The sirens blared across the precinct. Red light pulsed through the corridors, turning every reflection into something hellish. Officers shouted, boots thundered, and security systems glitched between alarm and blackout.
In the middle of it all, Kane walked calmly.
Each step echoed like a countdown.
Doors swung open before him as though the building itself obeyed. Firewalls collapsed. Cameras turned to static. He didn't need a device — he was the system now.
"Protocol override," he murmured.
And every light in the station went dark.
Arata stumbled through the corridor, flashlight flickering in his hand. "All units—target is loose! Repeat, loose! Do not engage alone!"
His earpiece crackled. "Sir, he's heading toward the east exit—wait, no, the signals are duplicating!"
Kane's laughter spilled through the intercom, distorted and deep.
> "You can't trace a ghost, Detective."
Arata froze as the lights flicked back on for a moment — and Kane stood at the end of the hall, his eyes glowing gold, blood dripping down his cheek like paint.
"I told you," he said softly, tilting his head. "You shouldn't have brought me here."
Inside the shared void, something shifted.
For the first time, Lucian's voice wasn't just an echo — it was a roar.
> "You think I'll let you destroy everything I built?!"
> "You built a cage, Lucian," Kane answered, standing in the dark, the mist around him glowing faintly crimson. "I'm just opening the door."
The ground of their shared mind cracked open. Chains of black code wrapped around Kane's wrists — Lucian's will manifesting as data chains, glowing white.
> "Then fight me," Lucian growled. "Let's see whose soul this body belongs to."
The two clashed inside the mental world — a void of swirling static and memory fragments.
Kane moved like a shadow, every strike sharp and cruel.
Lucian countered, his rage pure and human, fists fueled by every life he'd ever saved.
When Kane grabbed him by the throat, Lucian spat blood and smiled.
> "If I'm a monster, I'll drag you down with me."
Their power collided — one of logic and code, the other of sheer will. The impact split the void like shattered glass, sending a shockwave that made Kane stumble in reality.
Kane pressed his hands against the wall, breathing hard, his reflection flickering between his own face and Lucian's.
"Damn it…" he hissed, clutching his head. "You're getting stronger."
The reflection smirked back.
> "You taught me how to fight."
For a brief moment, the golden glow in Kane's eyes faded — replaced by Lucian's deep amber.
He fell to his knees, gasping. "Arata… Sera… get back…"
Sera, who had followed the alarms, froze in the doorway. "Lucian? Is it really you?"
He looked up, eyes trembling between gold and amber. "For now."
Then, his hand slammed against the wall beside her head — not out of anger, but desperation. "Run. Before he wakes again."
Arata appeared behind her, gun drawn but shaking. "Don't move, Renfield!"
Lucian's gaze met his — a look of exhaustion, guilt, and fear.
"I'm not your enemy," he said, voice breaking. "But he's still here… and he's hungry."
Suddenly, his expression twisted. His pupils shrank to slits. The smirk returned.
Kane was back.
He grabbed Sera by the wrist, spinning her behind him. "You really shouldn't have hesitated, Detective."
Then, with one motion, he shattered the nearby window and leapt into the storm outside — vanishing into the night, taking the city's network hostage once again.
Rain poured over the city as the digital skyline flickered — every billboard, every monitor now pulsing with a single message:
> "THE REAPER HAS RETURNED."
In the shadows of a deserted alley, Kane looked at his reflection in a broken mirror.
Lucian's face stared back, eyes glowing faintly, whispering from within:
> "This isn't over."
Kane smiled coldly.
> "I know. That's what makes it fun."