The rain above was heavy. It hammered against the street grates. It flowed down into the dark.
Kaito stood knee-deep in the storm drain beneath Neo Ashford. The air smelled of wet concrete and old iron. The water moved wrong. It did not flow with the slope. It pulsed.
Kaito held a flashlight. The beam cut through the mist. It stopped ten meters ahead.
Something glowed blue in the darkness.
Kuro said: "Do not step closer yet."
Kaito said: "Why."
Kuro said: "The water is breathing. See the rhythm."
Kaito watched. The water level rose and fell. Not with the rain. With something else.
He stepped forward. His boots made no sound. He was used to this. The dark was where he worked.
The glow resolved into a shape. It was humanoid. Tall. Made of liquid and moonlight. Hair like flowing tide. Eyes like deep water.
She was wrapped in debris. Metal bars from a collapsed grate. Spiritual chains made of rust and neglect. She was not fighting. She was waiting.
Kaito thought: Legendary.
