The warehouse fell into utter stillness—dust suspended in the air like frozen sparks, the shadows thick and suffocating. Sora Kishimoto stood at the jagged entrance, framed by the dim gray light leaking in from outside. He looked exactly like the boy Ren knew from school—neatly cut hair, sharp eyes, posture as straight as a blade.
But something was wrong.
Terribly wrong.
His expression held no warmth. No familiarity.
Only icy professionalism.
Behind him stood ten men in black combat suits, each holding stun batons, tranquilizer rifles, and reinforced restraints.
This wasn't a gang.
This wasn't a hired unit.
This was something far more dangerous.
Sora took one step into the warehouse. His voice was calm, almost gentle—exactly like how he'd speak during morning announcements at school.
"Ren Hayato. Please come out. I don't want to harm you."
Ren's breath caught. Even hearing that voice now felt surreal—like a dream turned nightmare.
Kaito felt his hands trembling. "Sora? Are you kidding me? He's part of this?"
Yui's eyes narrowed. "No. He's trained. Look at the way he moves. That's Council discipline."
The men with Sora began spreading out wordlessly—professional, silent, lethal.
Ren felt the walls closing in.
He had two choices:
Surrender and trust the Council…
or run and put his friends in deeper danger.
Sora's eyes scanned the warehouse slowly—he already knew exactly where Ren was hiding.
"Ren," he said louder, "if you come willingly, the Council will ensure your safety. They do not wish to kill you."
Ren whispered under his breath, "That's not true… I heard them. They were split."
Yui placed a hand on his shoulder. "We need to move. Now."
But before they could shift, Sora spoke again:
"Yui Mizuhara. Kaito Senda."
His voice remained eerily polite.
"You will both step away from Ren. The Council has no interest in harming civilians."
Kaito whispered bitterly, "Yeah, sure. Because they've been super friendly so far."
Yui didn't blink. "He's lying. His orders are to retrieve Ren—no matter who's in the way."
Sora exhaled softly, almost sad.
"Yui… you're one of the smartest students in our year."
He stepped closer, boots echoing.
"Don't force me to prove you right."
Ren's heart thundered. "Sora… why? Why are you involved in this?!"
The question seemed to finally move him.
Sora paused, looking directly into the shadows where Ren and the others hid.
In a low voice—one coated with duty, sorrow, and unshakable certainty—he answered:
"Because I am the Hound of the Twelfth Seat."
"Enforcer of the Council."
"And you… are the heir."
Ren felt his stomach twist.
Sora had been watching him for years.
Not as a friend—
but as a warden.
Yui whispered, "Damn. He's been planted at school."
Kaito clenched his jaw. "A spy… in freaking homeroom?"
The combat squad tightened their formation and stepped forward.
Sora lifted a hand.
"Last warning, Ren. Come willingly."
Ren stepped out from behind the crates before he even realized he was moving.
Fear and fury wrestled inside him.
"Sora… did you ever actually care about me?"
A flicker crossed Sora's eyes—too quick to read. Then the cold mask returned.
"You were my assignment."
Ren felt something crack in his chest.
Yui grabbed his sleeve. "Ren—don't listen to him!"
But he couldn't move.
Sora stepped closer—close enough that Ren could see sadness buried deep beneath his icy exterior.
"I always hoped the Seal would never awaken," Sora murmured. "I wished you'd stay normal. That I'd never have to bring you in."
Ren's voice broke. "Then don't."
Sora closed his eyes.
"I have no choice."
Then he raised two fingers sharply—the signal.
The combat squad lunged.
The Fight in the Warehouse
Yui reacted instantly—she kicked over a rusted rolling table, sending metal tools scattering across the floor. Kaito grabbed a steel pipe and swung desperately at the first attacker.
Ren didn't move.
He was frozen—caught between betrayal and terror—until a baton grazed his arm, sending a jolt of pain up to his shoulder.
The Wooden Dragon heated in his pocket.
Its pulse matched his heartbeat.
Rapid. Growing. Dangerous.
"Ren—MOVE!" Yui screamed.
Ren snapped out of it, ducking as an operative swung at his head. Yui tackled one man, flipping him over her shoulder with perfect form, then stole his baton and cracked it into another operative's knee.
Kaito fought like a cornered animal—messy but determined—swinging wildly and yelling curses.
But they were being overwhelmed.
Sora calmly walked through the chaos, untouched. The squad made space around him like water parting around a blade.
He approached Ren directly.
"End this," Sora said quietly. "Please. You're not ready to control the Seal. The Council can protect you."
Ren's eyes burned. "Protect me? They want to decide whether I live or die."
Sora clenched his jaw. "That was before they knew the Seal accepted you."
Ren hesitated.
"What does that mean?"
Sora's expression darkened.
"It means killing you is no longer an option."
Ren didn't feel relieved. The way Sora said it sounded more like a sentence than a salvation.
Before Ren could speak, an operative tackled Yui to the ground, pinning her arm painfully behind her back.
Kaito was overwhelmed by two more, struggling desperately.
"Stop!" Ren shouted. "Leave them alone!"
Sora lifted a hand.
The squad froze instantly.
The warehouse fell silent except for Yui's ragged breathing and Kaito's muffled groans.
Sora met Ren's eyes.
"Come with me," he said softly. "And they walk away unharmed."
Yui forced her head up. "Ren—DON'T."
Kaito struggled. "Dude, don't you dare—!"
Ren looked between them—his friends, his only real family—and the cold, familiar face of a boy he'd once trusted.
His legs shook.
His chest ached.
Slowly, painfully… he stepped forward.
"Fine," Ren whispered. "I'll go."
Sora exhaled, a barely visible relief washing over him.
He reached out a gloved hand.
But before Ren could take it—
BOOM.
The wall at the far end of the warehouse exploded inward.
Concrete shattered. Metal beams snapped. Dust engulfed the room.
Everyone froze.
Through the cloud of debris stepped a figure—broad, tattooed, wearing a long black coat embroidered with a crimson dragon.
A gravelly voice thundered across the warehouse:
"BACK AWAY FROM THE HEIR."
Ren's blood ran cold.
Because he recognised the symbol.
The Red Serpent Brotherhood—
one of the most feared Triad factions in the world.
The man cracked his neck; eyes locked onto Ren.
"We have come," he growled, "to claim what belongs to us."
Sora stepped protectively in front of Ren, expression hardening into lethal focus.
The assassins behind him raised their weapons.
Yui and Kaito scrambled to Ren's side.
The warehouse trembled with the tension of two unstoppable forces ready to collide.
Ren felt the Wooden Dragon burn hotter than ever before—
And he knew:
Chapter 8 would begin with a war.