Chapter 69 — The Other Side (part two)
The prison corridor stretched deeper into the underground complex, swallowing them in cold, claustrophobic darkness.
Tokita, Kaito, and Natsuki followed the massive prisoner through the dimly lit passage. Their footsteps echoed off the bare concrete walls—a rhythm of slow, heavy thuds that sounded far too loud in the dead quiet of the subterranean facility.
The giant walked several paces ahead of them.
His broad, towering frame nearly filled the narrow passageway, blocking out what little light trickled from the flickering fluorescent tubes overhead. Every few yards, the buzzing lights sputtered, casting harsh, stark shadows across his ash-colored hair and highlighting the jagged map of old scars scattered across his neck and bare forearms.
None of the three boys spoke. But their eyes never left his back.
More importantly—they could feel him.
There was an unmistakable, stifling density to the air surrounding the giant. It was a subtle, hummed pressure against their skin—an unnatural weight that didn't belong to a baseline human.
Kaito felt it, his jaw subtly clenching.
Natsuki felt it, the hairs on his arms standing on end.
Tokita felt it too, his gaze cool and analytical.
The giant was, without a shadow of a doubt, an ability user.
Yet, as the giant marched forward, he paid no attention to Tokita. He seemed entirely oblivious to the dormant force walking right behind him, his focus instead hyper-fixated on Kaito and Natsuki—the two whose abilities had already flared out in the open during their initial intake.
Without warning, the giant ground to a halt.
"Enough," he grunted, his deep voice rattling off the moisture-slicked walls. He didn't fully turn, only tilting his heavy head sideways. "Stop walking."
Natsuki raised a skeptical eyebrow.
Kaito flicked a quick glance toward Tokita.
The giant raised a thick, scarred arm, pointing toward a heavy, reinforced steel door set deep into the concrete wall. "Inside."
Natsuki looked at the iron slab, then back at the giant's broad back. "That's your cell?"
"Yes," the man answered, his tone flat and unyielding.
Natsuki frowned, his posture shifting into a defensive stance. "Why the hell are you taking us to your cell?"
The giant turned his body fully, his expression darkening into a stone mask. "Because you three clearly don't have the slightest idea how things actually work down here." He gripped the wheel lock on the door and hauled it back with an agonizing metallic screech. "Maybe a little education will fix that."
Natsuki shot Kaito a look. Kaito looked right back.
Neither of them showed a single shred of fear. Instead, they exchanged the exact kind of quiet, brainless understanding shared by two idiots who knew they were about to walk willingly into a terrible decision.
Kaito leaned in toward Tokita, his voice dropping into a low murmur. "If this oversized rock tries anything stupid..." He cracked his knuckles, the joints popping sharply in the enclosed space. "...we're gonna slime his ass."
Natsuki smirked, a dangerous spark dancing in his dark eyes. "For real."
Tokita let out a low, weary sigh, rolling his shoulders back. "Can we not start a prison riot before we even get lunch?"
Neither of them answered him. They simply walked past the giant and stepped straight through the doorway.
BANG.
The heavy steel door slammed shut behind them, the sound echoing like a gunshot through the small entryway. Almost instantly, the heavy, metallic scrape of a deadbolt sliding into place resonated from the outside.
Kaito slowly turned his head, staring at the solid iron barrier. "He locked it."
Natsuki scanned the immediate entryway, his hands resting lightly near his hips. "Yeah. He did."
"This might be an ambush," Tokita noted quietly. His voice carried no panic—only a flat observation.
Tokita was already looking past the threshold, peering deeper into the massive space beyond the entryway.
And then he saw them.
Prisoners. Dozens upon dozens of them.
The cell was nothing like the cramped, barren holding cell they had been tossed into earlier. It was colossal—an entire subterranean wing of the complex that had been cleared out and converted into a communal living zone. High concrete pillars stretched up into the shadowy heights of the ceiling. Scraps of old mattresses, threadbare blankets, and makeshift wooden cots were scattered around the perimeter.
Some prisoners sat hunched against the damp walls; others stood in tightly packed groups around burning oil drums. And nearly every single pair of eyes in the room was locked onto the three newcomers.
But it wasn't the sheer number of people that caught Kaito's attention.
It was the air itself. It was practically vibrating.
A few yards away, a lean prisoner sat on a crate, a faint, translucent green aura clinging to his skin like mist. Farther back, another man had a crackling violet glow curling around his knuckles. In the shadows near the back wall, someone radiated a harsh, pale white light, while another man's broad shoulders were enveloped in a thick, rolling deep-orange aura.
