Tokyo – 5:58 AM
The black car tore through Minato-ku, its engine snarling against the silence of dawn. Rain from the night before still clung to the pavement, reflecting the pale glow of neon signs that hadn't yet been switched off. The air carried two scents that didn't belong together: the sweetness of melonpan drifting from a bakery unlocking its shutters, and the faint smell of iron tang of blood...
Inside the car, silence pressed down like a weight.
Leo clutched the flash drive, its pulse faint but insistent, like a heart that wasn't his.
Jace's thoughts raced through his brain. His chest burned. He wanted to speak, but the words stuck like glass in his throat.
JACE (thoughts) She died for this. If I lose it, I lose her all over again.
Jace's voice was low, cracked.
JACE "She promised she'd protect me. And she broke it.."
He slammed his fist against the door.
"I won't let them cage us again. Not ever."
Leo sat rigid beside him, fists clenched, eyes sharp but hollow.
Whiskers crouched on the center console, tail flicking, claws tapping in restless rhythm. His voice was sharp, deliberate.
WHISKERS "Focus. Grief later. Survival now. If they finish syncing, Hollow collapses."
Rook's hands gripped the wheel, knuckles pale, his gaze locked forward.
ROOK "You want to argue philosophy, do it after we're not being hunted. Right now, I drive. You fight."
For a heartbeat, Tokyo looked ordinary.
A baker, Takumi Komugi slid trays of steaming bread into the display window, humming softly.
KOMUGI (setting the tray down, smiling to himself) "Alright… nice and warm. Hope everyone gets a good start today. Bread's no good sitting here — it's meant to be eaten."
Across the street, a mother tugged her daughter along, the girl dragging a nuigurumi rabbit by its ear. A man in a suit adjusted his tie, muttering about being late. A cyclist pedaled past, earbuds in, humming along to J‑pop.
Girl (clutching her stuffed toy, eyes sparkling at the tray) "kaa-chan, look! The melonpan is smiling! Can we get one? I'll share with you!"
Then the sky screamed.
A shriek tore down from the clouds — metallic, sharp, unnatural, with symbols all over it.
The first drone dropped, wings unfolding like blades. Its sensors glowed red. Komugi froze. The man in the suit stumbled back, briefcase clutched to his chest. The mother shoved her child into a doorway, shielding her.
MOTHER (whispering) "Not now, Miyu.."
The drone fired.
The blast wasn't fire. It was pressure. The street buckled, glass trembled, and then silence. A single bread roll rolled across the pavement, leaving a trail of crumbs until it stopped against a curb
ROOK (muttering) "Tokyo mornings are supposed to be quiet.
Rook swerved, tires screaming.
ROOK "Guess we're rewriting the schedule."
Leo slammed against the seat, clutching the drive tighter. His chest hammered.
LEO (thoughts) "They're here again? I thought we ditched them… Guess they're coming back for more."
Another drone descended, weapons humming. The girl's nuigurumi caught a spark — its ear curled black. She cried out, clutching it tighter.
MIYU (crying) "Kaa‑chan, they're being mean to Mochi! Don't let them take him!"
She said, holding on the rabbit tight.
JACE (snapping) "They're herding us. Not chasing. Angles, patterns, weak points — I see it. Every move is a cage."
He leaned forward, voice sharp.
JACE "Rook, cut left. Don't give them the rhythm."
Whiskers crouched low. '
WHISKERS "You think this is a game of angles? They're syncing to the drive. If they finish, Hollow dies. You break the rhythm, they break the world."
JACE (furious) "You talk riddles! I talk survival!"
WHISKERS (snapping back) "Survival without Hollow is just dying slower!"
Rook cut into a side street. Sparks flew as the car scraped a wall.
ROOK (growling) "Both of you shut up. I don't care if it's magic or math — I'm keeping us alive."
The scanner blinked red. The drive glowed brighter, alive.
The car burst onto Aoyama-dori. Civilians scattered. Neon signs flickered overhead, one sputtering out, leaving half the block in shadow.
