The Neno System Lens building towered over Tokyo's skyline, a glass monolith that reflected the city's neon glow. By day, it looked like just another futuristic tech giant's headquarters—but by night, it became something else entirely.
Ka-nar walked silently through the dim-lit hallway, his breath shallow under the faint hum of security drones that hovered at regular intervals. He had slipped in disguised as a late-shift technician, but he knew his time was short before someone noticed his clearance badge wasn't real.
" This company's name… it's too close to the Neno Lens I received. There's no way it's a coincidence," Ka-nar thought, his heart racing as he slipped past a restricted doorway.
The room he entered was colder than the rest of the building. Rows of old filing cabinets and encrypted servers lined the walls. It was unusual—most corporations this advanced relied entirely on digital archives. The fact that they kept paper files meant only one thing: secrets they couldn't risk being hacked.
Ka-nar put on the Lens. Immediately, faint lines of glowing text shimmered over the files, as though guiding him toward one drawer in particular. He hesitated, then pulled it open.
Inside were documents yellowed with age. The first one caught his eye instantly:
> Subject: Project Neno Lens
> Founder: Dr. Sato Akira
> Acquisition Method: UNKNOWN
Ka-nar's eyes widened. Underneath was a photograph—a younger Sato Akari, holding what looked exactly like the Lens Ka-nar now wore. But the strangest part was a note attached with a paperclip. The handwriting was messy, rushed, but his breath stopped when he read the name written across it:
"Karn Pathak"
His own name. Written years before he was even born.
Ka-nar's pulse hammered in his ears. How could Sato Akari know about me? He's Real Name?
He flipped to the next file. Technical blueprints spread across the pages—sketches of the exo-skeletons. Not the polished military-grade models the Akuma Gang used, but rough, early prototypes. Beside them were reports signed by another scientist: Dr. Hiyoro Goto.
The reports were heavily censored, but one phrase was underlined multiple times:
> Exo-Skeleton Model V8 — unstable neural feedback, risk of permanent damage to the host.
Ka-nar's stomach churned. Satsujin had been using that exact model.
As he reached for the next set of documents, a faint click echoed in the silence. Ka-nar froze. The Lens pulsed a red warning—movement detected.
He quickly shoved the files back and crouched in the shadows. Through the narrow crack of the door, he saw a familiar figure step into the archive room. Cloaked, aura faintly shimmering—the Protector.
The man's presence was heavy, commanding, as though the shadows themselves bent around him. He scanned the room slowly, then spoke without turning his head.
"You shouldn't be here, Ka-nar."
Ka-nar's heart stopped. He was hidden. There was no way the man could see him—yet he knew.
"Y-You…" Ka-nar stammered, stepping out from the corner, clutching the files tightly. "Who are you? Why do you keep following me?"
The man's masked face tilted slightly. "I told you once—I am your protector. For now, all you need to know is this: these files… they're dangerous. You're not ready for the full truth."
Ka-nar's grip tightened. "Then tell me why my name is written in a file that existed before I was born!"
A pause. Even through the mask, Ka-nar felt the weight of the man's silence.
"…That is something even Sato Akira could never answer. The Lens did not come from him. It came from… somewhere else. A place no human should reach."
Ka-nar's chest tightened. "Then why is Sato's son running this company? What is he hiding?"
The Protector finally stepped closer. "You'll find your answers, Ka-nar. But tonight—survival is more important."
Suddenly, alarms blared across the building. Red lights flashed, and security drones whirred to life. The Lens displayed a warning:
INTRUDER ALERT – LEVEL OMEGA.
The Protector grabbed Ka-nar's arm. "They know you're here. If you want to live—follow me."
And with that, the two vanished into the maze of shadows, as the entire company's security forces mobilized against them.