The walk back to headquarters felt longer than usual.
Every step felt heavier, my thoughts spiraling in a way I couldn't control. The figure's words echoed in my mind, repeating over and over like a cruel melody I couldn't turn off.
"Itzuki Tsukumo ordered the fire."
My father.
I had spent years trying to put my past behind me, trying to move forward. And now, everything I thought I had buried had come crashing back with a single revelation.
By the time I reached headquarters, my body moved on autopilot. I made my way inside, keeping my expression neutral, but my pulse was still racing.
If my dad really had ordered my mother's death… then why?
And why had no one else known?
Or—had they known? Had the Elites known? Had they covered for him?
No.
No, the Elites had nothing to do with this. I refused to believe they would have let something like that slide.
But that didn't mean my father had acted alone.
I took a deep breath, forcing my mind to clear. I needed time to think. To figure out my next move.
But as soon as I reached the main hall, I realized time was something I wouldn't have.
Xavier was waiting for me.
His arms were crossed, eyes sharp with suspicion. "Where the hell have you been?"
I kept my expression unreadable. "Needed some air."
He didn't look convinced. "Air? Or answers?"
My heartbeat picked up. "What's that supposed to mean?"
Xavier sighed, lowering his voice. "Akari… I know you. Something's been off since last night. You think I wouldn't notice?"
I clenched my jaw. Of course he'd notice. Xavier wasn't the type to let things slide.
But I wasn't ready to talk about this. Not yet.
"It's nothing," I lied. "I'm just tired."
He gave me a long, unreadable look. Then, finally, he exhaled. "Fine. Keep your secrets. But don't expect me to pretend I don't see through you."
I didn't respond.
Because, deep down, I knew he was right.
I was keeping secrets.
And I had a feeling this was only the beginning.
---
The Next Morning
I barely got any sleep.
Even when I closed my eyes, my mind wouldn't stop racing.
By the time morning came, I was already awake when the alarm rang through headquarters, signaling the start of training.
I went through the motions, but I felt disconnected from everything around me. My movements were automatic, my thoughts elsewhere.
Kaito must have noticed, because as soon as training ended, he pulled me aside.
"You've been weird lately," he said bluntly. "What's going on?"
I hesitated.
Kaito wasn't the type to pry, but when he did ask something, he expected an answer.
And for some reason… I wanted to tell him.
But the words wouldn't come out.
"It's nothing," I said instead.
His eyes narrowed. "Bullshit."
I forced a smirk. "Since when do you care?"
He scowled. "Since you started looking like you're five seconds away from doing something stupid."
I let out a small laugh, but there was no humor in it.
He wasn't wrong.
I was going to do something stupid.
Because no matter how dangerous it was… I needed to find out the truth.
Even if it meant uncovering something I wasn't ready for.
---
That Night
I waited until everyone was asleep.
Then, moving carefully, I slipped out of my room and into the dimly lit corridors of headquarters.
I had spent enough time here to know how to move unnoticed.
I wasn't leaving this time.
No—I was looking for something.
Answers.
If my father had really been behind my mother's death, then there had to be records. Somewhere.
I had to start digging.
And there was only one place to start.
The restricted archives.
The restricted archives were heavily secured. Only Council members and high-ranking Elites had access, but I had learned a long time ago that no security system was perfect.
Moving carefully through the halls, I avoided the main routes where night patrols passed through. Most of the security here relied on sensors and keycards, but I had spent enough time training under the harshest instructors to know how to bypass them.
When I reached the archive room, I pressed my back against the wall and exhaled.
This was it.
Reaching into my pocket, I pulled out a small device I had swiped from the tech division a few weeks ago—nothing major, just something that could temporarily disable digital locks. I placed it against the panel beside the door, watching as the light flickered from red to green.
I slipped inside.
The room was darker than I expected, the only illumination coming from faint overhead lights. Rows of filing cabinets lined the walls, but the real information was stored in the digital database.
I moved quickly to one of the consoles.
Most people relied on clearance cards to access files, but I knew a few workarounds. Typing rapidly, I bypassed the surface-level database and dove deeper, searching for records tied to my father.
At first, nothing stood out.
Itzuki Tsukumo was listed as a respected figure—one of the Elites' best, an essential part of their operations. But when I filtered for classified missions, I finally found something.
A report from over a decade ago.
The timestamp aligned perfectly with the fire that killed my mother.
My hands trembled as I clicked it open.
At first, it looked like a standard mission debrief—until I read the details.
"High-value target identified. Mission approval granted under direct authority of Itzuki Tsukumo. Objective: Complete elimination."
The breath caught in my throat.
Complete elimination.
He hadn't just ordered the fire.
He had made sure there were no survivors.
My stomach twisted as I scrolled further. There were attached files—surveillance footage, witness statements, everything neatly documented.
And then—
A name.
My blood ran cold.
The underground hero.
The woman from the alley.
She had been there. She had been the first choice.
But when she refused—someone else had taken her place.
Someone loyal to my father.
I clenched my fists, barely able to steady my breathing.
I had always known Itzuki was ruthless.
But this?
This was something else.
I forced myself to back out of the system, wiping any traces of my search before shutting it down.
As I turned to leave, my mind raced with questions.
Why?
Why had he done it?
And more importantly—who else knew?
I took one last look at the room before slipping back into the hall.
This wasn't just about my mother anymore.
This was about everything.
And no matter what it took…
I was going to find the truth.
---
The Next Day
I didn't sleep.
By the time morning came, I was already wide awake, staring at the ceiling of my dorm.
The others were moving around, getting ready for training, but I barely heard them.
The words from the file echoed in my mind.
"Mission approval granted under direct authority of Itzuki Tsukumo."
I couldn't let this go.
But I couldn't act recklessly, either.
If my father had buried this for so long, that meant he had people covering for him.
I needed to be careful.
For now, I had to pretend nothing had changed.
I forced myself to get up, moving through the motions of morning training, but my mind was elsewhere.
Xavier noticed immediately.
"Alright," he said as we took a break. "Enough of this. What the hell is going on with you?"
I exhaled, choosing my words carefully. "Just… thinking about my family."
Xavier's expression shifted slightly. He knew enough about my past to know that wasn't something I talked about lightly.
"Did something happen?" he asked, his voice quieter now.
I hesitated.
Telling Xavier meant trusting him with something dangerous.
But I had to start somewhere.
"I found something," I admitted. "Something about my father."
Xavier's gaze sharpened. "And?"
I clenched my fists. "I think… I think he's responsible for my mother's death."
Silence.
Xavier studied me carefully, his usual easygoing demeanor gone.
Then, finally, he exhaled. "Shit."
"Yeah," I muttered.
He ran a hand through his hair. "Alright. What do you want to do about it?"
The question caught me off guard.
He wasn't doubting me.
He wasn't questioning my sanity.
He was asking what I wanted to do.
I took a deep breath. "I need proof. Real proof. And then… I need to figure out my next move."
Xavier nodded. "Then we'll do it together."
I blinked. "You don't have to—"
He cut me off. "I know. But you're not doing this alone."
For the first time since last night, I felt something steady me.
This wasn't over.
Not even close.
But I wasn't alone.
And that meant everything.