Chapter 2- The Nexus Conspiracy

The night is still.

We're all in position, guarding different points of the Nexus perimeter. I stand near the main entrance, hands in my pockets, trying to shake off the boredom. Hayato's stationed on the rooftop, keeping watch like a hawk. Shizuka-san is inside, near the control room, just in case. Yora… well, he's somewhere around the back, probably snacking while pretending to be on patrol.

So far, nothing. No movements. No sounds. Just the occasional buzz of a streetlamp flickering.

It's eerie.

I let out a sigh, glancing up at the sky. A mission directly from the World Government, guarding one of the most important research facilities on Oscuros, and here we are—just waiting.

We've been in this kind of situation before. This uneasy silence, the way the air feels just a bit colder—it's the same as that night. The night Crimson attacked.

Of course, this isn't nearly as bad. Crimson was on a whole other level, a nightmare that still lingers at the edge of my thoughts. Compared to that, this rogue Vorixa—Ryuuto—feels like a relief. At least we're not up against some reality-breaking monster this time.

We're all equipped for the mission. Each of us has a transmitter. The assistant manager, Hidaka-san's got one too. Yora's handy little gadget—Possession-O-Meter—though, is the real star of the show. Each of us has one. It's a small, sleek device that senses fluctuations in Seishin. If Ryuuto tries to possess anyone, this thing will pick it up. I really hope this thing works for once and doesn't just explode like it always does.

"Alright, team! I'm so excited to see how this little gadget works!" Shizuka-san giggles.

Hayato adjusts his earpiece, "Anything yet?"

I glance at the screen. Nothing. No spikes, no sudden flares of energy. Just the usual background noise. I shake my head. "Still clear."

Shizuka-san taps her chin. "Hmm… either he's taking his time, or he's really good at hiding."

Hidaka-san lets out a slow breath. "The Nexus is massive. If he's already inside, there are too many places he could be hiding. We don't even know if he plans to attack head-on or sneak in quietly."

Yora crosses his arms. "A bounty that high means he's dangerous. He won't stay quiet forever."

I nod. "Yeah. When he does make a move, it's gonna be big. We just have to be ready."

Silence lingers for a moment. There's a certain tension in the air—not quite fear, but something close. The kind of feeling you get when you know a storm is coming, but you don't know when it'll hit.

Yora's gadget remains still. No warnings, no alerts. But that only makes it worse. Because if Ryuuto really is here, and we can't detect him yet, then he's even more of a problem than we thought.

---

We are all in position, transmitters set, Possession-O-Meter steady. Nothing out of the ordinary so far.

Then, right as the clock hits 12:00, the entire institute plunges into darkness.

For a few seconds, everything is swallowed by pitch-black silence. Then, the backup generators kick in just in time, and the lights flicker back to life. The air feels heavier, but nothing seems out of place.

Hayato exhales, pressing a hand to his earpiece. "Status report. Everyone good?"

I tap my transmitter. "All clear here."

"All good~!" Shizuka-san replies.

Yora responds with a low grunt. "Tch. No action yet." He sounds almost disappointed, like a warrior itching for battle.

Hayato nods, then turns to the final check. "Hidaka-san, what about your side?"

Silence.

He frowns. "Hidaka-san? Do you copy?"

I shift uncomfortably. Something doesn't feel right. "Oi, Hidaka-san, you there?"

Shizuka-san tries next, "Hellooo~? Miss Assistant Manager~? Say something if you're alive!"

No answer.

A cold sensation creeps down my spine.

Then—

A crackle. A sharp inhale.

And finally, a shaky voice.

"He—hell—hello?" Hidaka-san's breath is ragged and her words are stumbling. "We… we've located Ryuuto."

The air stiffens.

She swallows hard, her voice barely above a whisper.

"He's… in the East Laboratory Wing. We've to act fast!"

Hayato immediately responds. "Understood. Team, regroup at the East Laboratory Wing."

Without wasting a second, we move out.

When we arrive at the East Lab Wing, the Nexus guards are already there, standing in formation. But something feels… off.

