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Kai and Lyra stood outside Wooyoung's apartment door, tension thick in the air. Kai raised a hand to knock, but Lyra stopped him, ears perked.
"She's not alone," Lyra whispered. "Two heartbeats inside. One is hers. The other… unfamiliar."
Kai narrowed his eyes. "We wait?"
"No. We go in fast. Play dumb if needed."
Kai gave a sharp nod, then knocked.
Wooyoung answered a moment later, her expression warm—too warm. "Kai! I wasn't expecting you. Come in."
The apartment looked the same. Cozy, organized, lined with shelves full of cat memorabilia. But there was a new bag by the table. Military-grade. A dark coat hung by the door that wasn't hers.
"I brought Lyra," Kai said casually, stepping inside.
Wooyoung smiled at the fox hybrid, but there was a flicker of something behind her eyes.
"Oh? Troublemakers working together now?" she said jokingly.
Lyra grinned. "We're adorable trouble."
They sat for barely two minutes when Wooyoung's phone buzzed. She glanced at it, then stood. "Excuse me. I need to take this."
As soon as she stepped out onto the balcony, Lyra moved.
"She's hiding something," she hissed.
Kai was already at the desk. He pulled the drawer open—locked. Lyra flicked out a claw, slid it into the seam, and popped it open with a clean snap.
Inside were sealed red folders, stamped with the symbol of the Crimson Circle. And one thick file labeled: Project Eden.
Kai flipped it open. His blood ran cold.
There were photos of hybrid children, some with mechanical implants, some bound in strange glowing seals. And right there, dead center—a baby with gold-tipped ears and silver eyes, barely the size of a plush toy. Crying in a sterile glass crib.
"...That's Hyme," Kai whispered.
Lyra turned the page. Dozens of documents. Experimental notes. Failed fusions. A list of hybrid names. Many crossed out. Few marked with a star.
"Hyme's name is starred," Lyra said. "He wasn't just an experiment. He was… the only success."
Just then, Wooyoung's voice floated in from the balcony.
"Yes. They know something. But not all of it. I'll keep them here longer."
Kai froze. "We're being stalled."
Lyra grabbed the folder, stuffing it into Kai's jacket. "We leave. Now."
They moved swiftly but silently. Out the window, not the door. Down the fire escape and into the alley.
Once far enough, they slowed.
Kai exhaled hard. "She's working with whoever's behind this. Maybe not willingly—but she's in deep."
Lyra nodded. "We need to show this to San. And fast."
They didn't wait.
Back at the apartment, San opened the folder, his expression unreadable. Hyme sat beside him, tail wrapped tightly around his wrist. His eyes fell on the photo.
"…That's me?"
San's voice was low. "They raised you in a lab, Hyme. You didn't escape. Someone let you go. Or sent you."
Hyme didn't speak for a long moment. Then his hand found San's.
"I don't care where I'm from," he whispered. "I only care where I am now."
San pulled him into a hug. Tighter than usual.
Lys stood quietly nearby, expression grim. "If Project Eden was completed… that means Hyme might not be the only one."
Silence fell.
And somewhere, in a dark room lit by monitors, a voice whispered:
> "The Eden subject is no longer dormant. Begin Phase Two."
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