The path leading to the door was completely silent.
So silent that everyone could hear their own breathing.
Yuki was gone.
Haruto was still staring at the empty corridor.
His eyes looked frozen.
"...Yuki..."
His voice was barely audible.
Ignoring the pain in his shoulder wound, Kaito stepped forward.
"We'll find him."
But even those words didn't feel enough.
Because everyone was thinking the same thing.
Kenji was dead.
Two months ago.
During the Sakura Headquarters attack.
Everyone knew that.
There had even been a funeral.
Haruto slowly raised his head.
"I... saw him."
Sora spoke quietly.
"So did I."
Daichi swallowed hard.
"That face..."
"It was Kenji's face."
Akira said nothing.
But her eyes had darkened.
Alex was staring into the darkness at the end of the corridor.
Then he crouched down.
He touched the remains of the purple energy left on the floor.
Several seconds passed.
Then the expression on Alex's face changed.
Akira noticed immediately.
"What is it?"
Alex slowly stood up.
"This..."
He paused.
Then spoke in a heavy voice.
"This isn't Kenji's energy."
Everyone turned toward him.
"W-What?"
"But how?" Taro suddenly asked.
For a moment, everyone fell silent.
Taro was the only person who still called Alex "Sir" after what had happened.
Alex clenched his fist.
"When I was first assigned to the Western Sakura Headquarters, your father showed me every hunter file there was."
His gaze shifted toward Akira.
"From that day onward, I learned everything about every hunter."
"If Kenji had a twin... or some hidden secret..."
Alex narrowed his eyes.
"I would've known."
He pointed at the energy residue.
"I know Kenji's Quiri energy."
The corridor fell silent.
"This energy belongs to someone else."
Haruto's heart began pounding.
"Then why..."
Alex continued.
"Someone is using Kenji's appearance."
"Or something that resembles him."
"But this is not Kenji's energy."
Alex turned toward Sora.
"Sora... can you help confirm it with your ability?"
Sora lowered her head.
Tears were running down her face.
Then she slowly nodded.
"Y-Yes, Mr. Alex..."
"As you said..."
"That wasn't Kenji's energy."
"I could tell from the energy around the door."
Those words made everyone even more uneasy.
Because that explanation somehow made everything far more terrifying.
Then—
BOOOOOOOM!
The headquarters shook again.
But this time the sound didn't come from the training grounds.
It came from underground.
Akira's eyes widened.
"What's happening?"
Red alarm lights suddenly activated.
RED.
RED.
RED.
The entire headquarters was bathed in crimson light.
A mechanical voice echoed through the halls.
"WARNING."
"WARNING."
"LEVEL ZERO SECURITY BREACH."
Everyone froze.
Alex suddenly turned around.
"No..."
Akira frowned.
"What is it?"
Alex's face had gone pale.
"The underground archives."
Silence.
Haruto didn't understand.
"What happened to the archives?"
Alex's answer sent chills through everyone.
"The files stored there can only be accessed by the highest-ranking officials."
A second passed.
"And someone just entered."
BOOOOOOOM!
Without thinking, Haruto started running.
"Haruto!"
But Haruto was already gone.
Kaito immediately followed.
Sora.
Daichi.
Everyone moved.
Even Ren and Zen tried to follow.
But the caretakers grabbed them by the backs of their collars.
"You two are not coming!"
"It's too dangerous!"
"Please, young masters!"
The twins struggled.
At that moment Daichi flashed them a quick grin.
"Hey."
"You two protect Kazeki, alright?"
"We'll bring Yuki back. Promise."
Then he ran off.
Minutes later...
They reached the lowest level of the headquarters.
Massive steel doors stood open.
That should have been impossible.
Those doors hadn't been opened in years.
Inside...
Files were scattered everywhere.
Computer monitors had been smashed.
And in the center of the room...
One screen remained active.
Alex approached it.
Then froze.
Akira's voice sharpened.
"What do you see?"
Alex didn't answer.
Haruto lost his patience.
"Alex!"
Alex slowly stepped aside.
Everyone saw the screen.