I glance around. "Where's Hidaka-san?"

No sign of her. Just the guards, eerily still, their faces blank.

A faint beeping cuts through the silence.

Our Possession-O-Meters.

Their screen spikes.

That's it.

Ryuuto is here.

And he's taken control of every single guard.

The guards move the moment the Possession-O-Meter spikes. No warning, no hesitation—just a sudden, unnatural lurch forward. Their eyes are blank, their movements are stiff yet disturbingly coordinated.

Then, all at once, they charge.

Hayato reacts first. His sword flashes, but he turns the blade at the last second, striking with the hilt instead. A guard stumbles back, but another swings a baton straight at his head. He ducks, grabs the attacker's wrist, and flips him onto the ground.

I dodge a punch and grab the guy's arm, twisting it behind his back. "Tch, these guys are way too well-trained," I mutter. Another swings at me. I sidestep, sweeping his legs out from under him.

"We can't hurt them!" Shizuka-san shouts from behind. "They're just humans moreover possessed!"

"Yeah, no kidding!" I block another hit, shoving the guy away. The guards are relentless. Even after getting knocked down, they keep getting up. It's like fighting puppets.

Then—I feel something.

A chill creeps up my spine.

Something's off.

I glance around. The guards, the battle.

"I've got to move out," I murmur under my breath.

Without a word, I slip away, weaving through the chaos. No one notices as I step back, my instincts screaming at me to go. To go somewhere I must check.

And then, I disappear from the scene.

---

I hope the others have taken care of the guards. But I felt it. Something was wrong there

There's an unusual Seishin lingering in the air, faint but distinct. The kind that prickles at the edge of my senses, setting off alarms in my head. The guards weren't the real problem. I know it...they were just a distraction.

I keep moving. Suddenly I glance back—

Yora.

He's trailing behind me, arms crossed, looking very unimpressed.

"Oi, where do you think you're going, huh?" he calls out with a sharp voice full of suspicion.

I sigh. "Yora, keep it down."

He scowls. "No, seriously. You just ditched everyone mid-fight. If Hayato finds out, he's gonna kick your ass."

I turn fully to face him. "Okay listen. Those guards? They weren't the real problem. I can feel something in Central Command. Something off."

He frowns, dropping his arms to his sides. He doesn't say anything, but I can tell he senses it too.

"I guess you're right. Anyway, let's tell the others about this" he says. "Wouldn't it be smarter to let Hayato know instead of sneaking around like thieves?"

I glance at him. "Dumbo, think for a second."

He blinks. "Excuse me?"

I sigh. "The guards were meant to keep us busy. They were planted there as a distraction so we wouldn't notice what's actually happening. If we call the others now, Ryuuto will know we're onto him."

"And? We are onto him." He scrowls.

"Yeah, but we need to act like we fell for it," I explain. "Like we're still occupied with the guards, just like he planned. That way, we can slip past and catch him off guard instead."

He crosses his arms, nodding smugly. "I see you're really growing a sharp mind under my influence."

I roll my eyes. "Yeah, yeah, genius. Now let's move before your ego inflates any further."

With that, we push forward, moving carefully through the shadows.

At central command, everything seems normal. Its a large room with circuits and monitors flickering with data streams. Rows of screens displaying various security feeds—hallways, labs, entrances—all calm.

There's no one here. No sign of a struggle. No eerie presence.

Nothing uncanny so far.

Yora and I step further into the room to scan the surroundings.

"No one's here," Yora mutters, glancing at the monitors.

"That's strange," I reply. "Hidaka-san was just here, right?"

"Yeah… and if Ryuuto really made it this far, there should be something."

"Nothing seems off though."

"Wait—something's definitely off."

Before I can ask, he rushes to the control panel, types rapidly and suddenly, all the screens flicker, distorting into static, and an eerie, grating sound fills up the room.

"Oi! What the hell did you do?!" I shout, stepping back.

"Relax," he says. "Just wait."

After a few tense moments, the static clears, and the monitors return to normal—but the footage on them has changed. The earlier scenes, where everything looked normal, are gone.

