Darkness.

A darkness so dense it felt as though it clung to his skin.

He couldn't see anything. He couldn't hear anything. He couldn't even feel cold or warmth. There was only that nauseating pressure wrapped around every part of his body, as if he had been submerged in thick mud.

He tried to move an arm.

Nothing.

He tried to open his mouth.

Nothing.

In fact, something was preventing him from breathing on his own, as though his lungs were being forcibly inflated.

Then panic set in.

His heart slammed violently against his ribs. Pure instinct. An alarm buried deep within the bones of every Hunter.

Danger...

...Danger...

Danger!

His mind screamed at him to get up immediately.

To break free from whatever was holding him.

The sense of danger was overwhelming, it seeped into his very bones. But...

Danger...?

Danger from what?

What was happening?

What was the last thing he remembered...?

Re... Remember...

Then it hit him all at once.

Like a punch straight to the jaw.

The sound of flesh tearing. Bones cracking beneath skin. Screams. Blood. That thick metallic smell clinging to his throat.

All because of... The Bizarre.

All because of a job. A damned job that had promised enough money to build a small paradise.

A place where he and his daughter could live in peace.

Watch her grow up.

Watch her achieve everything a little girl with her whole future ahead of her deserved.

But everything had gone wrong.

Terribly wrong.

Even so... They had escaped.

Right?

Yes.

They had survived.

He remembered running.

He remembered escaping that nightmare.

Then...

Where...

Where am I?

The question pierced through the haze clouding his mind.

And with it came another memory.

A far worse one. That girl's eyes. The exact moment he chose to abandon her. The instant he decided to save himself instead.

Coward.

The word echoed through his mind like a hammer.

Then he understood.

He wasn't dead.

Now... Now he was...

He was in...!

---

Jorgen's eyes flew open inside the Recovery Capsule's fluid.

"He's awake!"

One of the doctors treating Team Neo shouted as soon as he saw the team leader's eyes snap open and his body twitch.

"Status report, now!"

One of the female doctors rushed to the capsule's monitor, rapidly typing as she checked the Hunter's condition.

"Neural activity normal. Vital signs stable. He's conscious!"

"Damn... Hunters really are monsters... With injuries like those, I would've expected him to stay in a coma for weeks."

That would have been normal, but Hunters weren't normal. Their wills were like steel. The stronger a Hunter's determination to keep moving forward, the more impossible it became to keep them down.

That was how Jorgen had awakened after only a few days inside the machine that repaired damaged tissue while artificially keeping his heart and brain functioning.

"Quick! Begin the extraction procedure! Inform Minamoto-sama immediately!"

---

Blinding white lights flooded his vision, forcing him to squint.

He tried to shield his eyes, but his hands wouldn't respond...

Or rather...

Only one of them did.

Before he could even process the absence of one of his arms, unbearable pain surged through every muscle as the viscous liquid began draining from the capsule.

The tubes connected to his body detached one after another while several pairs of hands worked around him.

Jorgen coughed violently as they removed the breathing tube from his throat.

Air scorched his lungs.

He collapsed to his knees outside the Recovery Capsule, drenched in the transparent liquid as he struggled to breathe.

Cold.

Everything was far too cold.

He looked up.

The room was enormous. Sterile to an almost unnatural degree. The hum of machinery filled the air, mixing with the sharp scent of chemicals and medicine.

He didn't recognize the place.

"Here, Jorgen-sama. This should help restore your body temperature."

One of the doctors, dressed in a white coat, wrapped his muscular, otherwise naked body—save for a pair of black shorts—in a silver thermal blanket.

"W... Where am I?"

"Lerhoy. Karakura City. You arrived at the Hunters Association Headquarters with severe injuries alongside your team. You're currently the first to regain consciousness."

"Huh?"

Perfectly styled black hair.

An immaculate uniform.

And eyes so sharp they looked capable of opening his chest without a weapon.

That was Jorgen's first impression of the woman seated across from him.

He didn't know her.

Yet she already intimidated him.

Something that almost never happened.

She... must be the one in charge...