A drone fired. One bolt clipped the roof. Another hit the trunk. Smoke poured out.
ROOK (under his breath) "You want us? Earn it."
The blast that followed bent the air itself. Neon lights stuttered, a traffic signal swung wildly, its green glow cutting through smoke like a ghost.
Leo's chest hammered. He looked at Jace — his friend's face streaked with sweat and dust, eyes blazing with fear and fury.
He remembered the trail:
SHADOW LEO "You say you believe in this… but you didn't believe in yourself before the book. You thought you were just some awkward kid no one noticed.."
SHADOW LEO "And deep down..."
his double leaned closer, eyes burning like fading embers,
"you still do."
SHADOW LEO "You think people only like you if you're useful,"
SHADOW LEO " You hide behind laughter and smiles. But when things get hard? You wonder if you're a mistake. If you're not smart enough. If you're not strong enough. Not brave enough. Just… a broken mistake of an echo of who you were meant to be"
SHADOW LEO "You laugh even when it hurts,"
the double scoffed.
SHADOW LEO "You wanted to disappear at some point, remember? Because you were afraid no one would care. Afraid you'd fail. Afraid you'd disappoint everyone."
BACK TO PRESENT
LEO (thoughts)"They don't care who they hurt. Children, citizens, anyone. If I let them win, I'm no better than the mistake that the shadow said I was."
The car roared forward. Drones swarmed. Tokyo woke up to war.
Komugi stumbled back into his shop, blood streaking his sleeve where glass had cut him. He didn't look at the drones — he couldn't. His eyes were locked on the bread scattered across the floor, absurdly fragile against the chaos.
KOMUGI (whispering) "My bread… my bread…"
The man in the suit crouched behind a vending machine, heart hammering. A can burst from the machine, rolling endlessly across the pavement. He stared at it, hypnotized.
KENJI (thoughts)The rattle's louder than my breath. This isn't real. This is a movie. No — it's worse. Far worse
Aya shoved Miyu deeper into the doorway, shielding her with her body.
AYA (shouting) "Hashirenaide! Koko ni ite, Miyu!" (Don't run! Stay here, Miyu!)
Miyu's eyes were wide, tears streaking her cheeks. She clutched the rabbit tighter, its ear curled black.
MIYU (thoughts) "If I hold Mochi tight, maybe it won't burn more."
Back in the car, Rook slammed the brakes, swerving around a delivery truck that had jackknifed in panic. The driver inside was screaming, pounding the horn, but no one heard him over the shriek of drones.
SHINJI (voice cracking, almost sobbing):"Yamete… yamete yo! Ore wa… ore wa shinitakunai! Tasukete… onegai da…!" (Stop… stop it! I… I don't want to die! Help… I'm begging you…!)
ROOK (spitting) "Damn it."
Rook slammed the accelerator. The car shot forward, weaving through chaos.
The drones weren't just firing blindly. They moved with precision, weaving between buildings, wings slicing through signs and cables. One skimmed so low its sonic pulse shattered a row of vending machines. Cans burst out, rolling across the street in every direction. A single can spun endlessly, its metallic rattle echoing louder than the screams.
Kenji crawled forward, reaching for his briefcase. A drone's shadow passed over him. He froze, sweat dripping down his face.
KENJI (thoughts) "If I move, I die. If I stay, maybe I live.."
Aya clutched Miyu tighter. Mochi's ear smoldered.
Miyu whimpered.
MIYU (whispering) "Mama… it hurts…"
Leo's breath came ragged. He wanted to scream, but the sound stuck in his throat. He looked at Jace then Rook.
LEO (thoughts)"They look so brave compared to me... What if i really am just dead weight?"
Another drone dropped low, slicing through the air. Its weapons locked. Civilians screamed. But this time, after the blast, there was no sound. Just the eerie sight of a traffic light swinging back and forth, its green glow cutting through the smoke like a ghost.
Tokyo wasn't asleep anymore. It was wide awake, and it was burning.