"They were hacked," he says. "The cameras were looping the same images over and over."

So that means... Ryuuto was already here, and we never even saw it?

"There's more," he says. Again, his fingers fly over the controls. "Watch."

This time, the central command's CCTV rewinds. The footage starts playing in reverse, bringing us closer to the moment everything went wrong.

Just as the footage is about to reveal something, a sharp voice cuts through the air.

"What are you two doing here? This place is off-limits for you."

Yora and I freeze. Slowly, we turn around.

It's Hidaka-san. She stands at the entrance, arms crossed, looking perfectly fine—no sign of distress, no panic in her voice like before.

"Why are you here?" I ask, narrowing my eyes.

"I should be the one asking that," she huffs. "You're not authorized to be in the central command room. Get out. Now."

Something feels off. I exchange a quick glance with Yora. His fingers hover over the controls, hesitant.

"Didn't you just say Ryuuto was in the East Lab?" I press. "Why are you here instead of—"

"I said leave." Her tone sharpens, cutting me off.

Yora clenches his jaw, whispering under his breath, "This is bad."

"We're not gonna leave unless we check the system ourselves," I say stiffly, crossing my arms.

She tenses at my words. Her fingers twitch slightly—barely noticeable, but enough to set off alarm bells in my head.

"I'll say this one last time," she says. "Leave. It's for your own benefit."

"Own benefit?" I scoff. "Listen, we're here for your safety. It's our job to find clues wherever we can. Please, let us do our job."

Her expression darkens. "LEAVE. RIGHT. NOW!"

Yora leans in slightly, whispering, "Look at her eyes, dude. She's clearly not herself right now."

I keep my gaze locked on her. Her pupils are slightly dilated and her stance is rigid.

"I know," I whisper back. "She's possessed as well… Let me handle this."

He leans in again, "But the Possession-O-Meter isn't picking up anything. How's that possible?"

"I bet it malfunctioned and is gonna explode any second now."

He elbows me. "Shut the hell up. I've improved, and so have my inventions." His brows furrow. "But seriously… I don't get it. Why isn't it detecting anything? Is she really possessed?"

I shoot him a look. "Duh. Of course she's possessed. If she wasn't, then why would she be acting this weird? She's never this rude to us."

Hidaka-san's voice cuts through the tension.

"Hey, you kids. Do you even understand where you're standing right now?" Her tone is sharp. "This is The Nexus Central Command. Only authorized personnel are allowed here. If you stay here any longer… this will be considered a serious crime."

Just as Hidaka-san finishes her sentence, the transmitter in my ear buzzes.

Shizuka-san's voice bursts through, laced with urgency.

"Where the hell are you two?! We need backup—now! Ryuuto has finally shown up!"

Yora and I exchange confused glances.

I press the transmitter. "Wait… Ryuuto is there?"

"Don't waste time!" she snaps. "Hayato-kun is fighting him alone!"

My grip on the transmitter tightens. What? If Ryuuto is fighting Hayato right now… then who—or what—is standing right in front of us?

Hidaka-san watches us closely. "Did you hear her? Go now. Isn't it your duty?"

For the first time, doubt creeps in. Is she really possessed… or is something else going on here?

We rush back to the East Laboratory Wing. As we turn the corner, the sight before us makes me tighten my fists.

There he is—Ryuuto.

Hayato is standing in front of him, sword raised, and breathing heavily. Both of them look exhausted. Shizuka-san stands a few steps away, her usual cheerfulness is replaced by sharp focus.

Ryuuto wipes his mouth, glaring at us. "Damn it… more of you?" His voice drips with irritation.

I narrow my eyes at him, something about all of this feeling off. "Hey… are you really Ryuuto?"

Hayato, mid-step, whips his head toward me. "What kind of question is that?!"

"I'm just confi—"

"Talk less, fight more," Hayato cuts in, not even sparing me a glance as he tightens his grip on his sword.

I nod, pushing aside my doubts. Whatever's going on, we'll figure it out after we take him down.

Ryuuto stands there, barely even in a stance. He doesn't look like much—how the hell does a guy like this have a bounty of ten million? But I know better than to judge a book by its cover.

