The following days were a blur. The decision to refuse Raizen's offer had set us on a new course, one that felt both liberating and terrifying. As we continued our daily routines, there was an underlying sense of anticipation, as if the world itself was waiting for us to make our next move.
Anteiku, usually a sanctuary from the chaos outside, now felt like a haven on the edge of a precipice. The world beyond the walls was shifting, and we were at the center of it all, caught between the shadows of old alliances and the unknown threats on the horizon.
Touka was as fierce as ever, her temper flaring more frequently as if she were constantly on edge. Kaneki, quieter than usual, seemed to be lost in his thoughts, his distance growing even as he stayed close to us. There was something heavy on his mind, and I couldn't help but wonder if he was regretting our decision. But we couldn't afford regrets—not now.
The quiet was shattered one evening when the door to Anteiku opened with a sharp creak. I turned, expecting to see one of the usual customers or perhaps a new face in need of sanctuary. But what I saw instead sent a chill through me.
A woman stood at the door, her dark hair framing her face, her expression unreadable. She wore a long coat, a scarf wrapped tightly around her neck. The moment she entered, the air seemed to grow colder, as if the very atmosphere had become charged with tension.
I immediately recognized her.
"Rize," I murmured, more to myself than anyone else.
Touka's gaze snapped toward me, and for a split second, I saw a flicker of recognition cross her face as well. "What the hell is she doing here?"
Rize, the one who had been responsible for so much of our pain, was standing right in front of us. I had thought she was gone for good, consumed by the flames of her past actions. But here she was, as if she had never left.
Her smile was cold, calculating, but there was something different about her now. She didn't seem like the same monster who had once tormented us. There was a weariness in her eyes that hadn't been there before.
"I'm not here to fight," Rize said, her voice calm but laced with an edge. "I need your help."
My heart skipped a beat. I couldn't bring myself to trust her—after everything she had done, how could I? But something in her tone made me pause, a hint of sincerity buried beneath the layers of deceit.
Touka's voice was laced with venom. "Help? After everything you've done, you think we'd help you?"
Rize's smile faded, and she took a step forward. "I know it's hard to believe. But things have changed. I'm not the same person I was before. I'm not here to make excuses. I'm here because there's something coming, something worse than anything we've ever faced."
Kaneki, who had been standing silently at the back, finally stepped forward, his voice as quiet as ever. "What do you mean?"
Rize's gaze shifted to him, and for a moment, there was something almost... regretful in her eyes. "There's a new faction. Stronger, more organized than anything we've encountered. They've been targeting ghouls, hunting them down systematically. And they have a weapon—one that can kill even the strongest of us."
A cold shiver ran down my spine. "What kind of weapon?"
She hesitated for a moment before answering, her voice barely above a whisper. "It's not just a weapon. It's a force—a group of people who can destroy us from within. They have someone inside the CCG, someone high up, and they're pulling the strings. I don't know who they are yet, but I do know that they're coming for you."
Touka took a step forward, her eyes narrowed. "Why should we trust you? You've lied to us before."
Rize's gaze softened for just a moment, a flicker of something real behind the mask. "I don't expect you to trust me. But you have to believe me when I say that this is bigger than anything we've faced. If you don't stop them now, they'll wipe out every last one of us."
The room fell silent as we processed her words. The weight of her warning settled heavily in the air, the threat hanging over us like an oppressive storm cloud.
I turned to Touka and Kaneki, silently asking for their thoughts. Touka was the first to speak, her voice tight with anger and skepticism. "Even if what she's saying is true, we can't just let her back into our lives. Not after everything."
Kaneki, who had been quiet up until now, sighed softly. "We don't have a choice. We need information, and if she's telling the truth, she might be the only one who has it."
The tension in the room was palpable. No one trusted Rize—not after everything that had happened—but we couldn't ignore the possibility that she was right. We were already in the middle of a war we didn't fully understand, and if there was even a chance that she could help us survive it, we had to consider it.
I took a deep breath and stepped forward. "I'll help you," I said, my voice firm. "But if you betray us again, I'll make sure it's the last thing you ever do."
Rize's eyes flickered with something that could have been fear—or perhaps respect. She nodded, the weight of her past actions hanging between us, an invisible barrier that could never truly be crossed.
"I understand," she said quietly. "And I'll make sure you get what you need. But time is running out."
The door closed behind her as Rize left, the air still thick with tension. We were no closer to the answers we needed, but I knew one thing for sure—our fight had only just begun.
As I looked at Touka and Kaneki, I could see the uncertainty in their eyes, but also something else—determination. We were facing an enemy unlike any we had faced before, but we were in this together. And together, we would find a way to survive.