CHAPTER 43: THREAD OF HOPE

After retreating through the portal, Kade and Lyra emerged atop a rooftop in the 13th Ward, overlooking the vast dominion of the Shikkoku, its skyline drowned in smoke and the relentless noise of metals clanking from construction work.

The ward stretched endlessly, crawling with their men, and a hive of dark power hidden in steel and shadow.

Zarveth slowly woke up as Kade let him drop to the ground.

"F-Fang Kade? You saved me?" Zarveth asked weakly.

"I didn’t save you. I just brought you along because you’re still useful. Now get lost and cause havoc around the city before I change my mind."

Upon hearing those words, Zarveth trembled as he quickly bowed and ran off.

Kade glanced down at his trembling hand. A deep wound cut across his arm, blood dripping through as his right hand went numb because of the lingering ache of Ren’s combined assault from their fight.

That kid, he’s grown stronger. But it’s still not enough. A faint smile tugged at his lips as he stared at the wound.

"Your brother is no longer the weakling you remember." Lyra muttered, her eyes fixed on him. "Stop underestimating him."

Kade’s grin sharpened. "It’s not enough."

The two descended into Shikkoku’s main headquarters. A towering skyscraper covered in their Shikkoku Fang banners, a monument of terror piercing the ward’s smog filled sky.

Inside, the elevator carried them to the topmost floor, opening into a vast chamber. Dark and eerie as the hall resembled a monarch’s domain, its throne looming at the far end like the seat of a tyrant king.

Seated upon the throne was a looming silhouette, his long hair cascading like a shroud of darkness. Kade and Lyra knelt down before him and bowed as their foreheads nearly touched the cold marble floor.

"So, have you obtained the shard?" The man’s voice rumbled through the chamber, deep and ominous with his features still concealed beneath the shadows.

"Yes." Kade answered steadily. "We now hold three of the six shards. Two remain in ZEAL’s grasp and one is still unaccounted for."

A low hum of satisfaction escaped the man. "Good. And your hand?" His gaze flicked briefly to the bandaged wound.

Kade’s lips curled faintly. "Merely an encounter with a troublesome opponent."

The figure leaned forward slightly, as if intrigued to where Kade got the wound. "For you to be wounded, it is quite rare." A pause hung heavy in the chamber before he leaned back into the darkness. "Very well. You are dismissed."

—-------------------------------------

Valen and Kaien returned to Ward 11, carrying Ren straight to the hospital. The doctor explained that Ren’s injuries weren’t serious as he was only exhausted and had passed out which made both Valen and Kaien let out a sigh of relief.

They sat quietly beside Ren’s bed for a while until Valen finally spoke.

"So? What were you doing in the Abandoned Zone?" He asked Kaien.

"As I told you, Gale and I were supposed to intercept a Fang. I didn’t expect it to be Kade though." Kaien replied. "Anyway, I felt uneasy about you guys heading into battle, so I sent Gale after you just in case."

"Well, your girlfriend did save us." Valen said as Kaien’s face turned red at the word girlfriend.

"How did you even know a Fang would show up in the Abandoned Zone?" Valen continued.

"Because a shard was found there by the Ashen Scars a few days back. Gale discovered it while returning from her mission spying on the 13th Ward."

"A shard?" Valen’s expression turned serious. "So that explains it. Did they manage to secure it?"

Kaien nodded. "Yes. That makes three in their possession and only two in ours."

A shard was no ordinary relic as each one brimmed with immense Drive Energy with enough power to reduce an entire ward to ashes. They were fragments of the Grand Ley Conflux, the hidden, underneath nexus that fueled Aetherpolis with spiritual energy. It was this very flow that allowed Drive Core awakenings to occur with such frequency within the city’s walls.

But the shards were more than just power sources. They were hearts, pieces of the Conflux itself, scattered and deeply rooted in Aetherpolis’ foundation. No one had ever truly found the Conflux’s core, and the shards that did surface were near impossible to extract. To extract one loose from its place demanded an awakened wielder pouring immense Drive Core energy into the task, and even then, the risks were catastrophic, making it only possible to be extracted by a warden or someone just as strong.

"Anyway, why were you in the abandoned zone?" Kaien asked.

"As you know, Ren followed those guys and ended up there. Gale told us the only places they could’ve gone to were the abandoned zone or the 13th ward. So Aeri and Gale went to the 13th, and I went to the abandoned zone. But I called them, so they’re probably on their way back now."

"Hmm.... you said earlier that Rikael, Fang Number Two, was the one who trapped you all, right?"

"Yes."

"But Rikael wasn’t in the abandoned zone."

Kaien and Valen shared a look, both realizing the same thing.

"So that yellow haired girl, Lyra, set the portal there on purpose, knowing Ren would follow. She wanted the brothers to meet." Kaien muttered.

"Exactly. But what I don’t get is why he didn’t hurt Ren badly or even kill him." Valen said, frowning.

A full day had passed since Ren was rushed to the hospital.

When he finally woke up, the first thing he saw was Sora sitting silently beside his bed. His vision was still hazy, and his head throbbed as he tried to sit up. Blinking through the blur, he noticed the way Sora’s eyes glistened, tears trembling on the edge of falling as if holding it back.

"How are you feeling?" Sora asked softly.

"I-I’m fine, I guess." Ren muttered, unsure how to act in front of a girl whose tears were clearly being held back.

"Was your brother strong?"