Blue. Yellow. Purple. Green. White. Red.
A spectrum of raw, unrefined power humming in the damp air.
Kaito's eyes widened slightly, his breath catching. "Whoa..."
Natsuki's expression hardened, his pupils contracting. "These guys..."
"Most of them are ability users," Tokita finished quietly, his eyes taking in the terrifying concentration of force assembled in one room.
The giant stepped past them, his heavy boots crushing grit on the concrete floor. "What are you waiting for?" he rumbled, waving his massive hand deeper into the chamber. "Keep moving."
The three boys fell into step behind him. As they walked deeper into the cavern, the sea of prisoners parted slightly, watching their approach. Some looked curious; others looked openly hostile, their fingers twitching with lethal power. A few looked faintly amused by the fresh blood walking into the slaughterhouse.
Yet beneath all the differing expressions lay one universal emotion: deep, suffocating suspicion.
The giant led them directly toward the center of the massive room. Slowly, deliberately, the crowd began to close in behind them. Not blocking them completely, but tightening the circle just enough to choke off any easy escape.
Kaito's eyes darted rapidly from one glowing aura to another. Too many. Too many abilities. Too many unknown variables.
He leaned his head back, barely moving his lips. "Okay... this is definitely an ambush."
Natsuki didn't offer a witty comeback. He just kept walking, his eyes locked straight ahead, his weight shifting forward into a combat-ready stance.
Tokita remained unnervingly calm. His hands stayed casually buried in his jacket pockets. His gaze swept over the crowd with a slow, detached interest, refusing to give the surrounding mob the satisfaction of seeing him sweat.
Suddenly, Natsuki stopped dead in his tracks.
The giant took another two heavy steps before realizing the sound of footsteps behind him had ceased. He turned his upper body, his brow furrowed in annoyance. "What?"
Natsuki crossed his arms over his chest, staring the giant down. "Wait."
"What?" the giant grunted again.
"What exactly do you want from us?" Natsuki demanded, his voice carrying clearly over the low hum of the room.
The giant stared at him, incredulous. "I told you."
"Yeah, you said you were gonna 'educate' us," Natsuki stepped forward, closing the distance slightly. "But you haven't explained what the hell that actually means."
The giant's face contorted, a sudden, menacing darkness washing over his features. "Keep walking, kid."
"No," Natsuki replied instantly.
A suffocating silence fell over the chamber. The surrounding prisoners shifted, their glowing auras flaring slightly as the tension spiked.
"I'm not moving another inch until you tell me what this is about," Natsuki pressed, his chin held high.
The giant slowly turned his entire body around, looming over Natsuki like a wall of solid stone. "You really don't want to test me, boy."
Natsuki's eyes narrowed into sharp slits. "And you really don't want to test me."
A low, electric murmur rippled through the crowd.
Suddenly, the giant's eyes ignited, burning with a pale, ash-colored light. A thick, dusty aura erupted around his massive frame, kicking up a sudden gust of wind that sent loose gravel skittering across the floor. The air pressure in the room plummeted instantly, heavy enough to make an ordinary person drop to their knees.
Kaito's grin returned, sharp and vicious. "Oh. So we're doing this."
"Old man..." Natsuki growled softly.
CRACK!
Bright blue lightning snapped violent sparks across Natsuki's knuckles. In the next heartbeat, his eyes ignited into brilliant azure, and a roaring storm of blue electricity exploded from his body, haloing him in jagged arcs of blinding light.
"Bring it on!" Natsuki roared.
SNAP! CRACKLE!
Arcs of lightning jumped wildly from his fingers, striking the concrete floor and scorching it black.
Kaito immediately took a step back to give himself room, his yellow aura leaking from his pores like liquid gold. As his gravity manipulation reacted instinctively to his rising adrenaline, small pebbles and dust particles began breaking free from the ground, floating silently into the air around his boots.
And then—the entire chamber lost its mind.
Seeing three newcomers flare their power, the surrounding prisoners didn't retreat. One by one, dozens of abilities erupted simultaneously.
Green light flooded the pillars. Violet flame licked at the ceiling. Orange kinetic shocks rattled the floorboards. White energy flared like flashbangs. Blue, yellow, purple—the subterranean hall transformed into a violent, churning tempest of raw, volatile power.
Kaito slowly glanced around at the literal army of ability users ready to tear them apart. His cocky grin faltered, his face tightening. Oh, my God. Are we seriously about to fight an entire battalion right now?!
