The Weight of Betrayal

Haruki’s legs burned as he ran. His breath was sharp, uneven, but he didn’t stop. The scream had already faded into silence, but that didn’t matter. He knew where he was going. He knew what he had to do.

Aoi was still alive. She had to be.

His fingers clenched around the knife in his grip. The weight of it felt insignificant compared to the weight of everything else pressing down on his chest. Kisaragi had turned against them. He had cut them down without hesitation, without remorse.

Renji. Natsuki. The others.

Gone.

Haruki gritted his teeth, his vision blurring for a moment before he forced himself to focus. There was no time to grieve. Not yet. Not until he got Aoi out of this hell.

His mind flashed back to the god, the whispering voice that had nearly swallowed him whole. It had offered him power—offered him a way to make them all pay. And for a moment, he had almost given in.

Almost.

But if he let himself become a monster, what would be left of him?

His thoughts shattered as he reached the edge of the compound.

The facility loomed in front of him, a grotesque blend of concrete and steel, bathed in the cold glow of floodlights. He could see movement along the perimeter—guards. Armed. Patrolling.

And somewhere inside, Kisaragi.

Haruki pressed his back against a rusted metal container, his mind racing. He couldn’t go in through the front. That would be suicide. He needed another way.

A faint rustling behind him made him tense, his fingers tightening around his weapon. He whirled, ready to strike—

And froze.

Aoi.

She was there, crouched behind a stack of discarded crates, her eyes wide with panic. Her hair was disheveled, her clothes torn, but she was alive.

Their eyes met, and for a second, neither of them spoke. Then, in a voice barely above a whisper, she breathed his name.

“Haruki…”

Relief crashed over him, so sudden and overwhelming that his knees nearly buckled. He moved toward her, dropping into a crouch as she threw herself into his arms.

“God, I thought you were—” Aoi’s voice broke, her hands gripping his jacket like she was afraid he’d disappear.

“I’m here.” His voice was rough, but steady. “I’m here.”

She pulled back just enough to look at him, her blue eyes searching his face.

“What happened? Kisaragi, he—” Her voice shook. “He killed them, didn’t he?”

Haruki hesitated for only a second. Then he nodded.

Aoi squeezed her eyes shut, her body trembling. “Renji, Natsuki, they… They’re really…”

Haruki didn’t have words. What could he say?

Instead, he reached out, fingers brushing against hers. She clung to him.

When she spoke again, her voice was quieter. “He tried to take me, too. But I managed to get away. I’ve been hiding ever since.”

Haruki nodded, his mind already calculating their next move. “We need to get out of here.”

Aoi swallowed hard. “And Kisaragi?”

His grip tightened around the knife. “We’ll deal with him.”

Something flickered in Aoi’s expression. A mix of fear and understanding. She knew what that meant.

She didn’t argue.

Haruki turned his gaze back toward the facility. They had to move fast.

But before they could take another step, a voice shattered the silence.

“Well, isn’t this touching?”

Haruki’s blood ran cold.

He turned sharply, already moving to shield Aoi.

Kisaragi stood just a few feet away, his expression calm. Unbothered. As if none of this meant anything. As if he hadn’t just murdered their friends.

Aoi sucked in a sharp breath. Haruki felt her tense behind him.

Kisaragi adjusted his glasses, his gaze unreadable. “I was wondering when you’d show up.”

Haruki’s jaw clenched. “You knew I survived.”

“Of course.” Kisaragi’s lips curled into something almost resembling amusement. “I would have been disappointed if you hadn’t.”

Haruki’s fingers twitched around his knife. “Why?”

Kisaragi exhaled, as if the question itself was tiring. “Because you’re important, Haruki. More important than you understand.”

Aoi’s voice was sharp. “You’re a traitor.”

Kisaragi barely glanced at her. “And yet, you’re still alive.”

Aoi flinched. Haruki’s grip on his knife tightened. “You killed them,” he said, his voice dangerously low.

Kisaragi met his gaze without hesitation. “Yes.”

There was no regret. No remorse.

Just a simple, undeniable fact.

Haruki’s heart pounded against his ribs, fury clawing its way up his throat. “Why?”

Kisaragi studied him for a long moment. Then he said, simply, “Because it was necessary.”

Haruki lunged.

The knife sliced through the air, aimed straight for Kisaragi’s throat—

But Kisaragi was faster.

He moved with an ease that made it look effortless, sidestepping the attack and twisting Haruki’s arm behind his back in one fluid motion.

Pain shot through Haruki’s shoulder, but he didn’t cry out. He gritted his teeth, trying to wrench himself free—

Kisaragi’s voice was quiet. “You don’t understand yet, do you?”

Haruki struggled, his breath coming fast and uneven. “I understand that you’re a murderer.”

Kisaragi didn’t react. He simply held him there, his grip like iron. “You think this is about betrayal. About revenge. But it’s so much more than that.”

Haruki’s vision blurred with rage. “Let. Me. Go.”

Kisaragi sighed. “Not yet.”

And then, without warning, he struck.

A sharp blow to the back of Haruki’s skull.

The world tilted.

Aoi screamed.

Darkness swallowed him whole.

When Haruki came to, his head was throbbing. His vision swam, disoriented and hazy.

For a moment, he didn’t know where he was.

Then it hit him.

The facility. Kisaragi. Aoi.

He jerked upright—

Only to find himself alone.

His breath came fast, panic creeping into his chest.

Aoi was gone.

Kisaragi was gone.

Haruki’s fists clenched. He had failed.

Again.

But he wasn’t done yet.

He forced himself to his feet, ignoring the dizziness threatening to pull him back down. His body ached, his skull still pounding, but none of that mattered.

He wasn’t going to lose her.

Not again.

Not to them.

He took a shaky breath, steadying himself.

Then, with fire burning in his veins, he started walking.

Toward the heart of the enemy.

Toward the war waiting for him.

And this time, he wasn’t holding back.

To be continued…