Reiden smiled as he leaned closer, his face inch by inch drawing into Aria's trembling vision. He savoured the way her fear filled the room, her wide eyes, her throat straining as she tried to pull her head away, but her neck restraints allowed her no further escape.

"GET AWAY!!!" She screamed, her voice raw, breaking against the silence. "LEAVE ME ALONE!!"

Reiden tilted back just a fraction, feigning hurt like a boy scolded by a teacher. Then his lips curled into something darker. "My, my… It seems they must've put you through quite a lot, haven't they?" His tone dripped with mock sympathy, an evil smirk still stretching across his face.

Aria glared at him, refusing to answer.

"Ahh, such a pretty face," Reiden continued, almost whispering, as though speaking only to himself. "What a shame to see it wasting away in a place like this. I'd tell you things might get better… But I don't like to lie."

Aria snapped, her anger ripping through her exhaustion.

"WHAT DO YOU WANT!" She shouted, her voice cracking under the strain.

Reiden straightened, sliding his hands behind his back with the poise of a commander.

"Please. Don't shout. There's no need. I'm only here to ask a question or two."

Her breath came in ragged waves. She stayed silent, glaring.

"Good," he murmured. "Now we can be civilised. Tell me, Miss Siren… That boy, Kentaro Takamiya. What does he mean to you? Or shall I put it differently, do you think he cares for you?"

Aria tilted her head, confusion flashing across her face.

"What do you care about him? And how I see him is none of your damn business! Get lost!"

Reiden's smirk didn't falter.

"Oh, come now. Just answer me. Actually-" his voice lowered, sharp as a blade, "...Perhaps I should rephrase. Because, as you may or may not know… Kentaro and his little band are already on their way here. They plan to save you."

Aria's eyes widened. Her lips trembled.

"He… Really is coming." She muttered it under her breath, as though she couldn't believe it herself.

Reiden caught the flicker of surprise and leaned closer again, savouring it.

"Yes, yes… He's on his way. But let us imagine, just for a moment, that we killed him. Would that hurt you?"

Aria's eyes snapped wide open.

"DON'T YOU TOUCH HIM! DAMN IT, I'LL KILL YOU!" She screamed, thrashing against her restraints, wrists tearing at the cuffs until her skin reddened.

Reiden only watched with amusement.

"Good," he said softly. "So, then… What if, instead of killing him, we gave you a choice? You take his place. Of course, we wouldn't kill you. But… We could beat you until you're half-dead. Strip you of your pride. Break your dignity as a woman. Grind your resolve into ash. If that were the price, would you still stand by him? Would you still want to save him?"

For a moment, silence. Aria froze, her chest heaving, her face collapsing into despair. But slowly… She lifted her head, and in her eyes burned something sharper.

"Such a stupid question," she said. "I wouldn't have to sacrifice myself for him."

Reiden's brow arched.

"Ohh?"

Her lips curved into a trembling smirk.

"Because Kentaro will save me. And then he'll beat your ugly ass."

For the first time, Reiden's smirk faltered, a shadow passing over his face. Then he laughed low, dark, and sharp, the smirk curling back to life.

"Ah, I see. Beat me. Very well. You've given me some… Interesting answers." He turned his back on her, walking toward the steel doors. His coat swayed with the precision of each step.

"I'd say 'see you later,' but chances are… You'll be dead." His laugh filled the chamber, cruel and echoing, before the door shut behind him.

The echo hadn't even faded when a cradle soldier burst into the room.

"Sir! We have an intruder! It's an Alberline! One with Silver hair!"

Reiden didn't even blink. His voice was calm, amused.

"Ohhh… It seems Kentaro has gained another ally."

But the soldier wasn't finished. He swallowed hard, words tumbling out.

"Sir, that's not all. There's not just one of her. There are about twenty. They all look the same, like clones!"

Velza's eyes went wide, her voice cutting the air like a whip.

"What do you mean, soldier!?"

The man stammered, but forced the words out.

"I-I mean it, ma'am! Twenty of them! Each identical, same silver hair, same energy!"

Velza's shout shook the walls.

"WHAT!"

Reiden's smirk only deepened. His eyes glowed faintly as he muttered, almost to himself, "hmmm… Another Alberline, is it? My, Kentaro… Just how many allies do you plan to bring?"

The soldier looked from Velza, her face pale, lips tightening, to Reiden, whose calm aura was more terrifying than panic.

"Sir… What should we do?"

Reiden stroked his chin as though considering wine rather than war. His gaze drifted back toward the chamber where Aria sat slumped, too exhausted to notice any of this.

"We could fight back. We could run. Or maybe…" His voice lingered in the air, low and venomous. "Maybe… We bite."

He turned to Velza, his eyes gleaming.

"Velza, my dear. You'll deal with this silver-haired Alberline. But remain on standby. If Takamiya and his gang force their way here, I may need you. Until then… Buy me time."

Velza's eyes widened. She stepped forward in protest.

"No! Why would you leave yourself exposed? What are you planning to do?"

