The Prison Beneath Noctharis
Junyu continued interacting with the prison, slowly learning how strangely it responded to his power.
He placed his hand against one of the newly formed walls.
The stone trembled.
Then—
CRACK.
The material began to peel away, dissolving into dust as the prison slowly returned to its original form—the ancient structure that had existed long before the Black Meeting ever arrived.
Junyu narrowed his eyes.
"So this is what you really looked like…"
The atmosphere changed.
The prison suddenly felt older.
Colder.
As if Junyu had awakened something that had been sleeping beneath the castle for centuries.
Then he heard footsteps somewhere above.
Junyu froze.
"If someone checks the cameras, I'm finished."
He immediately raised his hand.
Stone began forming beside him.
Piece by piece, he created a small room hidden within the prison and shaped a body out of stone. He placed the stone figure on a bed and covered it with a blanket, making it look almost exactly like someone sleeping.
Then Junyu redirected the prison's cameras toward the fake room.
"There. If they look down here, they'll think I'm still asleep."
He turned back toward the walls.
"Now… let's keep digging."
Hours—or perhaps only minutes—passed.
The deeper Junyu went, the stranger the prison became.
The walls slowly turned crimson.
THUMP.
Junyu stopped.
Another sound came from beneath the floor.
THUMP… THUMP…
"What the hell is underneath this place?"
He crouched down and dug through the dirt.
His fingers struck something hard.
CLINK.
Junyu pulled out an old rock.
Dust covered its surface, but beneath it were words carved into the stone:
"Runa loves Darmen."
Junyu stared at it.
"…What?"
He turned the rock over.
Nothing.
He looked back at the words.
"Who the hell are Runa and Darmen?"
The prison fell silent again.
But somewhere beneath him…
Something moved.
ABOVE THE PRISON
The masked man walked through the corridor.
His footsteps echoed through the bloodstained halls.
THUD.
THUD.
He finally reached James.
Blood covered Mil's borrowed uniform.
The masked man stopped several meters away.
"James… why did you do all this?"
Mil slowly turned around.
His borrowed eyes were cold.
"I had to. There was no choice."
The masked man wiped blood from his face.
"You serve me—the head of Organization X. You don't move on your own."
Mil stared directly at him.
"I don't care about you."
A brief silence.
Then the masked man's expression changed.
"I'll give you all the money you'll ever need."
Mil's eyes narrowed.
"Money?"
"Just work for me."
The masked man looked over the destruction around them.
"After seeing what you did tonight… I'm impressed."
He stepped closer.
"You might even earn an eighth seat in the team… if you can prove yourself."
Mil's expression changed.
For the first time, a hint of fear appeared.
He stuttered.
"No—No need for that!"
The masked man smiled.
"You need it."
Mil froze.
"For your wife."
Silence.
The smile disappeared from Mil's face.
"She died."
The masked man's eyes narrowed.
Mil slowly tightened his grip around Yoru no Kiba.
"And now…"
His voice became colder.
"It doesn't matter."
He raised the legendary blade.
"Because you will too."
The masked man stared at him.
For the first time that night, Organization X realized they might have created a monster they couldn't control.
And far beneath them…
Junyu continued digging.
Unaware that the prison itself was beginning to awaken.