1:17 AM – Derelict Clinic, Undisclosed Location
Hana awoke to the taste of copper and the hum of a flickering fluorescent light.
Her body felt foreign, limbs leaden and unresponsive. When she tried to sit up, cold metal bit into her wrists—restraints. The room swam into focus: cracked tile floors, rusted surgical tools scattered on a rolling cart, a single IV bag dripping clear fluid into her arm.
And beside her, on a stainless steel tray—
A spider lily, its crimson petals stark against the sterile white.
A note lay beneath it, the handwriting elegant and cruel:
"Stay dead."
Hana's throat tightened. Dead?
She tugged at the restraints, her mind scrambling for answers.
Who am I?
Why am I here?
Why can't I remember—
The door creaked open.
7:30 AM – Tanaka Corporate Tower
Ren adjusted his tie in the elevator mirror, his reflection flawless. Black suit. Silver cufflinks. Hair swept back with military precision.
The Ren Tanaka who stared back was a stranger.
"You've done well, my dragon," Saeko's voice purred in his memory. "No more weakness. No more distractions."
The elevator doors opened to chaos.
Executives scrambled as security dragged a bloodied man through the lobby. Ren didn't flinch.
"Defector," his aide murmured. "Stole files from the R&D division."
Ren's fingers twitched. A fragment of memory surfaced—a girl with gold-flecked eyes, shouting as guards tackled her—but it dissolved like smoke.
"Bring him to the boardroom," Ren said.
9:00 AM – Boardroom of Blood
Saeko waited at the head of the table, her white kimono pristine. The defector knelt at her feet, trembling.
"Ren." She smiled, sliding a pistol across the polished wood. "Prove your loyalty."
Ren picked up the gun. Cold. Familiar.
The defector lifted his head, tears streaking his face. "Please—I have a family!"
"Nemureru ryuu yo..."
Saeko hummed the lullaby softly.
Ren's finger found the trigger.
"Hajimari no toki ga kita..."
The man's eyes widened. "You don't have to do this!"
"You do," Saeko's voice slithered into Ren's ear. "Unless you want Hana to suffer."
Ren froze.
Hana.
The name sparked something—a flicker of warmth in his chest, a face he couldn't quite grasp.
The gun trembled.
2:14 PM – Clinic Basement
Hana's restraints broke after the third try, the rusty metal snapping under her weight.
She stumbled into the hallway, her legs buckling. The walls were lined with empty patient rooms, their doors hanging askew. A faded sign pointed to "Records."
Inside, filing cabinets lay gutted, papers scattered like fallen leaves.
"Hana Shiraishi," she whispered, testing the name from Saeko's note.
Nothing.
Then—
A glint of silver beneath debris.
A dagger, its hilt engraved with a wolf.
Hers.
Memories surged:
A rooftop. A boy with glasses. Blood on his hands. His voice: "Trust me."
Hana gripped the dagger.
"Ren…"
3:33 PM – Boardroom Aftermath
The gunshot still echoed in Ren's skull.
The defector's body lay sprawled on the table, blood pooling around scattered documents. Saeko applauded softly.
"Welcome home, dragon."
Ren stared at his reflection in the blood—splattered suit, empty eyes.
"Hana," the ghost in his mind whispered.
Who is Hana?
11:59 PM – Clinic Roof
Hana watched the city burn from afar—Tanaka Tower glowing like a beacon, Ren's face plastered on every screen.
"Tanaka Heir Crushes Rebellion," the headlines blared.
She didn't recognize the cold-eyed man in the photos.
But the dagger in her hand did.
"I'll make you remember," she vowed to the night.
Far below, a spider lily bloomed in the clinic's overgrown garden—its petals forming a shape almost like a dragon.