In the cold corridors of the capital, Jin was walking with steps weighed down by his thoughts when he suddenly collided hard with Kyle and Caroline. Jin took a step back, his eyes falling upon their faces; they were as pale as death, their features draped in an unprecedented shock and astonishment he had never seen in them before. They tried to hide their confusion and quickly continued on their way without uttering a single word.
Jin continued on his path, doubts gnawing at his mind, until he met Jax, who had been watching them from afar. Jax approached and whispered suspiciously, "They just came out of one of the secret tunnels... They were panting heavily, as if something terrifying was chasing them down there."
Jin's eyes widened. "A secret tunnel? Take me to where they came out immediately."
Jax led him through a maze of narrow, abandoned corridors until they stopped in front of a small iron door, barely wide enough for a single person to pass through. Jin furrowed his brows in bewilderment; he knew the citadel's map by heart.
"What brought them here?" Jin wondered in astonishment. "This door is completely sealed off. It's just an old ventilation shaft. The ancient tales say it's one of the doors leading to Zoro's secret vault... Could those myths actually be true?"
Jin approached cautiously and placed his nose near the cracks of the metal door. He inhaled the air seeping from inside, only for a strange mixture of scents to sting his nose—the sharp stench of chemical solutions, ozone, and the burning of massive electrical wires and motors. He stood there in deadly perplexity, realizing that beneath his feet lay a secret that could turn the capital upside down.
Meanwhile, far from the citadel walls, the atmosphere was thick with tension inside the wooden cabin in the Village of the Outcasts. Julia stood before her mother, Elena, her eyes brimming with tears of reproach and anger.
"Why, mother?!" Julia cried out, her voice cracking. "Why did you break his heart? Wasn't he the only man in your life who truly loved you? Why did you betray his loyalty and turn him into this monster that is destroying our world?!"
Elena turned her face away, choking on her tears, and replied in a broken voice, "Arthur... your father, was no ordinary man, Julia. He was a charming man, a hero every woman desired. I loved him deeply, and this stormy love is what made me abandon Zoro. I didn't mean to destroy the world; I was only following my heart."
On the ledge of the open wooden window, a black raven stood in absolute stillness, its glassy eyes fixed upon them, listening and recording every single word spoken.
This bitter reproach was interrupted by loud, sudden knocks on the door. Julia wiped her tears and stepped forward to open it. As soon as the door cracked open, an unknown man pounced on her, hugging her tightly and shouting with childlike joy:
"Juuuuliaaaa! I missed you, my little bird!"
Julia was utterly bewildered and tried to push him away to see his face. The moment their eyes met, her smile widened, banishing all her sorrows.
"Shiro?!" she screamed with overwhelming joy, returning the embrace warmly. "We have been waiting for you for so long! My cousin and childhood friend... why were you gone for so long this time?"
Shiro entered the cabin, laughing confidently, and they began exchanging stories with longing. Showing off his physique, he said, "I was in the South; I joined the training and equestrian club. Don't you see my muscles? I've become a warrior!"
Julia started touching the muscles of his arms, laughing out loud at his boasting and cheerfulness, which had finally restored her old spirit.
From the outside, Jax—who had returned to protect her—was watching the scene through the window. He smiled in relief and whispered to himself, "Thank heavens... He made her smile and laugh like before."
The communicator in Jax's pocket rang. The caller was Jin, asking eagerly and anxiously about Julia's condition.
Jax replied with a reassuring smile, "Don't worry, Jin. She's perfectly fine. She is incredibly happy right now, laughing with Shiro, who just returned."
On the other end of the line, the blood froze in Jin's veins. He slowly hung up, his heart seizing with jealousy, as features of blind rage painted his face. Who is this Shiro making her laugh while I burn here?
Meanwhile, the black raven flew away from the cabin window, soaring deep into the dark forest. The bird landed on the shoulder of a man cloaked in black. The man reached out and, with a precise movement, extracted a microchip attached to the raven's eye. He inserted the chip into his device and listened to every word and watched every scene that had transpired between Julia and her mother.
The man in black smiled in the darkness and whispered maliciously to himself, "Now we understand... who the real cause of the kingdom's destruction was."
Back at the palace, Jin was walking beside Caroline, trying to bait her into talking in hopes she would spill the terrifying secret she had seen down below. But Caroline was cunning, extremely careful in choosing her words, and gave him no opening whatsoever.
Their attempts were interrupted by an urgent summons from the throne room. They immediately complied with Zoro's orders, only to find that Kyle had beaten them there.
Zoro sat on his throne, his eyes blazing with cold fury. He spoke in a voice that echoed through the hall: "The latest statistics have recorded hidden riots in the capital. The youth have begun taking 'emotion doses' of various kinds—love, hope, and happiness! This is an unacceptable violation and strictly forbidden in my regime. The only emotion permitted here is fear, which is dispensed in small, regulated capsules."
Zoro slammed his fist against the armrest of his throne and continued, "The number of these love and happiness users has risen dangerously. Kyle! You are responsible for uncovering all the users and interrogating them. As for Jin and Caroline, I want you to bring me the dealers selling these emotional drugs in my city... I want them completely purged from my lands!"
Everyone set off to execute their orders. In the dark streets of the capital, Jin and Caroline began tracking suspects. They noticed something common among the users of happiness doses; they had become more radiant, their eyes sparkling with a life the city had missed for decades.
Caroline wondered in amazement, "Could such small capsules change a person to the point of this radiance?"
Jin looked at one of the users and answered in his heart with deep sorrow: Nothing compares to the real thing... The feeling I experienced with Julia was more than just radiance; it was an entire life.
Three people proven to be under the influence of the forbidden emotion drug were arrested. Kyle took them in shackles to the interrogation center. While Caroline prepared to continue the search for the dealers, Jin suddenly stopped and claimed exhaustion.
Jin said in a feigned tired voice, "I must excuse myself, Caroline. I feel extremely exhausted. My energy indicator is dropping, and I need to recharge my system and my chip's battery."
It was nothing but the perfect excuse to escape. He wasn't heading to the charging rooms; rather, he sped off at top speed toward the Village of the Outcasts, fires of jealousy consuming his heart to see this "Shiro."
Night cast its darkness and stillness over the village. Outside, Shiro and Julia sat under the moonlight, chatting and laughing out loud. For Julia, this was just a brotherly warmth, a way to reclaim her innocent childhood memories. But in Shiro's mind and heart, Julia was never just a cousin; she was his fierce childhood love, his unforgettable first love.
And in a sudden moment of stillness, Shiro stopped laughing. He looked into her shining blue eyes and, with a swift, impulsive movement, held her face and pulled her close to press a passionate kiss upon her lips.
And at that exact second... Jin was behind the trees.
Watching the kiss unfold right before his eyes, he froze in place. His eyes widened in a shock that paralyzed his entire being. His world crumbled before him as his limbs grew cold, and his heart ignited with the fire of betrayal