The scene opens in a desolate, silent cemetery on the outskirts of Tokyo. The air is cold, smelling of damp earth and the metallic tang of dried blood.
Akos is there. He is a ghost of his former self, his body still covered in the grime and gore of the battle. His clothes are shredded, and the deep wounds on his arms and chest haven't even begun to heal properly. He is hunched over a hole, his movements slow and agonizing. Each time he drives the shovel into the dirt, he winces, but he doesn't stop.
The first rays of the morning sun begin to bleed over the horizon, casting long, pale shadows across the rows of headstones. Akos pauses, leaning on the shovel to catch his breath, staring up at the rising light with hollow eyes.
He climbs out of the pit and approaches a black body bag resting on the grass. With surprising gentleness, he lifts it and lowers it into the grave. He stands over the edge, looking down at the bag. He grips the handle of the shovel, his voice cracking with a weight that no physical wound could match.
"Thank you, Huga," he whispers.
He begins to throw the earth back in. The sound of dirt hitting the plastic bag is the only noise in the cemetery. After what feels like an eternity, the task is done. The mound of earth is fresh and dark against the grey morning.
Akos jams the shovel into the ground next to the grave. He stands there, framed by the rising sun, his silhouette dark against the orange sky.
"Ah... thanks again, Huga," he murmurs, his head bowing. "I'm so sorry... I'm sorry I couldn't protect you."
He reaches into his pocket and pulls out the motorcycle key—Huga's key. The metal glints in the sunlight. Akos stares at it for a long moment, his thumb brushing over the worn surface.
"This belongs to you," he says softly. "I can't take this. I have no right."
He kneels slowly, his joints protesting, and places the key carefully on top of the fresh soil. It sits there like a small, silver monument.
Akos stands up. He takes one last, long look at the grave, his face a mask of pure, silent grief. Then, without a word, he turns his back on the sun and begins to walk away, disappearing into the morning mist.
House 45
Akos stands before the gate of House 45, a broken shadow of a man. His clothes are stiff with dried blood, and his face is a mosaic of deep lacerations and purple bruising. He looks like he crawled out of a nightmare. He presses the doorbell with a trembling hand.
The door swings open, and Maria stands there. "Eh? Damn..." she gasps, her voice failing her. She is paralyzed by the sight of him. She reaches out to touch him, to see if he's even real, but Akos ignores her. He pushes past into the house, strips off his ruined jacket, and throws it onto the table before heading straight for the bathroom.
He stares into the mirror. Every scratch, every burn, every drop of blood tells the story of the void he created.
Suddenly, the door opens. Sora walks in. Akos snaps his head toward her, his eyes weary. "Eh? What are you doing here? And what's with those boxes... why are you carrying boxes full of Monkeys?"
Sora doesn't look at him. She sets the boxes down with practiced precision. "Don't touch your wounds," she says calmly. "Those aren't just physical injuries; they are saturated with Nature Energy. That's why I have to use PAJOHA-OPPOSITE PAIN."
"What is that?" Akos rasps.
"Just stay quiet," she replies. "My ability allows me to heal and increase someone's energy using oxygen and nature." Akos stares at her in shock, but suddenly, Sora starts to laugh. "Hahaha!"
"What? Why are you laughing?!"
"Sorry, sorry! Hahaha! I don't even know why I told you how I get the energy, but okay."
Sora's hands begin to glow with a soft, pulsing light. She hovers them near his body. "The scratches on your face are nothing," she notes, her tone turning serious. "But the damage inside—your back, your legs—is brutal." She places her right hand near Akos and her left near one of the monkeys in the box.
"I still don't understand," Akos mutters. "What are you doing to them?"
"PAJOHA-OPPOSITE PAIN," Sora explains as she works. "It is the ability to move pain—and then heal it, but by transferring it. I can move it from your body to another point, or from your body to another living being. I can even take it into myself to protect you. The pain becomes energy, like fluid Ninjitsu, flowing through the air, oxygen, light, and temperature. I'm moving your agony into these monkeys."
Akos feels his muscles begin to loosen. The white-hot throbbing in his spine starts to fade into a dull hum. "Vanessa brought me here," Sora adds, answering his unspoken question.
"Why did she bring you here? And what do you want from us?" Akos asks, his voice rising with sudden irritation.
Sora pauses, her expression softening. "I am a Sorcerer. I know you don't remember me because the Fake World has erased your primary memories."
"I don't care if you're a Sorcerer!" Akos shouts, his voice cracking with a mix of anger and fear. "Why can't anyone understand? Life doesn't give you a second chance! Death is the end! It's over!" He glares at her, his chest heaving.
Sora looks at him with profound sadness. "I'm sorry..."
"Sorry for what?! Why are you apologizing?!" Akos snaps. "I don't want to lose anyone else. You're going back to SINISH. I don't care what you say!"
Sora doesn't argue. She quietly begins to pick up her boxes to leave. Akos takes a deep, shaky breath, the silence of the room weighing on him. He looks up at her, his anger vanishing as quickly as it came, replaced by exhaustion.
"Sorry... for reacting like that," he says quietly.
Sora stops and looks back at him. She gives him a small, gentle smile. "It's no problem at all. Take a hot bath. You need to calm your mind."
She turns and walks out, leaving Akos alone with the steam and his memories.
kos steps out of the steam, his body feeling strangely light after Sora's treatment, though the memories of the void still weigh heavy on his chest. He makes his way down to the massive subterranean bunker owned by Vanessa.
