YONA & NOIR..Service Conduits
Crawling through the maintenance shaft, the space grew tighter with every meter. Behind them, faint echoes of the gunfire still rumbled.
"This place wasn't built for people to escape," Noir muttered.
"It was built to erase them," Yona answered.
They reached a hatch. Noir shoved it open with his boot, and they tumbled out into a massive, circular atrium filled with holographic projectors and blinking data columns.
At the center was a raised console surrounded by a dome of light..locked.
"Main control node," Yona gasped.
Noir approached, his expression grim.
"If we can access this, we might be able to shut the whole facility down."
"Or trigger a defense protocol that kills us all."
He cracked a small grin.
"Let's not mess it up, then." yona said.
They stepped forward. But they weren't alone. From the far end of the atrium, a black-suited figure emerged, taller than the rest. Its face hidden behind a smooth mask. Its aura cold. Not a guard. Not human.
"Unauthorized presence detected," it said, voice sharp and layered with static.
Yona drew his blade. Noir raised his fists. The figure stepped forward, and from its back, twin metallic wings unfolded with a hiss. Guardian-class. Worse than a Cleaner.
"We fight," Noir growled.
Yona nodded once. "To the end."
Then.. Blades clashed with metal. Yona slashed, fast and precise, but the Guardian-class unit was faster. Its wings moved like serrated blades, parrying his strike with a deafening clang. It spun mid-air, forcing him back with a blast from its thrusters.
Noir launched forward, fists ablaze with kinetic energy. He landed a punch to the thing's side.. enough to dent steel, but it barely flinched. Instead, the Guardian grabbed him by the neck and slammed him into a data column. Sparks exploded.
"Noir!" Yona shouted, lunging again.
He sliced through one of the wings, but it regenerated almost instantly, pieces of it reassembling with a mechanical hiss.
"Too fast," he muttered, panting. Blood ran down his temple.
The Guardian twisted, delivering a devastating backhand that sent him crashing into the floor. His blade skittered away. Noir rose to his knees, coughing blood.
"We're not gonna win this clean."
The Guardian turned to Yona, its right arm shifting , morphing into a long, spear-like weapon.
"Target: Primary."
It aimed for his heart. Yona pushed himself up, one hand clutching his ribs. He couldn't dodge in time.
"YONA!"
Noir screamed, and threw himself in front of him just as the weapon launched.
The spear sliced through the air.. aimed straight for Noir's chest. But before it struck...The Guardian froze. Its systems twitched. Limbs jerked unnaturally. The glow in its eyes flickered erratically.
Then....CRACK.
The spear shattered in midair as the Guardian collapsed like a puppet with its strings cut. Dead. Still. Lifeless. Noir blinked, breathing hard, still shielding Yona with his body. Yona stared past him, wide-eyed.
"What…?"
Slowly, they both turned. A shadow stood near the entrance of the atrium. Tall. Human. Calm.
He had sharp, tousled red hair, the kind that looked like it was cut in a rush but still suited him..wild and fiery, just like the tension in his stare.
His eyes were a deep, muted brown, steady and serious, with a hint of something darker beneath..like he knew more than he was saying. His face was set in a firm, focused expression.. lips pressed slightly together, brows drawn.. the kind of look someone wears when they're about to make a hard decision… or already have. He stepped forward.
"I told you I'd find you."
Noir's voice broke the silence.
"Dai… ki?"
Yona whispered it at the same time.
"Daiki...?"
The red-haired figure stepped forward slowly, the blue glow in his eyes casting faint reflections on the floor.
"I told you I'd find you."
And behind him.. the lights of the facility began to shift, one by one, flickering like they recognized his presence. The system itself stirred.
Yona suddenly stood.. wincing from the pain but ignoring it, and ran toward him. Without hesitation, he threw his arms around Daiki, pulling him into a tight hug.
Daiki froze for a second, surprised. Then, with a half-grin, he muttered in his usual sarcastic tone:
"Woah, woah, personal space, dude."
Yona didn't let go. His voice trembled slightly.
"I thought I wouldn't see you again."
Daiki's expression softened. "I don't die easy."
Noir got to his feet, brushing off his jacket and limping slightly. He looked at them both and nodded.
"Welcome back, Daiki."
Daiki turned his head slowly to Noir, and gave him a sharp, narrowed glare.
"I always hated you."
Noir smirked.
"I know."
Daiki exhaled through his nose.
"Thanks anyway… for protecting my friend."
Noir gave a small nod. No more needed to be said.
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AYUMI — Utility Crawlspace, Level D-13
Her cloak was fading. Her wound burned. And the drone had returned. Ayumi crouched in total darkness, trying to control her breath. The buzzing whirr grew louder as the drone moved overhead, scanning again.
But then… a whisper. From the shadows behind her.
"Ayumi."
She turned, startled, but saw no one. Then the air shimmered. A figure stepped out of thin air. Pale yellow hair. Shaking hands. Eyes filled with tears.
"Aria?"
The real one. Ayumi reached toward her, but Aria stepped back, pressing something cold and metallic into Ayumi's palm. A key.
"I found it," Aria whispered. "Daiki showed me the way."
