Warmth.
That was the first thing Riku felt. His body ached like it had been dragged through broken glass, but there was warmth—sunlight bleeding through a window, soft sheets under his battered body, and the scent of clean linen.
His eyes fluttered open.
"RIKU!!"
A sudden weight crashed into his chest, and he let out a sharp gasp. His broken arm flared in pain.
"AH—M-My arm!" he groaned.
"Yuki, be careful!" a voice scolded gently.
Riku looked up to see two familiar faces.
His mother, Sayuri Hayashi, had tears in her eyes as she knelt by his side, brushing his messy hair from his forehead. Her presence was calming, but the worry in her expression was obvious.
Beside her was his little sister, Yuki Hayashi, only eight years old, clinging to his uninjured side like a lifeline.
"You scared us!" Yuki sobbed, her face buried against his shoulder.
"I'm fine… just… my arm," Riku muttered, trying to smile despite the pain.
Sayuri gently took Yuki's hand. "Let's give your brother a minute. The officer wants to speak with him."
Yuki nodded reluctantly and slid off the bed. Sayuri kissed Riku's forehead, her lips trembling.
"We're just outside, okay?"
Once the door closed, the room quieted—except for the soft beeping of a monitor and the rhythmic hum of medical equipment.
A tall figure stepped forward from the corner of the room, arms crossed, a serious expression on their face.
She wore a long dark-blue cloak with silver trim—an officer's uniform, elite class. Her eyes were sharp and calculating, but not unkind. She pulled a chair beside Riku's bed and sat down.
"I'm Commander Reina Itsuki," she said calmly. "Head of Rift Recon and Incident Recovery for East Tokyo."
Riku blinked. That's… one of the higher-ups, he realized.
"I came because this mission caught our attention. Three teenage Hunters dead. One survivor—barely." Her gaze lingered on his arm, now in a sling and wrapped tight. "You."
Riku's breath caught. "Dead…?"
"Daigo, Shun, and Miki," Commander Reina said quietly. "When we arrived, they were torn apart. Whatever Beast you encountered… it was unlike anything standard from Rift Zones around this level. And you… you were unconscious, bleeding out, ribs shattered, arm broken."
She leaned in.
"We have footage up to a point, but Rift interference jammed the rest. So, I'm going to ask this plainly, Riku Hayashi."
Her eyes locked with his.
"Do you remember anything?"
Riku froze. Memories came back in pieces—being pushed, the beating, Daigo's smirk, Miki's kicks, Shun's fist… and then the scream. The Beast. Its roar. Its glowing eyes.
He clenched his good hand into a fist.
"I remember…" he began slowly. "…Daigo, Shun, and Miki pushing me around. We argued. Then I heard something—something big. A Beast. I saw it coming... and then…"
He looked away, guilt and shame written all over his bruised face.
"…I fainted."
Commander Reina didn't speak immediately. She simply studied him.
"I see," she finally said, voice unreadable. "You're lucky to be alive. We thought you were gone for sure. The strange thing is… there was no Beast when we got there. No energy reading, no tracks. Just blood. Yours and theirs."
Riku's blood ran cold.
Reina stood up and walked to the door, pausing before she left.
"We'll be watching you, Riku Hayashi. Surviving something like this… it changes people. Let's hope you change for the better."
With that, she stepped out, leaving Riku alone with the weight of it all.
Three of his worst enemies—dead.
And yet... a part of him whispered: Did I really faint? Or did something else happen after I blacked out…?