Royoshi woke up to the quiet hum of the Citadel's med-bay.

  White lights glowed dimly above him.

  The familiar scent filled the air.

  Again.

  "Guess my body loves the med-bay…" He blinked slowly.

  The med-bay ceiling stared back at him like always.

  For a moment, he wondered if the med-bay had become his new dorm room.

  Then a voice spoke beside him.

  "You really should stop taking so many risks,"

  Royoshi turned his head slowly.

  Ishara sat in the chair next to the bed, arms folded.

  Her posture looked calm.

  Royoshi let out a quiet laugh.

  "I'm starting to think you like seeing me here."

  Her eyes narrowed immediately.

  "This isn't funny, Royoshi."

  Royoshi raised his hands slightly in surrender.

  "Take a chill pill. I'm still alive, aren't I?"

  Ishara didn't answer right away.

  She looked at the monitor beside the bed, checking the readings.

  "…You were unconscious for several hours," she said finally.

  Royoshi blinked.

  "Only several?"

  That earned him a sharp look.

  "You were attacked by an infiltrator inside the Citadel," she continued. "And instead of reporting it to someone, you went to meet her alone."

  Royoshi shrugged slightly.

  "Well… she told me to come alone."

  Ishara closed her eyes for a moment.

  "Royoshi."

  He smiled faintly.

  "Okay, okay. Bad decision."

  She looked at him again, this time more seriously.

  "You could have been abducted away from the Citadel."

  Royoshi leaned back against the pillow.

  "But I wasn't, though."

  "That doesn't make it tolerable."

  Her voice softened slightly.

  "…You don't always have to face everything alone."

  Then he chuckled.

  "You sound like a professional medic right now."

  That earned him a small smile from her.

  Just for a second.

  Then her expression returned to normal.

  A small alert flashed on the communicator attached to her wrist.

  She glanced down at it briefly.

  "…I have to go," she said.

  Royoshi tilted his head slightly.

  "Duty calls?"

  "Yes, something like that."

  She stood up from the chair and adjusted the sleeve of her uniform.

  Before turning to leave, she paused near the door."

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  "And Royoshi,"

  "Yeah?"

  "Try not to end up here again tomorrow."

  He smirked faintly.

  "Well, I'm not sure…"

  She shook her head lightly.

  "That's exactly the problem."

  Then the door slid open, and she stepped out into the corridor.

  The panel closed behind her with a soft sound.

  Silence returned to the med-bay.

  Royoshi stared at the ceiling for a few moments.

  Then he muttered quietly.

  "Who is he…?"

  Maris' words echoed again in his memory.

  He wants to meet you personally.

  Royoshi exhaled slowly.

  "Who exactly is this guy?"

  A faint distortion appeared near the foot of the bed.

  Lights shimmered softly.

  Rikishu's hologram materialized.

  "He was once my best friend," he said calmly.

  Royoshi turned his head toward the faintly glowing figure.

  "…Who?"

  "Sevran Axiom," Rikishu replied.

  Royoshi slowly pushed himself up against the pillow.

  "So the guy sending assassins after me used to be your best friend?"

  Rikishu didn't answer immediately.

  He looked toward the large med-bay window where the Citadel towers stretched into the sky.

  "Long ago," he began, "Sevran and I fought together to protect this world."

  Royoshi listened quietly.

  "Back then, we believed that Shuryoku existed to protect people," Rikishu continued. "But Sevran believed something else."

  Royoshi raised an eyebrow.

  "What?"

  "Control."

  The word hung in the air.

  "He believed peace could only exist if the entire world was controlled by one absolute force."

  Royoshi rubbed the back of his neck.

  "That sounds like an awful plan."

  Rikishu's expression remained calm.

  "It started small. More power, more influence, more authority."

  Royoshi folded his arms.

  "And eventually?"

  "He began experimenting with forces that should never have been touched."

  Royoshi frowned.

  "Like those anomalies?"

  Rikishu nodded slightly.

  "Yes."

  The room fell quiet again.

  "He tried to rewrite the script of the world itself," Rikishu said.

  Royoshi let out a slow whistle.

  "So you tried to stop him."

  "I had no choice."

  Rikishu's voice carried a faint heaviness now.

  "The battle lasted days. Entire cities were destroyed," he continued. "I tried to convince him, but he didn't listen to his own best friend."

  Royoshi stared at him.

  "And people think you died."

  Rikishu nodded once.

