"Why is all of this happening...?"
"Why us?"
Yuto thought as he stared at the police station's monitor in disbelief.
For only a split second...
he had seen something impossible.
Sayuri and Ian stood beside him, their eyes fixed on the screen.
"...A facility beneath Shibuya?" the detective muttered, still unable to believe what he had seen.
He slowly sat back down.
"First, corrupted police officers roaming the streets under the control of someone capable of hacking people's minds with their own energy..."
His expression hardened.
"...and now... a hidden structure beneath Shibuya called Sector 0."
Yuto turned toward him.
"...You saw it too, didn't you?"
Hanazawa slowly raised his head.
His eyes were filled with exhaustion...
as if he had just witnessed a ghost.
"...Yes."
His answer was short.
"It only lasted a fraction of a second... but I saw it."
Yuto looked at his mother.
"...You too, Mom?"
Sayuri hesitated.
She slowly closed her eyes...
before giving a silent nod.
Yuto turned back toward the monitor.
Resting a hand against his chin, he let out a long sigh.
"I understand."
He looked at Hanazawa.
"Can you bring me one of the officers we freed from Azrael's control?"
"Yuto..."
his mother asked softly.
"What are you thinking?"
He paused for a moment.
Kairo's face flashed through his mind.
The moment he had asked the detective to protect him...
before disappearing toward Shibuya.
"I can't let you carry all of this alone..."
He slowly opened his eyes.
"This is only a theory..."
he said calmly.
"...but if I'm right..."
"...then every single one of us is involved."
Ian immediately stood up.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean..."
Yuto replied,
"...that if my theory is correct..."
"...this isn't just happening to a few people."
"...All of Tokyo is involved."
Hanazawa suddenly froze.
He stared at the monitor once more.
A single memory resurfaced.
A strange screen...
A word...
followed by a percentage.
The unbearable headache...
And that word engraved into his mind.
"...Memory Drift."
Sayuri immediately turned toward him.
"Memory Drift?"
Yuto narrowed his eyes.
"You've seen those words before?"
Ian nodded.
"...Yeah."
"They appeared when my fellow officers attacked me."
He closed his eyes.
The memory was still vivid.
"The full message was..."
Yuto finished the sentence before he could.
"Victim designation... Memory Drift... followed by a percentage."
Sayuri looked confused.
She had also been attacked by those officers...
yet she had never seen any message.
Yuto stared at the monitor once more.
"...Curse of Oblivion in progress."
Silence filled the room.
Then Yuto looked at both his mother and the detective.
"Ian."
"Bring me one of those officers."
"I need to know if there's a connection."
Hanazawa reached for his radio.
Click.
Beep... Beep... Beep...
The constant humming of the control room was suddenly drowned out by a deafening alarm echoing throughout the entire police headquarters.
Ian rushed toward the surveillance monitors.
"Yuto!"
"Give me a hand."
"You're good with electronics, aren't you?"
Yuto immediately ran beside him.
"I hacked the Saito Corporation's security system."
"A few surveillance cameras won't be a problem."
His fingers flew across the keyboard.
It was as though he had spent his entire life behind that console.
He pressed one final key.
Every monitor came to life at once.
Tokyo...
spread across dozens of screens.
The skyline.
Downtown.
Shibuya...
where flashes of blinding light illuminated the battle between Azrael and Hayashi.
Then—
Harajuku.
The image flickered violently.
The camera lens...
was completely covered in frost.
"Ice...?"
Sayuri gasped.
"How is that possible? It's autumn..."
"It isn't."
The detective frowned.
"Something is terribly wrong."
"I can't make anything out."
Yuto clicked his tongue.
But he refused to give up.
His fingers continued racing across the keyboard.
The rhythm of the keys echoed through the control room.
"If I want to understand what's happening..."
"...I'll need ten minutes."
Meanwhile...
Harajuku.
The freezing wind showed no signs of stopping.
Riven stood in front of Lyra's unconscious body, carefully wrapped in his jacket.
Facing him...
stood Aenna.
Or rather...
Skadi.
Her Rimembrance had nearly completed its corruption through the Curse of Oblivion.
Riven's breathing grew heavier.
Every breath felt like icy blades tearing through his lungs.
"I'll say it again..."
Gremit's voice echoed inside his mind.
"...fighting her barehanded is a terrible idea."
Riven took a step forward.
Then smiled.
"I'm not alone."
"I've got you."
"You'll lend me your strength."
His smile grew fiercer.
"...I trust you."
For the first time...
Gremit fell silent.
Within the depths of Riven's consciousness, the beast let out a low growl.
"...You're an idiot."
A grin spread across his monstrous face.
"...But I like you, kid."
Across from them...
Skadi slowly drew back the string of her icy bow.
An arrow of pure frost materialized between her fingers.
Her voice carried no emotion.
No hesitation.
"Human."
"Do not test my patience."
The bowstring stretched to its limit.
"...Good."
Riven's body became enveloped in Gremit's crimson aura.
Steam rose from his skin as the overwhelming heat clashed against the frozen air.
"...Because I'm taking you home, Aen."
Skadi let out a quiet sigh.
"Aenna sleeps."
"I already told you."
"...Only Skadi the Frozen remains."
The arrow shot forward.
A streak of azure tore through the frozen air.
Riven dashed ahead.
The battle to bring Aenna back...
was far from over.