Shadows Behind the Throne

The grand temple halls of Tenmangu Tower dimmed as the evening sun dipped behind Neo Tokyo's skyline, painting shadows across polished marble and gold inlays. Kaito sat across from Luna Tenmangu in a private chamber tucked behind the dining hall—quiet, elegant, and weighted with the kind of silence that only preceded truths too heavy to speak aloud.

Luna stood with her back to him, the soft sway of her white and gold gown catching the light as she looked out through the long glass panel into the neon-lit sprawl of her city.

"I'm glad you came here," Luna finally said with a voice having calm intensity, like a knife hidden under silk, "You deserve to know the truth … or at least the edges of it."

Kaito sitting more properly, "About my father?"

Luna turned and looked at him with those green eyes of hers. "Yes. Haro didn't just die because Sakoji's greed. Men like Sakoji—rats in fine clothing—don't assassinate without the help of others. Especially not against someone like Haro."

Every movement was slow, perfectly composed, but Kaito could sense tension behind all that grace.

"There were others. Two names stand out," she said, now dropping her voice. "Councilman Iori Kashima, the strategist who conveniently 'retired' the week after Haro's death. And Dr. Velan Cray, a tech developer once close to your father… until he began collaborating with Prometheon. Both men vanished from public life soon after Sakoji took power." 

Kaito's breath caught. Some of his father's archived notes mentioned the name of Kashima. Velan too, someone that Haro had once declared as a "trusted friend."

"So, they... helped kill him?" 

"I'm saying," Luna said with a grave tone, "they were complicit. Whether it was greed, fear, or ambition—I don't know. But I'm certain Sakoji didn't act alone."

Kaito tightened his fists. The palms began throbbing like the pulse in his veins as his brain flooded itself into scattered confusing emotions he was yet to name. Was it rage? Fury? Or just the cold stab of truth piercing deeper than he was ready for?

Smoothing her expression, Luna walked toward him. "Your father…" She paused, tilting her head in Kaito's direction. "… And your mother…" 

Those were moments of silence slightly preceding the heaviest of truths. "They loved you beyond their lives, Kaito; they lived for you," she said.

Looking down, memories of his father adjusting his goggles just before a test flight came rushing in. His mother's lullabies when storms rattled the windows of their old house. 

"But why… Why did they leave me in the dark?" he whispered. 

"See, they didn't," said Luna. "They protected you. In the only way they knew how." 

Beside him suddenly emerged a shimmering flash of blue light. A soft, digitized hum filled the air as a translucent figure took form: a young woman in sleek white suit with flowing white hair. AICE. 

"Protocol 013-Sequence Confirmed. Visual interface active," she stated flatly. 

Luna gave her a knowing look. "It's been a long time… AICE." 

AICE turned, her cyan eyes locking onto Luna's. "Recognized: Luna Tenmangu. Primary link to Haro Myojin." 

Kaito confused. "Wait… you know her?" 

"Of course she does," Luna spoke. "I was the one who helped your father process her. She was made… for you." 

Kaito stared at AICE. Analytical in her gaze, but there's something about her that strikes him as almost hauntingly familiar. Too familiar. 

Luna approached AICE and gently placed a hand near her shoulder—passing through her, yet lingering.

"Protect him. That's your purpose," she spoke hardly above a whisper. "Remember what you were made for." 

AICE looked towards Kaito, then nodded once. "Understood." 

Kaito watched the conversation take place, feeling a knot tightening in his stomach. "What do you mean 'what she was made for'? What aren't you telling me?" 

Luna lingered on AICE for a moment longer before turning back to him, with a sadness flickering in her expression like the flame of an old candle. 

"Some truths must come in time," she said. "Tonight, just know that she is bound to you-not by command, but by something deeper. A connection forged from love." 

Kaito opened his mouth to ask more, but Luna was already walking toward the door. 

"Come," she said, her voice regaining its light charm. "The others are waiting. I promised them dinner, and you owe me an introduction to your interesting little group." 

Kaito slowly stood His thoughts were scattered and clumped like a jigsaw puzzle with a hole in the middle. 

As he followed Luna out of the chamber, AICE dissipated in a flicker of light, but her presence remained—a ghost in the code, and perhaps something more.

Behind him, shadows cast by betrayal, secrets, and a digital echo that followed closely.