Morning rain washed over Tokyo, turning the city gray and reflective. Traffic crawled through the streets while umbrellas moved like dark waves across the sidewalks.
Lisa Mishima sat in a small café near the train station, staring at her phone. She had not slept well. The same dream had returned again.
Snow falling.
A quiet boy watching the sky.
And Twelve laughing beside him.
She shook her head, trying to clear the memories.
Across the café, the television displayed breaking news.
"Late last night, an unidentified signal briefly interrupted several underground digital networks across Tokyo. Cybersecurity experts say the signal contained encrypted data and an unusual symbol."
The screen showed the image.
A sphinx.
Lisa froze.
Her coffee cup trembled in her hand.
"That… can't be…"
---
At the Metropolitan Police Department, Detective Shibazaki stood before a digital board covered with photographs, notes, and red strings.
Most of the images were old.
Nine.
Twelve.
Bomb locations.
Riddle transcripts.
But in the center of the board was the new photograph.
The third child.
Shibazaki spoke quietly.
"The Athena Project experimented on gifted children to create advanced intelligence assets for the government."
An officer beside him frowned. "But the project was shut down years ago."
"Officially," Shibazaki replied.
He tapped the photograph.
"The reports say only two children escaped the facility."
He paused.
"But someone erased the rest of the records."
The officer looked uneasy. "You think another survivor is alive?"
Shibazaki's expression hardened.
"I think the story we were told was incomplete."
---
Deep beneath the city, the abandoned subway tunnel echoed with the hum of old electrical systems.
Dozens of monitors illuminated the darkness.
Maps of Tokyo.
Security feeds.
Police radio frequencies.
The pale-haired girl moved silently between the screens. Her movements were precise, controlled.
On one monitor, Lisa's image appeared from the café security camera.
The girl watched for a moment.
"Subject: Mishima Lisa," she said softly.
"Civilian associate of Nine and Twelve."
She typed quickly.
Lines of information filled the screen.
The girl tilted her head slightly.
"You survived."
Her fingers paused over the keyboard.
"Just like us."
She looked toward another screen displaying the sphinx symbol.
For a moment, her expression softened.
"Nine… Twelve…"
Then the emotion vanished.
"They failed."
The monitor changed to a map of Tokyo with several blinking points.
"Phase two will not."
She pressed a key.
Across the city, several hidden devices quietly activated.
The game had started again.