He turned his awareness inward, into the restraints. Deeper. Deeper still. Reaching out toward the core of black power that slumbered in the depths of his spirit, as if extending a hand. —Come. At his feet, the shadows stirred clearly for the first time. The barest thread of a response. But it was there, unmistakable. Inside the restraints, the sealed power began to pulse. From his fingertips to the backs of his hands, the vanished black tattoo-like patterns flickered faintly, beginning to surface— In that moment. Soft footsteps approached from the corridor. Not a guard's. Lighter, yet carrying a clear sense of purpose, the footfalls marked a steady rhythm as they made their way toward this solitary cell. Ren opened his eyes. The underground cell, lit only by the pale emergency lights. Beyond the iron bars, a small shadow wavered in the darkness. The footsteps drew nearer, one step, then another—and finally stopped, accompanied by the sense of someone holding their breath. "[whispers]...Senpai." Light filtering through the gaps in the bars illuminated short crimson hair. Golden eyes were opened wide in the darkness. An expression that mingled tension with a resolve that outweighed it. Guild Kagerou's young rookie hunter—Yuiry—stood there. In her hand, she gripped a small portable terminal. Its screen displayed fragments of countless communication logs. Ren narrowed his eyes for just a moment. "[quiet]...How did you get here?" "[whispers]I've been studying the guard shift timings for a week." Yuiry spoke rapidly, but in a hushed voice. She dropped to her knees and edged right up to the bars. "[whispers]The underground security route has a three-minute gap every twenty-five minutes. That's right now... More importantly, senpai, please look at this." She held the terminal's screen through the bars. Ren lifted his restrained hands and dropped his gaze to the display. On it was data recovered from the surveillance servers of Kagerou Tower—Guild Kagerou's main spire. Log fragments that had been incompletely deleted. And there, clearly preserved: Multiple call records exchanged between Takuto's personal terminal and an unknown external device. The dates and times: the night before the Corridor of Lamentations operation. And the early morning of the operation itself. "[whispers]Takuto-san was in contact with Kagebito before the operation even began." Yuiry's voice trembled faintly. With anger, or perhaps sorrow. "[whispers]That's not all. I was able to partially restore the corridor footage from before it was altered. That footage of you facing Kagebito alone, senpai—Takuto-san fabricated it by cutting and pasting from old recordings. If you look at this original data, you can prove the timeline is completely different." Ren stared at the screen in silence. Deep in his chest, something hot rose quietly. (Yuiry—you...) This girl was a rookie. She hadn't even been in the guild for half a year. Guild Kagerou's internal regulations prohibited contact with restrained hunters, even for the vice-master. If she was discovered, she too would face disciplinary action for violating the rules. In the current situation, with Takuto holding real power, that would mean the end of her career. And yet, she came. "[serious]...Why go this far?" Yuiry faltered for just a moment. Her golden eyes wavered. "[crying]Because..." She bit her lip and looked down. Her crimson hair trembled faintly beneath the pale emergency lights. "[crying]Because I know... that you're not the kind of person who would hurt your comrades, senpai." Her voice sounded as if she was desperately holding back tears. "[crying]I've always remembered what you said to me on my first day in the guild. 'You have strength, so make absolutely sure you become someone who can protect your comrades.' There's no way someone like that would betray us..." Ren closed his eyes. The memory of that day surfaced faintly. Words he had spoken casually. As part of rookie guidance, perfunctorily. But to this girl, they had meant something different. (You fool—) How much of that pure trust had he failed to notice until now? "[whispers]...Transfer the data. To my terminal." "[surprised]Huh?" "[serious]Hurry. We don't have time." Ren activated the hunter terminal on his left wrist. Most of its functions were disabled due to the restraints, but the residual memory for short-range data transfer was still alive. Yuiry hastily operated her terminal and began the data transfer. A transfer progress bar appeared on the screen—thirty seconds. Neither of them spoke. Only the faint electronic sound echoed through the cell. The pale light of the emergency lamps stretched their shadows long against the wall. Far down the corridor, the low hum of the ventilation system could be heard. Ren looked at Yuiry through the bars. Beneath her crimson hair, her golden eyes were desperately holding something back. Her small shoulders trembled faintly. And still, she did not run. "[gentle]...Thank you." Just a single word. Tears glistened in Yuiry's eyes. —Transfer complete. "[serious]I'm going on alone from here. You get outside immediately." "[scared]But—" "[angry]Go! If you're found, you're finished too." At Ren's voice, Yuiry stepped back. But in the next instant, she clenched her teeth and nodded. "[crying]...Senpai, please... please save Saya-san. No matter what." Leaving those words behind, Yuiry vanished into the darkness of the corridor. Her light footsteps receded, marking their steady rhythm. Soon, even those could no longer be heard. Silence enveloped the cell. Alone, Ren exhaled deeply. He raised both wrists before him, displaying the restraints. The cold weight of the alloy. The Association's highest-classification equipment for sealing Absolute Obedience—said to be impossible to