The group has taken refuge in an old hidden forge beneath Aeravell. Sparks fly. Tools clang. Megum's hands are covered in grease and Aether cables as he works on Isaka's damaged frame.
Megum (focused):
"You blocked Hokori head-on… you shouldn't even be functional right now."
Isaka (weak smile):
"Guess I'm tougher than I look."
Marine (watching nervously):
"Is she going to be okay?"
Megum:
"Better than okay. I'm not just fixing her… I'm upgrading her."
He activates a new chip — light flows into Isaka's core. Her arms shift, armor realigns, and a green glow pulses through her systems.
Megum (smirking):
"Meet Isaka 2.0 — faster shields, pulse sensors, and an adaptive battle matrix."
Isaka (sitting up):
"I feel… stronger. Like my soul got sharper."
Luci (impressed):
"I don't even know what half that means, but I love it."
---
Scene: Return to Airoma
Days later, the group boards a hidden transport and glides silently through forest clouds. They arrive at the familiar entrance of Airoma — now quieter, colder.
Marine (softly):
"It feels… different now."
Kazuya:
"Hokori's shadow has passed through here. The village remembers fear."
They step inside. The old forest creaks. A few elders nod in silent recognition. The group sets up in their family home.
---
Scene: The Search for the Stalker
Megum and Isaka begin scanning old Aether patterns in the village perimeter.
Megum:
"If he was watching us… he had to leave a trace. A frequency. A heat signal."
Isaka (frustrated):
"There's… nothing. Whoever he is, he's erasing his trail faster than I can track."
Luci:
"So, he's not just powerful… he's smart."
---
Scene: Marine's Restless Night
That night, Marine sits under the stars. She holds Gara's pendant in one hand and stares at the moon.
Marine (whispering):
"You died to protect me… and now I don't even know who's hunting us."
A wind stirs the trees. A shadow flickers across the clearing. But when Marine turns — nothing's there.
Far above, on a broken tower, the red glow of two eyes watches silently…
---
Scene: Quiet Dread
Next morning.
Isaka (checking scans again):
"Still no data. Whoever followed us… doesn't want to be found."
Kazuya (quietly):
"Or he wants us to know he's always one step ahead."
Marine (tightening her cloak):
"Then we find out who he is. I won't wait to be hunted again."
Scene: Kazuya's Midnight Doubt
It's late. Everyone is asleep in the old Airaelum house. The forest is quiet, the wind cold. Kazuya stands alone outside, leaning against a tree, holding a golden compass that spins wildly and then stops… pointing west.
Kazuya (murmuring):
"That direction again…"
He tightens his grip on the compass. A small ember flickers in the air — the same red heat he's sensed twice before.
Kazuya (quietly, to himself):
"It couldn't be… Could it?"
A flicker — a memory flashes in his mind:
> A younger Kai laughing with Sophie… carrying newborn Marine in his arms…
Then screaming, aflame with rage, as Airladinas burned.
Kazuya (eyes narrowing):
"Could the stalker be… Kai?"
He shakes his head, muttering:
Kazuya:
"No. He wouldn't come for this Core… not here. Not yet. He's after stronger ones. Titans. Warbringers. Not a child…"
But he doesn't sound convinced. He looks up at the sky, watching the stars fade behind a drifting black cloud.
Kazuya (to himself):
"…Unless… he knows the truth."
A branch cracks in the distance — Kazuya turns sharply. Nothing's there. Just silence. But the air carries a faint, searing warmth.
---
Scene: A Glimpse of Fire
Far away, on the ridge of a canyon beyond Airaelum's border, a figure stands — tall, muscled, glowing with faint crimson marks across his back. Cloaked in steam.
Black Kai (in a low, cold voice):
"So… Kazuya still follows the light."
He clenches his fist. Aether sparks drip from his knuckles like molten metal.
Black Kai:
"But even light… casts shadows."
He turns and disappears into smoke.
---
Scene: Back to Kazuya — A Thought He Can't Shake
Kazuya returns indoors. Marine is asleep near the window, her green glow faint and steady. Kazuya watches her quietly.
Kazuya (thinking):
"If he found out who she is…
If he ever learns the truth of Sophie's last spell…"
He doesn't finish the thought.
Kazuya (final whisper):
"Then we won't just be hunted…
We'll be destroyed."
---
Next Morning
No one knows what he thought that night.
But Kazuya has changed — just a little. He's more alert. More protective.
And somewhere deep in his chest… the past is rising again.