Hideo, Mira, and Isadora continued forward, retracing the passage they had entered earlier. The deeper they went, the more the surroundings seemed to close in on them. Thick roots and warped wood jutted out from above, crept along the walls, and even twisted through the ground beneath their feet, forcing them to step carefully with each stride.
"When will we see the light of the sun?" Mira asked, her gaze drifting over the dim, overgrown track as she scanned for any sign.
"What do you mean, Chief? We already have the sun right here." Isadora pointed at Hideo, whose head gave off a warm glow from the Lion Medal.
"Ha ha, very funny." Hideo let out a dry, unamused laugh. "Never mind that. Are you sure we are on the right track?"
Isadora raised both hands in a casual shrug.
"I am ninety-nine point nine percent sure, partner." She crossed her arms and nodded to herself as if sealing her own confidence. "Oh, right. I almost forgot. My package is arriving tomorrow."
"That is not relevant right now," Hideo muttered with a sigh. "You said something dangerous is in here, yet you are acting like the complete opposite."
"Ohhh, spooky. Shiver me timbers." She exaggerated her expression, placing a hand against her cheek like an overdramatic thumbnail pose. "Besides, you and Chief Kamiunten are here, so whatever we are tracking is nothing… probably."
Without missing a beat, she mimicked holding an instrument, spinning around as though she were already performing.
"I cannot wait to play that sanshin I bought," she added, humming to herself.
Mira's ear twitched slightly at the mention of the instrument. She glanced toward Isadora, interest flickering across her face.
"You wanna play that?" Mira asked, stepping into the conversation.
"Yup. I am excited to try it out for the first time and actually learn." Isadora snapped her fingers and looked back at her, catching the subtle shift in Mira's tone. "You know it, Chief?"
"Know it?" Mira let out a small scoff, a hint of nostalgia creeping into her voice. "I used to play it when I was a kid. I still pick it up from time to time, though not as often as back when I was still a brat." She folded her hands behind her head as she walked, her expression softening. "I was raised in Okinawa, so that is why my family had plenty of them lying around, most of them gifts from my grandmother."
"So you are Okinawan," Isadora mused, piecing together a thought as she recalled something she had seen before. "From what I know, the elders there are ridiculously resilient. I have never seen it in person, though, only online."
Mira let out a laugh, her posture relaxing as she walked. "That, I can confirm as fact. My grandmother can still pull off a triple backflip and carry heavy loads with a huge smile on her face."
"Peach user?" Isadora asked, tilting her head.
"Nope."
"Damn, she is just built different," Isadora said, clearly impressed.
"Yeah, even I am baffled, and I am her granddaughter." Mira grinned, a hint of pride slipping through. "I got my personality and stubbornness from her, so I cannot really complain."
Their conversation carried on as they leapt over another hollow in the uneven ground, landing with practiced ease. The further they went, the more Mira found herself talking about her life before she became a soldier.
As she had said, much of who she was came from her grandparents. That fierce, unyielding spirit had driven her into the streets in her youth. She had not simply joined a biker gang; she had formed one herself. Because of that, she had built an infamous reputation among people her age. Anyone who dared challenge her ended up the same way as those before them.
For a long time, she remained undefeated.
Until one girl changed that.
"You were actually a delinquent, Chief?" Hideo asked, genuine surprise in his voice as he continued walking ahead without turning back. "No offense, but I thought your outfit was just your style. The way you act now does not really give that impression."
Mira shook her head, slipping her hands into her pockets.
"Yeah, full-on bosozoku. I am just toned down compared to before, but I can still throw hands when needed." Her eyes briefly lit up with that old fire before dimming into a frown. "That said, the undefeated record of mine ended a long time ago because of Kyouka."
The memory surfaced vividly. The first time she met Kyouka, she had been beaten so thoroughly that it burned itself into her mind, something she knew would stay with her until the day she died. That loss had sparked a rivalry that still lingered even now. Not long after that encounter, both of them ended up joining the Defense Force, as if fate had decided to keep throwing them together.
"Speaking of Chief Uzen, it is kind of unexpected that she is the competitive type," Hideo said. "She does not really look like it to me."
"Trust me, looks can be deceiving," Mira replied with a tired sigh. "Kyouka acts serious most of the time, but if you get close enough, you start seeing her other side."
