The room did not exist.
It had no windows.No doors anyone could remember entering through.No coordinates that could be written on a map.
And yet, it was real.
A vast circular chamber carved into something older than concrete, older than steel. The walls were smooth and black, absorbing light rather than reflecting it. Thin lines of pale white symbols—ancient, angular—ran across the floor in concentric circles, pulsing faintly like a restrained heartbeat.
At the center stood a table.
Not round.
Decagonal.
Ten seats.
Each seat was distinct—its shape, its material, its presence subtly different, as if tailored to the nature of the one meant to occupy it.
Nine were filled.
One was empty.
The air was tense.
Not with anger.
With unease.
A woman sat in Seat Three, her posture relaxed, one leg crossed over the other. Her silver hair was tied back neatly, her expression sharp and openly disdainful.
She clicked her tongue.
— …So the beast hesitated.
Her voice dripped arrogance.
— I warned you this "Zero" anomaly was escalating faster than projected.
Across from her, in Seat Seven, a massive figure leaned forward, elbows on the table. His body was wrapped in crude bindings, scars crawling across exposed skin like trophies. His eyes burned with feral excitement.
— Hah… good.
A savage grin split his face.
— Let it break. Let the world scream. I want to see how long the leash lasts.
A sharp sound cut through the air.
— Enough.
The voice came from Seat Five.
The figure there was completely still.
Eyes closed.
Head slightly tilted, as if listening to something none of the others could hear.
A blindfold covered their eyes.
Their mouth never opened.
The words echoed directly inside the room, precise and emotionless.
— This is not entertainment.
Seat Seven snorted.
— Says the one who doesn't see the blood.
A ripple of tension spread.
In Seat Nine, a thin man flinched visibly. His fingers trembled as he adjusted his glasses again and again, breathing shallow.
— We… we shouldn't have activated the beast so early… this wasn't supposed to happen yet…
Seat Three shot him a venomous glance.
— If fear was lethal, you'd have been dead years ago.
The man shrank back, swallowing hard.
At Seat Four, a woman with dark skin and long braided hair leaned back, arms crossed. Her eyes were sharp, calculating, but her expression remained unreadable.
— Mock him all you want, she said calmly.— The leash was damaged.
Silence.
That word mattered.
Seat Three's smile faded.
— Damaged… how?
At the far end of the table, Seat Ten remained empty.
The absence was loud.
The symbol above it flickered erratically, unstable, as if whatever was meant to sit there refused containment.
Seat Seven glanced at it and laughed low.
— Still not here, huh?
His tone was mocking, but there was something else beneath it.
Unease.
— That one never listens.
In Seat Two, a tall woman dressed in white slowly raised her head. Her eyes glowed faintly gold, pupils dilated like an animal's.
— Silence.
Her voice carried weight.
— We are not here to provoke each other.
She turned toward the head of the table.
Seat One.
Unlike the others, the chair at Seat One was simple.
No ornamentation.No excessive design.Just a solid black seat, perfectly aligned.
The figure seated there had not spoken yet.
Black hair, neatly tied back.Posture straight.Hands resting calmly on the table.
When he lifted his gaze, the room stilled.
Even Seat Seven shut his mouth.
— Report, he said.
The voice was calm.
Controlled.
Not loud.
But it carried.
Seat Four exhaled slowly.
— The Zero disrupted the control syntax.— He did not destroy the beast.— He rewrote a fragment of the command.
A murmur rippled through the room.
Seat Three's fingers tightened.
— Rewrote…?
Seat Five's blindfolded head tilted slightly.
— Impossible.
Seat Two narrowed her eyes.
— Not impossible.
She looked directly at Seat One.
— Just… unprecedented.
The man at Seat One closed his eyes briefly.
— So he can read it.
No question.
Just a conclusion.
Seat Nine swallowed hard.
— If… if he can interfere with control structures… then… then he could—
— Stop, Seat Nine, Seat Three snapped.— You're embarrassing yourself.
But even she couldn't hide the tightness in her jaw.
Seat Seven leaned forward eagerly.
— So what? We hunt him now?
A slow smile crept across his face.
— I'll tear him apart myself.
Seat One opened his eyes again.
They were cold.
— No.
The word cut cleanly.
Seat Seven froze, grin fading.
— …No?
— Not yet.
Seat One's fingers tapped the table once.
— The Zero has crossed a threshold.— Killing him now would waste the data.
Seat Three scoffed.
— You sound almost impressed.
Seat One looked at her.
She stiffened.
— I am interested.
A pause.
— And cautious.
That word landed like a blade.
Seat Five spoke again, voice echoing softly.
— The beast hesitated.
— Yes, Seat One replied.— And that hesitation is contagious.
He leaned back slightly.
— For the first time… the system felt resistance.
Seat Two's gaze darkened.
— The others will sense it.
— They already are, Seat One answered calmly.
The symbol above Seat Ten flickered violently, cracking the light around it.
Seat Four spoke quietly.
— Then we proceed to Phase Two.
Seat One nodded.
— Activate the contingency.
Seat Nine's face went pale.
— You mean… that?
Seat Seven laughed again, this time louder.
— About damn time.
Seat Three crossed her arms.
— And the Zero?
Seat One's gaze sharpened.
— We observe.
He paused.
— And we prepare.
Silence fell again.
Then Seat Two asked the question no one else dared.
— And what of you?
Seat One looked down at his hands.
For a moment—just one—something unreadable flickered behind his calm.
— I will handle the Zero personally… when the time comes.
He lifted his head.
— He will learn who truly stands at the top of this hierarchy.
The symbols on the floor pulsed once.
Hard.
Seat Four lowered her voice.
— Then we are agreed.
Seat One nodded.
— The Ten move.
Seat Seven cracked his neck eagerly.
— Good.
Seat Three smiled thinly.
— Let the anomaly grow.
Seat Five went silent again.
Seat Nine trembled.
Seat Two watched everything, memorizing.
Above Seat One, a symbol ignited fully for the first time.
Two circles.
Side by side.
Horizontal.
An imperfect infinity.
Seat One spoke one final time, voice devoid of emotion.
— The Zero believes he broke a leash.
A faint, dangerous smile touched his lips.
— He does not yet understand…— that some chains are worn willingly.
The lights dimmed.
The room dissolved.
And far away, unaware of the truth bearing down on him, Kaito slept uneasily—his left eye twitching, symbols crawling through his dreams.