"We must understand this," Lucas said. "Analyze first, then move. We already caused a fuss when we killed those two men. The underground shouldn't be interfered with, and we are doing exactly that—so we must make our moves carefully. Do you understand, Rui?"
Rui clenched his fists tighter and nodded, jaw working as if he were holding a storm inside.
"Okay, then. Clear these bodies," the man shouted, voice ragged with triumph. "Place the sword back inside the coffin."
He laughed hysterically; the sound ricocheted off the damp walls, a jagged thing that left dust trembling in its wake. "Good news — from today our product will expand even into Koha. More money." The words fell like coins, cold and hollow.
Rui stepped forward, dressed like the other workers in a black shirt and black pants. Feigning fear, he spoke softly, "If I may… I have a doubt. Which product are you talking about?" His breath fogged faintly in the stale air; every muscle was coiled, watching.
The man looked at him closely, pupils narrowing with predatory interest, voice intimidating. "What do you mean, which one?"
"D-did I say something wrong? Montak told me—"
Flashback.
They sell three products across three nations: Doer, Velvet, and another. Doer — the elixir (a highly addictive drug). Velvet — women/humans. The land of Ymir — weapons.
Rui's forehead beaded with sweat. Was I wrong? The thought tasted bitter.
As the man stepped closer, his presence felt heavier, like a pressure on the chest. Rui readied himself to counterattack; his fingers twitched around an invisible hilt.
"Of course we will sell our number-one product—the king of all items: the Elixir." The declaration landed like a blow.
"Alright, sir," came the trembling reply.
"Anything else?" the man asked, sweat beading at his brow, voice thin.
"N…no, sir. Sorry." Rui turned and walked away, every step measured. His fake smile dissolved into an indescribable rage. He clenched his right hand; veins stood out like cords. His eyes burned red with cold fury. So you've spread this virus in Velvet and now want other countries to suffer as well. I will kill you with my own hands—first I must catch that Hem Decker, Rui thought, teeth bared against the thought.
---
In Koha, Prince Yami Shinzowa — commander of the Blood Force — had a task from his father, King Ahara: seize the land of Akuma by force.
King Ahara's gaze was sharp and chilling, like a blade turned inward. "The revolutionaries have burrowed into our ranks," he said calmly, voice low and dangerous. "It's best we remove them — and soon."
Yami and his men reached the area that should have been Akuma, but found only desert wind and swirling sand — no city. The horizon shimmered, heat and memory mixing together.
"My lord," one soldier said hesitantly, throat tight, "have we taken the wrong route?"
"No," Yami replied, confident and low. His voice was a cold current. "It always seems like nothing… until there is." He lifted his foot, kicked the ground, then stepped back as if waking something sleeping.
"What do you mean?" the soldier asked, breath hitching.
"Now you see." Yami's voice turned as cold as the stone; the earth split open with a groan. They peered down and saw the hidden city — the land of Akuma — its rooftops glinting like a swallowed sun.
"Soldiers, bring the defender to the first row," Yami ordered, tone iron. "When you jump, jump together. The defender will use his Command. Do you hear me?"
"Yes, sir," came the chorus, fear braided with resolve.
Without hesitation, Yami leapt into the crack.
The men followed as instructed. The defender used his Command, but Yami was beyond the shield's edge — falling at a speed that would kill anyone, like plummeting from the sky into a void.
When the soldiers hit the ground they were shaken but uninjured; their legs trembled as if from cold. The air tasted of dust and shocked silence.
"Commander Yami! Are you all right?" they shouted, panic raw in their voices.
"Is he dead? He's dead! No one survives that height!" some cried, voices breaking.
Then the fog lifted like a curtain.
"Why the hell aren't you moving? And why were you shouting 'dead' so loudly?" Yami asked, amusement edged with steel.
"We thought you were dead," a man stammered, shame burning his cheeks.
"When I landed, I didn't stop — I kept moving forward," Yami said with a hint of a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "I saw no one, so I came back. You thought I was dead because of the fog. Hilarious."
"But a man can't survive that fall without protection," another protested, voice small in the cavernous space. "We saw you using no Command."
"Do I really need to, fools?" Yami replied, impatience like a coiled wire. "When you circulate Code energy through your body and organs, you don't need such measures. This lesson is for later. For now — move. Let's go."
The soldiers moved forward with sharp eyes, burning gazes, and faces unbothered. There was a hush of purpose about them. Why? Because they were moving forward. "The Balance is carrying them," the thought whispered through the ranks like a benediction.
---
Elsewhere, the king was preparing to descend into the deepest underground.
"Lucas, we have to go," Rui said, voice low and urgent, the kind that vibrates in bone.
"Where?" Lucas asked, brows drawn tight.
"To the depths of the underground."
"Rui, I've always followed you, but this is too far. Even I won't speak of the depths — it's a curse that should be forgotten." Lucas sounded older for a moment, the laughter gone.
"You don't understand. We need to go."
"I don't know what you're talking about. The place you speak of doesn't exist."
"But it does — because I, the king, am telling you it does."
"Fine. You can go. I shall not attend."
"Enjoy your comfort. When the war breaks, you will be the one who suffers."
"And when I go alone, you'll cry over my corpse…"
"Don't," Lucas interrupted, voice hard. "I've told you many times — never joke about that. I will not tolerate nonsense. Fine, you want me to come? I will. But remember: once we enter the depths, there are only two ways out — come back as monsters, emotionless and stripped of humanity, or dead."
"Fine. I'm ready. But I promise to not lose my humanity."
While Rui and Lucas prepared to descend, far away in another nation…
"Have we all set?" a man in a long coat and hat asked, the smoke of ambition curling from him. His black curly mustache twitched; a scarf was wrapped around his wrist like a noose.
"Yes, lord Sai," replied another, his face dusty and hollow-eyed. "When do we start?"
"Not now," Sai smiled coldly, a smile that bit. "But soon. Velvet — I'm coming. Rui, your end is near."
"Yeah," the other agreed, voice low as gravel. "We shall — but not now."