She paused for a moment, then shifted the topic with a small hum.
"Oh yeah, when I first heard your name, I thought you were part of a biker gang too," Mira said, glancing toward Hideo. "I mean, this is my first time ever hearing the term Kamen Rider."
Isadora began elbowing Hideo in the back the moment Mira brought that up, a mischievous grin spreading across her face.
"Yeah, not much of a rider if you do not even have a motorcycle or a horse to ride, right, partner?" she teased, completely ignoring the annoyed sigh that escaped him.
Hideo exhaled, clearly used to her antics by now.
"Well, the one who came up with that name is standing right here, so ask her." He jerked his thumb toward Isadora.
Before their conversation could settle back, both Hideo and Isadora came to an abrupt stop. Mira, caught slightly off guard, lightly bumped into Isadora's back. She was about to question them, but the words never made it past her lips. The shift in the air was immediate, heavy, and unmistakable.
They soon spotted a faint light ahead. What stood out even more, however, was the scent that came with it. It grew stronger with every step they took, sweet and almost inviting. Yet instead of easing their nerves, it only made Hideo and Mira more cautious.
Isadora cracked her neck and gave a light hop, rolling her shoulders as if preparing for what lay ahead.
"Well, that was a quiet and peaceful walk," she said, stretching her arms forward toward Hideo. "But from here on out, brace yourselves. It is better to see it with your own eyes than hear it from me."
Hearing the shift in her tone, Mira and Hideo exchanged a brief glance. No words were needed. A simple nod was enough. They pressed forward. Step by step, they moved closer, the light swallowing them little by little. Their footsteps echoed softly, each one marking the seconds as Hideo finally reached the end of the passage.
He took one last step.
Then he froze.
His eyes widened as he stared ahead, silent, trying to process what lay before him.
"What is wrong?" Mira asked, curiosity pulling her forward. She stepped beside him, only to fall just as silent.
Before them stretched a vast cavern.
At first glance, it seemed almost serene. Dozens upon dozens of leafless trees filled the space, their branches heavy with Peaches. The sight alone would have been normal here in Mato, even mesmerizing.
But that was not what held their attention.
At the center of it all stood something grotesque.
It resembled a plant, at least in structure. Green in color, with leaves and thick stems twisting into one another. Yet its surface was marred with sickening red patches, swollen and uneven, like a festering fungus that had grown out of control. The thing pulsed faintly, as if it were alive in a way that plants should never be.
The vines they had encountered earlier were not random growths at all.
They were its limbs.
They writhed and coiled around the leafless Peach Trees like serpents, slithering with disturbing intent. Some pierced directly into the Peaches themselves, embedding deep as if feeding. Others stretched outward and anchored into the cavern walls and ceiling.
And above them, the ceiling glowed.
A strange light source spread across it, illuminating the entire cavern, casting long, shifting shadows as the vines moved below.
The deeper they looked, the more the beauty of the place twisted into something deeply wrong.
"What—"
"The—"
"—hell is this crap?!" Mira and Hideo shouted in unison, both pointing straight at the thing.
Out of everything Mato had thrown at them before, whether it was Shuukis, Peaches, or even those Humanoid Variants, this easily took the crown as the most disturbing. No comparison came close. Even the way Isadora had described it earlier failed to capture just how surreal and wrong it felt to witness it in person.
========
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They dropped down into the cavern.
Mira immediately pulled out her phone and began taking pictures, documenting everything with sharp, practiced movements, while Hideo cautiously moved closer, studying the monstrous growth in front of them. Strangely, the vines paid them no attention at all. They continued writhing and feeding as if the trio did not exist.
At the center, the plant they had unofficially named Thorn, courtesy of Isadora, pulsed steadily. Each beat felt deliberate, almost aware, as though something inside it was breathing.
Hideo stiffened, a chill running down his spine.
"It feels like it is staring at me," he muttered, his voice uneasy. "I cannot believe I am saying this, but I would rather get beaten up by a psycho like Shikoku than deal with this… whatever kind of Lovecraft crap this is."
"You are telling me," Mira replied, her brows furrowing as she tilted her head, scanning every corner she could. Her eyes moved from the vines to the trees, then back to the grotesque core at the center. "This looks like something straight out of a nightmare."