destroy from the outside. However. From the inside. Ren closed his eyes. He focused his entire spirit on a single point. Reaching out with the hand of his consciousness toward the core of power sealed within the restraints. Deeper, deeper still—into the darkness at the very bottom. Inside his head, noise exploded. White light. Ringing in his ears. Memories from when he was six years old flashed back at random. Mountains of rubble. The smell of smoke. The voices of his vanished parents—his mother's hand, slipping away. No one came. For three days, he sat alone. And on the morning of the fourth day—the fallen monolith turned into black mist and was absorbed into his shadow. (Back then—) The monolith hadn't died and vanished. It had entered into him. Ren furrowed his brow, enduring the pain. Even so, he did not let go of his awareness. "[angry]...Come...!" The shadow at his feet began to tremble violently. Like an electric current racing through, the black mist pulsed. Inside the restraints, the sealed power resonated—a creaking sound echoed from deep within the metal. In the next instant. CRACK—!! Fissures raced across the surface of the restraints. The black torrent swelling from within burst through the alloy. A second later—the restraints shattered as if exploding. Fragments scattered across the concrete floor, sparks flying. Simultaneously. The black mist crawling up from his feet began to envelop Ren's entire body. The shadow eroded his outline—legs, waist, chest, arms, and then up to his neck, the black vortex crept over his skin. His body took on the form of a translucent shadow. Shadowing. Ren placed a hand against the wall and clenched his teeth. Intense dizziness and nausea assaulted him. The edges of his vision blurred black, and white noise continued to race through his head. A sensation as if parts of his memory were fogging over—he was forgetting something. Something important. (But—right now.) Ren raised his face. His brown eyes glowed red for just a moment within the shadow. —Saya. Only her name sharpened within the fog. Ren placed his hand against the iron bars of the cell. Shadow flowed from his fingertips, eroding the metal. The bars of special alloy turned to black mist and melted away—a hissing sound echoed through the corridor. The bars crumbled silently, dissolving. An exit opened. Ren broke into a run. His shadowed body slipped through the concrete walls. He sprinted down the corridor of the third underground floor, heading for the emergency stairs. His footsteps were absorbed by the shadow, nearly soundless. He raced up the stairs. First floor, second, third—diving through walls as shadow, he broke through the levels in a single surge. The mental strain was incomparable to normal Absolute Obedience. With every stride, the edges of his vision stained black, and parts of his thoughts were scraped away. (Saya is—) Images replayed in his head. Saya being dragged before the public. Her face as Takuto's fabricated charges were read aloud. Tears welling in her blue eyes. Her outstretched hand. Her trembling lips— (Make it in time...!) He rounded a corner, heading for another staircase. The Association's security personnel finally noticed the anomaly. Voices of pursuit rose from the floors below. But they could not follow Ren in his shadowed state. He passed through walls, choosing routes unreachable by normal movement. Through the windows, the faint light of dawn had begun to filter in. The upper floors of Hunter Central. As he drew nearer to the floor containing the great hall, the air changed. The Association's sterile white walls, illuminated by the morning light streaming through the windows, were stained gray. The public hearing was about to convene. Ren clenched his teeth and raced up the final staircase. —The corridor before the great hall. Before the door, Ren stopped his feet just once. The shadow enveloping his body shook violently. The limit of his mental strain was near. The edges of his vision blurred black, and the sensation of memory fogging over intensified—thoughts of anything other than Saya were gradually hazing away. Even so, he did not release the shadowing. This power was the only means left to him now. It was also the proof of his existence, necessary to face Takuto. From beyond the door, a voice reached him. "[cold]—Inspector Saya. The facts of your regulatory violations are clear." Takuto's voice. An unpleasant, composed voice that mixed certainty with composure. The hearing was already underway. "[cold]She committed the gravest violation of duty regulations by intervening in combat during an escort surveillance mission. Furthermore, a private relationship with the subject of her inspection—Ren Kazama—is strongly suspected." Ren placed his hand against the door. Shadow crept across the door's surface. The lock disengaged silently from within—click. In that instant. The memory of that night surfaced in his mind. The top floor of Kagerou Tower. The night before sortie. Saya, visiting in casual clothes, speaking Ren's name for the first time. —Ren. That voice, trembling softly. (That alone—is enough.) Ren pushed the door open. Creeeak—. The lights of the great hall illuminated the outline wrapped in Ren's shadow. Every gaze in the room converged on him at once. The Association's hearing officers. The hunters in the gallery. And Takuto, standing at the witness stand. Saya, made to stand before the hearing platform, raised her face. Her long silver hair swayed faintly. The moment her cold blue eyes found Ren—they opened wide. "[surprised]Re...n...?" Her voice was hoarse. Ren and Saya's gazes connected once more. The man cloaked in shadow, and the imprisoned inspector. The silence of the great hall that separated the forbidden pair trembled like a taut thread.