It had been weeks since Ryo's death. Takumi and Haruka had barely spoken of it, but the silence between them had become a heavy weight that neither of them could lift. They had moved forward—barely. The city they had once looked at as a place of peace now felt like a prison, its calm a stark contrast to the storm brewing inside them.
Takumi's grief had morphed into something darker. He couldn't stop thinking about Ryo. About how Ryo had fallen victim to the Maze. But now, there was more—a seed of rage that had taken root deep within him.
The Maze had broken Ryo. It had manipulated his fears and doubts until he had chosen to end his life. And Takumi couldn't let that go. He couldn't just let Ryo's death be a casualty of some twisted game.
"What if… what if we could go back?" Takumi muttered to himself one night, staring out at the horizon. Haruka, sitting quietly beside him, shifted uncomfortably at his words.
"Go back? Why would you even—"
"We have to take it down. We need revenge."
Haruka froze. The anger in Takumi's voice was chilling, but she understood it. It was the same anger that had festered in her heart ever since Ryo had died. The Maze had taken everything from them.
Takumi's voice broke as he continued. "I can't let Ryo's death be for nothing. We need to make them pay. I won't forgive them for what they did to him. To us."