From my sense of time, it had been about thirty minutes since they dragged me through the portal. Darkness still blindfolded me—Kurayami woven tight around my eyes—leaving me unable to tell where I was.
The only things I could cling to were the sounds: distant voices, machinery humming, electricity sparking in bursts. That sound told me everything. We were back on Nova1c. Only here did machines sing with that kind of power.
The door opened. Heavy footsteps approached, stopping in front of me. "Get up," a voice commanded.
The Kurayami melted off my face, only to reform as dark chains binding my body. My strength hadn't recovered; struggling was useless. I was marched into a facility that felt like a tomb—no windows, no light, no exits.
"Nazo, sir. He's here," one of the soldiers reported.
From behind a wall, he emerged—the man who had held Mai's family hostage. Nazo. His presence poisoned the air. He wore a black-and-grey kimono, the snake-scaled sword gleaming at his side.
"He finally returns," he said, his voice sharp with triumph. "Goshi comes home."
I stiffened. "What do you mean by that?"
"You are something special," Nazo said, eyes narrowing. "Special to me."
Before I could reply, he shouted a name that froze me where I stood.
"Narai."
The same name as my mother.
And then—she appeared. From the opposite corner, a woman in a red dress walked with confidence. My mother. Except… not the same. My mother had always been weary, unkempt, fragile. This woman was refined, adorned, and commanding.
"Mom?" My voice cracked. "What are you doing with him?"
Her reply was condescending, dripping venom. "This man is everything to me, Goshi. More than you could ever understand."
Nazo smiled at her words. Then he turned his gaze on me. "She is the reason I found the scaled swords. Without her, none of this would have been possible."
Confusion and rage tangled inside me. "Where's Manny?"
They exchanged a look. Then Nazo said casually, "Resting. After being extracted."
My blood ran cold.
"He wants to join us," my mother added, almost smug.
"Liar," I growled. Manny would never betray us.
"How?" I demanded.
She tilted her head. "How what?"
"How could you be behind all of this?"
She asked Nazo for permission. He nodded, and she sat on a stool as if about to tell a bedtime story.
"Long ago, the YinYang spirits didn't simply disappear," she began. "Katon and Yanu came to Nova1c. They died here. Their descendants splintered into branches, families that carried their blood. Your father… was part of Katon's branch."
"My father is dead!" I shouted, trembling. "What does this have to do with him?"
Her eyes hardened. "Don't be naive, Goshi. We both know where this leads. Nazo is simply…"
Her voice sharpened. "Your father."
The world cracked. My knees gave way, and I sank to the floor. My voice shook as I whispered, "Then who was the man who raised me? The one who died?"
"Just someone I met," she answered coldly.
Something in me snapped. Chains shattered around my wrists. I rose to my feet, fists clenched, staring at both of them.
Nazo placed his hand on his sword. "Don't bother. I already know how to take you down."
Tears blurred my sight. "You're not my father," I spat.
My mother stepped forward, her voice venomous. "We're sorry, Goshi. But we have to extract you next."
"You're not sorry," I seethed. "If you were, you wouldn't have killed Nagi."
In a flash, she was at my side, her hand crushing my shoulder like stone. "Don't you dare speak his name again. Do you understand?" Her grip snapped bone. Pain tore through me, but worse was the sting of betrayal.
Then she slapped me, sending me to the floor. My shoulder throbbed, refusing to regenerate.
"One thing about your powers," Nazo said almost casually, "is that they don't work without rest. And you, boy, haven't rested."
Soldiers dragged me toward a chamber. Nazo followed, the snake-scaled sword gleaming. "Extraction takes an hour, but I am patient."
They threw me down in front of him. He raised his sword, energy gathering along its edge. I threw up a barrier—the extraction beam slammed into it, sparking until the shield shattered.
Nazo ripped me up by my shirt and slammed me into the wall. "Don't get the wrong idea. You're no match."
He dropped me. I swung desperately, knocking his sword upward until it jammed in the ceiling. My fist struck his gut, then I kicked him off and dropped into a martial stance.
"Give me the Yin—now."
He laughed. "Just because you're my son doesn't mean I won't kill you."
Both his eyes turned black, the Yin symbol glowing in their centers. Dark limbs erupted from his back, weaving into armor that covered his body. Manny's transformation had been unstable. Nazo's was complete. Controlled. Deadly.
I lunged for his sword. He slammed a hand down, pinning me to the floor. His grip crushed my leg until it cracked.
"You don't even know how to use your power," he mocked. He wrapped his hand around my throat, lifting me.
In desperation, I warped behind him, tumoring across the floor. He turned, surprised, as I struggled to crawl.
"Why fight?" he asked. "You can't win. You can't leave. So why?"
I forced the words through clenched teeth. "Because I have to save Nagi."
Blood loss blurred my vision. My body grew heavy.
Nazo knelt beside me. His voice cut like a blade. "Nagi is dead, Goshi. You can't."
The last of my strength slipped away. Darkness pulled me under, and I collapsed into unconsciousness.