The Echoes of the Past

The cold air outside hit Kaito's bruised skin, but his mind was burning.

Toru Renji.

That name shouldn't exist.

Yet, the man who wore it walked away like he owned the truth.

Kaito clenched his fists as he stepped onto the dimly lit streets of Jinsei. His ribs ached with every breath, but he didn't have time to care.

If Toru was real—if he had anything to do with the Vetrax—there was only one place to go.

An old bar on the outskirts of town.

The Hollow Den.

It wasn't a friendly place. No neon lights, no music—just a dark hole where gangsters and ex-fighters drank in silence. If the Vetrax were really ghosts, this was their graveyard.

Kaito pushed open the heavy door. The scent of smoke and spilled liquor hit him instantly.

Eyes turned toward him. Some recognized him. Some didn't. None of them mattered.

He walked straight to the counter. The bartender, an older man with a scar down his cheek, barely glanced up as he wiped a glass.

"I'm looking for someone," Kaito said, his voice steady.

The bartender exhaled through his nose. "That so?"

Kaito leaned forward. "Toru Renji."

The bartender's hand stopped for a fraction of a second. A flicker of recognition passed through his eyes before he resumed wiping the glass.

"Never heard of him."

Liar.

Kaito didn't move. Didn't blink. The silence between them stretched, thick with unspoken weight.

Then, from the back of the room, a voice cut through.

"You've got guts saying that name here."

Kaito turned.

A man sat alone in a booth, a cigarette smoldering between his fingers. His face was partly hidden in the shadows, but his jacket bore an old, faded insignia.

The Devouring Eclipse. (A black eclipse with a skeletal wolf's jaw encircling it, as if biting into the sun).

Kaito didn't hesitate. He walked over, sliding into the booth across from him.

The man took a slow drag of his cigarette before exhaling. "Toru Renji, huh?"

He studied Kaito, then smirked.

"If you're looking for him, kid…" His fingers tapped the table. "...then you're already too deep."

Kaito didn't flinch.

"I don't care."

The man chuckled, shaking his head. "You should."

Then, leaning forward, his smirk faded.

"Because if he's really back… this city is about to burn."