Darkness stretched endlessly down the tunnel, but Renji couldn't stop staring at the spot where the man had vanished.
"Brother…" he whispered again, voice trembling.
Shinra didn't speak. His shoulders were stiff, jaw clenched. Even he, the always-confident protector, seemed rattled.
They walked slowly through the debris-strewn tunnel, Renji still lost in thought. The symbol on his hand had dulled but was still faintly glowing, like a quiet heartbeat reminding him of something unfinished.
"Who was he?" Renji finally asked, breaking the silence.
Shinra didn't answer at first. Then, with a reluctant breath, he said, "R-01. The first experiment in the Omega Series. Before you. Before even me."
"You called him your little—no… he called you little brother."
"I didn't want you to know. Not like this."
Renji stopped walking. "Then tell me now. What am I? What are we?"
Shinra turned, eyes shadowed beneath the flickering tunnel lights. "You're not a monster, if that's what you're thinking."
"That's not what I asked."
Shinra hesitated, then said, "You're a Ghost. Just like me. Just like him."
"Ghost?"
Shinra looked away. "A failed experiment. Or a divine accident. Depends who you ask."
Renji's head spun. "Start from the beginning."
Shinra nodded slowly.
"A long time ago, the Syndicate created a secret program called Project OMEGA. They wanted to craft perfect warriors — faster than machines, deadlier than weapons, smarter than A.I."
"They didn't use robotics?"
"They tried," Shinra said. "But something was always missing — the human soul."
He glanced at Renji. "So they turned to forbidden tech. Memory splicing. Soul threading. Dream forgeries. And when they found a way to grow consciousness inside a controlled vessel… they called it success."
Renji's heart pounded. "So we're… lab-grown?"
"Technically, yes. But not like clones. More like… fragments. Of other people."
Renji's knees weakened. He leaned against the tunnel wall.
"Then whose memories… are these?"
Shinra's voice dropped. "That's the thing. Some of us remember the past. Some don't. Some—like R-01—remember everything, even things that haven't happened yet."
"That's impossible."
"Not for a Ghost."
The words hung heavy.
Renji swallowed. "Why did he call me 'R-00'?"
Shinra turned away again. "Because you're the final one. The last of us. The perfect vessel."
The truth hit like a punch to the gut.
"I'm not real?"
Shinra whirled around, anger flaring. "Don't ever say that. You're more real than any of us. You feel, bleed, hope, protect. You chose your path. That's what makes you human, not how you were born."
Renji looked down at his hands, still trembling.
Then suddenly, the tunnel lights flickered. A static hum filled the air.
And then — his vision blurred.
A memory, no—a dream?—no… something else overtook him.
---
[Memory Sequence – Unknown Time]
He stood in a white corridor. Everything around him was sterile — walls, ceiling, floor — like the inside of a test chamber.
A voice echoed.
> "Specimen Zero. Can you hear me?"
Renji turned. He was smaller. Barely ten. Tubes were connected to his arms. A mirror showed his face—wide-eyed, terrified.
> "Initiate soul sync."
Pain exploded in his skull.
Screams. So many screams.
He saw flashes. A battlefield. A sword made of light. Blood on his hands. A girl crying his name.
And then — a whisper:
> "Don't forget me, Renji."
Her voice.
Soft. Familiar. Fading.
---
Renji gasped, dropping to his knees.
"Renji!" Shinra knelt beside him. "What happened?!"
"I… I saw her. A girl. Crying my name."
Shinra's face paled. "A girl?"
Renji nodded. "I don't know who she is… but she knows me."
Shinra's expression turned grim. "You're starting to unlock it."
"Unlock what?"
"The Ghost Network."
Renji looked up, confused.
"All Ghosts are connected through the dreams we shared. Through the memories we borrowed. We were never supposed to remember… but if you're seeing her—it means your soul is waking up."
"But who is she?"
Shinra didn't answer. He looked haunted.
Renji stared down the tunnel.
"I need to know. I need to find her."
"You will," Shinra said. "But it won't be easy. The truth always comes with a price."
A faint vibration shook the floor.
Shinra tensed. "They're coming."
"R-06?"
"Worse."
He helped Renji to his feet. "We need to move."
As they ran deeper into the dark, Renji's mind was filled not with fear… but with the echo of that girl's voice.
> "Don't forget me, Renji."
He wouldn't.
He couldn't.
Not now.
Not ever.