The rain came down in crooked sheets, tapping against the cracked glass of an old dormitory window. The moon was barely visible through the haze, its pale light broken into shifting fragments by the mist that rolled across the courtyard of St. Kareth's Academy. From a distance, the place looked abandoned – vines curling up the stone walls, corridors half-swallowed by shadows. But Kairo knew better. Beneath the silence, the Academy still breathed.
He stood in the middle of what used to be the main hall, his cloak brushing against the floor coated with dust and forgotten memories. Faded banners of the Custodians still hung above, their sigil's stitched in silver thread – symbols of knowledge, control, and power. Reika stood beside him, flashlight in hand, her expression tense. The quiet between them was heavy, like the air itself was listening.
"Are you sure this is the right wing?" she whispered.
Kairo nodded, his voice low. "Taro said the lab was sealed beneath the east hall. We find it, we find the truth about what St. Kareth's really was."
Reika glanced around, her light trembling as it passed over old classroom doors and broken desks. "And what if the truth doesn't want to be found?"
Before Kairo could answer, a distant crash echoed through the corridor. Metal clanged against stone, followed by laughter – manic, echoing and familiar.
"Welp!" a voice shouted from somewhere below. "Guess the floor wasn't load-bearing after all!"
Kairo froze. Reika blinked.
"Taro," Kairo said flatly.
"Who else?" came the voice, louder now, dripping with humour and panic in equal measure. "Hey, boss, you could've warned me about the ten-foot drop and the homicidal cleaning drones!"
Kairo and Reika rushed toward the sound, descending a flight of rusted stairs that led to a lower level. The deeper they went, the colder the air became. The light flickered, revealing walls lined with glass panels – containment chambers, most shattered or dark. Faint glyphs glowed on the walls, pulsing like veins beneath skin.
When they finally reached the bottom, Taro was standing in the centre of the room, surrounded by debris and floating shards of machinery. His jacket was torn, his hair a mess, and his grin wide enough to hide the exhaustion in his eyes.
"Took you long enough," he said, stretching his arms out dramatically. "I was starting to think the ghosts here didn't like me."
Reika crossed her arms. "You fell through the floor, didn't you?"
"Fell?" Taro gasped. "No, no, no. I strategically relocated myself downward for tactical advantage."
Kairo sighed but couldn't help the small smirk tugging at his lips. It was moments like this that reminded him why he needed Taro – not just for his quick thinking, but for the way his absurd humour kept the darkness at bay.
But as the laughter faded, Taro's expression shifted. His grin faltered, just for a second. He stared at the cracked floor, eyes distant. "You know," he murmured, "this is where they used to keep the prototypes…the ones who didn't make it." His voice cracked softly at the end.
Reika stepped closer. "Taro…"
He laughed again, but it was a fragile sound, thin and trembling. "Relax! I'm fine. I mean what's a little trauma between friends, right?" He flashes a grin that didn't reach his eyes and kicked at a fallen metal plate. The clang echoed too loudly.
Kairo looked at him quietly – not as a commander, but as a friend. "We're not leaving until we find out what they did to us. But we do it together."
For a moment, Taro said nothing. Then he nodded, a faint smile tugging at his lips again – this time softer, almost genuine. "Fine. But if I start crying, I'm blaming the dust."
Reika rolled her eyes, but the tension in the room eased slightly. Together, the three moved forward, deeper into the abandoned underbelly of St. Kareth's Academy.
The corridors grew narrower, and the walls began to hum with faint Rift energy. Faded recordings sparked to life from broken speakers – distorted voices whispering about Subject Echo and Rift Resonance Tests. Taro flinched at each mention, muttering under his breath. His fingers twitched, the humour draining from his tone.
He whispered, "I remember this hallway."
Kairo glanced at him. "What happened here?"
Taro stopped walking. His laughter had vanished. The air around him felt heavier, colder. "This is where they broke us," he said quietly. "Where they made us forget who we were…so we'd become what they wanted."
For a moment, silence filled the space. Then Taro suddenly chuckled – softly, bitterly. "Funny, right? They called it 'education'."
Kairo's gaze hardened. "Not anymore. Tonight, we end their experiment."
Reika tightened her grip on her weapon, stepping beside him. "Together."
And with that, the trio pressed on – past the ghosts of their pasts, the echoes of screams still etched into the walls, and the quiet hum of the Rift that connected their fates.
At the far end of the corridor, a door hissed open – ancient seals breaking apart with a metallic groan. Beyond it lay the heart of St. Kareth's secret: a vast underground lab pulsing with violet light. And waiting within, something – or someone stirred.