Morning came softly over the shore. The sunlight glimmered on the ocean as Hojo and Aura began packing up the camp. The subjects, still sleepy from the night before, started helping the staff clean up.
Hide stepped out of his tent, stretching."Yo, sleepyhead—it's time to go," Hojo called out with a grin.
As they worked, a sudden, thunderous noise echoed from the forest. Birds scattered into the sky.
"What was that?" one of the subjects asked, startled.
Hojo's expression hardened. "Not sure. But it sounds like a fiend."
He ordered several guards to investigate and told the subjects to stay close together. But before anyone could stop him, Hide ran after the guards.
Aura caught a glimpse of him disappearing into the trees. "Hojo," she said sharply, "Hide followed them."
Hojo cursed under his breath and started after him.
Hide ran through the forest, following the echo of breaking branches.When he reached a clearing, he stopped—frozen.
The guards lay dead on the ground, their bodies torn apart, limbs twisted unnaturally. The air reeked of blood and decay.
Something moved in the bushes.
Hide turned toward the sound, heart pounding. Slowly, he stepped closer. The leaves rustled—and a figure emerged.
It wasn't quite human. Its skin was gray, its eyes glowing faintly red, its body scarred but upright like a man. Despite its monstrous form, there was something strangely familiar about it.
The creature stared at Hide. Then, in a rough but trembling voice, it spoke.
"Y–Young Master… is that you?"
Hide froze. "What?"
"All these years…" The fiend's voice cracked, like it had been waiting for this moment. "We thought you were dead. But some of us believed you were taken. I never imagined I'd see you again."
Hide didn't know what to say. Confusion clouded his mind.Young Master?
Before he could respond, a voice shouted from behind. "Hide! Where are you!?"
It was Hojo.
The fiend looked around, alarmed. "Someone's coming. I must go."
"Wait—who are you?" Hide asked.
But the creature vanished into the shadows just as Hojo arrived."Hide!" Hojo shouted. "Don't scare me like that. What were you doing out here—and where's the fiend?"
Hide stood there, silent. His thoughts were spinning.
Hojo frowned. "You're pale. Did something happen?"
Hide didn't answer. But in his head, he heard a faint whisper.
Young Master… I will come for you soon. I must tell the others. Wait for me.
When they returned to the beach, the camp was already packed. The manta ray waited, its wings glowing faintly in the sunlight.
Hojo gave one last glance at Hide before leading everyone aboard.
As the creature took off, soaring toward the horizon, the fiend stood in the forest below, watching the sky.
Soon, it thought. Soon, we will bring him home.
Onboard, Hojo's tone grew serious."Hide, tell me honestly—what happened back there?"
Hide looked down. "The fiend… it spoke to me. It called me 'Young Master.'"
Hojo and Aura exchanged a glance.
"What do you think, Doctor Aura?" Hojo asked.
"I don't know," Aura said quietly. "But if that's true, we should confirm it. If fiends can speak to him, that changes everything."
Hide said nothing, staring out the window. The words Young Master echoed in his mind.
After several hours, the manta ray returned to Eden's Garden. The subjects were escorted back to their rooms. Hide collapsed on his bed, exhaustion and confusion flooding his mind. As he drifted into sleep, he saw flashes of the fiend's face again—and something deeper, buried in memory.
A voice came through the intercom."Subject 01, report to the laboratory. Directors Hojo and Aura are waiting."
Hide exhaled slowly, then stood and walked to the lab.
The laboratory was cold, lit by a single overhead light. Hojo and Aura stood behind a reinforced glass window.
"Hide," Aura said, "did the fiend actually speak to you?"
Hide nodded.
The two directors exchanged murmured words that Hide couldn't quite hear.
"Then we'll test it," Aura said finally. "We captured another fiend while you were sleeping. We want to see if it will respond to you."
A heavy door slid open with a mechanical hiss. From the darkness emerged another fiend—this one larger, with wings folded tight against its back and claws like blades. Its red eyes locked onto Hide.
For a moment, neither moved.
Then the fiend spoke. "Is that… you, Young Master?"
Hide's pulse quickened. "Why do you keep calling me that?"
The fiend tilted its head, almost sorrowfully. "So… you don't remember."
Hojo and Aura exchanged looks through the glass—they could see the conversation, but they couldn't hear it. The fiend's words resonated only in Hide's mind.
"Don't worry," the creature said. "I will help you remember."
"Remember what?" Hide asked.
The fiend stepped closer, its voice deep and resonant."Before you were born, your mother was the Queen of Fiends. She hid her nature so you could live a human life with your father. We served her faithfully, even in disguise. Your father knew what she was, yet loved her deeply. You were their only child—the first to be born of both human and fiend blood. And you were blessed with the God's Eye."
Hide's breath caught. "My mother… was a fiend?"
"Yes," the creature said softly. "When you were five, she carried you in her arms while you slept. You woke and saw her horns for the first time. She thought you'd be afraid—but you smiled. You said she looked beautiful."
The fiend's expression darkened. "When your home was attacked, I was away on a mission your father assigned to me. I returned too late."
Hide's hands trembled. "What's your name?"
"My name is Jinbei. I served as your mother's knight."
"Jinbei…" Hide whispered. "How did my parents meet?"
Jinbei's tone softened. "Your father was found unconscious on the road during one of your mother's travels. She was heading toward Lissandra when she discovered him lying there. We carried him to safety. When he awoke and saw her, he fell in love—despite her true nature. And she… she loved him in return."
Hide's throat tightened. "I met someone else. A fiend with blades for arms. He said he was happy to see me."
Jinbei smiled faintly. "That must be Ji-San, the general of the fiend armies. He led our people and served as head of your family's guards."
"He said he'd come for me," Hide said quietly. "Will you come back too?"
"I will," Jinbei said, his form beginning to fade. "Remember, Young Master—your blood binds you to us. We will never defy you."
His voice echoed faintly as he disappeared. "Soon, you will remember everything."
Hide stood motionless, staring at the empty space where Jinbei had been.
Hojo and Aura entered the room cautiously."What did it say to you?" Aura asked.
Hide looked down. "It said… it's going to kill everyone in this facility. It's bringing an army."
Aura frowned. "That's… concerning."
"It didn't call you its master?" Hojo asked.
Hide shook his head. "No. It said nothing like that."
"I see." Hojo adjusted his glasses. "Then we'll alert the defense team. Just in case."
Hide nodded and turned to leave.
As the door closed behind him, Aura whispered, "Do you believe him?"
Hojo's eyes were distant. "I do. But if the fiends attack… will they free the other subjects—or kill them too?"
"I don't know," Aura replied. "But I can feel it… a war is coming. And that boy—he's at the center of it."
Back in his room, Hide found Sona waiting for him. She stood silently by the bed, her eyes filled with worry.
"Sona," Hide said softly, "something's going to happen. We need to escape soon. If I don't make it… remember—you're not alone."
Sona looked down, her voice trembling. "If you leave me… what will I do?"
Hide sighed and stepped closer. For a long moment, neither spoke.They simply stood together in silence, the world outside shifting toward chaos.