The moon hung low over Seiki Academy, pale and cold.
Kaito sat on the edge of the northern garden, staring at the faint glow on his palm where the Kage no Yakusoku sigil had burned itself into his skin. It pulsed softly, like a quiet heartbeat—neither comforting nor threatening, just… present.
Hina sat beside him, arms wrapped around her knees. "So that's it? You've got a brand-new vow now? Like a… better version of the old one?"
Kaito exhaled. "Not better. Just… different. The Void doesn't feel wild anymore. It's like I can negotiate with it now. Control it. But the First Bearer said there's a cost."
Riku, leaning against a tree nearby, glanced up from his notebook. "Did they specify what?"
"No." Kaito flexed his fingers slowly. "But it's coming. I can feel it."
Rei stood a few steps away, gazing back at the Academy buildings. "It doesn't matter what the cost is right now. The Academy saw everything tonight. They'll come harder next time."
Hina scowled. "Let them come. We'll take them."
Rei shook his head. "You don't get it. The enforcers tonight were just testers. The Director hasn't even moved yet. When they do, you won't have time to fight back."
Kaito turned to him. "Who is the Director? You keep hinting but never explain."
Rei's blue eyes flickered in the moonlight. "…The Director isn't just a person. It's a title that's been passed down since the Academy's founding. They know the full history of the Kurai Seiki. They're the ones who started collecting Bearers in the first place."
Riku frowned. "So they're the one pulling the strings?"
"Exactly," Rei said. "The Director doesn't just want to study the Void—they want to recreate the First Bearer's collapse. If they succeed, they'll have a weapon strong enough to rewrite the rules of Seiki itself."
Silence fell over the group.
Kaito clenched his fist. "Then we stop them. We find the Core of the Undercroft, whatever it really is, and we get answers before they do."
Hina nodded. "I'm in. No way I'm letting them use you—or anyone—like that."
Riku adjusted his glasses. "Logically, it's the only move. Staying on the surface will just get us hunted. But going deeper… we need a plan."
Rei smirked faintly. "Good. Because once we leave the Academy's upper levels, there's no turning back. You'll either find the truth… or you won't come back at all."
Kaito stood. "Then let's do it. Tonight."
The Ambush
They barely had time to move before the garden lights flickered—and shadows shifted unnaturally.
From the trees emerged a new squad of enforcers, faster and more disciplined than the ones before. At their center was a masked figure radiating a chilling aura.
The figure spoke in a calm, commanding voice. "Bearer Kaito Renge. By order of the Director, you are to be taken alive. The rest are expendable."
Hina's fists flared instantly. "Expendable THIS!"
Riku's threads snapped into defensive formation, while Rei drew his blade with a quiet sigh. "I told you they wouldn't wait long."
The masked leader lunged forward with terrifying speed, faster than the previous Senka. Their weapon—a pair of crescent Seiki blades—cut through the air in a blur.
Kaito stepped up, summoning his new controlled Void. "If they want me alive, they'll have to work for it!"
The fight was brief but brutal. The enforcers pressed hard, their formation tight and efficient. But this time, Kaito's new vow gave him sharper control—he created precise Void shields to block attacks without destabilizing the area.
Hina's strikes were explosive, sending two enforcers crashing into the ground. Riku bound another with reinforced threads. Rei sliced through two more in a single motion.
But the masked leader was on another level. They moved like a phantom, striking at Kaito relentlessly, testing his control.
"You've awakened a new vow," the masked voice murmured mid-fight. "Good. The Director will find it… useful."
Kaito growled. "I'm not their weapon!"
With a surge of focus, he condensed his Void into a single piercing strike, forcing the masked leader back just enough for the group to break the encirclement.
Rei shouted, "Move! The entrance to the lower levels is this way!"
They dashed toward a hidden alcove in the garden wall. As they passed through, Rei slammed his blade into a seal, activating a hidden passage.
The masked leader gave chase but stopped at the entrance, watching silently as the passage sealed.
Their voice was calm. "Run while you can. The Core will consume you all."
Then they vanished into the shadows.
The Final Step Down
The hidden passage descended into darkness, lit only by faint glyphs that pulsed along the walls. The air grew heavier with every step.
Riku checked the glyphs carefully. "This isn't Academy-made. It's older."
Rei nodded. "We're leaving their domain now. From here on, you're in the Undercroft proper—the part even the Director can't fully control."
Hina glanced at Kaito. "Still sure about this?"
Kaito's new vow sigil pulsed faintly. He looked ahead, his expression firm. "I have to know the truth. About the First Bearer. About the Void. About all of it."
They reached a massive gate at the end of the passage.
On it was an inscription in an ancient language—but somehow, Kaito could read it.
BEYOND THIS GATE LIES THE CORE. THE BEGINNING. THE END.
The gate slowly creaked open.
Beyond was only blackness.
Kaito took a deep breath. "Let's finish what we started."
And together, they stepped through.