The tunnel swallowed sound.
Even their footsteps seemed hesitant to echo, as if the darkness itself was holding its breath. The faint hum of dormant power lines trembled in the walls, and every so often, a droplet of water would fall from the ceiling, sharp as a pin in the silence.
Arata's heart was still racing. Not from the run… but from the name.
Renji.
The word echoed in his head like the chime of an old clock he thought had stopped years ago.
Yuiri was a pace ahead, her head turning slightly every few seconds, eyes scanning shadows. She could feel the tension radiating from him. Her voice was soft when she spoke.
"You know him," she said, though it wasn't a question.
Arata swallowed, his throat dry. "Yeah… I do."
"How well?" she pressed.
He didn't answer. The memory was too sharp, too heavy. And then, from the far end of the tunnel, a faint orange glow appeared — the glow of a flare. The light wavered, casting elongated shadows against the curved concrete.
Renji stepped into view.
The Reunion
He looked older, but not by much. His black hair was slightly longer than Arata remembered, his build leaner but more solid. And his eyes — that same sharp, knowing gaze, but colder now, like they'd been tempered in steel.
Renji stopped a few feet away, resting the flare in a crack of the tunnel wall. His lips curled into the faintest smile.
"Still running, little brother," he said, voice calm, almost warm — but there was weight in it, like a shadow under sunlight.
Arata's jaw tightened. "You shouldn't be here."
Renji chuckled softly. "I could say the same about you. But here we are."
Yuiri glanced between them, her hand subtly shifting closer to her sidearm. "You're with NOKRA," she said flatly.
Renji's gaze flicked to her. "And you must be Yuiri. The one who's got my brother tangled in all this. I should thank you… or maybe I should shoot you. Still deciding."
Arata took a step forward, his voice low. "Leave her out of this."
Renji tilted his head, studying him. "Always so quick to protect someone. Always so quick to stand in front of danger, even when you don't understand it." His eyes softened for just a moment. "You haven't changed."
A Dangerous Offer
The flare hissed softly, the shadows around them shifting with every flicker. Renji leaned against the tunnel wall, speaking as if they had all the time in the world.
"You're in over your head, Arata. NOKRA has marked you. Once they mark you, there's no going back. You think you can protect her?" He gestured at Yuiri. "They'll burn down entire districts to get what they want. And you…" He smirked. "…you're not even close to ready."
Arata's eyes narrowed. "Then why are you here?"
Renji stepped closer. The warmth in his voice faded, replaced by something harder. "To offer you a way out. Come with me. NOKRA will pull you off the kill list. You'll have protection, resources… power. All you have to do is walk away from her."
The words landed like a punch to the gut. Arata glanced at Yuiri — her face unreadable, but her eyes sharp, watching.
"Not happening," Arata said finally.
Renji sighed. "You think I'm your enemy. But I'm the only reason you've made it this far. You've been one step ahead because I've made sure of it. Without me, they'd have you in chains… or a body bag."
The Cipher
Renji's hand shifted to his belt, unclipping a small metallic sphere no bigger than his palm. It unfolded in his hand, revealing a glowing red lens.
A soft hum filled the tunnel as the sphere lifted into the air, scanning in a slow arc. Its light passed over Arata, Yuiri, and the cracked walls.
Yuiri's voice was ice. "You brought a Cipher here?"
Renji smiled faintly. "Relax. It's not broadcasting… yet. Think of it as insurance. One word from me, and this tunnel becomes a grave."
Arata's fists clenched. "You'd kill me?"
Renji's eyes darkened. "I'd save you. Even if it meant stopping you the hard way."
The Cipher's hum grew louder, its light pulsing rhythmically. Yuiri shifted her stance — subtle, but ready.
The Shift
The standoff stretched long enough for the flare to gutter lower. Renji's gaze lingered on Arata's face, searching for something — maybe the boy he once knew, maybe the answer to whether this confrontation would end in blood.
Finally, he stepped back. "You're not going to listen to me. You never did."
"That's because you stopped making sense a long time ago," Arata shot back.
Renji chuckled — but there was no humor in it. "Maybe. Or maybe I just started seeing the world the way it really is."
Without warning, he tapped the Cipher twice. The red light intensified, and from deep within the tunnel came the sound of mechanical movement — heavy, deliberate.
Yuiri's eyes widened. "We have to move. Now."
The Escape
The moment shattered like glass. Yuiri grabbed Arata's arm, pulling him down a side corridor. The air here was thicker, filled with the stench of rust and stagnant water. The faint echo of Renji's footsteps followed — not running, not chasing, just… following.
The Cipher zipped ahead, its light bouncing across the walls. It wasn't trying to catch them — it was herding them.
They turned a corner — and froze.
A collapsed section of the tunnel blocked the way, concrete and steel twisted like broken bones.
Yuiri cursed under her breath. "Back!"
But when they turned, Renji was there, standing in the mouth of the corridor, the flare in his hand casting him in hellish orange.
"This is what you chose," he said quietly. "Remember that when it's too late."
He stepped aside, letting them pass. Arata hesitated — too long — but Yuiri pulled him.
They ran, the tunnel stretching endlessly ahead, until the sound of the Cipher faded.
The Tag
When they finally stopped, gasping for air, Yuiri glanced at Arata. Her brow furrowed. "What's that?"
Arata frowned. "What?"
She reached out, pulling his jacket aside — and there, under the fabric, a faint red light blinked.
A tracker.
Yuiri's expression hardened. "He let us go… so he can follow us."
Arata stared into the darkness they'd come from, his pulse pounding. In the distance, the last of the flarelight vanished, leaving only the steady blink against his chest.
Renji's voice, faint but clear, seemed to echo from the tunnel walls.
"You'll thank me one day, little brother."
End of chapter 9