I stood there long after the masked figure disappeared into the darkness, my breath coming in shallow waves.
Their words echoed in my head, looping over and over like a haunting melody.
"I know who set the fire."
"Someone wanted your mother dead."
I clenched my fists, nails pressing into my palms so hard it nearly hurt. I had spent years believing that the fire was an accident—just some cruel twist of fate that tore my mother away from me. But now? Now, someone was telling me that it wasn't just bad luck. That it was intentional.
My gut twisted.
I wanted to dismiss it, call it a lie, a cruel game—but what if it wasn't? What if the truth had been buried all this time?
I shook my head sharply.
No. I couldn't let myself spiral. Not yet.
I needed to think.
Turning on my heel, I quickly retraced my steps back to where the others had gone. The streets had grown quieter now, the glow of distant streetlights barely illuminating the path ahead. I spotted Xavier, Heesung, Cherry, and Kaito up ahead, already nearing the entrance of headquarters.
I forced myself to steady my breathing as I caught up.
"Finally," Xavier muttered, glancing over his shoulder. "You were taking so long I was about to go back and drag you here myself."
"Yeah, yeah," I said, waving him off. "Just had to check something."
Kaito raised a brow. "And?"
"Nothing important," I lied smoothly. "Let's just report back."
They didn't push further, which I was grateful for. I wasn't ready to talk about this—not until I figured out what to do next.
We stepped into headquarters, the familiar cool air of the facility washing over me. It was a stark contrast to the city outside—sterile, quiet, and overwhelmingly structured. Even so, it felt like home in its own way.
Sora was already waiting for us in the briefing room. His sharp gaze flickered over each of us as we entered, as if assessing whether we had encountered any problems.
"You're back later than expected," he noted.
Xavier shrugged. "Nothing out of the ordinary. Just a lot of walking."
"Any potential leads?"
"No." Heesung crossed his arms. "We went through every city block on our route. Nothing strange, no lingering threats. It was just a normal patrol."
Sora nodded slightly, as if he had expected that answer. "Understood. I'll have another team sweep the outskirts tomorrow, just in case." His gaze shifted to me then, unreadable. "Anything else to report?"
For a split second, I hesitated.
The words were right there, sitting on the tip of my tongue. I could tell Sora about the figure, about what they said—
But something stopped me.
I didn't know who to trust with this yet.
"…No," I finally said. "Nothing to report."
His expression didn't change, but I swore I saw the slightest flicker of curiosity behind his eyes. If he noticed my hesitation, he didn't mention it.
"Alright," he said instead. "You're dismissed for the night."
As soon as we stepped out of the room, Heesung stretched, letting out a tired groan. "Finally. My legs are gonna give out if I have to do another round like that tomorrow."
Cherry smirked. "For someone who trains so hard, you sure complain a lot."
Heesung shot her a look. "You try walking miles without finding a single ounce of action."
"Pass." She grinned. "I'll leave the whining to you."
Xavier chuckled as Heesung grumbled something under his breath.
Normally, I would've joined in on their banter. But tonight, my mind was somewhere else entirely.
Tomorrow night.
I was supposed to meet that figure again. Alone.
I still didn't know if I should.
If I went, I might get answers I had been searching for all these years.
But if this was a trap?
I exhaled slowly, forcing the thought away for now.
One thing was certain—whether I was ready or not, I needed to make a decision.
---
Sleep didn't come easily that night.
Even with the exhaustion from the patrol weighing down on me, my mind refused to shut off. I kept replaying the masked figure's words over and over, dissecting every possible meaning behind them.
"I know who set the fire."
For years, I had told myself that my mother's death was nothing more than a cruel accident. That fate had simply been unkind. But if this person was telling the truth, then someone—someone—had deliberately taken her away from me.
And I had spent all these years blind to it.
Frustration burned in my chest. I needed to know the truth.
But what if it was all a trap?
I lay awake for what felt like hours, staring at the ceiling, until eventually, exhaustion won.