Hayato and I move at the same time, attacking from different angles. I go in first, aiming a punch at his side, but he tilts his body just enough to avoid it. Before he can fully regain his footing, Hayato follows up, his sword slashing down. This time, Ryuuto isn't fast enough. The blade strikes him across the shoulder, and he stumbles back before collapsing onto the ground.

I pause, frowning. "That's it?"

Hayato doesn't lower his sword. "Don't let your guard down."

Ryuuto groans, pushing himself up slightly. He wipes the blood from his lip and grins. "Not bad… but come on, is that all the famous Hyakuren brats can do?"

I scowl. "Says the guy who just ate dirt."

Hayato exhales sharply. "You're holding back."

Ryuuto chuckles, cracking his neck. "Who knows?"

I clench my fists. Something feels off. If he's really the Ryuuto, he should be stronger than this. So why does it feel like he's just playing around?

"Tch. Whatever." I dash forward again in a blur. Ryuuto smirks and finally moves. This time, he doesn't just dodge—he disappears.

My stomach drops.

Before I can comprehend, Ryuuto reappears behind me, his palm glowing with violet Seishin. "Gotcha."

With a flick of his wrist, a blast erupts from his hand, sending me flying into the wall. Dust and debris scatter everywhere.

I grit my teeth. Okay… so he wasn't weak after all.

Ryuuto shifts his gaze to Hayato, that same smug grin on his face. "Your turn."

He moves fast—faster than before. His figure flickers, and the next thing I see, he's already in front of Hayato, his palm glowing with that eerie violet Seishin. Hayato dodges to the side before his attack lands. The force of it still sends a gust of wind blasting past him, rattling the metal panels of the lab.

Hayato skid back, steadying himself. "Okay, now you're actually fighting."

"Was getting bored," Ryuuto shrugs. "Figured I'd entertain myself."

"Tch, how generous of you," Hayato mutter, "Let's return the favor."

I can't waste time. I lunge at Ryuuto from behind, my fists humming with fire Seishin. Ryuuto tilts his head slightly, sensing the attack, and ducks at the last second. My fists smash through empty air.

"Predictable," Ryuuto hums, but his expression flickers as I appear right in front of him again.

"Gotcha!" I swing my fist straight at his gut.

It hits. Hard.

Ryuuto staggers back, coughing. His smirk vanishes for a second before he wipes his mouth and chuckles. "Not bad."

"There's more where that came from," I say, rolling my shoulders.

Hayato doesn't let up. He closes the distance, slashing at Ryuuto in a relentless flurry of attacks. This time, Ryuuto is forced to block instead of dodge. Sparks fly as their Seishin collides, the impact shaking the ground beneath us.

"You're getting slow," Hayato says coolly.

"And you're getting annoying," Ryuuto shoots back, parrying the blade with his forearm.

In that brief opening, I dash in and aim a kick at his ribs. He raises an arm to block, but the impact still sends him skidding back.

This fight is easy and... kinda unfair.

---

After a long, grueling fight, Ryuuto finally starts to falter. Even with all three of us me, Hayato, and Yora—who kept pulling out his weird gadgets to attack in the middle of the fight—Ryuuto refuses to go down easily. He fights with everything he has, countering, dodging, and striking back like a cornered beast. But in the end, it's not enough.

We overpower him. His movements slow, his breathing turns ragged, and his Seishin flickers like a dying flame.

Hayato exhales sharply, catching his breath. "It's over," he says, wiping his blade clean. "Takumi, handcuff him. We're handing him over to the Cyberwatch."

With that, Hayato, Shizuka-san, and Yora turn to leave, heading to Hidaka-san for the report. I stay behind, stepping toward Ryuuto with the handcuffs in hand.

But just as I reach him, he staggers, barely keeping himself upright. His entire body trembles from exhaustion, yet his eyes remain sharp, burning with something deeper than just a will to fight.

"Give up," I tell him, keeping my voice firm but not unkind. "You've done enough. It's over."

