Kai Takeda paced restlessly across his apartment, his mind still racing from the events of the day. He could feel the weight of his father's journal heavy in his hands, its cryptic words gnawing at him. The phrase "The key is within the blade" echoed through his mind, refusing to let him go. Something about it felt more urgent than it ever had before. It wasn't just a riddle—it was a warning.
But the more Kai tried to make sense of it, the more fragmented and disjointed the pieces seemed. His recent flashes, his father's strange disappearance, the katana—none of it added up. And then there was Riko, his best friend, who had always been the logical, rational one. He needed her help more than ever now. If anyone could crack the code, it was her.
His phone buzzed with a message from her: "Meet me at the usual place. I've found something."
He didn't hesitate. Kai grabbed his jacket and headed out the door, determination in his steps. There were answers to be found, and Riko was the one who could help him find them.
The usual place was a small, inconspicuous café on the outskirts of downtown Los Angeles—hidden in plain sight, a place where people could disappear in a crowd, but also a place where secrets could be shared. It was one of Riko's favorite spots, and they'd been here many times during their MIT days, pouring over their projects or discussing things Kai hadn't dared bring up with anyone else. Today, however, it felt different. He walked in with a sense of purpose, the buzz of the café doing little to settle his nerves.
Riko was already there, sitting at a corner table with her laptop open. She looked up as he approached, and for a moment, her usual confident smile faltered. Kai sat down, his eyes scanning her face for any sign of distress.
"You're not going to like what I found," she said, her voice steady but tinged with an edge of tension.
Kai's stomach churned. "What is it?"
Riko hesitated, taking a slow breath before pointing to the screen. The glow of her laptop illuminated her face, revealing a set of encrypted files on the screen. Kai leaned forward, instinctively narrowing his eyes.
"This," Riko said, tapping the screen, "is a record of your father's last known contacts before he disappeared. At first, I thought it was just another dead end, but then I found something… strange."
Kai's heart skipped a beat. He'd always known there were gaps in his father's history, but this? This felt like something deeper.
Riko clicked open a file, revealing a series of names and dates—most of them unrecognizable, except for one. It was a name Kai had seen before, in a letter his father had written to him years ago, but he'd never thought much of it. It was the name of a company: Kurogane Industries.
"That name," Kai murmured, his voice barely audible.
"Yeah," Riko continued. "I did some digging. Kurogane Industries is a shadow company—a private corporation that has ties to several black-market operations across the globe. They specialize in advanced tech, but it's not just any tech. They've been involved in time manipulation research, time travel… all the things your father was working on before he disappeared."
Kai's breath caught in his throat. "My father… was working with them?"
Riko nodded, her expression grim. "That's the part I don't understand. Your father was researching time travel? All this time, I thought his disappearance was just… random. But it wasn't. It looks like he was part of something far bigger. Something dangerous."
Kai leaned back in his chair, trying to process the information. His father had always kept him at arm's length, never sharing details about his work or the people he'd been involved with. But time travel? A company like Kurogane Industries?
"Riko, this doesn't make sense," Kai said, his voice rising in frustration. "Why would he keep all this from me? Why didn't he ever tell me about this… this project?"
Before Riko could respond, Kai's phone buzzed again. This time, it wasn't a message from her—it was a call. The number was unfamiliar, but Kai didn't hesitate to answer.
"Hello?" he said, his voice steady despite the unease creeping up his spine.
A cold voice on the other end replied, "You don't know who I am, but you're about to find out. I know what you're searching for. And I can help you."
Kai's grip on the phone tightened. "Who is this?"
The voice laughed softly. "Someone who's been watching you for a long time. You're not the only one looking for the blade. Your father made a choice, and now you must face the consequences of that choice. If you want the truth, you'll have to come to us."
"Who the hell is 'us'?" Kai demanded.
The voice was silent for a moment, and when it spoke again, it was quieter, almost conspiratorial. "We are The Temporal Order—the ones who have been shaping history for centuries. Your father was one of us, but he betrayed us. And now, you're the one who must pay the price."
The line went dead before Kai could say another word.
Riko's eyes were wide with shock. "What the hell was that? Who was that?"
Kai felt his pulse race as the weight of the conversation sank in. The Temporal Order. They knew about his father. They knew about the blade. And now they were threatening him.
"This is bad, Riko. I don't know who these people are, but they're not just some shadowy organization. They're connected to everything—Kurogane Industries, my father, the blade. And now, they're coming after me."
Riko's fingers flew across her laptop, pulling up more data. "I'm pulling up everything I can on them. But Kai, this doesn't make sense. If they're watching you, why haven't they acted sooner?"
Kai's eyes narrowed as he considered the possibilities. "Maybe they're not just watching me. Maybe they've been waiting for something… for me to make the first move. What if the key is already within my reach? What if they're trying to force my hand?"
Riko stared at him, processing the thought. "So you think they're pushing you toward the blade?"
Kai didn't respond immediately. His mind raced, piecing together fragments of his father's journal, the cryptic messages, and the flashbacks. It all pointed to one thing: the blade. But the question now wasn't about finding it. It was about who else was hunting it. And why.
"Riko, there's something else," Kai said, voice low. "I think someone's been playing us this whole time."
Riko looked at him, confusion clouding her eyes. "What do you mean?"
"This whole time," Kai continued, his voice growing colder, "I thought it was just Kurogane Industries, or the Temporal Order. But what if it's been someone else, someone closer to me all along?"
Riko froze, the realization hitting her like a thunderclap. "You think someone from your past…?"
Kai's expression darkened. "Someone I trusted."
Suddenly, everything felt like it was closing in on him. The people hunting him, the blade, his father's secrets—it was all starting to make sense in a way that terrified him.
The game had changed. And the rules were no longer what they seemed.