"To find Quinn," Kenji replied calmly.
"And where do you think that is?" Akito shot back.
But before an answer could be given—
"Hey! Stop there! That's him!"
A shout from below.
My eyes widened. Lunaris guards? I cursed under my breath.
Without thinking, I hurled a ball of flame down toward them. The alley erupted into chaos—civilians scattered, smoke rising, the guards coughing in confusion.
In the next instant, I launched myself into the air—but I hadn't planned the landing.
CRASH!
Glass shattered around me as I flew straight through a window—smashing into the room where the rest of the Liberators had gathered.
Kenji spat out his drink. Akito jumped to his feet, fists up instinctively.
"Ren?!" Akito's voice cracked with confusion. "Where the hell have you been?!"
"We have a door, you know," Jun muttered, unimpressed.
But we didn't have time to chat. Through the broken window, we could see guards storming through the streets toward the building.
"Don't tell me… Lunaris guards?!" Jun shouted, leaping to his feet beside Kenji.
No time to argue.
We bolted.
Sliding down rooftops, sprinting through narrow alleys, leaping over walls—our hearts pounding.
"What the fuck did you do?!" Akito shouted mid-run, glancing back at me.
I couldn't answer.
I looked over to Kenji, who fired arrows backward to hold off the guards.
My throat was dry. My lungs burned. And my guilt—my guilt was heavier than any wound I'd ever taken.
Eventually, we ducked into a hidden alley, out of breath, backs against the cool bricks. The glass-clear surface of the nearby promenade glimmered as I stood at the edge, staring at my reflection.
That face staring back… it didn't look like a hero.
"Ren." Kenji stepped beside me.
I didn't turn.
"The other day—you came home with a load of cash. You said it was from a mission, remember?"
"…Yeah."
SMACK.
I didn't even see it coming.
Akito grabbed me by the collar and slammed me into the ground. He hovered over me, fist trembling in the air.
"You're my best friend… so tell me—what the fuck happened?!"
His eyes burned—not just with anger, but with something deeper. Betrayal.
And that shattered me more than any punch ever could.
I exhaled. "A woman approached me in the tavern. She suspected we were behind the Lunaris cargo attack… I denied it, but she wasn't buying it. She wanted to know about the serum. I… I gave her one."
I pulled out the bag of cash, throwing it on the ground.
"She paid me. I thought… maybe we'd finally eat. I thought I was helping."
Akito brought me to my feet—then knocked me back down with a fist to the jaw.
"You idiot."
He turned away, and I saw the disappointment etched on every face. Jun didn't say a word. Kenji wouldn't even look at me.
"I just wanted to do something good," I muttered, voice trembling. "We haven't eaten properly in days—"
"And we do that together, Ren!" Kenji finally snapped. "You don't make that kind of decision alone."
I nodded. Swallowed guilt.
"…He's had enough." Jun finally spoke. "We all mess up. But now we've got Lunaris breathing down our necks, and we have a goal."
He looked at me. "Let's just hope your brother's not as stupid as you."
I turned away.
My fists clenched so tightly, blood dripped from my palms. The pain barely registered.
I thought I was doing the right thing.
But I should've known…
Good intentions don't excuse bad choices.
Later, masks over our faces and hoods pulled up, we followed Kenji through the darkened alleys.
"Where are we headed?" Akito asked coldly.
Kenji didn't reply at first.
"Quinn Rome's house. It's close," he finally said.
That name hit me like a train.
"The woman I made the deal with… she said he was her boss."
Everyone turned toward me.
"You could've mentioned that sooner," Akito growled.
"I think he's connected to Lunaris," I added. "I think… he told them about us."
"No," Kenji cut in, firm. "He's a man of reason. He wouldn't betray his people—not without a damn good reason."
No one argued after that. We trusted Kenji… even if it felt like we were walking into a trap.
The door creaked open after three loud knocks.
"…Kenji Hayashi." The man said it like a memory from long ago.
Quinn Rome. The man we had been searching for.
His home was extravagant—far too luxurious for someone in the Fallen City. Every detail screamed influence, wealth… and danger.
"What brings me the pleasure?" Quinn greeted, though his eyes were already sizing us up.
"By any chance, do you have a subordinate named Elara?" Kenji asked casually.
Quinn's lips curled into a sly smile.
"I do. Why?"
"Cut the act," Akito barked. "We know you're connected to the Rebellion."
"Don't deny it," Jun added.
Kenji sighed, his voice suddenly soft. "Please tell me you had a good reason, sir…"
Quinn looked between us, his smile fading. His shoulders fell with a sigh.
"I didn't want this," he admitted. "The Rebellion thinks I work for them. I needed time—time to delay the inevitable. There's a war coming, Kenji."
"A war…?" I whispered.
A stillness fell over the room.
"…I finally get to use my gun," Jun said with a grin, trying to cut the tension.
We all ignored him.
"There's one more thing," Quinn said, his tone darkening.
He looked right at me.
"Aragon has your brother."
The room spun.
"He convinced him you abandoned him. He's twisted Zane into believing you are the enemy."
I stood. My body moved on its own. The table overturned, flames erupting from my skin. The room filled with heat.
"Ren! Calm down!" Akito rushed toward me.
"He wants to kill you," Quinn said, not flinching.
My breath caught in my throat.
Zane… my brother… all this time…?
Tears blurred my vision.
I had left him. I let him burn.
That look on his face—when the smoke was closing in, when he reached for me—I couldn't forget it.
And maybe I stopped searching because I couldn't face it.
I didn't want to see the monster in the reflection.
If they stared at the fire… maybe they wouldn't see what hid behind it.
The silence was shattered as the front door burst open.
"I found them!" a Lunaris guard yelled.
Everything happened fast.
My friends made a run for it.
But I was still frozen, too stunned to move.
I felt hands grip me. Cold steel clamped around my wrists.
Through blurred vision, I saw Akito trying to reach for me—but Kenji held him back.
And just like that… I was gone.
Day 120.
This hellish place they call "safe and secure."