Ryuuto doesn't respond. Instead, his body tenses, and before I can react, he lunges at me with everything he has left.

I sidestep easily. His movements are sloppy now, his attacks desperate, but there's something about the way he keeps pushing forward—like he's fighting for something beyond just himself.

He swings again. I dodge. Again. I dodge.

It's almost ridiculous. At this point, it feels less like a battle and more like playing with a broken toy that refuses to stop moving.

"Why won't you stop?" I mutter, watching him stumble forward again.

Still, he doesn't answer. He just keeps going, refusing to let his body give in.

I sigh. "Fine."

I clench my fist and, with one final, decisive punch, I end it.

Ryuuto collapses, his body finally giving in to exhaustion. His breath is shallow, his face bruised, yet his expression carries the remnants of defiance. I kneel beside him, securing the handcuffs around his wrists with a quiet click.

As I fasten them, a question lingers in my mind—one that just doesn't sit right.

I glance at him. "Answer me something."

His eyelids flutter weakly, and he barely manages a whisper. "...What?"

I narrow my eyes. "Did you possess the assistant manager earlier?"

There's no hesitation. No pause to think. Just a firm, quiet response.

"No. I didn't."

I study his face, searching for a sign of deceit, but all I see is exhaustion. A strange feeling creeps up my spine. If he didn't possess her, then… who did? Or was she not possessed at all?

I exhale through my nose. "I see."

I tighten the cuffs, ensuring they won't come loose, when suddenly, his lips move again. His voice is barely audible, almost lost in the quiet hum of the machinery.

"...Please… save her."

The words are so faint, I almost think I imagined them.

I pause, my hands freezing mid-motion. "What?"

For a moment, there's only silence. Then, after what feels like an eternity, he finally speaks.

"You want to know why I came here?"

His voice is rough, like a man who has screamed until his throat was raw. There's something in his tone—something deeper than anger or defiance. Something heavier.

I hesitate. "...Yeah. I want to hear it."

He exhales shakily. "Then listen carefully."

I do.

"I didn't come here to fight," he murmurs. "I came to rescue someone."

"...Rescue?"

His eyes flicker open, just barely. In them, I don't see a criminal. I don't see a wanted man. I see something far worse—something broken.

"My daughter," he whispers. "She's here."

The breath I didn't realize I was holding escapes in a quiet gasp.

"A daughter…?"

"Her name is Aiku. She's ten." His voice shakes, as if just saying her name is painful. "She's… different from others. Even though she's human, she carries something inside her. Something that overpowers even the strongest Vorixas and Oscuros. Her Seishinsu… it's—" His voice falters. "—unnatural. Terrifying. Ominous. Unmatched."

The weight of his words sinks deep into my chest. A human girl with an Seishinsu stronger than even the Vorixas or Oscuros?

That shouldn't be possible.

Ryuuto swallows hard, his body trembling. "That's why they took her." His fists clench weakly against the restraints. "These bastards… these so-called researchers stole her from me. Locked her away. They think she's the reason the Oscuros are coming here." His breath shudders. "They arrested me when I tried to get her back. Called me a criminal. Labeled me as a terrorist."

Something tightens in my chest.

The way he speaks—his raw, uneven breaths, the sheer pain laced in his words—it's the voice of a father who has lost everything.

I glance down at him. His face is battered, his body broken, but his eyes… his eyes scream louder than any words ever could.

For a moment, something inside me wavers.

But then, doubt creeps in.

This could be a lie. It's too wild to be true. A child with Seishinsu beyond any Oscuro? The Nexus locking her away in secret? It sounds like a fabricated excuse—a last-ditch effort to gain sympathy.

And yet…

I want to believe him.

I don't know why. Maybe it's the way he speaks. Maybe it's the sheer, aching sorrow in his voice. Maybe it's because, deep down, some part of me knows what it feels like to be powerless.

I grit my teeth, my hands unconsciously clenching into fists.

If he's lying, then he's just a manipulative bastard spinning a good story.

But if he's telling the truth…

Then there's a little girl trapped somewhere in this hellhole, waiting for a father who might never come.