"On the night of fire and silence, the past awakened… and the future bled."
03:00 AM — DCB Global Intelligence HQ, War Chamber
The silence in the war chamber was suffocating. Not the calm kind — the kind that screamed just beneath the skin, like a bomb waiting for its trigger.
Agent Mori stood alone under the cold flicker of a dozen holographic monitors. One of them began flashing, its blue interface flickering red.
He adjusted his glasses with trembling fingers. He'd seen many top-secret intel projects. But this… this wasn't just classified.
PROJECT NACHTJÄGER – STATUS: REACTIVATED
The title rotated slowly in the air like a spinning tombstone.
"No… no, this file was erased," Mori muttered. "This project was terminated ten years ago..."
But the system was already in motion.
Another line appeared below it:
SUBJECT 001 – CODE NAME: VAJRA
STATUS: AWAKENING
Mori took a shaky step back. "This isn't just about DNS… it's about what made him."
Then the monitors glitched, spiraling symbols flashing. A single line of text printed across them in red:
"THE BLOOD HAS RETURNED."
03:45 AM — Shinjuku Ruins, Beneath the Templ
DNS stepped down the last of the stone steps, his breath fogging in the cold, ancient air. This place… it had been sealed for decades. Not just hidden — buried.
The passage opened into a vast underground hall — the walls lined with carvings and broken artifacts from an old empire long wiped off records.
A figure stood at the center. Cloaked. Still.
DNS approached, slow and tense, hand on the handle of Vajra.
The man didn't move.
"I was wondering when you'd come," the figure said. The voice was low, steady… and painfully familiar.
"You look just like him."
"Like who?" DNS asked, fists clenched.
"Like me."
The figure turned toward the torchlight, but just before DNS could see his face — the flames blew out with a gust of unnatural wind. Total darkness.
A whisper followed, chilling his bones.
"I never left. I simply... went deeper."
The torches relit. But the man was gone.
DNS stood alone.
On the ground lay a photograph — old, creased.
DNS picked it up.
Arjun, smiling beside a man with the same eyes as DNS.
His fingers trembled. "…What the hell is going on?"
04:17 AM — Rooftop Overlooking Tokyo
Lily leaned against the rail, a soft breeze playing with her hair. Below them, the city seemed almost peaceful — like a lullaby before the storm.
DNS sat beside her, unusually quiet.
"I've been thinking," Lily said. "About us. About everything we've survived."
He glanced at her.
"You saved me more than once," she smiled gently. "But I've never told you that... you're my home, DNS."
He looked down, his heart heavy with secrets. "Lily... after all this, I don't know if I can promise you peace. Not in the life I live."
She leaned in, touching his hand.
"I don't want peace. I want you."
He allowed himself a smile — brief, but genuine.
Then — a sound. Barely audible. A soft whimper.
He turned—
She was gone.
DNS shot up, scanning the rooftop. "LILY?!"
A single object lay where she stood: her necklace — blood staining the chain.
DNS's heart slammed into his ribs. No witnesses. No sign of struggle. Just silence.
Then… a message.
04:25 AM — Back Alley, Shibuya
Roxy's comm buzzed violently. DNS's voice cut through:
"Find her. Now."
She moved like a shadow through Shibuya's neon-lit alleyways. And then she saw it — drag marks. Faint traces of blood. A glimmer of silver.
She picked up a torn piece of Lily's bracelet. Her throat tightened.
Then her earpiece sparked.
bzzt—dns—have—48 hours—come alone—
And then a voice. Distorted. But unmistakable in tone.
"You know me, brother. I don't bluff."
DNS froze. "…Goku?"
But the comm died.
DNS's chest rose and fell. If it was really Goku… why hadn't he revealed himself until now? And why take Lily?
Unless… he wasn't acting of his own will.
04:38 AM — Vajra Syndicate Safehouse, Tech Core
The decrypted file from Arjun's drive was finally open. Kyan stared at the screen, not blinking.
DNS entered.
Kyan hesitated, then turned the screen toward him.
"This can't be right," he said quietly.
"DNS… it's Kiran. He's been feeding info to the Crimson Serpents."
DNS didn't react. His eyes locked onto the surveillance clip that followed.
Kiran. Hooded. Talking to someone in a dark alley.
"I don't care what he said," Kiran whispered. "I'll do it. Just don't hurt them."
DNS whispered, "Who…? Who did you make a deal with?"
Then something darker — Kiran's eyes. Cold. Lifeless.
Mind control? Bribery? Blackmail?
DNS's fists shook.
"He's either broken… or he's theirs."
05:10 AM — Abandoned Warehouse, Tokyo Bay
Vajra Syndicate stormed the warehouse on DNS's orders. It was supposed to be an info grab.
But there were no enemies. No ambush.
Just silence.
DNS entered last, eyes sweeping the shadows.
"Something's wrong," he muttered.
A sound behind him — footsteps.
He turned.
And froze.
A gun was aimed at his chest. By someone he trusted.
DNS didn't flinch.
"Do it," he said.
"If that's what you've come to do… I won't stop you."
The figure hesitated.
Then—
Bang.
06:00 AM — DNS's Quarters, Vajra HQ
The bullet had missed by an inch. But the betrayal hit dead-center.
DNS sat by the fireplace, bandaged and silent. Blood still soaked through his shirt. He stared at a crimson-sealed scroll that had been slid under his door.
The seal bore a serpent.
Nago's.
He broke it open.
Inside, a letter, handwritten in blood:
"DNS.
You were never meant to wear that crown.
Your strength was borrowed. Your past, rewritten. But your end? That was always written in blood.
Tomorrow, the world resets. And when it does… only one Bloodlord will remain.
— Nago"
DNS stared into the fireplace. He tossed the scroll in.
The flames grew taller.
Outside, the sun never rose.
Only clouds. Only smoke.
And in the distance… a storm.
DNS Standing in Front of Fire\
The headquarters is quiet.
Roxy sobs behind a closed door. Kyan stares at old blueprints. The syndicate is shaken.
DNS stands alone, the fire reflecting in his eyes.
No music.
No dialogue.
Just the rising sound of thunder.
And then—cut to black.
TO BE CONTINUED… ON THE DAY OF ASHES.