Japan – Subterranean Prison, Mount Fuji
Snow fell silently on the forested slopes of Mount Fuji, masking the steel-and-glass entrance hidden beneath an ancient Shinto shrine. High above, cherry blossoms shivered in the wind; below, Nora and Damien descended into a world that didn't officially exist—a prison without records, built for those too dangerous to be left above ground.
"This place was a myth," Damien whispered, his breath misting in the cold tunnel. "Even I thought the Crimson Vault was just black-ops legend."
Nora's fingers traced the biometric lock embedded in the stone wall. "Not a myth. My mother left breadcrumbs here—Kiyomi's name was the last clue."
The heavy door slid open with a hiss, revealing a sprawling subterranean corridor lit in sterile white. Cameras turned toward them, but none sounded alarms.
"She knows we're coming," Damien said.
At the heart of the vault, surrounded by triple-locked energy fields, was a woman draped in a crimson kimono—serene, ancient, and sharp-eyed. Kiyomi.
"You've inherited her eyes," Kiyomi said, gazing at Nora. "But not her restraint."
"You knew my mother?" Nora asked, stepping forward.
"I trained her," Kiyomi replied. "And warned her about Archer Grey... long before he became what he is now."
Damien exchanged a glance with Nora. "The third Seraphim key?"
Kiyomi tapped her temple. "It's up here. Locked. And I won't give it unless I know you're ready. The Accord's survival depends on it."
Suddenly, lights flickered—red alarms echoed through the corridor.
"Breach," Kiyomi said calmly. "He found us."
Hidden Location; Vault Control Center – Seconds Later
Lucien Vale's image appeared on the central screen, face smeared with blood, eyes gleaming with cruelty. "Told you I'd follow. Kiyomi, you owe Archer a debt. And I've come to collect."
Automated sentry guns turned. Vault doors slammed shut. Kiyomi rose slowly, hair whipping in the sudden gust of emergency pressure release.
"He's using ghost access protocols," Damien said. "We have maybe five minutes."
Kiyomi raised her hand. "Then you'll need to survive it. I'll stall them."
"You'll die," Nora protested.
"I already did. A long time ago."
She leaned close, whispering something into Nora's ear—a phrase that made her eyes widen with realization.
"The third key," Nora said breathlessly. "It's a person."
Kiyomi nodded. "My daughter."
Flashback; Twenty Years Ago – Kyoto
Kiyomi stood over a crib as gunfire echoed outside. Her infant was spirited away under a different name, her identity erased to protect her from the world Archer Grey was building.
"She was supposed to live free," Kiyomi whispered, voice cracked. "But fate brought her back into this storm."
---
Location; Mount Fuji – Escape Tunnel
Explosions rocked the vault as Lucien breached the inner chamber. Damien shielded Nora as shrapnel rained down. They sprinted down the escape shaft Kiyomi had opened—just as the ceiling collapsed behind them.
Outside, the snow was still falling. But Kiyomi was gone.
"Now what?" Damien asked, catching his breath.
Nora didn't answer. Her hands trembled around a small data chip, marked with Kiyomi's crest.
"We find the last Seraphim," she said, voice cold. "My sister."