Natsuki's electricity reached a deafening whine. The giant's ash-colored energy thickened into a localized sandstorm. The mob closed in, weapons drawn, energy primed.
One wrong breath—one accidental spark—and the entire room would implode into a bloody massacre.
Then, a single voice cut through the roaring chaos.
"Stop."
The word wasn't shouted. It carried no frantic edge, no panicked strain. It didn't need to. Every single soul in that vast chamber heard it as clearly as if it had been whispered directly into their ear.
"I told you to bring them here peacefully."
absolute silence crashed over the room.
The transformation was instantaneous. The giant's furious expression evaporated, replaced by a flash of absolute panic. His ash-colored aura vanished into thin air. He pulled his arms down to his sides, his huge shoulders slumping as he stammered, "I-I'm... I'm sorry, Boss!"
Around them, the prisoners reacted as if a bucket of ice water had been dumped over their heads. One after another, their abilities were forcibly choked back. The blinding, multicolored auras flickered and died. The crushing atmospheric pressure vanished, leaving behind only the cold, stale smell of ozone and sweat.
The chamber fell dead quiet again.
The blue lightning dancing across Natsuki's skin slowly fizzled out, leaving faint trails of smoke rising from his sleeves. Kaito let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding, the floating rocks clattering uselessly back to the floor.
Tokita turned around.
He wanted to see the person who could bring an entire room of dangerous, volatile prisoners to heel with a single, quiet word.
A man stepped out from the deep shadows near the back of the wing.
He wasn't particularly large. He didn't wear intimidating tactical body armor or carry a visible weapon. Yet something about the way he carried himself instantly sucked the oxygen out of the room. His movements were fluid, measured, and entirely devoid of wasted energy.
He walked calmly toward an old, scarred wooden desk positioned near the back of the chamber. A worn leather chair sat behind it.
The man pulled out the chair and sat down with relaxed grace. Then, he lifted his head and looked directly at the three boys.
As his gaze met theirs, his eyes flared, glowing with a deep, rich brown light before slowly dimming back to normal.
Tokita caught it instantly. Ability user.
The man folded his hands neatly over the desk, resting his chin slightly. "It's a pleasure to meet you." His voice was smooth, cultured, and almost unnervingly calm given the setting. "I saw your group when Jin's men dragged you into this facility."
Tokita's left eyebrow lifted slightly. "Jin?"
The man offered a solemn nod.
"So," Tokita said, his tone turning dangerously firm, "I'm guessing that's the name of the bastard who shot Natsuki."
The man's calm facade softened just a fraction, a spark of approval flashing in his eyes. "Yes. It is." He paused, studying Tokita's unbothered posture. "You're remarkably observant for a kid."
"Yeah," Tokita replied flatly. "I know."
Kaito shot Natsuki a swift, concerned glance. Natsuki flicked a look back. Neither of them said a word, but both were laser-focused on the man behind the desk.
He had accomplished something staggering. He hadn't flexed his muscle. He hadn't screamed threats. He had halted a room full of monsters simply by existing.
The man gestured toward a set of mismatched wooden chairs arranged across from his desk. "Please. Sit."
Kaito looked at the chairs, then at Tokita, then at Natsuki. None of them moved an inch.
Kaito finally broke the silence, tilting his head. "Let me guess." He gestured slightly toward the man. "You're the boss around here."
The man smiled faintly. "I am." He gestured toward the seats a second time. "Now, please. Take a seat."
Tokita shook his head. "We're good."
Kaito looked at Tokita, letting the boy take the lead.
"Just tell us what you brought us here for," Tokita said, glancing back toward the heavy, locked entrance. "We can go back to our own cell when you're done."
The leader studied Tokita for a long moment, measuring the boy's sharp, calculating eyes. Finally, he leaned back in his chair, conceding the point.
"Very well," the man said smoothly. "I won't waste your time. I'll get straight to the point."
The surrounding prisoners stood frozen, waiting.
"We are planning a prison break," the man stated flatly.
Natsuki blinked once. "Okay." He gave a indifferent shrug. "And?"
The man looked directly into Natsuki's eyes. "I need your help."
Natsuki raised a skeptical eyebrow. Tokita crossed his arms over his chest, his stance unyielding. "I don't think so."
The leader's calm expression didn't shatter. "You have friends here."
Tokita's eyes narrowed into sharp points.
The man slowly began listing off names, his voice hitting like precise hammer blows. "Aoi."
Tokita's posture stiffened slightly.
"Nezuko."
Natsuki's eyes flared with sudden hostility.
"Mira."
