On a cold and cloudy morning, Kaito stood before the main gate of the headquarters, looking at the sky. He muttered, "Damn, I missed my coffee. I wonder where those little rats are." Suddenly, he saw Yuki waving at him with a smile. "Teacher, we're here!"
She was wearing comfortable athletic clothes and smiling enthusiastically, though Kaito noticed the slight flicker of anxiety in her eyes. Ren wore an oversized black hoodie, walking quietly and looking at the ground more than ahead. As for Haru, she wore baggy clothes as if trying to hide inside them.
The three stood before Kaito in an orderly line, looking at him with a mixture of admiration and tension. Kaito looked at them for a long time before speaking in a calm but firm voice:
"You know who I am, so there's no need to introduce myself. Lilith decided that I would be responsible for your training. I don't promise kindness, and I don't promise it will be easy. I am here to make you face your fears, not hide them from you. But that doesn't mean we can't enjoy our time."
Kaito's words eased some of their tension, to the point that Haru actually let out a small laugh.
The official luxury black car was waiting for them with its quiet engine, ready to take them to Zone Zero.
An hour before the mission's departure, General Marcus Gray was sitting on the edge of a table, holding a cup of bitter black coffee, while Captain Lucas Han stood before him arranging his gear.
A rare, mischievous smile appeared on the General's rugged, scar-filled face as he looked at his deputy with a mocking gaze.
"Tell me, Lucas… how did your date go yesterday?" The General laughed, raising an eyebrow. "The girl from the First Department, the blonde who's always smiling at you. Did she finally accept your dinner invitation, or are you still chasing her like a dog?"
Lucas paused for a moment from adjusting his belt, then sighed quietly and gave a dry smile. His long black hair was tied back, but a single strand fell over his face.
"She rejected me, General."
He said it simply, then let out a calm, indifferent laugh, as if it didn't bother him at all.
"Rejected you? Again? My god, that's the third time, isn't it?"
"The fourth," Lucas corrected calmly as he tightened his belt firmly. "But she was kind this time… she said she doesn't want a relationship with a man who comes home every night smelling of blood and gunpowder."
The General burst out laughing so loudly that the table shook.
"Hahaha! Unbelievable! A girl from the Analysis Department is afraid of the smell of blood?! That's the funniest joke I've heard this month!"
Then he looked at Lucas with a playful, evaluative gaze. "Are you alright, boy? Or is your heart broken and you're trying to hide it behind that stupid smile?"
Lucas gave a broad grin, but his eyes were perfectly calm, showing no trace of regret.
"Broken? No, General. If my heart broke every time a girl rejected me, I wouldn't have a heart left at all."
The General laughed again, slapping Lucas firmly on the shoulder. "That's the man I know. A heart of iron and a head of stone. Keep it up, Lucas… women come and go."
Half an hour later, inside the secret meeting room before departure, the department heads were gathered in a rare scene reflecting the gravity of the situation. Tension filled the room more than the tobacco smoke.
General Marcus Gray, head of the Third Department, slammed his massive fist on the table and said in his gravelly voice: "Sending trainees to 'Yami' at this early stage is a reckless decision. That city is a black hole, filled with monsters we haven't been able to tame or understand yet. Are we training them or executing them?"
Vera Kane, head of the Second Department, leaned back in her chair and gave her sharp, silky smile: "On the contrary, it is the perfect opportunity to test them… and to test the 'Variable,' Kaito Soren. If they return from there, they will be capable of handling dangerous missions. And if they fail… the weak have no place in our future. You know we are suffering from a shortage of Hunters."
Dr. Elias Falcour, head of the First Department, pushed up his circular glasses, which reflected the overhead lights, and said quietly: "I am only interested in data. I want samples of the tissues of the monsters they will face, especially if they show signs of the 'Monsters of Oblivion.' And another thing—tell your deputy to stay away from my employee. No one wants to date someone with a scarred face."