He realized it because everyone revolved around her.

Delivering reports.

Awaiting her approval.

More than that... She carried the unmistakable presence of a leader.

Even so...

Who was she?

"My apologies. I should have introduced myself first. My name is Minamoto Sakura, Head Administrator of the Lerhoy Hunters Association."

You've got to be kidding me...

Jorgen swallowed hard.

What the hell was someone like her doing here?

Then again... The same question could be asked about him.

How had he ended up in another country?

"Although I understand you're in a difficult situation, I'll need you to answer all of my questions."

Her tone was calm.

Far too calm.

That was what frightened him the most.

Jorgen swallowed as he tried to organize his thoughts.

"...Okay. But first... could I get dressed? I'd also like to know how my—"

"Denied."

"Huh?"

"Your requests are denied. You'll answer my questions first."

Jorgen slowly climbed to his feet.

Even though he now stood taller than she did, he felt small beneath Minamoto's icy gaze.

Her blunt attitude made the situation painfully obvious.

Trouble.

That was exactly what they had stepped into the moment they crossed into Lerhoy.

Even he knew how suspicious it looked for a group of Hunters from another country to enter without authorization.

Let's think...

As far as they know, we're just a team of Hunters who were gravely injured during a mission.

From their perspective, we're either Raiders... or illegal agents.

Neither option was good.

Worst of all...

He knew he couldn't let them discover the true nature of his assignment.

Even though the Hummingbird had never stated it outright, it was obvious.

If they had hired a newly formed Hunter team, then the mission had to remain secret.

I don't know for sure... but if I can keep everything under control, maybe that Hana will still pay me.

"Is something wrong, Jorgen-sama?"

"No... I'm just still a little dazed..."

"I understand. That's precisely why the sooner you talk, the sooner you'll be able to rest and learn your teammates' condition."

She wanted answers.

Answers he didn't want to give.

Because even now...

Even after everything...

He was still thinking about completing the mission.

For his daughter.

Only for her.

He clenched his teeth.

"We were carrying out a simple assignment. Gathering materials inside a Fissure. We were... attacked."

"Continue. That isn't enough information."

Silence.

Minamoto's expression didn't change in the slightest.

"...We intended to hunt the Floor Boss, Mortefi... but instead, Lorelley appeared."

"Is that all?"

"That's all."

"I see... It seems you haven't understood me, Jorgen-san."

Her voice remained perfectly composed.

"This isn't a negotiation, nor is it a game where you can hide the truth. This is a direct order."

"Tell me the truth."

The woman slowly stepped forward.

Her heels echoed across the metallic floor.

Tap.

Tap.

Tap.

"What are you talking about?"

"The Core you were carrying wasn't the Core of a mere Rank E Floor Boss. It's a B+ Rank Boss Core. So I'd like to know what happened inside that Fissure, why you ended up in my city, and what exactly that Core is."

"I don't know what else you want me to say. That's everythi—"

The woman snapped her fingers.

The doctors and nurses immediately sprang into action.

Jorgen frowned.

He didn't understand what was happening.

Until he heard the alarm.

Beep.

Beep.

Beep.

The sound exploded throughout the room.

[Life-support supply interrupted. Reactivation required. Active patients detected. I repeat. Life-support supply interrupted.]

Jorgen's eyes widened in horror.

"W-What are you doing...?"

"Making our respective positions perfectly clear."

Minamoto looked him straight in the eyes.

"You entered my country without authorization. You used my Association's resources. You're concealing information regarding an unknown anomaly, and yet you expect our cooperation free of charge."

"Don't you think that's... rather rude?"

Beep.

Beep.

Beep.

"So let me make this perfectly clear. As long as you're here... And until this entire matter has been resolved..."

Jorgen's blood ran cold.

He whipped around toward the other recovery capsules.

Then he saw him.

Luca.

The man convulsed violently inside his capsule, as though the breathing mask attached to his face were suffocating him.

His vital monitors had already begun spiraling out of control.

He tried to move, but his body barely obeyed.

Minamoto didn't even blink.

