After finishing the tour of the archive room, Lilith escorted him to his quarters.
The room was at the end of a long corridor on the fourth floor, bearing a small plaque that read "404."
"This is your temporary room," Lilith said in her usual calm voice. "You can rest here. If you need anything, press the green button next to the door. Raiden or one of the staff will come."
Lilith stood before him for a moment, looking at him with her emerald-green eyes. She said nothing more, only nodded slightly and departed. Her footsteps were quiet and rhythmic until she vanished at the end of the corridor.
Kaito entered the room and closed the door behind him.
The room was simple but comfortable: a single bed, a small desk, a chair, and a wardrobe. A large window overlooked the city. New Tokyo was a city of contradictions.
Vibrant on the outside, dark on the inside.
Shiny glass towers towered over ancient wooden temples, and giant neon screens reflected their colors onto pavements wet with gray rain.
People walked quickly, taking pictures, while the Control Bureau guards stood in their black suits, ready for any possible danger.
The scent of takoyaki and ramen mingled with the faint smell of fear that no one could ignore.
Here, life continues… but it is a life well aware that it could end at any moment if fear opens up within someone.
Room 404 had no television, no books only a small tablet on the desk containing some general reports about the organization.
Kaito sat on the edge of the bed and sighed deeply.
"Finally alone."
He removed his long black coat and tossed it onto the chair, then lay back on the bed and stared at the clean white ceiling. His dark silver-gray hair scattered across the pillow.
"Alright…" he whispered to himself. "Let me connect the dots."
He began to think slowly, trying to arrange everything that had happened since his fall into this world.
1 : He died.
He had truly died in his world. An attack he never saw coming. Someone had managed to penetrate the "Infinite Void" and reach him. This question still haunted him more than anything else. Who was strong enough to kill him? And how did he not sense them?
2 : This world.
A world where humans turn into incurable monsters as soon as their fear reaches its peak. Darkness, fire, hunger, silence, oblivion… every fear has its own monster once the human undergoes a full transformation. No return. No cure.
But what about Raiden? How did he return after his transformation? Does it have something to do with Division Two?
3 : Lilith Domina.
She is the most mysterious. She wasn't surprised by his arrival from another world. She doesn't ask for many details. She speaks with a terrifying calmness as if everything is calculated. Her "Control" ability (the red chains) turns monsters into obedient dogs once she seizes them. But Kaito feels there is a deeper layer. Something she is hiding. Something more dangerous than the public chains.
"Why am I here?" Kaito wondered in a low voice. "Is it a coincidence? Or did someone… send me here?"
He sat up on the bed and rubbed his face with his hand.
He felt boredom slowly creeping in.
He loved work, he loved training, he loved being in motion. As for sitting like this and trying to understand a strange world, it was boring for him.
He stood up and walked toward the window. The city stretched out before him, modern towers alongside ancient buildings. From afar, a faint smoke could be seen rising from some area—perhaps a confrontation with a new monster.
"This world lives on the edge of collapse," he whispered. "And the organization holds the chains that prevent it from falling… or perhaps they are the ones pushing it toward it."
He remembered Raiden, the "loyal dog."
A very strong man, controlling the fear of excessive power. He transformed into a monster and then managed to return. Kaito felt that Raiden wasn't just a guard. He is proof of what Lilith can do to those who submit to her, proof that monsters can return to being humans—flesh and blood.
"Does she want me to become like Raiden?" Kaito thought. "Another loyal dog?"
He gave a short, mocking laugh.
"That won't happen."
He paced the room back and forth. The boredom began to turn into a light tension.
He wanted to do something. He wanted to go out, see the city, and understand how this world really worked. But he knew he was under surveillance. Lilith doesn't leave things to chance.
He sat in the chair in front of the desk and opened the tablet. It contained general reports: statistics on the number of daily transformations, danger zones in the city, and a list of controlled monsters.
He read a few pages then closed it with obvious boredom.
"Boring," he said aloud. "All of this… so boring."
He lay back on the bed again and placed his arm over his eyes.
In his mind, he returned to connecting the threads.
Lilith wants him.
That much is clear. She wants someone who cannot be controlled by the laws of this world. Someone strong, different someone who could be an unpredictable weapon.
But why?
Is there a threat greater than the ordinary monsters? Is there a person or force within the organization itself threatening her? Or is she planning something bigger?
"You are hiding a lot, Lilith Domina," Kaito whispered. "And the mystery in your eyes doesn't suit someone who claims she is only protecting the city."
He felt drowsiness gradually creeping over him.
It had been a long day. Transition, meeting, test, tour, documents… a lot of information in a short time.
Before closing his eyes, he thought one last time:
"I'll stay here for a while.
I'll observe.
I'll understand.
Then… I'll decide whether I'll break her chains… or let her bind me."
Outside, in the dark corridor, Lilith stood before the door of Room 404 for a long time.
She didn't knock. She just stood silently, the thin golden circles appearing and disappearing in her eyes.
Raiden stood behind her two steps away, silent as usual.
"He is different," Lilith whispered to herself in a very low voice. "And the different ones… either they become my strongest weapons… or my greatest threats."
She smiled a small, cold smile, then turned and walked away.
Inside Room 404, Kaito Soren slept!.
Questions for the Readers😎:
1) The room number "404" is associated with the famous error code (Page Not Found). Do you think this is a hint that Kaito "doesn't exist" in this world's records, or is there another secret behind Lilith choosing this number🤫
2) Kaito concluded that Raiden is proof that monsters can return to being human. Do you think this "cure" is real, or is Raiden just a monster bound by a false human consciousness?🥺
Your support with Power Stones and Collection is what motivates me to keep going! Share your thoughts in the comments.🙏🏻🥰