The sound came first.

Distant, muffled crying, slipping into Kentaro's ears like something half-remembered from another life. He knew that sound. He was sure he'd heard it before.

He opened his eyes.

Darkness.

No… Not a room. A rooftop. The air felt open, yet the sky above was an infinite pitch-black void, as if the moon had been erased from the galaxy entirely.

He blinked down at himself. No wounds. No blood. No pain.

And no one else.

He was alone.

Everything around him wavered, the skyline shivering like ripples on a warped mirror. A dream? A hallucination? He didn't know. But then, his gaze locked forward. And the sight waiting for him there punched the air out of his lungs.

"…Serica."

Her name escaped him like a confession.

She was on her knees.

The first Alberline he'd ever saved, the girl who once looked at him with fierce devotion, who promised to protect him, reduced to this. Her Sublimation Frame that looked a bit different but still glimmered faintly around her body, but her hands… Her hands dripped with blood. Not her own.

Kentaro's heart seized. He ran. Or tried to. No matter how hard he pushed his legs, the distance between them refused to shrink. The world under him felt like an endless treadmill.

"SERICA!" he shouted, voice cracking from the force. "PLEASE, LOOK! I'M HERE!"

She didn't move. Didn't look up.

Maybe she couldn't hear him.

Maybe she didn't want to.

He kept running, his lungs burning, until the futility sank in like lead. He staggered to a stop, hands braced on his knees, panting. She still trembled there, quietly whimpering. And he… He had never felt so helpless.

Until she spoke.

"I couldn't save him…"

The words froze him.

"Please, I'm here, Ser-"

He stopped mid-sentence, not because she interrupted, but because her face… Wasn't hers. Not entirely.

It was Serica, and yet not. Like the time Spire corrupted her, but this was different. No outside influence. Just… Trauma, carved so deep it had reshaped her into something colder, darker.

Her tears still fell, but her expression was hollow, a mask from a horror film. Her gaze lifted and locked to his, eyes shining wet yet utterly flat.

"…Who are you?"

The sobbing stopped. Her voice split the air like a knife. She wasn't one person anymore; she was two halves in the same body, and the Serica he knew was buried so deep he could barely feel her.

Kentaro instinctively stepped back, shock curdling in his gut. This was the ice in her eyes from the island… Only now, there was no thaw.

"I-it's me, Serica. Kentaro…" He said, still retreating, though the dream's gravity held him in place.

Her head tilted slightly. "Kentaro… Hmm. It was you who made her like this."

Her tone had weight, a command like Yura's, but sharper, more dangerous.

Kentaro's hands rose defensively. "No-no, I-"

The words died in his throat. Because maybe it wasn't directly his fault. But deep down… he knew. Though it was fuzzy, he'd done Something, or failed to do, to have helped create this version of her.

He met her gaze, conviction battling grief. "I'M SORRY! But I'll get Serica back. Then I'll save Aria!" His voice rang out across the void.

She smirked faintly, but her eyes narrowed. "How greedy… You really think that will happen?"

Before he could answer, her hand rose.

"Glaciera Veil."

Light fractured in the air, and her blade manifested, beautiful, lethal, rimed with frost. Without hesitation, she levelled the tip at his chest, fury sparking in her once-empty eyes.

"Listen, human," she said, her voice low and commanding, "if you let her complete her Bloom… I will take over. And I will kill you myself."

The steel at his sternum rooted him in place. His body wouldn't move.

"OF COURSE I'LL SAVE HER! BUT WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU'LL TAKE OVER, AND JUST WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?!"

She stepped closer. The void around them seemed to tighten.

"Such trivial questions aren't answered by someone like you. You have one job. And you'd better pray you succeed."

He opened his mouth, desperate for answers, but she simply flicked his forehead.

The world spun.

Darkness bled in from the edges.

As he collapsed, the last thing he saw was her returning to her knees, head bowed, as though he had never been there.

"Hurry, Kentaro," she murmured.

Then the dream swallowed him whole.

*

Kentaro jolted upright with a ragged gasp, the name tearing from his throat before he even knew he was awake.

"SERICA!"

The sudden movement made his chest ache, his lungs pulling for air like he'd been running for miles. His vision swam; shapes were just blotches of light and shadow, but somewhere close, he heard a sharp gasp.

"Kentaro!"

The voice was warm. Trembling. And then he felt it, a body pressing into him, arms wrapping around his ribs, clinging like she was afraid he'd vanish if she let go. Yura.

She had been there the whole time. Waiting.

His chest heaved under her embrace, each breath shaky, a damp heat building on his skin. Sweat trickled down the side of his face, but it wasn't the only thing wetting his cheeks.

"Ken…" Her voice lowered, fragile but steady enough to carry comfort. "Why are you crying?"

The question landed like a stone in his stomach.

He blinked hard, trying to clear the blur from his eyes. Yura's face swam into focus, flushed, eyes red and swollen, like she'd been holding back tears for hours. Slowly, almost afraid to confirm it, he raised a hand to his cheek.

It was wet.

"I… Was crying?" His voice cracked, small and uncertain, as he touched the other cheek with the same disbelief.

Yura's lips trembled as she wiped at her own eyes. "Yeah… You were. Did you have a bad dream?"

Kentaro didn't answer. Not right away. His throat felt tight, his pulse climbing as his mind clawed back to what he'd seen in that dream. The images. The sound of her voice.