Places like this, hidden away and filled with Peach Trees, were already old news. Discoveries like that had long since become routine. But something like this growing at the center of it all was a first.
Mira had never heard of a case like this before. Not once.
If she had to guess, it might be the result of Mato's negative miasma warping the environment, forcing some unnatural mutation into existence. Still, speculation would only go so far. They needed proper investigation if they wanted real answers.
Stepping closer to the so-called Thorn, Hideo slowed. His hand hovered just inches away from one of the grotesque red patches, hesitation rooting him in place. His mind raced through possibilities, wondering if even the slightest contact might trigger something.
Beside him, Isadora leaned in casually, examining it with far less restraint.
"Told you. It looks like something the Umbrella Corporation would make," she said with a shrug, brushing her hair back. "It seriously feels like something you would fight in Resident Evil."
"No kidding," Hideo replied, his tone dry. "It looks exactly like an enemy you would run into in a video game."
Beckoning him over, Mira motioned for Hideo to come closer. She crouched beside something that immediately felt out of place, her eyes fixed on it. Hideo followed and knelt next to her, his gaze narrowing as he saw what had caught her attention.
A mask.
Or rather, half of one. It had no mouth, its lower portion completely absent. Yet somehow, if a mouth were added, it would not look out of place on a Shuuki. The resemblance was quite uncanny.
"You think this is a Shuuki, Chief?" Hideo asked, keeping his voice low.
"At this point, I kind of wish it was," Mira replied, studying it carefully. "At least that would make things easier to explain, even if it still looks completely different from anything I have fought before."
She reached down and tried to pick it up.
It did not budge.
There was resistance, subtle but firm, like it was rooted into something beneath the surface. Mira frowned and tried again, putting a bit more force into it this time. When it still refused to come loose, Hideo stepped in to help, gripping the edge alongside her.
They attempted to pull it.
However, out of nowhere, the cavern trembled.
Both of them froze in place as a low, rumbling vibration spread through the ground, traveling up their legs and into their bones. Before they could react, the mask in their hands twitched.
Then its eyes snapped open.
A dark red liquid seeped from the corners, trailing down like tears of blood. The moment it moved, it slipped from their grasp, dropping just enough to reveal something far worse.
They leapt back instinctively, their heads snapping upward as the truth revealed itself.
The mask had a neck.
A long, twisted neck that stretched upward, connecting directly into the mass of the Thorn. Halfway along that neck hung a grotesque body, limp yet undeniably attached, with malformed arms protruding from its back like broken branches.
A sickening crack echoed through the cavern as the thing began to move. Its body twisted unnaturally, bones snapping and grinding as if they were being forced into place. The sound alone was enough to send a chill crawling down the spine.
The head turned. Still weeping that thick, crimson fluid, it stared down at Mira, Hideo, and Isadora.
Then it screamed.
A sharp, high-pitched shriek tore through the cavern, piercing and inhuman.
At once, the vines reacted. Those embedded in the walls, the ceiling, and even the Peach Trees tore themselves free, writhing violently as they rushed back toward the central mass. The entire cavern seemed to come alive, converging toward the creature as if answering its call.
"Time to bail, then," Isadora said with a laugh. "Good luck, you two."
Without waiting for a response, she dashed off and leapt onto a jagged rock formation near the highest point of the cavern. Settling into a comfortable seat, she looked down at the scene below, as if she had just secured the best view in a theater.
Her eyes locked onto Hideo and Mira, who remained where they stood, facing the abomination they had just awakened.
"Maybe we should have kept our hands to ourselves, Chief," Hideo muttered, extending his claws as they gleamed.
Mira cracked her knuckles, striking her fists together once, then again.
"Too late for that," she replied, her tone turning serious and resolute.
Behind her, multiple figures began to form. One after another, her clones materialized, standing in formation like silent soldiers awaiting command.
"It is either we die, or this thing dies. There is no in between."
Both of them took a deep breath, steadying themselves as the creature let out another piercing shriek. The sound echoed violently through the cavern, rattling the walls and shaking loose fragments of stone.
Its vines lashed outward, all of them orienting toward the two intruders. At the same time, its grotesque arms rose high, spreading wide like the wings of some fallen demon preparing to descend.