"You mean Daigo?"
Aria shook her head. "No. I mean Daiki."
And then, from deeper in the shadows.. A second voice. Flat. Hollow.
"You… shouldn't be here."
Ayumi froze. The voice was hollow. Off. It came from behind her, too slow to sound alive..too sharp to be safe. She turned.
Was..Aleria...stood there. Motionless. Watching them both. Her white hair hung limply over her face. Her eyes glowed faintly blue, flickering like faulty data.
Ayumi took a step back, heart pounding. Aleria's lips moved again, but her voice was fragmented.. almost like she wasn't fully there.
"She… she killed him… she killed my Noah…"
Her tone was neither whisper nor scream..it cracked in the middle, jagged and broken, as if part of her mind was stuck in the past.
Ayumi's gaze softened. Her breath caught in her throat. Sadness flickered in her eyes. She turned toward Aria, who was clutching something tightly to her chest..shaking.
"She's not herself anymore," Aria whispered, barely audible. "But… I can't leave her in this place."
Ayumi looked at Aria, then slowly turned back toward Aleria. They stood there for a breath — time bending around them. Then Ayumi stepped forward. Cautious. Quiet. One foot in front of the other.
She reached out her hand. Just before she could touch Aleria's fingers...Aleria's entire face twisted. Anger. Grief. Betrayal.
And then...
Tears streamed down her cheeks, sharp and unnatural against her still-glowing eyes.
"You killed him…" she hissed.
Her voice no longer empty, but wild and furious.
"It was YOU. You killed him… You killed my Noah!"
The air snapped. Aria screamed..
"AYUMI, RUN..!"
But it was too late. Aleria's body erupted with power. Her scream became a wave of energy, tearing through the dark crawlspace. The floor cracked beneath Ayumi's feet.
Ayumi's cloak ripped away as she was flung back, slamming into the wall, choking on dust and blood. Aria staggered forward ..light flickering around her..trying to reach her
But Aleria's face twisted again..not just with rage, but pure anguish. Her eyes burned with unshed tears, and the way she looked at Ayumi… It wasn't just anger. t was revenge It was grief.
She didn't see Ayumi anymore. She saw Yuima...The one who killed Noah. With a choked scream, Aleria snatched a jagged piece of debris from the ground..a stone, heavy and sharp. Her hand shook as she raised it high, tears sliding down her cheeks.
Ayumi's eyes widened..too dazed to move, her body aching from the earlier blast. Just as Aleria's arm swung down..
"No!"
Aria cried out, throwing herself forward.
She grabbed Aleria's wrist just in time.. stopping the stone mid-air.
"Stop! Please..!"
But Aleria didn't hesitate. With a cry of rage, she struck Aria across the face with the back of her arm. The blow was so strong, Aria flew backward, slamming into the wall with a sickening crack, and collapsed. Motionless. She didn't rise.
Aleria turned back toward Ayumi, her breath ragged. Hatred flooded her eyes as the tears kept falling. She lifted the stone again, aiming it right at Ayumi's head.
"ALERIA, NOOO!"
The voice ripped through the air like lightning. Aleria froze... Just for a second... The stone still lifted, her eyes wide.
Ayumi turned her head slowly, her vision blurry, heart pounding. She saw the shadow in the doorway.Her lips moved.
"…N-Noir…"
And then...
Aleria's hand trembled.Her gaze snapped to the voice. She stared through the flickering light, and something inside her cracked.
"…Noah?"
Her voice came out as a whisper.. small, fragile. Noir stepped closer, his voice steady but low.
"Aleria… please. Throw the stone away."
She stared at him, unmoving. The tears that streamed down her face only made the look in her eyes more raw.. like a wounded animal trapped between rage and sorrow.
"Noah…" she breathed again.
And suddenly...The stone slipped from her hand, falling with a dull clack to the ground. She stumbled forward...Then broke into a run. And threw herself into Noir's arms, clutching him tightly like he was the last solid thing in a crumbling world.
Her voice was muffled by tears, by pain, by everything she'd held back.
"Noah… I thought you were gone… I thought they took you from me…"
Noir held her, arms firm around her trembling frame.
He didn't say anything at first. Just held her there. Then softly, brokenly, he whispered..
"…It's okay now. I'm here."
Yona's voice dropped so low, only Diago caught it:
"She thinks Noir is Noah."
Diago gave a slow, subtle nod. Meanwhile, Ayumi's eyes locked on Aleria as she clung to Noir. With great effort, Ayumi pushed herself up to stand. Her eyes widened in sudden clarity, voice trembling but firm:
"No… this is not Noah. He is Noir."
Aleria, frozen in place, suddenly tensed..Noir felt it immediately. He snapped his gaze toward Ayumi and silently mouthed words for her to read:
Please don't trigger her.
But Ayumi's eyes flickered briefly between Aleria and Noir, a sudden pang of jealousy tightening in her chest at the sight of Aleria so close to him. Still, she steadied herself and repeated firmly,
"He is Noir. He is not Noah."
Realizing the weight of the moment, Aleria pushed herself away, putting enough distance between herself and Noir to breathe again.
To be continue ..