Chapter 40: Beneath the Silence
The basement was filled with a heavy silence.
Emergency lights flickered, casting long, distorted shadows across the stone walls. Sora rested her fan on her shoulder, scanning the surroundings. Daichi stood beside her with his arms crossed, carefully examining the marks on the floor.
Sora:
"There are two possibilities right now."
Daichi:
"Let me guess. One is 'very bad,' and the other is 'even worse.'"
Sora rolled her eyes.
"You're not funny."
Daichi shrugged.
"At least we're still talking. That's a good sign."
They moved forward in silence for a while. Broken crates, overturned shelves, and drag marks covered the ground.
Sora suddenly stopped.
"Wait."
Daichi halted instantly.
"What is it?"
Sora frowned.
"This energy… it's familiar, but twisted."
Daichi:
"It feels like the Quiries, but… controlled."
Sora nodded.
"Yes. They're not acting on their own."
Daichi let out a breath.
"So someone sent them here on purpose."
Sora:
"The question is—who?"
At that moment…
A weak sound echoed.
"…ugh…"
Sora's eyes widened.
"Did you hear that?"
Daichi had already changed direction.
"Yeah. This way."
They followed the sound to a collapsed section of the basement. Behind the debris, a figure was kneeling on the ground.
Sora:
"That's… San."
San was barely holding himself up. A diagonal slash wound crossed his chest. His breathing was uneven, but he was conscious.
Sora immediately knelt beside him.
"Don't talk. We're here."
Daichi looked around—and froze.
A short distance away:
Ren lay unconscious.
Tatsuya was motionless.
Lady Akira was pale, collapsed on the floor.
Yoona was slumped against the wall, eyes closed.
None of them had visible wounds like San.
Daichi:
"…This isn't normal."
Sora:
"No. Everyone except San is just unconscious."
Daichi crouched down and checked Ren's pulse.
"They're alive, but their energy feels like it's been drained."
Sora turned back to San.
"San, what happened?"
San forced a faint smile.
"They… left me on purpose."
Daichi frowned.
"So you weren't the target."
Sora:
"No. The target was the children. Or—"
San whispered:
"—a message."
Silence fell over the basement once more.
Sora stood up, her expression hard.
"Someone is controlling the Quiries. And they're several steps ahead of us."
Daichi smirked slightly.
"Great. Another chase, another fight."
Sora glanced at him.
"Don't complain. You enjoy it."
Daichi:
"…A little."
The lights flickered again.
And deep within the basement,
something was still moving.