Ren let out a small, hollow laugh before lowering his gaze. "So you already know what happened, huh? Yeah, he’s strong. Too strong. I was fast, my core release was active, I gave it everything I had but it didn’t matter. He saw through all of my attacks like they were nothing. I couldn’t land a single hit. I thought I was getting stronger, but I’m still nowhere near their level." His voice cracked with frustration as his expression dimmed.

"Your brother is that strong." Sora whispered, her voice trembling. Her tears finally spilled over as she reached out and clasped Ren’s hand tightly. "But don’t ever go off on your own again! We’ve already lost too many people. And above all...." Her grip tightened. "I-I don’t want to lose you. None of us do."

Ren’s chest ached at her words as he lowered his head. "I’m sorry for being rash again."

"Then promise me." Sora said, wiping her tears with her free hand, though her voice still trembled. "Next time, we’ll face him together!"

Ren looked into her determined eyes and gave a small, quiet nod.

Later that day, after Ren was discharged, he and Sora made their way to the next room to visit Isamu. Inside, Minato and Botan were already present. The air was heavy, thick with silence, grief, and the kind of melancholy that pressed against everyone’s chest.

Unlike Ren’s, Isamu’s condition was far more severe. The doctor’s words struck like knives, saying that Isamu’s vital points had been hit cleanly, and he had lost too much blood in the process. The worst of it was the uncertainty, no one could say if he would ever wake up. And even if he did, returning to the battlefield would be impossible.

"I’m sorry." Ren lowered his head, guilt heavy in his voice. Minato and Botan turned to him, but before they could speak, Botan clenched his fists.

"It’s not your fault." Botan muttered. "It’s not Minato’s fault either. It was a war. We’re lucky we even made it out alive, this kind of thing happens all the time." His voice cracked as he trembled. "But it hurts so much! I feel so frustrated! I was powerless out there! What was I even doing? I was so focused on the enemy in front of me that I, I took my eyes off my partner!"

No one tried to stop him. They simply let Botan cry until his grief poured itself empty. Everyone there knew how close he was to Isamu and if anyone was suffering the most, it was him.

When Botan finally steadied himself again, the group gathered to discuss the state of things. What Ren heard shocked him, the condition of ZEAL was worse than he imagined. Countless subordinates had fallen during Rikael’s trap. Morale was shattered. Training sessions had lost all spark and drive, to the point where Valen decided to suspend them entirely and ordered everyone to rest for the next few days.

Later, Ren, Sora, and Minato walked together through the streets of Ward 11. Normally, the ward brimmed with life and energy, but now the air was heavy and subdued. The weight of the war hadn’t just broken ZEAL, it had seeped into the hearts of the citizens themselves.

It really is bad, huh? Ren thought as he glanced at the downcast faces around him. After knowing what happened, I can’t blame anyone for feeling this way.

"Do you think we can rebuild all of this after it’s crumbled?" Minato asked quietly.

"There’s no other way." Ren replied firmly. "What was broken has to be rebuilt, and that duty falls on us. We’re the last beacons of hope this city has."

"But how?" Minato asked, frustration clear in his voice. "Just look at what happened. Even us, the Raging Waters, we used to be a symbol of hope. But the Shikkoku shattered us."

"As long as a single soul still fights for what’s right, the thread of hope won’t end. It will pass on to those who yearn for peace, and they’ll rise to become beacons themselves. Look at you all, you faltered once, but you’re still here. You’ve joined ZEAL, standing guard over that peace."

He clenched his fists before continuing. "And I’ll tell you this, we won’t be losing next time."

Sora’s lips curved into a faint smile as she watched the conviction burn in Ren’s eyes. She knew that despite being beaten countless times, the guy beside her would continue to stand back up.

Ren parted ways with Minato and Sora as they returned to the apartment to meet with Squad 4 and deliver the news of his discharge.

He, however, made his way to Valen’s office, where Aeri, Kaien, Gale, and Rago were already gathered, crammed into the small space.

The air in the room was heavy, just standing among these powerful figures made Ren feel the pressure sink into his skin. Especially from Valen, whose veins in his forehead continued to pump with irritation as he pretended to focus on the novel in his hands.

"WAAAAH! Why are you all even here?" Valen snapped suddenly, slamming the book shut. "There’s no order from the leader for you to stay. Go back, or go anywhere else, I don’t care!"

"C’mon now." Rago muttered while absentmindedly running his fingers over the books lined up on the shelf. "You should let us and my squad rest. You can’t just throw us out like that. Do you really have no compassion?"

Valen’s glare snapped to Kaien and Gale. "And what about you, lovey dovey couple? You don’t even have a squad, and you’re not injured. Just go already!"

Kaien only smiled, shrugging it off. "Don’t be like that. Look, Ren’s here." He gestured toward Ren standing by the door. "We need to hear what he has to say."

This guy’s using me as a scapegoat again. Ren thought, exhaling slowly. But perfect. I need all of them here anyway.

Ren stepped forward, his voice cutting through the noise. "If you don’t mind, I think I need to tell you all something."

The chaos in the room fall into quick silence as everyone turned their attention toward him.

"What is it, Ren?" Aeri asked gently.

Ren’s fists clenched as he gathered the weight of the words. "It’s about my family. I think there’s something deeper to it. My parents weren’t just killed by some random gang. And my brother, him becoming one of the Fangs, I think he’s hiding something."