"...They belong to me."

"W-Wait! Stop! He's going to die!"

Cold. That was all Jorgen felt. Not anger. Not outrage. Cold, because he understood that the woman meant every single word.

Then the guilt returned.

The image of Nene abandoned in that hell.

The desperation in her eyes.

The exact moment he chose to run away.

His chest tightened painfully.

He didn't want to betray someone again.

Not again.

"...Fine."

His voice cracked.

"I'll talk."

Beep.

The alarm stopped.

The doctors immediately rushed back to the recovery capsules.

Jorgen lowered his head, trembling under the crushing weight of guilt.

---

The statement lasted several minutes.

Minamoto listened without interrupting even once.

Her eyes remained still behind the thin frame of her glasses, watching Jorgen as though every breath, every pause, and every shift in his tone of voice were pieces of a puzzle.

When he finally finished...

She remained silent.

A long silence.

Far too long.

Jorgen felt sweat slowly trickling down his back.

That woman was thinking.

And somehow, that frightened him more than any threat.

At last, she spoke.

"I see..."

She closed the electronic folder in her hands.

"I appreciate your... honesty."

Jorgen swallowed.

He didn't like the emphasis she placed on that last word.

Not one bit.

Because he understood.

She had noticed, she knew he was hiding something.

She just didn't know exactly what yet.

Minamoto slowly walked toward the room's massive window.

From there, part of Karakura was visible. A modern city far too peaceful for the conversation they had just had.

"So... according to your statement, a completely anomalous phenomenon occurred inside the Rift."

Jorgen gave a slow nod.

"Yes."

"The Ethereal Beings displayed behavior that has never been recorded before."

"Correct."

"And entities appeared whose existence doesn't match the rank of that Rift."

"...Yes."

Minamoto gazed at the cityscape for a few moments.

"That means danger."

It wasn't a question.

It was a conclusion.

And a deeply troubling one.

She turned back to face him.

"Then tell me one last thing."

Their eyes met.

"Do you have any idea why that Bizarre Core was so valuable?"

Jorgen slowly shook his head.

"No."

His voice sounded weary.

Honest.

"They only promised me a reward... enough money to change my life."

He lowered his gaze.

"That's all I know."

Minamoto watched him for several seconds.

Then she gave a single nod.

"I understand."

The only sound filling the room was the steady beeping of the machines keeping the foreign Hunters alive.

An artificial melody.

Cold.

Yet strangely reassuring.

"Good."

She closed the folder for good.

"I hope you recover soon."

Jorgen looked up, confused.

"...Huh?"

"I hope you'll be able to return to your country with your companions."

The Hunter frowned.

"Are... are you joking?"

For the first time since he'd awakened, Minamoto showed the slightest hint of confusion.

"Do I look like I am?"

Jorgen let out a dry, humorless laugh.

"Well... it's hard to believe coming from someone who threatened to let my companions die just a few minutes ago."

Minamoto remained silent for a moment.

When she answered, all the harshness had vanished from her voice.

"I hope you won't take it personally."

Jorgen thought that would be easier said than done...

"I'm the Chief Administrator of the Lerhoy Hunters Association."

She slowly walked toward one of the recovery capsules.

She watched as Luca's condition gradually stabilized.

"My duty isn't to be kind. It's to protect this country. To protect its citizens. And to make sure any incident involving Rifts is contained before it turns into a catastrophe."

She gently rested a hand against the capsule's glass.

"If fulfilling that duty means becoming someone's villain... then I'll accept that without hesitation."

Jorgen remained silent.

He wasn't sure whether to admire her...

Or fear her even more.

Minamoto looked back at him.

This time, with a much more human serenity.

"I don't hold a grudge against you, Jorgen-san. I simply needed to know the truth... or at least, all the truth you were willing to offer."

Jorgen averted his gaze.

That sentence carried far too many implications.

Minamoto had let him go.

But she'd also made it perfectly clear that she knew he was still hiding something.

"Now..."

The woman adjusted her glasses once more.

"There's only one thing I order you to do..."

---