---
Morning came faster than I wanted.
I went through the usual routine—training, reports, another round of patrol assignments. Everything was normal.
But the weight in my chest never faded.
Throughout the day, I kept catching myself getting lost in thought. I barely even reacted when Heesung threw a practice knife my way during sparring, narrowly dodging it at the last second.
"Whoa, Akari." He whistled, stepping back. "Since when do you space out in a fight?"
I forced a smirk, rolling my shoulders. "Just giving you a false sense of security."
Cherry snorted from the sidelines. "Lame excuse."
Xavier, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, gave me a longer look. "You've been off since last night."
I stiffened. "I'm fine."
"You sure?" He studied me carefully. "If something's going on, we should—"
"I said I'm fine," I cut in, sharper than intended.
Silence followed.
Xavier didn't press, but the concern in his eyes didn't fade.
I exhaled, forcing my shoulders to relax. "Sorry. Just… tired."
Kaito, who had been quiet the whole time, finally spoke up. "Then rest. You don't need to push yourself today."
I nodded, even though I knew rest wasn't an option.
Not with what I had planned for tonight.
---
Hours later, nightfall settled over the city.
I slipped out of headquarters unnoticed.
Getting past security wasn't hard—after all, I had spent years learning how to move unseen when needed. And right now, I needed to do this alone.
The streets were quieter at this hour, only a few people lingering here and there. I kept my hood up, my footsteps light as I followed the same path from yesterday.
When I reached the alleyway, I hesitated.
For a moment, I wondered if I had made a mistake.
Then—
"You came."
The voice was the same as before, smooth and unreadable.
I turned.
The masked figure was already waiting, leaning against the wall like they had been expecting me. The dim glow of a distant streetlamp cast shadows across their form, making it impossible to get a good read on them.
I folded my arms. "Talk."
A small chuckle. "Straight to the point. I like that."
I wasn't in the mood for games. "You said you know who set the fire. Who?"
The figure tilted their head slightly. "Not yet. First, I need to know… are you ready to hear the truth?"
My jaw clenched. "If I wasn't, I wouldn't be here."
Silence. Then, slowly, they nodded.
"The fire that killed your mother… it wasn't an accident. It was planned."
I forced down the wave of emotions threatening to surface. "Who did it?"
"They were acting under orders."
My pulse spiked. "Whose orders?"
The figure hesitated for the first time.
Then, in a voice barely above a whisper, they said—
"Itzuki Tsukumo."
Everything stopped.
I stared at them, my heartbeat pounding in my ears.
"No," I said immediately. "That's a lie."
The figure didn't react, as if they had expected that response.
"I know it's hard to hear," they continued, voice steady. "But Itzuki is the one who wanted her dead. Your mother was in his way."
My breath came in sharp, uneven waves. "Why should I believe you?"
"Because I was supposed to be the one to do it."
The words sent ice through my veins.
I swallowed hard, my hands shaking. "What?"
The figure exhaled slowly. "Before the fire, Itzuki came to me. He gave me the order—to take her out, make it look like an accident. But I refused."
I couldn't breathe.
If they were telling the truth… then my father—my own father—was responsible.
I clenched my fists. "Then who did it?"
The figure shook their head. "I don't know. All I know is that after I refused, someone else carried it out instead."
I took a shaky step back, the weight of their words crashing over me like a tidal wave.
Itzuki had ordered the fire.
He had wanted her dead.
And for all these years, I had never even suspected it.
I didn't realize I was trembling until the figure spoke again.
"Be careful, Akari. If you start asking the wrong questions… people might notice."
A shiver ran down my spine.
They turned to leave, disappearing into the darkness like a ghost.
I stood there for a long time, my mind racing.
If what they said was true—if my own father had orchestrated my mother's death—then everything I thought I knew was a lie.
And I wasn't sure I was ready for that.
But one thing was certain.
I would find the truth. No matter what it took.