The file title read:
SUBJECT 001
YUKI
Silence.
Haruto's eyes widened.
"...What?"
The file began opening by itself.
Old records appeared on the screen.
Date:
12 Years Ago.
A laboratory recording appeared.
Glass capsules.
Scientists in white coats.
And a small child.
Haruto's breath caught in his throat.
Because that child...
Was Yuki.
But that was impossible.
Yuki was only around ten years old now.
Yet the child in the recording looked exactly the same.
Not a day older.
Sora whispered,
"This..."
Daichi's voice trembled.
"It was recorded twelve years ago..."
The video continued.
One scientist spoke.
"Subject 001."
"The Quiri Core has been successfully implanted."
Another scientist replied.
"If the experiment succeeds..."
"He will become the first living Gate."
The room fell into icy silence.
Akira's eyes widened.
"A Gate?"
Alex's face hardened.
Because he knew that word.
And he never wanted anyone else to hear it.
Haruto turned toward him.
"What does that mean?"
Alex didn't answer.
But the scientist in the recording did.
"If successful..."
"He will become the first living connection between the Human World and the Quiri Dimension."
BOOOOOOOM!
It felt as though the entire world had stopped.
Haruto's mind went blank.
Sora struggled to breathe.
Daichi leaned against the wall.
Nobody could speak.
Yuki...
Wasn't just a victim.
He was an experiment.
The recording continued.
One scientist asked,
"What about his family?"
Another replied,
"They are not his real family."
"The memory implantation process has been completed."
Haruto's heart nearly stopped.
Memory...
Implantation?
A new document appeared.
FAMILY MEMORIES
ARTIFICIALLY CREATED
Sora covered her mouth.
"No..."
Haruto stared at the screen.
And kept staring.
Yuki's mother.
His father.
His home.
His childhood memories.
All of them...
Were fake.
The video flickered one final time.
Then another recording appeared.
A scientist looked directly into the camera.
Fear filled his eyes.
"Subject 001 is becoming unstable."
Alarms blared behind him.
"The Quiri Dimension is reacting."
The camera shook violently.
A scream echoed.
Then—
The screen went black.
But before shutting down, one final message appeared.
PROJECT STATUS:
FAILED
SUBJECT 001 MISSING
Everyone stood frozen.
Haruto whispered,
"...Yuki."
Then another file opened on its own.
Nobody touched the keyboard.
The screen displayed only one line.
Written in black letters.
LAST NAME:
???
NAME:
YUKI
TRUE IDENTITY:
UNKNOWN
SPECIES:
NOT HUMAN
The screen suddenly shut off.
The room fell into darkness.
No one could speak.
Because everyone understood the same terrifying truth.
They didn't know who Yuki really was.
Maybe even Yuki didn't know.
Was he truly the child sacrificed during the ritual in that ruined mansion?
Or was he something else entirely?
Questions filled everyone's minds.
Silence spread throughout the room.
Then footsteps suddenly broke the silence.
Yona arrived.
Behind her was Tatsuya.
Both of them were out of breath.
Yona's hands were trembling.
She held a crumpled piece of paper.
Her eyes were red from crying.
"K-Kaito..."
"H-Haruto..."
Everyone turned toward her.
Yona handed the paper to Kaito.
Her voice shook.
"D-Doctor Mitsuni..."
"H-He's been kidnapped too..."
Silence.
A crushing, suffocating silence.
Everyone stood there in shock.
Outside, the night sky was clear.
The stars shone brighter than ever.
But that meant nothing.
Because life never chose a convenient time to hurt people.
Then the silence broke once more.
Haruto clenched his fists.
His breathing became uneven.
His eyes burned with anger.
"The person who kidnapped him..."
"He knew all of this."
Far away...
In an unknown place...
Yuki slowly opened his eyes.
Darkness surrounded him.
A silhouette stood before him.
The figure slowly spoke.
"I finally found you."
Yuki moved backward in fear.
"W-Who are you?"
The man didn't answer.
He simply smiled.
Then spoke his final words.
"Welcome home."
SEASON FINALE