The rain had barely stopped when Ka-nar stepped off the tram.
The towering skyline of Shinjuku's Corporate District loomed ahead, glowing with advertisements and holograms that danced across the fog. Among the shifting neon signs, one caught his attention immediately:
"Neno System Lens — Shaping the Future of Vision."
The name alone was enough to make Ka-nar's chest tighten. Neno Lens. The device embedded in his temple carried the same word. It couldn't be coincidence.
He adjusted his hood and moved with the crowd. Surveillance drones floated overhead, scanning every passerby. Ka-nar lowered his gaze; the Lens pulsed faintly as if it sensed the machines watching.
---
Entering the Tower
The Neno System Tower was impossible to miss. A monolith of glass and steel, stretching skyward like a blade, its facade reflecting the city in fractured patterns.
Inside, the lobby gleamed with polished marble and holographic displays showing the company's products—consumer lenses, military prototypes, data-enhanced optics. None of them looked like the one Ka-nar wore. His Lens was older, rawer, far more advanced.
He walked to the reception desk, trying to act casual.
"I'm here… for an interview," he lied smoothly.
The receptionist, a polite woman with a mechanical voice undertone, scanned him with her own company-issued lens. For a moment Ka-nar feared she'd see through him, but then she nodded.
"Please wait. Someone will escort you."
Ka-nar sat in the waiting lounge, his nerves taut. His eyes kept drifting to the massive holo-banner across the lobby wall:
"CEO — Sato Akari."
His blood ran cold.Sato. The son of Sato Akira.
---
Meeting the Protector
Minutes stretched into hours. Employees passed by in sleek uniforms, their steps brisk, their conversations hushed. Ka-nar tried to blend in, but then—
Flicker.
The world around him shimmered. Just like before, when the Lens had dragged him into a vision.
Ka-nar froze. Everyone in the lobby blurred, their voices fading into static. From the corner of his eye, a figure appeared.
A man cloaked in shadow, face obscured, standing where no one else seemed to notice. His presence was overwhelming, heavy, like standing near a storm.
"You shouldn't have come here, Ka-nar."
The voice was deep, calm, and terrifyingly certain.
Ka-nar's fists tightened. "Who… are you?"
The figure stepped closer, his silhouette flickering as though he wasn't fully part of this world. "Some call me the Protector. Some call me a ghost. To you, I am the line between survival… and annihilation."
Ka-nar's pulse pounded in his ears. "Are you the same one who fought Satsujin?"
The man tilted his head. "I warned you once. You chose to ignore it. And now… you walk into the mouth of the beast itself."
---
The Warning
Before Ka-nar could answer, the Protector raised his hand. Instantly, the Lens at Ka-nar's temple pulsed in sync, reacting as though bound to the man's very will. A rush of visions threatened to spill into Ka-nar's mind, but the Protector stopped it with a single motion.
"Do you even understand what you carry?" His voice echoed, splitting across the empty lobby. "This Lens is not a tool. It is a lock—and every time you use it, you are turning the key."
Ka-nar swallowed hard, trying to steady his breathing. "Then tell me. Tell me what Sato Akira has to do with this. Why does his son run this company?"
The Protector's form shimmered, his voice lowering. "Sato Akira created the research that birthed the Lens. His son… inherited the ruins of that obsession. But the true secret lies not in the company you see… it lies in Project ME-REU."
Ka-nar's chest tightened. The same name the Lens had shown him before. "What is Project ME-REU?"
The Protector's form began to fade, the static of reality tearing at his edges. "Find the truth if you dare. But remember this—every answer will demand a price. And when you face him… I may not be there to save you."
Ka-nar took a step forward. "Face who? Sato Akira? Or his son?"
But the Protector was already gone.
The lobby flickered back to normal. People moved around Ka-nar as if nothing had happened. His hands were trembling, his breath shallow.
---
The Unseen Eyes
Above him, high on the glass balcony, Sato Akari watched.
The young CEO leaned against the railing, sharp features illuminated by the glow of his own Lens. His smile was faint, calculating.
"So…" he murmured. "The subject has finally walked into my domain."
Beside him, a group of corporate security officers waited, all wearing prototype exoskeleton frames under their suits.
Kiyoshi's eyes narrowed as he looked down at Ka-nar, who was still catching his breath in the lobby below.
"…Father," he whispered, "your legacy is about to awaken."