Kaito straightened up, his hands dropping out of his pockets.
"And Natsuki," the man finished, looking directly at the boy, "the kid who was shot through the thigh, yet somehow walks into my ward fully healed without a scratch."
Dead silence gripped the room.
Tokita stepped forward, his voice dropping into a chilling register. "Wait. How the hell do you know my friends' names?"
The man didn't flinch from the hostility radiating off Tokita. "I have associates outside these prison walls. My people and theirs have been quietly exchanging information for a long time."
Tokita's gaze burned into him. "And?"
"Your friends have already been brought into our operation," the man continued smoothly. "As we speak, they are coordinating with us to take back this entire complex."
Tokita frowned, catching the specific choice of words. "Take back?"
The man nodded gravely. "We are preparing to reclaim what was stolen."
Tokita gestured broadly to the sprawling, dark cavern around them. "So you're telling me you want to launch a rebellion? Overthrow the people running this place?"
The man shook his head, his brown eyes locking onto Tokita with intense seriousness. "Correction. We aren't trying to take over this place." A heavy pause hung in the air. "We're going to take it back."
"I don't get it," Tokita said, his brow knotting.
"Then look around you," the man commanded softly, gesturing to the concrete vaults of the facility. "Look at this place."
He slowly swept his gaze across his men, his calm tone laced with an underlying grief. "This complex was never built to be a prison. The people living here were never meant to exist under a military boot."
Kaito's jaw set hard. "Then why are they?"
The man turned his gaze to Kaito. "That is the question, isn't it?" He leaned forward, resting his forearms on the desk. "You three have been inside these walls long enough to notice that something here doesn't add up."
Tokita thought back to everything he had seen since being dragged through the front gates. The reinforced iron doors. The armored guards. The heavy machine guns. The strict patrols. The curfews. The terrified civilians. The overflowing emergency ward. The suffocating atmosphere of paranoia choking every corridor.
"This place has food," the man reasoned quietly. "Clean water. Medical supplies. Working electricity. Organized living quarters. Children playing in the common areas. Families." The man behind the desk paused, his eyes darkening. "From the outside, it almost looks like a sanctuary."he continued talking.
Tokita gave a slow, deliberate nod. "Yeah. Until you look closer." His eyes swept over the bruised, scarred faces of the prisoners surrounding them. "Armed guards everywhere."
He looked up at the water-stained concrete ceiling. "Restricted sectors."
He motioned toward the thick iron door behind them. "Executions."
Then, Tokita looked straight back into the leader's eyes. "People disappearing."
The room remained deathly still.
"Why does a supposedly peaceful, self-sustaining community need to function like a fascist war camp?" the leader asked, laying the question bare.
Tokita didn't answer immediately. Because he had been asking himself the exact same thing since the moment they arrived.
The complex was too organized to be a simple bandit hideout, yet too brutally oppressive to be a genuine safe haven. There were normal families living here—mothers, children, doctors trying to save lives, regular people just trying to survive the end of the world. It was a contradiction.
Tokita finally exhaled. "Yeah. We've been wondering about that too."
The leader nodded slowly. "Then you're finally asking the right questions." He leaned back, spreading his hands open. "And I can give you the answers."
Tokita waited.
"But it will take time," the man added, his tone somber. "You want to know what this place really is?"
"Yes," Tokita replied firmly.
"Then sit down." The man gestured toward the empty chairs one last time. "I need to tell you everything from the very beginning." He took a slow breath. "How this complex was established. Who originally built it. How I became involved..." His eyes flashed with a cold, sharp hatred. "...and how Jin entered the picture."
Natsuki parted his lips, ready to bark out another impatient demand.
Before he could utter a word, Tokita calmly reached out, placing his hand flat against Natsuki's chest. Natsuki snapped his head toward Tokita, but Tokita simply gave him a subtle, warnings shake of his head.
Sit.
Natsuki swallowed his anger, gritting his teeth as he pulled out one of the wooden chairs and slumped into it. Kaito stepped up immediately after, taking the chair beside him.
Tokita pulled out the final seat and sat down across from the mysterious leader.
Around them, the army of ability users remained silent, standing like dark sentinels in the shadows of the massive cell.
Tokita rested his hands on his knees, leaning back slightly. For the first time since being captured, he stopped mapping out escape routes in his head. He wanted the truth.
"Okay," Tokita said, his calm eyes locking onto the man behind the desk. "We're listening."
The leader gave a single, decisive nod.
And then, he began to tell them the story of how their sanctuary had turned into a nightmare.