> Masked Man
An active Ember... that's impossible.
> Yuki
Mom...?
The figure glows brighter. She turns, eyes soft, barely solid. She touches Yuki's face. He feels warmth. Real.
> Ember (Mother)
You have to run now. There's no time.
The masked man raises his hand. Sharp black lines crawl along his arm. Memory shards spiral around him like blades.
> Masked Man
I can't let you leave. That Ember's unstable. Dangerous.
The mother-Ember pulls Yuki's hand and hurls them both backward with a wave of light.
BOOM
They're thrown out of the fire circle. Yuki rolls through wet concrete, dazed. When he opens his eyes... she's gone.
Only ash remains. Floating.
> Yuki's thoughts
I saw her. Felt her. That was real. That wasn't just memory.
Behind him, the stranger is already moving again. Slow. Unstoppable.
Yuki stumbles up, ready to run. Then-
CRACK
A blur drops from above. Someone else slams into the ground between Yuki and the masked man. Water splashes.
A girl with twin blades. Purple eyes. Long dark hair in a braid.
> Girl
Step away from the target.
> Masked Man
You're with HQ?
She doesn't answer. She dashes forward with blade speed that splits air.
Clash. Sparks. Silence.
Yuki watches, stunned, heart pounding.
> Yuki's thoughts
Who... is she?
Scene Change: A small medical room. Later.
Yuki wakes up on a couch. Bandaged. Dizzy.
The girl sits across from him. Eating pocky.
> Girl
Took you long enough. You passed out like a wet cat.
> Yuki
...Where am I?
> Girl
Safe house. Name's Kairi Minami. I'm an Ashwalker. You just triggered your Sync.
> Yuki
Sync?
She leans forward.
> Kairi
You connected to an Ember. That's not supposed to happen naturally. Only trained Ashwalkers can do that.
> Yuki
That voice. That light. That was my mom...
Kairi looks away. Eyes cold.
> Kairi
If it really was her... you've got something rare inside you.
> Yuki
What does that mean?
She tosses him a photo. It's an old newspaper clipping. A burning house. Headline:
> "Disaster at Kurogane Lab. 17 missing. Memory anomaly suspected."
> Kairi
This was five years ago. Same night your mom vanished. That's where it all started.
Last panel:
Yuki clutches the photo. His mother's face blurred in the corner. Behind her... the same masked man.
> Yuki's thoughts
I'm going to find the truth. Even if I have to tear open every memory this city tried to bury.