[Ryou knelt beside Shirou, pulling out a portable light. The hatch's handle was cold and stiff, sealed by a metal lock engraved with rust. Shirou gave it a tug, but it wouldn't budge.]
[He looked at Ryou, a faint smirk forming.]
Shirou: Hey, Ryou… you still carry those little fireworks of yours?
[Ryou's grin returned, faintly mischievous.]
Ryou: Small detonators? Maybe. Why, you planning to knock politely?
Shirou: Something like that.
[Ryou set the small detonator against the rusted lock, glancing at Reina for confirmation. She gave a short nod.]
Reina: Minimal charge. We don't want to hurt whoever's inside.
Ryou: Copy that.
[He armed the device, then stepped back beside Shirou and Shin. The squad crouched low as the charge clicked and hissed— BOOM! A muffled pop and a puff of dust erupted from the hinge. The lock fell away with a metallic clank.]
[Shirou moved first, kicking the hatch open and letting the cold, stagnant air from below waft up. It carried the faint scent of damp concrete and… fear.]
Shirou: Flashlight.
[Shin handed one over, and the beam cut through the darkness below. Wooden stairs led down into what seemed like a cellar. Shirou descended first, weapon drawn.]
[As the light swept across the room, it revealed two small figures huddled against the far wall, chained by the wrists. Their frail bodies trembled, eyes wide and alert at the intrusion.]
Shirou: froze …kids.
[Reina followed close behind, her expression tightening.]
Reina: No… captives.
[The boy, barely twelve, had light bluish hair that shimmered faintly even under the flashlight's dull glow, and amber-hued eyes that seemed too bright for the gloom they were trapped in. Beside him, the girl stirred weakly, her autumn-orange hair spilling across her shoulders like wilted leaves, contrasting the lunar-blue tint in her eyes as she slowly looked up.]
Reina: They must be twins — unmistakably so.
Ryou: How long do you think they've been here…?
[Reina stepped closer, kneeling carefully.]
Reina: Long enough to lose hope. she murmured, pulling out a small blade to cut the chains
[The boy's voice quivered, soft and uncertain.]
???: A-Are you… the ones who'll take us away from here?
[Shirou lowered his weapon, his tone softening.]
Shirou: Yeah. You're safe now.
[The girl blinked, tears forming as she clung weakly to her brother.]
Reina: Get them upstairs. Call for medical evac. Whatever operation this is… it's bigger than we thought.
[As they try to get out of the room, Shirou glanced back one last time at the cellar — dark, quiet, but still reeking of secrets.]
Shirou:quietly We got here just in time…
[Reina's knife scraped softly as it slid through the last of the chains. The metallic links fell to the ground with a sharp clatter. The twins flinched at the sound, their fragile bodies shivering from exhaustion and cold.]
Shirou: Easy… we're getting you out of here.
[He knelt, helping the boy to his feet while Reina supported the girl, draping her arm gently over her shoulder.]
[But— A faint click echoed from above. Then another. And another.]
[Ryou's eyes widened. His instincts screamed.]
Ryou: Get down—!
[Before they could react, harsh light flooded the cellar as the hidden door above burst open. Several red laser sights pierced through the dust-filled air, pinning on each of their chests.]
[From the top of the stairs descended Roy Chrisbourgh, dressed in a bartender's vest, his expression twisted into a smug grin. Around him stood a dozen armed men, rifles raised and steady.]
Roy:mockingly Well, well… looks like the rats found their way into my cellar.
[He descended slowly, the wooden steps creaking under his boots. He carried himself with calm arrogance, the kind that came from years of hiding filth behind a mask of civility.]
Roy: Drop your weapons. All of you. he cocked the trigger of his gun and aimed it straight at Reina's head Or these kids will be the first to bleed.
[Reina's jaw tightened, her stance unmoving.]
Reina: You're trafficking children now, Chrisbourgh? How low did you crawl this time?
[Roy smirked.]
Roy: Ah, so you do know me. Still snooping where you shouldn't, Captain Kanzaki.
Shirou:gritting teeth You bastard…
[The twins clung tightly to each other behind the squad, trembling as the circle of gunmen tightened. Ryou subtly shifted his weight, eyes darting toward Shirou and then the nearby crate—anything they could use for cover.]
[But Roy caught the glance.]
Roy: Don't even think about it, boy. his tone hardened, finger resting on the trigger One twitch and I'll decorate these walls with regret.
[The squad froze in silence. The faint hum of the cellar lights flickered, dust drifting in the heavy air.]
Reina:lowly, to the squad Stay calm. We wait for a signal from Sera.
[Roy chuckled darkly, grin widened, arrogance bleeding through every syllable.]
Roy: Sera Kanzaki? Hah. The mafia's little pet turned policewoman? Don't count on her saving you—
[—click.]
[The sharp metallic sound froze him mid-sentence. It wasn't from Reina. It wasn't from Ryou. It came from right behind his ear.]
Sera:voice low, blade-edged calm You talk too much, Chrisbourgh.
[Roy stiffened. His finger hesitated on the trigger. Slowly, his eyes flicked sideways.
There she was — Officer Sera Kanzaki, half her face cast in the dull orange glow of the cellar lights. The muzzle of her sidearm pressed against the back of his head, her eyes burning with a calm, lethal intensity.]
[Behind her, a full backup unit emerged from the shadows of the access hall — rifles raised, formation perfect, visors reflecting the dim light. They moved in total sync, fanning out and aiming down their sights at Roy's crew.]
Backup Officer:command tone Weapons on the ground! Now! You're surrounded!
