The rain had eased into a fine mist by the time Haruto reached the abandoned warehouse district on the edge of Shibuya. The air was thick with leftover Aether—sharp, electric, like breathing metal. Miya and Yuki waited near a rusted loading dock, silhouettes against the faint glow of distant city lights.
Miya spotted him first.
"You're late."
Haruto stepped into the dim light.
"Had to make sure I wasn't followed."
Yuki pushed off the wall, arms crossed.
"Paranoid already?"
Haruto's red eyes flicked to him.
"Experienced."
Miya glanced between them.
"We're here because of the patterns Ren showed. The Gates aren't random. Someone's pulling strings."
She pulled out a small holographic projector—Guild tech. A map flickered to life between them: Tokyo dotted with red markers, connected by faint purple lines like veins.
"Every forced Gate has the same signature. Subtle. Hidden. But it's there."
Haruto studied the map.
One line led straight to the forest where he first woke up.
And another… curved toward the warehouse they stood in.
He tensed.
"Here."
Miya nodded.
"That's why we chose this spot. If the pattern holds, something's coming tonight."
Yuki cracked his knuckles.
"Or someone."
Silence fell.
Then the ground trembled.
A low hum rose—deep, resonant.
The air ripped open twenty meters away.
Not a full Gate.
A rift. Small. Unstable. Purple-black edges flickering like bad reception.
From inside stepped a figure.
Tall. Cloaked in shifting shadows. Face hidden under a hood. But the eyes—glowing green—were unmistakable.
Joker.
He clapped slowly.
"Bravo. You followed the breadcrumbs."
His voice echoed strangely, layered.
Haruto stepped forward.
"You set this up."
Joker tilted his head.
"I nudged. You ran straight into it. Predictable."
He flicked a card.
It spun through the air—slow, deliberate—and landed between them.
The card glowed green.
Reality warped again.
The warehouse twisted—walls bending inward, ceiling cracking like eggshell. Shadows detached from the floor, forming humanoid shapes.
Yuki reacted first.
**[Cryogenic Freezing – Area.]**
Ice surged outward, locking the shadow figures in place.
Miya drew her sword.
**[Lightning Palace – Partial Domain.]**
Storm clouds gathered overhead—even inside. Bolts chained between the frozen shadows.
But Joker laughed.
"Illusions don't freeze."
The ice shattered.
The shadows reformed—laughing with his voice.
Haruto's eyes narrowed.
"Enough."
**[Tenebrae – Lv.2 (Selective Devour).]**
He raised his hand.
The black sphere formed—larger, hungrier.
Joker's grin faltered.
"That again?"
Haruto hurled it.
The sphere struck the center of the rift.
Darkness expanded—devouring the green illusions, the warped walls, the fake shadows.
Reality snapped back.
The rift flickered.
Joker staggered—one step back.
His hood slipped slightly.
Underneath: not a face.
A mask. White porcelain with red cracks. Green eyes glowing through slits.
"Not bad," the voice said—now distorted, layered with something deeper.
"But you're still blind."
He tossed another card—black this time.
It hit the ground.
Exploded into purple mist.
The mist coalesced.
A figure emerged from it.
Tall. Obsidian skin. Purple flames for eyes.
Nox Echo—again.
But this one felt… realer.
Stronger.
It spoke.
"You carry my mark, little warrior. You can't escape what you are."
Haruto stared at the rune on his palm—glowing brighter now.
The Echo raised its arm.
Infernal Slash—full power.
The slash tore toward them.
Miya moved in front.
**[Celestial Judgment – Activated.]**
Lightning spear met the slash.
They clashed—explosion of light and dark.
Yuki flanked.
**[Water Body + Cryogenic Freezing.]**
He dissolved into water, reformed behind the Echo, freezing its legs solid.
Haruto charged.
**[Dragon Variant – Crimson Dragon (partial).]**
Scales erupted. Claws lengthened. Fire wreathed his fists.
He slammed into the Echo's chest.
**[Crimson Flames – Lv.3 + Tenebrae synergy.]**
Fire and void merged.
The Echo roared.
Cracks spread across its body.
Then it laughed—Nox's laugh.
"You'll need more than fire to kill a god."
It exploded into purple mist.
The mist reformed into Joker's mask.
The mask cracked.
Joker's real voice—faint, amused—came through.
"See you soon, Yami."
The mask shattered.
The rift collapsed.
Silence.
Miya lowered her sword, breathing hard.
"That wasn't just an illusion."
Yuki reformed beside her.
"It knew you. Called you Yami."
Haruto stared at his palm.
The rune pulsed once—then dimmed.
He clenched his fist.
"It's not over."
Miya looked at him.
"Who is Nox?"
Haruto was silent for a long moment.
Then:
"My past."
He met their eyes.
"And my future enemy."
Yuki crossed his arms.
"Then we fight it together."
Miya nodded.
"No more going alone."
Haruto looked between them.
The weight of the promise—his sister's, and now theirs—settled on him.
He nodded once.
"Together."
The mist cleared.
The warehouse stood quiet.
But the shadows lingered.
Watching.
Waiting.