Chapter 11

The tension in the air is palpable as Ryuu's roar reverberates through the chaos, a sound both primal and otherworldly. My eyes flutter in and out of consciousness, unsure if what I'm seeing is reality. Ryuu's body convulses, muscles rippling beneath his skin with an energy that threatens to burn me alive.

Ryuu's form erupts, engulfing him in a blaze of inferno. I can faintly hear gasps around us as we're blasted with intense heat coming from beside me. As the flames subside, a creature of myth and legend emerges from the ashes—a Dragon, majestic and fearsome in its sheer magnificence. Its scales gleam like polished obsidian, reflecting the flickering light with an otherworldly sheen.

I must be far gone. This couldn't possibly be real. Maybe my mind is trying to distract me with such fantasies.

Ryuu, or rather the dragon that was once Ryuu, fixes me with an intense gaze, eyes ablaze with a barely restrained fury. He roars and stands to his full height, taking the ceiling of the warehouse down with him. His wings shake as he throws his head up and showers the sky in flames.

In that moment, we realize that everything we thought we knew about the world has been shattered, replaced by a new reality where the impossible is possible, and the extraordinary walks among us.

Through the destruction, my body is enveloped in one of his claws, as he takes flight, disappearing into the horizon, taking my last breath with him.

An indeterminate amount of time later, my eyes snap open with a jolt, a surge of electricity coursing through my cybernetic arm, shocking me back to consciousness. As I blink away the remnants of sleep, I find myself in an unfamiliar room, surrounded by the sterile hum of machinery and the faint scent of ozone.

Beside me, a cybernetically enhanced being with demonic features—what I think is another type of oni—works diligently at a table, its mechanical limbs moving with precision as it tinkers with some intricate device. Unease settles upon me but I push the feeling aside, focusing instead on the figure lying on the metal table beside me.

Si-Jung.

Relief floods through me as I see her there, unconscious but seemingly unharmed, her face relaxed. I reach out a trembling hand, brushing a strand of hair from her face as tears prickle the corners of my eyes. Memories of the warehouse flood back to me in fragmented bursts, the chaos and desperation of my failed rescue mission still fresh in my mind. What happened to the scientist? Ryuu? Is my mind playing tricks on me… was there a dragon that materialized out of nowhere and decimated the building?

The gaps haunt me.

I shake my head, trying to clear the fog that clouds my thoughts. There's time for answers later. For now, all that matters is that Si-Jung is safe, and I'll do whatever it takes to keep her that way.

"Oh, you're awake. Good good. I'll let the boss know," says the Oni.

"Who's your boss?" I croak, trying to find my voice again.

He checks my arm and programs something, sending another jolt through me, but this time a feeling of relief follows.

The door hisses open, cutting through the awkward silence of the room, and my heart leaps into my throat when I see Ryuu standing there. He stares at me with an intensity I have yet to understand. Does this place belong to him?

The oni steps aside, nodding in Ryuu's direction before exiting with his clipboard. I watch quietly as Ryuu strides towards me, his movements fluid yet somehow different from before. I can't help but notice the subtle shift in his stature, the way he seems larger, more imposing than I remember.

"Ryuu..." I whisper.

His face morphs into one of anger. "You shouldn't have left me. You should have stuck to the plan! Why would you do that, Kira? What kind of stupidity would possess you in such a way?" he grits out, his temples throbbing.

My heart sinks. I did this. There's no one else to blame but me despite his words cutting through me like a knife.

"I..." My voice catches in my throat as I struggle to find the right words. "I thought I was doing what was best. I couldn't just stand by and watch while they took Si-Jung."

Pain is etched on his face as he stares daggers into me. Guilt washes over me like a tidal wave, threatening to drown me in its wake. But we accomplished the mission. That's what's important, right?

"I'm sorry," I whisper, the words heavy with regret. "I didn't mean to betray you. I just... I couldn't bear to lose her."

Ryuu's anger seems to falter for a moment, replaced by a flicker of something else—regret, perhaps, or maybe even understanding. But his next words stun me, of all the things I expected, this is not one of them.

"And I almost lost you in the process. Do you understand, Kira? Do you understand anything at all? Open your eyes, little fox!"

My head began to throb. Nothing he says is making any sense. "Stop screaming at me! What are you saying?"

He forces me into a seated position, the weight of his hands heavy on my shoulder as he stares into my eyes. My eyes flutter from the quick change in position and I press my forehead against his chest, trying to stop the room from spinning.

"I'm sorry. I-I don't understand. What are you saying, Ry?" I whimper as my mind slows down enough for me to take a few calming breaths in.

"I thought I lost you…" he growls against the crown of my head and I look up.

Something passes between us. The past few weeks of tension boil down to this moment.

"That was always a possibility, Ry. We knew the costs. Going against large corporations was likely to kill us all but we chose to do it anyway," I tell him, trying to read his eyes, a part of me still in denial over what's not said between us.

His gaze softens and something drops in my stomach. I don't think I'm ready for what he's about to say.

"Kira, everything you thought you knew about your past... it's a lie," he begins slowly, his voice heavy with regret. "Si-Jung's body, the one lying beside you… it's not hers. It's a clone."

I recoil at his words, my mind struggling to comprehend the enormity of what he's saying. "No, that can't be true." My heart thrums against my ears, my breathing picking up as I dart my gaze from her to Ryuu. He's lying. He has to be.

"Kira…"

"You're lying! She's right there! Look at her! Even her birthmark is in the same spot. What are you talking about?"

His expression remains solemn as he continues, much to my dismay. "The original Si-Jung's body was found discarded years ago, floating in a body of water not far from one of the estates of the upper echelon."

I jerk away from his grasp but he pulls me back, wrapping his arms around me. I want to keep denying what he's saying… but with what her father did to me, he was fully capable of doing the same to his own flesh and blood.

I always knew greed blinds people, clouding moral judgment. Power corrupts faster than stolen files through the dark web. In this life, familial bonds and blood connections hold no sacred meaning anymore. Casualties like Si-Jung and I, forced into political games manipulated for their wicked designs.

Knowing all this, knowing the truth in his words, why does my heart still want to deny it?

"I-I need a moment," I stutter, dislodging myself from his embrace and jumping off the metal table. My legs threaten to give way but I quickly regain my footing and run out the door where the Oni exited, my mind overwhelmed by words that act like blades to the chest.