"We are no longer fighting the effects of the fracture. We are fighting the architect who designed the crack." — Tina-sensei
The cold weight of the Second Pillar Shard in Kabe's hands was a constant reminder of Ryo Takamura's gaze. It didn't hum with the steady, protective energy of the Anchors they usually collected; instead, it throbbed with a volatile mix of grief and power, a chaotic pulse that resonated against Kabe's own rapidly beating heart.
"He knew exactly where we were. He was waiting," Kabe said, his voice clipped as they vaulted over a section of collapsed, memory-warped highway.
Ken ran beside him, clutching the Prism-Amplifier. "He called himself 'The Architect.' He didn't try to kill us, Kabe. He tried to recruit us. Or test us. He wanted to prove his control over the Mugenkyou."
"He proved he knows our weaknesses better than anyone," Kabe countered, remembering the terror and helplessness in Ken's face when the memory of their mother appeared. "That ends now. We need to reach the safe-site, analyze this Shard, and tell Tina-sensei everything."
They found the hidden entry to their underground safe-site, a reinforced bunker disguised beneath a seemingly abandoned maintenance depot, and slipped inside. Tina-sensei and Evalia were already gathered around a workbench, the air thick with tension.
Tina, their lead mentor and strategist, looked up, her expression grim. Evalia, always perceptive, immediately focused on the object in Kabe's hands.
"You secured the Shard," Tina acknowledged, her relief momentarily visible before turning to severe worry. "But the system is screaming. What happened out there?"
Kabe placed the Shard on the insulated workbench. The artifact immediately began to draw ambient energy, creating tiny, sparking arcs of light that strained the surrounding electronics.
"Ryo Takamura was there," Kabe stated simply.
The name dropped into the room like a heavy stone. Tina-sensei froze, her eyes widening in disbelief, while Evalia clutched her forearm, a sharp intake of breath escaping her lips.
"Ryo?" Tina whispered, walking stiffly toward Kabe. "The Ryo Takamura? He left Kurogane years ago. He was the one who…" she stopped, unable to voice the unspoken betrayal. "Are you certain?"
"He admitted it. He called himself the Architect. He manipulated the Durama incident to draw out the Pillars," Ken explained, his hand still hovering over his own Prism. "He has a tool, maybe an Anchor he corrupted, that lets him weaponize memories against us. Personal memories."
Evalia let out a low groan, sinking into a nearby chair. Her usual calm demeanor was shattered, replaced by a visible struggle.
"Evalia, what is it?" Ken rushed to her side.
She looked up, her normally clear, prophetic eyes clouded with panic. "The connections—they're failing. The Shard… it's not just powerful, it's corrupting the framework. When you touched it, Kabe, it didn't just stabilize the zone. It locked out our established Anchor network in Shinganatsu. It's a denial-of-service attack on reality itself."
Tina-sensei quickly pulled up the secure holographic map displaying their Anchor network. The Shinganatsu Sub-Sector, previously a stable field of green light, was now a dead, black zone.
"He used this Shard's raw, traumatic energy to cut off an entire network," Tina realized, her voice tight with suppressed rage. "This isn't about closing rifts anymore. It's about total control. He's removing the foundations of our world to rebuild his own vision."
Kabe slammed his fist on the table beside the Shard. "He knew every move we would make. He told us he had the 'blueprints for the door.' What door, Tina-sensei? What is he trying to open?"
Tina ran a hand through her hair, her tactical mind racing to catch up to this new, sophisticated threat. "Ryo was always obsessed with the Mugenkyou's 'native architecture.' He believed the Pillar shards weren't meant to hold reality together, but to power the ultimate threshold—the Final Gate that leads to the source of the Dreamscape. The place where the first, deepest scarring occurred."
She pointed a trembling finger at the Shard, which pulsed a deep, dangerous blue. "If he gets the other Pillars, he won't just destabilize the world. He'll rewrite it according to his own twisted memory of order. He wants to ascend. He wants to be the god of the new Mugenkyou."
Evalia looked at the brothers, fear giving way to sharp determination. "My abilities… my senses are compromised by this thing. I can't tell where the next threat is coming from, only that it is soon, and it is large. If he has blueprints, he'll be setting up the next ambush already."
Kabe turned to Ken. "We have to move this Shard immediately. We can't analyze it here, and we certainly can't leave it near our main server."
"Where do we take a hyper-volatile reality fragment that can be tracked by its former mentor?" Ken asked, his voice rough.
Tina-sensei looked at the map, then at the Shard. A dangerous idea flashed in her eyes. "We take it where he can't see us. The only location Ryo Takamura never had clearance for, the deepest, most secure part of the original Kurogane research site—the one they abandoned when the first creature emerged."
She met Kabe's gaze, the weight of command settling heavily on her shoulders.
"It's a two-day trip, Kabe. If Ryo finds us on the way, he won't use illusions next time. He'll use everything he learned from teaching you."