairs room, a sharp-eyed boy sat in a worn-out chair, an aged parchment scroll clutched in his hands. This was Kurogai, and the scroll he held had been seized from Hydra's operatives.
If Hydra had gone so far as to organize a squad just to steal this, it had to hold some hidden value. For that reason alone, Kurogai had been obsessively examining it for the last two days, hoping to uncover its secret.
But so far, he'd found nothing.
Whatever was inscribed on the parchment—it wasn't in any known language, and it didn't match anything he remembered from the Marvel universe. This scroll, it seemed, existed outside the canon he once knew. An anomaly.
"Forget it," he muttered, placing the scroll aside. "If it's important, I'll figure it out eventually."
Kurogai leaned back slightly, his thoughts drifting to something even more pressing—his Eye ability.
He'd spent much of the last few days trying to understand the "Ultimate Eye," the source of his evolving powers. It wasn't something he could afford to ignore. In a world like this, power was survival.
From what he'd learned so far, each "Eye Ring" was unlocked under different conditions—emotional triggers, specific actions, even certain achievements. The first ring, which granted him the Geass Eye, had been activated through intense emotional turmoil. But the criteria for unlocking the next one? That remained a mystery. It might involve taking lives, gathering wealth, earning notoriety—there was no consistency.
The Ultimate Eye didn't talk. That much was clear.
It wasn't some guiding force or spirit. It didn't whisper clues or explain itself. It was like a machine—cold, mechanical. Meet the requirement, get the reward. That simple.
Still, Kurogai was starting to understand a few key things. Eye techniques could evolve. The current Geass Eye was basic—useful only against people with weak wills. Against someone like Professor X? Useless. Worse than useless—it could backfire.
He needed to grow stronger.
He needed to push the Geass Eye to its full potential—until even the most powerful minds would fall under his command with a glance.
"To upgrade it… I need more emotional triggers," Kurogai mused aloud. "Strong, raw emotions."
He leaned forward, eyes narrowing slightly.
"Natasha… where are you?"
He wasn't ashamed to admit it—being around Natasha had triggered something in him. Excitement. Embarrassment. Curiosity. Confusion. Intensity.
Emotions.
And if emotions were the fuel for power… then getting closer to Natasha was a necessity.
"I'm not doing this to mess with her," Kurogai said to himself, sighing. "This is about strengthening the Geass Eye."
Though even he wasn't sure if he fully believed that.
Just then, faint footsteps echoed from the hallway beyond his door. It was late—long after curfew. Everyone in the orphanage should've been asleep.
Kurogai's expression hardened.
He reached under the bed and quietly pulled out the pistol he'd taken from the robbers. The magazine clicked into place with a soft snick.
Late-night footsteps? Unlikely to be a thief. More likely… Hydra.
After all, if their agents had failed to return, they'd eventually come looking for what had been stolen. Kurogai had expected this. In fact, he'd been waiting.
"They're here," he murmured, eyes narrowing.
But he wasn't afraid. If Hydra had come to retrieve the scroll, they'd need to confront him directly—and once they stood in front of him, it would already be too late.
A faint glow sparked in his eyes. The inverted V symbol—sharp and distinct—flashed red across his pupils.
Geass: Absolute Command.
Kurogai stood, calmly setting the pistol aside. He stepped into the open and returned to his chair in the center of the room.
"Let's not drag this out," he muttered. "Show yourself."
He raised his voice slightly, directing it toward the door. "Since you've come this far… don't be shy."
The door creaked open.
A gloved hand appeared first—followed by a tall, silent figure. The man who entered had eyes like winter—cold, steady, emotionless.
Hydra had come.
And they were walking straight into Kurogai's trap.
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