"Please, Velza." His tone softened mockingly, like a lover's whisper. "Trust me. You're not leaving me, you're biding time. I think… It's finally time I meet Kentaro Takamiya myself. Don't you agree?"

She bit her lip, fists clenching, rage and fear twisting her face. But she couldn't refuse him. She turned away, storming toward the door.

"Fine. But the second you're in danger, you call for me."

The door closed behind her.

Reiden chuckled to himself, a low, cruel note.

"Aye aye, ma'am."

Before he could give another order, the door burst open again, another soldier stumbling in, breathless.

"MR. VALE, SIR!"

Reiden's brow twitched. His day had been filled with interruptions, each more irritating than the last. He looked up with cold patience.

"Sir! A group of intruders have breached the main entrance! Five of them! They're cutting through our men fast!"

Reiden sighed, surprised only at their speed. He spoke as calmly as though ordering wine at dinner.

"Very well. All troops engage them. Make it… As difficult as possible for them to reach this room."

"YESSIR!" both soldiers barked before running out.

When the doors closed, silence settled again. Reiden's lips curved into a smaller, colder smile. He turned to the lead scientist.

"Do it."

The man nodded, pressing the blackened button on the console before him.

*

Kentaro and the group had found themselves crammed inside the Halcyon's van, the engine screaming as Yumi pushed it harder than it was probably ever designed to go. The streets were eerily empty now, the aftermath of their last battle, which made it easy for Yumi to weave through side roads and abandoned intersections like a professional getaway driver.

Kentaro sat in the middle, body leaning forward, eyes locked on the windshield. Out in the distance, faint flashes of light sparked across the skyline, like miniature fireworks clawing at the night.

"What could that be?" he asked, voice low, tension sitting heavy in his chest.

"It's most likely Rin," Tenka replied through the comms, calm but clipped. "She's handling the Null and some of the backup soldiers. Let's not waste this chance."

Kentaro's fists clenched tight. "Yeah, you best believe so. We're gonna make this work." His tone was sharp, confident, a declaration more than a reassurance.

Next to him, Yura tugged gently on his sleeve. Her eyes were wide, soft, and pleading.

"Hey, Kentaro… Just… Make sure you don't get hurt, okay?"

Kentaro glanced at her, his expression easing into a grin.

"Don't worry, I will. And with you guys, that won't happen." His smile widened, bold, almost reckless.

Yura nodded, as if forcing herself to believe it, to breathe.

Kentaro leaned back, smirking. "Once we're done with this, we can go get some food. 'Cause I'm starving."

"Food?"

Serica's head popped up from the seat in front like a prairie dog. She had clearly been half-dozing off until the word triggered her instincts. Her eyes lit up instantly.

"YEAH, FOOD!" She shouted, a full-blown war cry.

The van erupted with laughter, a brief moment of relief in the middle of the storm barreling toward them.

"Almost there," Yumi called out from the driver's seat, voice sharp, focused.

Through the windshield, the building finally came into view, a skyscraper that loomed over the ruined city like something built for a sci-fi supervillain. Every line of steel and glass felt wrong, dangerous, suffocating. And somewhere inside it, Aria was waiting.

Kentaro narrowed his eyes. "Let's save her."

"To right we will!" Shogo yelled from the back, before throwing up thanks to the motion sickness.

"UGH!"

Serica squinted, ignoring Shogo's antics, she tilited her head, her finger pressed against her chin.

"Umm… Guys? How do we actually get in?"

Kentaro smirked. "That's why we've got Emi's suits. We sneak in."

Serica's eyes lit up with sudden understanding.

"Ohhhhhhh. Okay, makes sense."

She turned back toward the front window.

…Then slowly turned around again, her smile wobbling into nervous laughter.

"Umm, don't wanna sound stupid or anything, haha… But why aren't we slowing down?"

The realisation hit everyone at once. The building wasn't getting smaller; it was getting a whole lot closer.

"YUMI!!" Kentaro screamed.

From the driver's seat, Yumi only snickered.

"Only one way we know how to enter a building uninvited!" she shouted.

BOOM.

The world went black.

*

Milly slipped back into the hospital, quiet as a shadow, slipping past nurses and orderlies who were too busy to notice her return. The sterile hallways felt colder than usual, each fluorescent light buzzing like an accusing voice in her ear.

When she opened the door to her room, her chest tightened instantly.

Kira was still asleep. Still lying there, unmoving. Still untouched by the chaos outside.

Milly's throat burned. She stepped closer, her eyes watering before she could even stop them. She sat down beside the bed, her gaze locked on Kira's peaceful face.

"She's sleeping so peacefully…" Milly whispered, her voice cracking. Slowly, almost afraid, she reached out and took Kira's hand in hers. Her grip trembled, desperate, guilty.

"I'm sorry, Kira… I couldn't bring him back to you. You'll have to forgive me…"

Her fingers squeezed tighter around Kira's limp hand, as if holding on harder could make up for her failure. She sat there for a long moment, silent, broken, before finally letting go.

Milly turned and climbed back into her own bed. The ceiling above blurred as Kentaro's words replayed in her mind, over and over, haunting her in the quiet.

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