Ms. Vera Kane let out mocking laughs at what she heard. Captain Lucas felt a surge of anger and insult until the veins on his forehead began to bulge. General Marcus tried to defend his deputy's honor, but Lilith interrupted them, saying:
"Enough childish bickering. Don't you see the seriousness of the mission? Kaito will be the sole person responsible for the lives of these three. This isn't a drill; this is 'Reality'."
The meeting ended with her decisive words, and Kaito walked out with his students under the skeptical gazes of the heads.
In the car cutting through the abandoned outskirts, a silence reigned, broken only by the hum of the engine. Kaito, who was feeling a slight ringing in his ears, asked calmly:
"Have you heard of the Forgotten City of Yami?"
Yuki nodded with forced enthusiasm to hide her trembling voice: "A little… they say it was a commercial capital before it turned into a living hell after the monsters took over. Now it's called 'Zone Zero'."
Ren whispered while looking out the window at the trees that began to die as they approached: "They say some who entered it returned in body, but they forgot their names… they forgot themselves completely."
Haru sat in the corner, pressing her hands against her knees in silence.
After an hour and a half, the car stopped at the final barrier. A massive iron gate, covered in rust. Above it was a sign written in a faded red script that looked like old blood:
**"The Forgotten City of Yami - Zone Zero"**
**"Entry Forbidden - High Risk of Death"**
Kaito stepped out of the car. The moment his foot touched the ground, he felt an immense pressure on his chest, as if the city was calling out to the monster dormant within him. He looked at the dark buildings looming in the distance. Guards from the Third Department surrounded the gate from every direction.
"Here," Kaito said, his voice carrying a sharp edge that woke the trainees from their daze, "you will face your fears stripped of illusions. In 'Yami,' fear is not a passing feeling; it is the key with which monsters open the doors to your minds. Every shadow here has fangs."
Yuki swallowed hard, feeling her empty stomach contract painfully for a moment. Ren tightened his grip until his knuckles turned white. Haru began to tremble.
As soon as they entered, they felt a change in the atmosphere. The air became heavier, and sounds began to come from every direction and from nowhere at once—unintelligible whispers and footsteps running behind collapsed walls.
Kaito walked in the lead, his purple eyes glowing intensely in the darkness that seemed far too "alive."
"Stay close. If you get separated, the city will eat you before the monsters even reach you."
Suddenly, Yuki stopped, her face turning completely pale. "Kaito… I heard something… like a voice calling me from inside that building… it says it has the food I need."
Ren looked around nervously, pointing to the ground: "Kaito, look! Our shadows… they aren't following our movements accurately. There's a delay!"
Haru whispered while covering her nose: "The smell… the smell of fire… it's coming from underground!"
Kaito stopped and looked into the dark depths of the city, where small red eyes began to glimmer from behind shattered windows. On a half-collapsed wall, a phrase was written in blood that had not yet dried…
*"Welcome to Yami…
The city that forgets no one and allows no one to forget what it did to them. Everyone who entered… left something behind.
And everyone who tried to leave… left themselves."*
A heavy silence fell among the students.
Then… Kaito laughed.
A loud laugh, completely indifferent to the danger of the place. He said with a challenge: "Good… it seems the place knows how to welcome its guests."
He took a step forward, his eyes gleaming.
"Get ready… the dance has begun."
Questions for Readers😎:
1) Dr. Elias's insult to Lucas was personal and very cruel. Do you expect Lucas to exploit the chaos of "Zone Zero" to eliminate the First Department's influence, or will his loyalty to the Organization prevent him from taking revenge?
2) The phrase written in blood says: "Everyone who tried to leave... left themselves." Do you expect the price the trainees will pay to exit "Yami" will be part of their precious memories, or will the sacrifice be even greater?
3) Kaito called the trainees "little rats" but later laughed with them. Do you think this outward harshness is a way to protect them mentally from what they will see in Yami, or is Kaito truly starting to care for them as individuals?
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