Ka-nar didn't sleep that night.
Every time he closed his eyes, Satsujin's voice rang in his ears: "You can't always be saved." The memory of the exoskeleton's grinding roar and the phantom protector's chilling presence kept him awake. His room felt too small, too suffocating, like the city itself was pressing in on him.
At dawn, Ka-nar sat by the window of his cramped apartment. The neon signs outside flickered faintly in the misty air. His reflection in the glass showed tired eyes, dark circles, and the faint glow of the Neno Lens embedded at his temple.
"…Why me?" he muttered again, resting his forehead against the glass. "What's so special about this?"
As if mocking him, the Lens pulsed once—soft, blue.
---
The Digital Hunt
By morning, Ka-nar forced himself to focus. If what that agent said was true… then Sato Akira was the key.
He slid into his chair, powering on his old but heavily-modded terminal. The screen flickered alive with layers of encrypted windows. Ka-nar's fingers moved automatically, muscle memory from years of tinkering and diving into hidden networks.
"Alright…" he whispered. "Let's see who Sato Akira really is."
At first, nothing. Just blank corporate records, scrubbed histories, and redacted government reports. Whoever this was, they had erased themselves from the normal net.
But Ka-nar had the Lens.
As he leaned forward, his vision shimmered. A faint overlay appeared on the screen—lines of hidden data that no one else could see. The Lens was interpreting beyond the surface, pulling threads buried deep within the encrypted fabric.
A phrase surfaced, glowing faintly across the terminal:
"Project ME-REU."
Ka-nar's breath hitched. "…ME-REU?"
The Lens flickered again, offering fragments—blurred research notes, coordinates, faces half-hidden by static. One of the clearer fragments showed Sato Akira himself: a man in his late forties, sharp-eyed, with streaks of silver hair and a cold, analytical expression.
Ka-nar leaned closer, but the vision distorted before he could see more.
"Damn it," he cursed under his breath, gripping the sides of the desk. "What the hell are you hiding?"
---
The Lens Reacts
He pushed back, rubbing his temple. The glow of the Lens was getting stronger. He could feel it now—not just a tool, but almost alive, syncing with his thoughts.
Then it happened.
A pulse of energy surged through him. His vision blurred, his ears rang, and suddenly—he wasn't in his apartment anymore.
The world tilted.
---
Vision — A Future Not Yet Real
Ka-nar stood on a rain-slick street. Sirens wailed in the distance, lights flashing red against shattered glass. He looked down and saw his own hands—trembling, blood-stained. The Lens burned hot against his temple, overloading.
Across the street stood Ar-nuj.
But this wasn't the Ar-nuj he remembered. His childhood friend's eyes glowed with something unnatural, his body wrapped in an advanced exoskeleton far more terrifying than Satsujin's crude version. A black aura pulsed around him, heavy and suffocating.
"Ka-nar…" Ar-nuj's voice was twisted, mechanical, yet pained. "…you should've never accepted it."
Before Ka-nar could speak, Ar-nuj raised his hand. A blast of energy tore through the street, sending Ka-nar flying.
The vision snapped.
---
Back to Reality
Ka-nar jolted upright, gasping for air. His chair clattered backward as he stumbled away from the terminal, clutching his chest. His entire body trembled, drenched in cold sweat.
The Lens dimmed, cooling down as if nothing had happened.
Ka-nar leaned against the wall, his mind reeling. "What… was that?"
He knew it wasn't just a hallucination. The Lens had shown him something—something that hadn't happened yet.
"…Ar-nuj," he whispered, his throat dry. His childhood friend, the one person he still trusted… was the enemy he'd have to face?
The thought cut deeper than any blade.
---
Unanswered Questions
Ka-nar sat in silence for a long time, staring at his trembling hands. Every instinct told him to throw the Lens away, to destroy it before it ruined his life further.
But another voice inside him whispered: If you give it up now… you'll never know the truth.
He thought of Satsujin's words. Of the phantom protector. Of the mysterious Project ME-REU. Every thread was connected, and the Lens was the knot at the center.
Finally, Ka-nar clenched his fists. "…No more running."
He turned back to his terminal, eyes burning with determination. "If the Lens is showing me pieces of the future… then I'll use it. Even if it kills me."
The Lens pulsed faintly, almost in agreement.