The girl's whimper cut through the silence like a knife.
Nakato stood frozen, his flames flickering uncertainly as he stared at the child—this twisted reflection of himself. Her too-large eyes, the same shade of amber as his, darted between the armed Resistance fighters and the masked figure holding her thin wrist. The other two clones cowered behind her, their small frames trembling.
Hinako's dagger was already in her hand. "What the hell is this?"
The masked figure tilted its head, the motion too smooth to be human. *"An offering. A trade."* Its voice buzzed like static, layered with something beneath—a deeper, wetter sound that made Nakato's skin crawl. *"The Prime for the flawed ones."*
Daisuke adjusted his cracked glasses, his holographic display flickering as he scanned the children. "Their DNA signatures... it's like looking at broken mirrors of Nakato's."
Ryujin stepped forward, his sword humming to life. "Bullshit. Kuroto wouldn't just hand over test subjects unless they were defective."
The figure's mask split open vertically—not a mouth, but a tear in reality itself, revealing endless blackness behind. *"Oh, they are quite broken. But then..."* The void where its face should be seemed to smile. *"...so is your Prime."*
Nakato's flames roared without his command, black fire lashing toward the figure. It didn't flinch as the flames stopped inches from its mask, dissipating like smoke against glass.
*"Temper, temper."* The figure released the girl's wrist and stepped back, gesturing to the Beasts. They parted further, revealing a path deeper into the tunnels. *"Moonrise comes. The Hollow King is patient, but not infinitely so."*
The girl—Subject Nine—suddenly lunged forward, her small hand grasping Nakato's. Her skin burned fever-hot against his, and for one dizzying moment, the Blood Memory flared—
—*a steel crib, needles in tiny arms, a woman screaming as black fire consumed the lab*—
Nakato staggered, the vision fading as quickly as it came. The girl's eyes widened, her cracked lips parting. "M-mother says... run." Then her pupils dilated, the red glow intensifying as she convulsed. Black veins spiderwebbed across her face.
Shiro cursed. "She's turning!"
The masked figure's laugh echoed through the tunnels as the girl's tiny frame began elongating, bones cracking as something monstrous stirred within. *"Too late. The corruption runs deep."*
Hinako moved first. Her dagger flashed silver, aimed straight for the figure's mask—
—only to freeze mid-swing as Subject Nine's transforming body erupted between them. The child's scream became a guttural roar as her spine arched, jagged spikes bursting through her skin.
Nakato acted without thinking. His hand found the girl's forehead as his flames surged forward, not to burn, but to *seek*. The black fire poured into her, illuminating the writhing corruption beneath her skin—a parasite of living shadow consuming her from within.
"Hold her down!" Nakato gritted his teeth as his flames wrestled with the infection. Unlike the half-formed Titan from the shelter, this corruption felt ancient, intelligent. It fought back, coiling around his fire like a serpent.
Ryujin's sword cleaved through two Beasts that lunged for them. "We're out of time!"
The masked figure watched impassively as the remaining Beasts collapsed inward, their bodies melting together into a single writhing mass. *"The Eclipse comes. Will you watch your world burn, Prime? Or will you kneel?"*
Nakato ignored the taunt, focusing on the girl. His flames had cornered the corruption now, driving it toward her left palm. With a final push, he forced it out—a wriggling black tendril that withered to ash in open air.
Subject Nine went limp in his arms, her breathing ragged but human. The other two clones clung to each other, their eyes clearing slightly as if whatever control the figure held over them had weakened.
The mass of fused Beasts shuddered, forming into something roughly humanoid—a grotesque mockery of the masked figure, but twenty feet tall and leaking black ooze.
Hinako grabbed one clone while Daisuke scooped up the other. "Fall back!"
Nakato cradled Subject Nine against his chest, his flames forming a protective dome as the Beast abomination swung a massive fist. The impact sent cracks spiderwebbing through his fiery shield.
Shiro and Ryujin attacked in unison—Ryujin's sword carving glowing runes into the creature's legs while Shiro unleashed bolts of golden energy from his palms. The thing staggered but didn't fall.
*"Futile."* The masked figure floated upward, its tattered robes fluttering though there was no wind. *"The gate opens regardless."*
Nakato's head snapped toward the eastern tunnels. A pressure was building there, a wrongness that made his flames recoil. Somewhere deep below Tokyo, something ancient was stirring.
"Go!" Ryujin roared, slicing through a cluster of tentacles that erupted from the Beast's back. "Get the kids to safety! We'll hold them here!"
Hinako hesitated only a second before nodding. "Move!" She herded Daisuke and the clones toward a side tunnel.
Nakato made to follow, but Subject Nine's small hand gripped his shirt. "N-no." Her voice was barely a whisper. "It's coming. The Hollow King... he tastes your fire."
Before Nakato could respond, the ground heaved violently. The tunnel ceiling cracked open, revealing not rock, but swirling black mist shot through with crimson lightning. The masked figure spread its arms in welcome as the abomination Beast dissolved into the mist, its essence absorbed.
*"Behold."* The figure's mask finally crumbled away, revealing nothing beneath—just an endless void. *"The first breath of the Hollow King."*
The pressure in the air spiked. Nakato's knees buckled as his flames roared in warning. This wasn't just a Beast or some cultist—this was something far older, far hungrier.
And it was looking right at him.
Ryujin appeared at his side, hauling him upright. "Time to go, kid." His grip was iron. "This fight's not today."
As they retreated, Nakato glanced back one last time. The void where the figure's face should be pulsed, and for one heart-stopping moment, he saw it—a silhouette vast beyond comprehension, its countless eyes opening in the dark.
Then the tunnel collapsed behind them, sealing the horror away. For now.