-----
-----
Erik stared at the belt in his hands without saying a word.
Dan took his hands off the keyboard and smiled.
"Remember what I said the responsibility of a Kamen Rider is?"
Erik nodded seriously.
"To protect humanity's freedom. But… you know, I'm not even fully human. I'm a half-vampire, I—"
Dan waved him off.
"Hold up. Let me tell you a story."
"A story? Now you feel like telling stories?"
Dan looked at the frustrated Erik and said calmly:
"It's the story of how Kamen Riders began."
Erik stiffened, then sat down beside him, quietly listening.
Dan's eyes narrowed as he recalled the tale.
"It all started with an organization trying to conquer the world using cyborg tech..."
He began with the story of Hongo Takeshi—Kamen Rider 1. A cyborg who broke free of Shocker's mind control. A man who lived in darkness to protect the people in the light.
As Dan spoke, Erik was completely absorbed. He never imagined the origin of Kamen Riders was so tragic and dramatic. The first Rider wasn't just a warrior—he was a modified human burdened with sadness. Enemy and ally shared the same roots. He wore a mask to hide his sorrow.
Dan's expression turned somber.
"If Hongo had a choice, do you think he would've agreed to become a cyborg?"
Erik opened his mouth but couldn't answer. He just shook his head.
No? Or… he didn't know?
But Hongo never had a choice.
"The first Kamen Rider was born from tragedy. Kamen Rider 1 was just one of many cyborgs made by Shocker. And yet, he turned that power meant for destruction into something that could protect.
Enemy and ally with the same origin—that's the essence of Kamen Riders. It's their fate.
Later, more Riders came—each from different backgrounds, with different stories, and different powers. But all of them… ended up walking the same path: to protect."
As he spoke, Dan seemed to hear echoes of voices in his ears:
"I want to protect everyone's smile..."
"Protect the future..."
"I don't have a dream, but I can protect other people's dreams..."
Dan looked at Erik and let out a long breath.
"You're different from me. I became a Rider halfway through. But you—you're a half-vampire who's always been fighting to protect humans from other vampires. What are you missing to be called a Kamen Rider?
Just a belt. And I gave it to you.
Now… do you still think you're not worthy?"
Erik clenched the belt tightly in his hands.
"I get it now. I'll carry the responsibility that comes with the title of Kamen Rider."
Dan stood up and gave Erik a pat on the shoulder.
"Alright, go get some rest. I'll tweak Ixa's system a bit more. Our enemies are multiplying, and we're still nowhere near strong enough."
In the lab, several 3D projections hovered in front of Dan. Lines of data were packed tightly across the displays.
"Where is it? Where the hell is it?"
He kept digging, searching for the answer to Ixa's overload issue.
"Come on, think! You call yourself a diehard Kamen Rider fan—what would Megumi Aso from the show do to fix Ixa's problem?"
His fingers tapped rhythmically on the desk, faster and faster...
"Smack!"
He slammed the desk.
"In the Kiva series, they never actually explained how Ixa's problem got fixed, but in the storyline years later, the side effects were gone. So what changed between the old Ixa and the newer one?"
The thought sparked something in Dan's mind. Ideas started flowing like a busted dam.
"Burst Mode!"
His slender fingers flew across the virtual keyboard at lightning speed.
Kurum, watching from the side, couldn't help but smile at Dan's excitement.
"Looks like he finally found a fix. Classic Dan—never lets you down."
The next morning.
Erik woke up and noticed the lab lights flickering non-stop.
"What's going on? What's Dan doing this early?"
Still groggy, he walked into the lab—only to find Dan hunched over a computer, frantically typing away. From the look of him, he probably hadn't slept all night. His messy, greasy hair glinted under the light, and the 3D monitors were filled with code Erik couldn't even begin to understand.
"Dan? What the hell happened to you?"
"Erik?! Perfect timing—quick, give me the belt! I've figured out the solution!"
Dan didn't even turn around as he asked for the belt.
"You actually found a fix?!"
Hearing that got Erik hyped too.
Dan turned to him briefly, the dark circles under his eyes looking like they were painted on, and shot him an impatient glare.
"Hurry up. I still need to test a few parameters with the belt. You won't be able to use it for the next two weeks, but trust me—when it's ready, the new Ixa will blow your mind."
Erik didn't even hesitate. He handed the belt over.
Two weeks without Ixa's power? Big deal. He was hunting vampires before Dan even showed up.
As Dan hooked a mess of wires up to the Ixa belt, he spoke again.
"Oh, right—I made a few little gadgets for you to use while Ixa's out of commission. They won't be enough to kill a Fangire, but they should help you hold your own."
He pressed a button on the desk, and a panel on the wall slowly opened, revealing a gun mounted on a rack. It was blue and white with a golden X insignia.
"This is the Ixa Holy Blade—custom-made to go with the Ixa system. I modified it so you can use it even without suiting up. But hey, watch out for the recoil."
"Holy Blade? This thing's clearly a gun."
Erik picked it up and examined it. Yeah, the design was a bit odd, but it was definitely just a gun.
Dan rolled his eyes, snatched it back, and gave it a flick—shing!—a blade popped out instantly.
He tossed it back to Erik.
"It's got a bunch of hidden features. Figure it out yourself. Unless it's an emergency, don't bother me for the next half month."
"....."