[Panic rippled through Roy's men. The first gun wavered, then another. The once-silent cellar exploded into shouts and echoing commands.]
Reina:eyes narrowing, voice steady but soft Took you long enough, sister.
Sera:without looking away from Roy Too much nuisance to deal with upstairs, sorry 'bout that. she pressed the barrel slightly deeper into his skin Now tell your dogs to drop the guns, or I'll save us the paperwork.
[Roy's smirk faltered. His men hesitated, glancing between him and the armed officers encircling them.]
Roy:strained chuckle You wouldn't dare shoot me here.
Sera: icy I've done worse to worse people.
[For a breathless second, no one moved. Then — metal clattered. One of Roy's guards dropped his weapon. The others followed, slow and tense, their resolve crumbling beneath the black muzzles of the police rifles.]
[Sera kept her gun steady, breathing calm and controlled.]
Sera: Hands up. Everyone.
[Roy exhaled through his nose, slowly raising his arms. Roy: "You win this round, Captain, but you may need to be ready, 'cause I'm about to settle my score someday.
Reina: correcting him coldly Dream on. That's Officer Kanzaki to you.
[Sera's tone sharpened, low but dangerous.]
Sera: Move him. And get those hostages out. The twins first.
[The backup unit surged forward, cuffing Roy's men one by one as the cellar filled with the sound of snapping restraints and radio chatter.]
[Ryou knelt beside the twins, checking their vitals, while Shirou offered a reassuring smile to the girl clutching his sleeve.]
Shirou:softly It's over. You're safe now.
Sera: holstering her weapon, voice still cold but steadier No. Not yet. This place reeks of something deeper.
[Her eyes drifted toward a sealed door deeper in the corridor — one she knew wasn't marked on their map.]
[As Roy was escorted out in cuffs, the cellar's chaos began to quiet down — the clatter of restraints fading into the hum of comms and the faint sobs of rescued captives. But Sera hadn't moved from her spot near the far wall.]
[Something had caught her eye — a small metallic shimmer half-buried behind a stack of corroded supply crates. A faint draft leaked from a seam in the wall.]
Sera:quietly, almost to herself ...There's another chamber.
[Reina turned toward her, still giving orders to the backup officers.]
Reina: Sera? What is it?
[Sera didn't answer right away. Instead, she brushed away the dust and found a concealed vault door, old but intact — the kind built before the police reform era. A faded crest was etched into the metal, worn and almost erased by time.]
[She knelt, tracing the outline with her gloved fingers. The mark was faint, but the design unmistakable: a serpent coiling through a broken circle, encasing the letters S.V.C.L. — the ancient insignia of SoveCle, from before the syndicate's public dissolution decades ago.]
Ryou:coldly, under his breath ...So it wasn't just trade routes. They've been laundering through here for years.
[Reina's eyes narrowed.]
Reina: Open it. Carefully.
[With a soft click of the latch and a firm twist of Sera's wrist, the vault gave way. A hiss of stale air escaped, followed by the dull gleam of something that shouldn't exist in a place like this.]
Ryou:low whistle Holy hell…
[Inside, the vault was lined with stacks of aged gold bars, each stamped with the same serpent sigil — untouched by time, yet perfectly preserved.]
[Between the gold bricks lay sealed ledgers, brittle pages bound in leather and stamped with foreign marks — proof of trades, routes, and transactions dating back years before SoveCle's supposed collapse.]
Shirou:frowning, stepping closer This much… could fund an entire division for years.
Reina:grim tone Or a small army.
[Sera stood silently for a moment, her reflection shimmering faintly off the gold's polished surfaces. Her gloved hand hovered near the crest — fingers trembling ever so slightly.]
Sera: quiet, haunted This is where it began… the old crest. The same one they branded on the Fiends' rings.
[The room went still. Ryou's gaze shifted toward her, but he didn't speak. Even Reina paused, realizing the weight behind her sister's words.]
Reina:low Then this isn't just evidence.
pauses It's history.
[Sera exhaled slowly, her composure returning as she looked to Reina.]
Sera: Bag every bar. Every book. We should seal it under evidence Lock-1. If the Arches built their empire on this… we just found their root.
[Reina nodded firmly, signaling the backup officers to move in. Evidence drones buzzed quietly, taking scans of the vault and its contents as the gold reflected their cold blue lights.]
Shirou: glancing back at the sealed vault door, voice low She handled it… but I can't help noticing that look when she traced the crest.
Reina: gaze fixed on the distant streetlights, fingers flexing subtly She'll manage. She's been through worse than this.
Shirou: hesitates, eyes narrowing slightly It's just… sometimes, the way she carries herself… makes you wonder what she's holding back.
Reina:finally turning toward him, eyes narrowing gently You can't shield her from everything, Shirou. She'll decide her own path — as much as it hurts to watch.
Shirou:exhales softly, shoulders relaxing a fraction …Right.
Reina:voice softening Then be there when she needs you. That's all anyone can do.
Shirou: Indeed. After all, it is her previous home to cope with.
[The hum of the drones faded one by one, their blue lights dimming as the evidence team sealed the vault. Outside, the metallic clang of cuffs echoed through the air — Roy and the remaining SoveCle remnants were being escorted into armored police vans under tight watch.]
[The once-chaotic warehouse now felt eerily calm. Floodlights illuminated dust motes drifting lazily through the air, a quiet reminder of the storm that had just passed.]
[From across the street, a shadow lingered — still, silent, watching. A faint glint flickered beneath the streetlight, gone as quickly as it appeared.]
[By the time the next gust of wind swept through, the figure had already vanished, leaving nothing but the echo of footsteps fading into the night.]