"Serica… where is she?" His words tumbled out, urgent and uneven, as he glanced around.

The room gave nothing back; it was small, bare, almost sterile. No other figures. Just him and Yura.

Yura's gaze fell, her head tilting sideways, her expression heavy with sadness and something deeper, guilt. "I'm sorry, Ken… We couldn't stop her."

His heart pounded harder.

She looked down at the blanket that covered Kentaro's legs, speaking slowly, as if every word cut her tongue. "She… Produced a Fracture Bloom. And we haven't been in touch with her since."

Kentaro's eyes narrowed. "So… She's still there. And Aria?"

Yura didn't meet his gaze. Her voice came out low, almost ashamed. "She's been kidnapped by Spire. That woman, Velza, I think that's her name, she took Aria before she came after you."

Kentaro's teeth ground together, his fists clenching until his knuckles ached. Heat flared in his chest, anger, but also a deep, hollow sense of powerlessness. Two people who mattered to him… both in danger, both in situations that seemed impossible. Before he could speak, the door to the room creaked open.

It was Tenka.

"Hey, Ken. How are you feeling?" she asked as she stepped inside, her tone light but her eyes searching.

Kentaro gave a small nod, no smile, no warmth in his voice. "Yeah… I'm fine. But Tenka, we need-"

A sharp thunk landed on his head, courtesy of Tenka's clipboard.

"Wha-?" Kentaro muttered, startled.

Tenka smirked faintly. "Listen, dummy. First, be grateful you're still alive. We couldn't risk putting you back in the chamber, too dangerous in your state. But Haruka and the medic team did a hell of a job patching you together."

His eyes widened. "…Patched?" He looked down, tugging at the edge of his hospital gown, and saw the neat line of stitches running across the place Velza's blade had pierced him.

"Woahhh-ah!" The memory hit at the same time as the pain, sharp and throbbing. He clutched at the wound, teeth gritted.

Tenka chuckled under her breath. "Guess you just remembered you were stabbed."

"Yeah… seems so," Kentaro rasped. "And damn, it hurts."

Yura moved quickly, handing him a glass of water. "Here, Ken. You must be thirsty."

He took it carefully, drinking without spilling despite the pain, the cool water easing the dryness in his throat.

Tenka settled into a chair opposite Yura. "Ken, I think you already know what's going on… about Serica and Aria."

Kentaro's gaze lowered, his jaw tightening. He nodded once, slow and deliberate.

Tenka's lips curved in a faint smile. "Good. The Serica situation, we stick to the plan: send you into the Bloom as normal. But Aria's case… that one's going to be much trickier."

He knew she was right. The real question wasn't how they would save Aria; it was where she even was. His mind replayed the last moments before he blacked out, Serica being dragged away, and the shadow of a man's voice…

"Damn you, Reiden," he muttered.

Tenka clapped her hands, snapping everyone's attention back. "Right. We don't have a plan yet, but we'll make one. I need you out of bed. Can you manage that, Ken?"

Kentaro met her eyes, then glanced down at his feet. "…Even if I can't, that won't stop me."

"Not the answer I wanted, but it'll do," Tenka muttered, turning toward the adjoining room.

With Yura's steadying arm under his, Kentaro slid off the bed. Every muscle screamed in protest, but step by step, they crossed into the Halcyon's main control room. Shogo, Haruka, and the rest of the squad were gathered there.

"Kenny boy, how are you holding up?" Shogo grinned, flexing his arm.

"Yes, Ken, how are you feeling?" Haruka added warmly.

Kentaro gave them a small smile. "Better than expected. And Haruka, thanks for patching me up. Make sure the medics hear it too."

Haruka's smile softened. "We can't have you dying on us, can we?"

A low chuckle escaped him before Tenka's voice cut in, steady but charged. "Team, this is one of the rare times we've taken such a hit. But don't forget our goal."

"YES, SIR!" the room answered in unison.

She nodded. "Hard as it is to say, the Bloom will actually be the easier problem. Saving Aria will be harder. We need a solid plan."

Ideas flew, Yumi wanting to blow their HQ sky-high, Drone suggesting poison gas, Riku insisting on polite negotiation, and Emi offering her limited camouflage suits. Tenka snapped her fingers at that last one. "That… could work. Stealth!"

"COMMANDER! WE NEED TO-" Shogo launched into a full-volume fantasy about smashing through walls until Riku and Drone gagged and tied him on the spot. Tenka's glare turned to fire. "WHO SAID YOU COULD TALK OVER ME?!" Her kick sent him crashing into the wall.

"OHHHH", Shogo Moaned out.

"…I'll never get used to this," Kentaro muttered.

Tenka was about to speak again when a voice slid through the room, low and almost teasing.

"It seems… I might be quite useful to you, then."

Every head turned toward the door Kentaro and Yura had entered from.

Shogo was instantly on his feet, gun raised. Boots struck the floor in slow, deliberate steps.

"Oh, relax. I'm only here to help," the voice said, muffled by the door but carrying an edge that made the air feel colder.

Kentaro moved Yura behind him, heart pounding. His mind raced, Velza? Reiden? A Cradle agent? Tenka's posture was tight; she wasn't expecting this either.

The door eased open.

Light from the hallway poured in.

The figure stepped forward.

Every member of Halcyon froze, eyes wide, mouths slightly open.

The silhouette in the doorway was unmistakable...

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