A new day dawned over restless seas.
On the deck of the great Zodiac vessel, crew members rushed to secure supplies and weapons. Sona stepped aboard, her hair swept by the wind. She scanned the pier behind them — empty.
One Zodiac member crossed his arms."Think that boy'll show up?"
"Doubt it," another snorted. "We're pulling anchor now. He's not coming."
A horn sounded. The great ship began to drift from the docks.
Sona exhaled, staring at the shrinking city. Hide...
"Thinking about me?" a voice teased behind her.
She spun around — there he was, hands in pockets, a quiet grin on his face."Hide… You came."
"Of course. Who else'll protect you from trouble?" Hide said. He stepped to her side as the ship lurched into deeper waters.
"All members of the expedition, report to the meeting room," came a voice over the speaker system.
Hide and Sona slipped inside first, side by side. Hide leaned back in his chair, studying every person who filed in after them.
There were sixteen in total — each one felt strong. Experienced. Deadly.
Across from Hide sat Rachel, a quiet woman with a sealed weapon strapped across her back. Beside her, Salem polished claw-like gauntlets — Beowulf, he called them, a beast's strength in a man's hands. Next was Megumi, half-hidden behind a huge book — she scribbled notes as if the meeting were a lecture. Jamire leaned back, spinning a gun on his finger, shooting flirty winks at whoever glanced his way.
And then there was Light. A blade at his side that shimmered faintly with living radiance — power that made Hide's own pulse flicker with something long-buried.
When the last chair scraped, a man at the front cleared his throat.
"Welcome. This expedition exists for one reason — the unexplored zone ahead. Our radars found something sealed there. But the reason you're all here—" he paused, eyes flicking to Hide — "is him."
Murmurs swept the room.
"Hide Nomura has knowledge of this land. Or so our files suggest. He'll guide us. And you—" the man gestured at the Zodiacs and outsiders alike — "will protect him and secure what we find."
Ruben, broad-shouldered and armored, scoffed."He doesn't even carry a real weapon. Why's he so special?"
"Because," the man said evenly, "his memory might be the key."
Hide frowned. Memory? He glanced at Sona — she looked as confused as him.
Back in their cabin, Hide perched on his bunk while Salem cleaned his claws.
"So, you're the VIP," Salem said with a lopsided grin. "You don't look it."
Hide snorted. "Guess I'm not."
"Hey, don't knock yourself down. Everyone's got something. These—" he lifted his gauntlets — "make me half a beast. Super-strength, claws, but if I lose control… well, you get the picture."
Hide saw it — a flicker of guilt behind Salem's smile."What about you, huh?" Salem asked. "Got a trick up your sleeve?"
"Just bad luck and this eye," Hide joked. He tapped his left eye. Salem's gaze flicked to it, curious — but didn't press.
That night, thunder rolled over black waters. Hide slipped from his bunk, ignoring the ache in his ribs, and wandered to the deck. Waves slapped the hull as lightning danced far ahead.
He heard a chuckle behind him. Captain Miles leaned against the rail, a cigarette glowing.
"Can't sleep, boy?"
"Storm's too loud," Hide said.
Miles squinted at him. "Storm at sea means bad luck if you've got bad dreams."
Hide cracked a small smile. "Superstitious for a sailor?"
"Maybe." Miles laughed, flicking ash overboard. "Come on. Help an old man steer us through."
They sat in the control room together while rain lashed the windows. Hide's left eye pulsed faintly in the dark.
Miles saw it. "Strange eye you got there, boy."
Hide covered it with his palm. "Born with it."
Miles only shrugged. "Well — strange is what keeps the sea interesting."
The storm battered the ship all night. In her bunk, Sona stared out the small window. Beside her, Megumi turned another page.
"You trust that boy?" Megumi murmured without looking up.
"I do," Sona said firmly.
Megumi's eyes flicked to her. "Be careful. They say a left eye like his means disaster. Some old records call it the Eye of Ruin."
Sona's heart clenched — but she stayed silent.
When the storm finally broke, dawn revealed jungle shores draped in mist. Hide stepped onto soft sand, Sona at his side.
They split into teams.
Megumi's group — and Hide — pushed deeper into a temple swallowed by roots and vines. The stone walls were etched with ancient images — half-beast, half-human.
"Strange," Light muttered. "Looks like a fiend."
Hide stared at the statue's face — and saw a warped reflection of himself.
A chill crawled down his spine.
Then a shadow moved at the temple entrance. A figure, ragged and wild-eyed, hissed in a language none of the Zodiacs knew.
Hide stepped forward. The others hissed for him to stop — but the figure locked eyes with him.
"You must run," the figure rasped. "They lied. They brought you here to kill you. Even she is not who you think."
Behind him, the undergrowth parted — Sona's group approached.
Sona — or who he thought was Sona — tilted her head, eyes flat and cold.
Hide lifted his hand — a ribbon dangling from his fingers.
"Do you remember this?" he asked her.
She didn't even blink.
His chest went cold.She's not Sona. She never was.
He turned and ran — deeper into the jungle. Shouts erupted behind him. Footsteps crashed through leaves.
"GET HIM!" someone roared.
Explosions tore up the undergrowth. Branches cracked like bones. Hide felt claws graze his back — light flash past his cheek. They were toying with him.
Ahead, a figure blocked his path. Jamire raised his pistol lazily.
"End of the line, hero."
They surrounded him. Fake Sona stepped forward, roots curling around her wrists.
"Goodbye, Hide," she whispered. "It's Ayumi, by the way."
He barely lifted Tricky Tricky in time to block the first strike. Sparks danced. His arms shook with the impact. He parried — twisted — slammed it into Light's gut. But they were too many. Salem's claws raked his shoulder. Rachel's blade sang past his ear. The fake Sona's roots snagged his legs.
Blood hit the dirt. Hide dropped to one knee.
He gripped his blade tighter. "If I'm dying — then come take it."
Power flickered inside him — old, familiar — but it wasn't enough. Light raised his shining sword. The sky split white.
Pain.
Then darkness.
He stood again on the endless water. His reflection wavered beneath him.
Maybe this is fine, he thought. Maybe it ends here.
A warm voice cut through the dark.
"You're not done yet, are you?"
Hide turned. Izumi — his master — smiled at him. Behind him stood all the faces Hide thought he'd lost.
"We're still here," Izumi said. "So stand up."
He gasped awake in firelight. Pain lanced through him — but the roots binding him were gone. A girl sat cross-legged by the flames, mask tilted back.
"You defy death well, Hide," she said.
He blinked. "You again—"
She lifted the mask fully. It was Sona — the real Sona.
"You guessed right," she whispered. "It's me."
She told him the truth by the fire's crackle — how they had torn her away, how they'd built the lie, how they'd waited for him to walk into the trap. How she had stayed hidden, waiting for him to remember.
When she was done, they sat together, quiet.
Outside, the jungle hummed. Somewhere far away, the sea rumbled with storm.
Sona slipped her hand into his. "When we go back — we go back together."
Hide squeezed her hand. "We burn it all down together."
Sona leaned her head on his shoulder, eyes fluttering shut.
For the first time in a long time, Hide smiled at the future.