The space is buzzing with activity. Vanessa is perched in front of a wall of monitors, her eyes scanning the news. Yuzana is hunched over a laptop, with Sora and Maria leaning over his shoulders, analyzing data. Jin is focused on a meal, trying to regain his strength, while Ronika stands near the back, staring at the massive missile Vanessa has somehow managed to house inside the bunker.
Akos walks toward the sofa. He reaches out a hand and gently strokes a mane of snow-white hair. The girl looks up, her eyes widening as she realizes who it is. It's Ruka.
She leaps up, nearly knocking Akos over as she throws her arms around him. "My sweetheart! I missed you so much!" she cries, a radiant, tearful smile breaking across her face. Akos doesn't say a word; he simply rests his hand on her head, grounding himself in her presence.
"I thought you died that day," Ruka sobs, her voice trembling. "When I saw your body on the floor... I thought it was over. Then, a few hours ago, before the FAKE WORLD shifted, I sensed you were alive. I wanted to break you out, but they caught me."
"Everything will be fine from now on," Akos promises softly. "I promise." He leads her back to the sofa and sits beside her.
Suddenly, a sharp laugh rings out from the monitors. Vanessa is cackling. Akos looks at her, his brow furrowing. "What's so funny?"
"Look at the news!" Vanessa points at the screen. "They're calling the center of Tokyo a 'terrorist bomb attack' with biological weapons. Hahaha! And that giant snake? They're telling the public it was just a massive balloon designed to cause panic. Can you believe the lies this government tells?"
Ruka huddles closer to Akos as Vanessa turns her chair around, her expression suddenly turning grave.
"Listen, Akos. We have a massive problem. Since we rescued Ruka, THE BODY OF NATURE—Ibaraki, I believe you've met him—has sent word. He wants us to go into a massive Rift (The Hole) to retrieve a specific material. It's the key to breaking the FAKE WORLD from the inside, not the outside."
"You said there was one problem," Ruka interrupts. "What's the other one?"
"The Sorcerers," Vanessa sighs. "30% are dead. 40% have retired or quit. We are the remaining 30%."
Akos's eyes harden. He doesn't care about the statistics or the politics anymore. "It doesn't matter. Just tell me where this hole is."
Vanessa stands up and pulls over a tactical board, pinning a map to it. "Actually, the hole is just outside Tokyo, but it's not stationary. It changes its location constantly. It 'spawns' in the city and literally swallows buildings, streets, and people whole."
"Inside the hole," Vanessa continues, "we will find trapped people and distorted architecture. The one ruling it is the DEVILS MONSTER. He is one of the most powerful devils in existence. He's wiped out dozens of villages in Africa and Asia, and levelled cities in Russia. He is essentially the 'Second Controller' of devils because he has the power to turn humans into monsters. The material we need is a Purple Crystal located at the core."
Akos stands up immediately, his gaze fixed and lethal. "Fine. Tell me exactly where it is. I'm going."
The room goes silent. Ruka and Vanessa stare at him, completely shocked.
Ronika turned with fury, her voice harsh. "What the hell are you saying, you idiot? You think you can just do everything yourself?"
Akos didn't answer her. He looked at Ruka and said, "Take care of your little sister."
"Guys, calm down," Ruka pleaded, stepping between them. "This is no time for fighting."
"I'm going with Akos, period," Jin declared firmly.
"No one is coming with me. Do you understand?" Akos replied, his voice cold.
"Oh my god," Vanessa sighed. "You always refuse to work as a team."
Akos stared at her but remained silent. He turned back to Ronika. "Can you please not interfere with what I'm doing? I have my own reasons."
Ronika became even more enraged. "Who do you think you're talking to, you piece of trash?" She moved to attack him, but Ruka held her back.
"You'd better grow your hair long again," Akos told Ronika. "With it short, you look too much like your older sister."
"What the...?" Vanessa yelled. "Now I have every right to be angry! We are talking about such a dangerous mission and you're commenting on whether her short hair makes her look like her sister? Akos, sometimes you really go too far!"
She turned and shouted to Yuzana, "What's the status with the others?"
"Valentina and Alexandra sent a message," Yuzana replied. "They found a retired sorcerer, but he refused to help. Riko has gone to talk to him now."
"Alright, listen to me carefully. This is what we're going to do," Vanessa said, grabbing her pen and moving to the board.
"Ronika and Jin, you will go to South Tokyo. Based on the analysis Yuzana and I have done, in a few days—maybe even sooner—Tokyo will burn. SWORD FIRE, which has about 5,000 members as far as I know, is going to attack Tokyo. It's going to be a war. We have to stop it now."
"Maria and Sora, your job is to find and release the rest of the Sorcerers trapped in the 'Fake World.' Three of us aren't enough for what's coming."
"And Akos and Ruka, you two are going to The Hole. I don't want to hear any refusals. Our enemies are planning things so fast; they are one step ahead while we are miles behind. The threats are everywhere, and everyone has their own target. Don't forget that THE HOLY BLOOD, the CIA, and the KGB have their eyes on us. They will either kill us or capture us."
She raised her voice, glaring at Akos. "And we have another new enemy now. PUBLIC HIGH: SUPERNATURAL and the PRIVATE DEFENSE HUNTER DEVILS are targeting us because our 'friend' here destroyed a huge area. These organizations belong to the government. We don't know what kind of power they have, but they have terrifying people who aren't afraid of anything."
She took a deep breath, trying to recover after laying out the stakes.