  "That was the story I allowed the world to believe."

  Royoshi tilted his head.

  "But you're clearly not dead."

  Rikishu gave a faint smile.

  "Sometimes it's better for the world to think its heroes are gone."

  Royoshi leaned back again.

  "So Sevran thinks you're dead too."

  "For now."

  Royoshi sighed.

  "And now he's sending spies after me."

  "Yes."

  "Great."

  Royoshi rubbed his face.

  "So basically I'm his new target."

  "You are a variable he cannot predict," Rikishu said.

  Royoshi groaned.

  "I hate being intriguing. Why couldn't I have been your average guy?"

  Rikishu's holographic form flickered slightly.

  "Be ready," he said.

  "Sevran will not stop unless he gets what he wants."

  Then he faded away.

  The med-bay fell silent again.

  Royoshi stared at the empty space where Rikishu had stood.

  "…Great," he muttered.

  He slowly leaned back into the pillow.

  "So now a world-ending lunatic is after me."

  He rubbed his forehead.

  "Why does my life keep getting complicated?"

  Outside the med-bay window, the Citadel towers stood tall against the morning sky.

  Everything looked peaceful.

  Royoshi closed his eyes for a moment.

  "Guess I'll need to get stronger," he murmured.

  Deep within the Citadel…

  Inside a reinforced chamber.

  Metal restraints locked tightly around a chair.

  Maris slowly opened her eyes.

  Bright lights burned above her.

  "…Wonderful," she muttered.

  Her wrists were bound tightly to the metal frame.

  Her Shuryoku circulation was suppressed.

  Footsteps echoed through the chamber.

  A tall figure stepped into the room.

  Master Devrik.

  He stopped several steps away from her, studying her calmly.

  "You caused quite a disturbance last night," he said.

  Maris smirked faintly.

  "I tried."

  Devrik clasped his hands behind his back.

  "So," he continued, "who sent you?"

  Maris leaned back as far as the restraints allowed.

  "As if I would say anything."

  Devrik studied her silently.

  For a few seconds, the chamber was filled with nothing but the quiet hum of the Citadel's security systems.

  Then Maris lifted her head slightly.

  "I'm not done here," she said calmly.

  Devrik raised an eyebrow.

  Maris leaned forward as far as the restraints allowed.

  "This little disturbance?" she continued. "It's just the beginning."

  Her eyes glowed faintly under the bright lights.

  "Once I get out of this chamber, I'll cause a lot more."

  Devrik didn't react immediately.

  Instead, he walked slowly around her chair, observing her like someone solving a problem.

  "Not under my radar," he said calmly.

  Maris smirked.

  "You wish."

  She leaned back in the chair again.

  The metal restraints tightened slightly as if responding to the movement.

  Devrik stepped in front of her again.

  "You seem very confident for someone in restraints," he said.

  Maris tilted her head slightly.

  "You seem very confident for someone who doesn't know who he's dealing with."

  Silence fell between them again.

  Then Devrik sighed.

  "You infiltrated the Citadel."

  He stepped closer.

  "You attacked one of our recruits."

  "And you expect to walk out of here?"

  Maris shrugged slightly.

  "Eventually."

  Devrik studied her face carefully.

  "You're either very brave…"

  "…or very foolish."

  Maris's smirk widened.

  "Maybe I am a mix of both."

  Devrik turned slightly toward the control panel beside the chamber wall.

  He pressed a small command into the console.

  The restraints around Maris' arms tightened another level.

  Her Shuryoku suppression field intensified.

  Maris flinched slightly this time.

  Devrik noticed.

  "You will remain here until we determine who you are," he said calmly.

  Maris looked up at him again.

  Her eyes narrowed slightly.

  "Good luck with that."

  Devrik turned to leave.

  But before reaching the door, he paused.

  "One more thing," he said without turning back.

  "If you try anything…"

  "…this chamber will shut down your circulation completely."

  Maris watched him silently.

  Then she smiled faintly.

  "We'll see."

  The door slid open.

  Devrik stepped out.

  The chamber sealed behind him with a heavy metallic sound.

  Silence returned.

  For several seconds, Maris remained completely still.

  Then slowly she lifted her head.

  Her eyes focused on one of the small surveillance camera mounted in the corner of the ceiling.

  Her smirk returned.

  "Let's see how long this confinement lasts."

  Far away, inside the med-bay.

  Royoshi slept again.

  Unaware that the next move in the game had already begun.