Neon reflections ripple across towering skyscrapers, a haze of color pouring between them like luminescent waterfalls. I pause to take it all in—the dizzying spires, the arcs of digital banners. This cityscape feels like a reflection of my own mind: bright lights and bottomless shadows intertwined, neither complete without the other.

Rose slows her pace so we can walk side by side. Normally, the city’s noise forms a backdrop of mechanical chatter and distant shouting, but now, a tense hush seems to press in around us—an omen carried on the night’s wind.

She slips me a quick glance. “That chip you carry,” she says softly, “it isn’t just a clue to who you were. It’s…much bigger than that.”

I roll the small device between my fingers, remembering every cryptic hint that’s come our way since the day I woke in that alley with no memories. “It feels like it’s directing my every step,” I admit. “And I hate that. But I can’t deny it’s also leading me to answers.”

A hush falls between us. Ahead, the labyrinth of neon streets widens into a broad intersection, buzzing with pedestrians and drones. The swirl of light seems to flow like a living thing, trailing across the glass walls around us. I flex my fingers, focusing on the steady hum of the Limit Breaker chip, as though it resonates with the city’s hidden heartbeat.

“We got a lead about an old lab, remember?” I say, dropping my voice as a couple of hooded figures shuffle past. “If that place belonged to Akira, it might hold the truth behind this chip—behind me.”

Rose’s expression hardens slightly. “Plenty of people would kill to see what’s in that lab, Tatsuya. You sure you want to risk it?”

I give a bitter chuckle. “At this point? I don’t have a choice.”

We push forward, weaving through streams of chatter and the constant hum of nighttime commerce. My heart pounds faster with every step, a mix of dread and excitement tangling in my veins. Part of me hopes the lab is real—that it’ll finally give me clarity. Another part dreads what that truth might be.

Abruptly, Rose stops, turning toward me with a guarded look that sets my nerves on edge. “Look, Tatsuya—there’s something you need to understand. I’m not sure how to say this, but…” She exhales sharply, as if bracing herself. “You’re not just any Breaker. You’re…different. And Akira might’ve made you that way on purpose.”

Her words steal the breath from my lungs. “Made me?” The notion that I was crafted, not just born, needles at the raw edges of my memory. “He’s my—?”

“Your father? Your creator?” She shakes her head carefully. “I wish it were that simple. He’s been described as a genius, a madman, even a prophet. The point is, you’re more than a user of Breaker tech. You might be the key to unlocking everything he left behind.”

Her gaze flickers across my face, searching for my reaction. But my heart has already plummeted. I can’t decide what’s more unnerving: the idea that some legendary scientist shaped my entire being or that the entire city might be gunning for me once they find out.

Hidari interrupts the storm in my mind with a beep, its voice crackling in my ear. “Um, Tatsuya? Hate to be a downer, but I’m reading multiple surveillance drones inbound. They’re converging on your location…like, right now.”

I whip my head around just in time to see faint, blinking lights swooping in between the high-rise buildings. My jaw tightens. “We can’t let them track us—especially not here.”

Rose nods in quick agreement. “Follow me.”

We dart down an empty alley, footfalls echoing against wet pavement. I hear the whir of drone rotors overhead, the mechanical hum creeping closer. We twist through the backstreets until my lungs burn with the effort.

“Any ideas, Hidari?” I hiss between breaths.

“Try not to get caught!” the AI jokes, though I can sense it rummaging frantically through possible solutions. “There’s an abandoned service corridor up ahead. Take a left.”

I nearly slip on the slick ground as we race past flickering street lamps and boarded-up doors. My pulse pounds like a drum, the weight of what Rose said pressing against my mind, even as adrenaline takes the lead in my veins.

Finally, we duck through a rusted metal door that groans loud enough to make me flinch. Inside, darkness swallows us. The musty air smells of damp earth and old machines. We huddle there, catching our breath while the distant drone hum passes overhead, growing fainter by the second.

My heart thunders in the silence. Rose is beside me, her expression unreadable. Carefully, she places a hand on my shoulder. “I’m sorry,” she whispers. “For the burden you never asked for.”

I close my eyes, letting my head knock back against the wall. “Don’t be. I’d rather face it than live a lie.”

Her grip tightens slightly in silent support, then she pulls away, scanning the corridor as her eyes adjust. “Hidari, how do we reach the lab from here?”

The AI’s voice softens. “There’s a route underground, a system of old maintenance tunnels that runs close to the location we suspect is Akira’s lab. We’ll have to navigate carefully. No telling what lurks in the dark.”

A small laugh escapes me, hollow but heartfelt. “I guess that’s my specialty—lurking in the dark, trying to pry secrets loose.”

Rose’s eyes flit over, a wry smile tingeing her lips. “Then let’s not waste any more time.”

We move deeper into the corridor, every step an echo in the stale air. The thoughts swirl in my head, refusing to settle. Akira…my existence…some plan spun by a genius with far-reaching ambitions. And me—a living piece on the board, maybe the piece that completes the puzzle.

I press the Limit Breaker chip against my palm until it stings, as if I can fuse its meaning into my flesh. If my identity is a labyrinth, then somewhere ahead lies the center—and the exit.

One step at a time, I remind myself, forging onward through the gloom. If I’m meant to be the key to Akira’s secrets, then I’ll use that power on my own terms. For the sake of my past and whatever future I might choose, I’ll keep walking.

Because in Neo-Tokyo, truth and lies blend under the neon glow. And if I have to walk through every last shadowy corridor, I will—until I finally uncover who I was…or decide who I’m going to be.