A low hum filled the sterile room. White lights buzzed overhead, casting cold reflections across sleek titanium walls and softly glowing interfaces. Rin opened her eyes slowly, blinking against the artificial brightness.
Her body ached. She was strapped to a biotic recovery bed, a translucent fluid drip feeding nanocellular stabilizers into her bloodstream. Electrodes lined her wrists and temples, monitoring every pulse and neural oscillation. Her Protocol Core was unstable but mending—at least, that's what the HUD readings implied.
She groaned and shifted slightly, grimacing. Her body felt like it had been through a temporal distortion field.
Across the room, two figures stood watching—one tall, sharp-featured, and dressed in sleek black combat exo-weave. The other was older, dressed in formal uniform with medals gleaming on his chest. His salt-and-pepper hair was neatly tied back.
The older man stepped forward and offered a short, respectful bow.
"Good afternoon, Miss Rin. I am General Takehiko Inoue, Deputy Commander of the MIT Mythos Initiative—Tokyo Division. You are currently housed in one of our classified mobile med-units stationed just outside Yokohama."
Rin narrowed her eyes, her throat dry.
"...MIT?"
"The Mythos Initiative Taskforce," Inoue clarified. "An intercontinental paramilitary agency tasked with overseeing, training, and regulating Protocol Holders. Our mandate includes neutralizing paracausal threats, such as the Eidolon Order or Class-A Daemon Entities like Typhon. You, Miss Rin, are a newly reactivated Nyx-class wielder—an anomaly and an asset. We would like to extend you an official invitation to join us as an operative-in-training under Section 3: Emerging Protocol Candidates."
Rin didn't respond for a long moment.
Then, dryly:"No."
The General blinked.
"Excuse me?"
Rin slowly sat up, wincing as the support fields recalibrated around her.
"I'm not joining any military or superhero club. I'm not training to be a superhero, or a weapon. I'm done with all that."
Captain Raj stepped forward, arms crossed. His voice was calm but firm.
"General, I'll handle this."
Inoue hesitated, then gave a sharp nod and left the chamber in silence.
Raj turned toward Rin.
"Why not?"
She stared at him, exhausted eyes burning under messy black bangs.
"Because it's not me. That girl died years ago. I'm not a hero, Captain. I don't want to save anyone."
Raj studied her face. He didn't speak immediately.
Then, quietly:"You say that… but you fought Typhon yesterday."
Rin looked away.
"I didn't fight him to save the city."Her voice was razor-sharp now."He insulted my cousin. That's it. I wasn't thinking about casualties. I didn't care about the civilians. I just wanted him to bleed."
Raj stepped closer, tone unwavering.
"Intentions don't always define impact, Rin. You saved over 20,000 lives. Not because you were trying to, but because you chose to fight back. And that choice matters."
Rin's voice grew cold.
"That wasn't a choice. That was rage."
A beat of silence. Then Raj asked:
"What do you want, Rin? Right now. Strip everything else away. What's left?"
Her eyes met his.
"I want to destroy the Eidolon Order. Every cell. Every handler. Every Protocol Holder who knew what they did to Ari and did nothing. I want them gone."
Raj didn't flinch.
"Good."
That caught her off guard.
"Good?"
He nodded once, serious now.
"Because that's what we do. The MIT was created to dismantle hidden threats. Eidolon is one of them. You want to bring them down? Join us. You don't need to do it for justice. Do it for vengeance, if that's what gets you up in the morning. I don't care about the reason—only the result."
Rin stared at him for a long time.
Then, finally:"Alright. I'll join. Not for you. Not for the world. But because I want them to suffer."
Raj didn't smile. He simply turned to go.
Outside the med-unit, Athena leaned against the bulkhead, arms folded. She watched Raj emerge.
Her tone was icy.
"You're recruiting an 18-year-old into a paramilitary black-ops initiative using revenge as motivation, Captain."
Raj didn't blink.
"She doesn't believe in anything anymore. Not in justice. Not in people. Not in heroes. What she needs right now is something to live for. If that's revenge… so be it."
Athena's brows furrowed.
"And when revenge burns out? What then?"
Raj looked over his shoulder toward the med-unit, voice low.
"Then maybe—just maybe—she'll find something else to believe in. But first, we let the fire start."
Athena sighed.
"I hope you're right, Captain."
Raj's expression turned grim.
"So do I."