"Please, let me go save him!" Kai pleaded, eyes burning with resolve.
Old Lady Tamato gave a solemn nod. "You have our blessings. Shinji is one of us. Bring him home."
Scene Shift: Shinji
Somewhere deep in the Outlaw Town, Shinji sat tied to a metal table, thick ropes restraining his wrists and ankles. His bright yellow hair was matted with sweat and blood. Around him stood a group of masked individuals, each wearing a golden insignia of the Divitae Casino.
"Will you do what your father couldn't?" one asked with a sneer. "Or will you disappoint us like he did?"
Shinji spat at the ground defiantly.
Scene Shift: Kai
After getting the old lady's approval, Kai learned from the villagers that Shinji had been taken to Outlaw Town—a notorious place where criminals and desperate souls gathered. It was also home to the Divitae Casino, and most dangerously, Argeus himself.
Old Lady Tamato urged him, "Eat something first. You'll need your strength. I'm assembling a group to escort you. Outlaw Town is not a place for a lone traveler."
Days passed as Kai and the escort group prepared—food, shelter, supplies. But something felt missing.
"We don't have weapons," Kai said. "Without them, we won't stand a chance."
The old lady sighed. "This is a humble village. We've never had a proper blacksmith—no money, no market. Only Loko and Shinji built things here."
She paused, then her eyes lit up. "Wait. Shinji's lab. He used to create gadgets, weapons… maybe there's something there."
Kai hesitated. "Is it really okay? Isn't that personal? I know what it means… I once had a lab too."
She placed a hand on his shoulder. "It's what he would've wanted."
She led him to a small hut near the edge of the forest. Beneath it lay a hidden trapdoor, leading down to an underground basement.
"I can't go down there. It wouldn't feel right. Shinji always said it's his sacred place."
Kai nodded and chuckled lightly. "He's more like me than I thought."
As he descended the dark, eerie stairwell, the air thickened. A protruding stone caught his eye. He stepped on it.
BEEP.
An arrow flew out from the wall.
Kai dropped flat, the arrow barely missing him.
"This is like one of those ancient defense systems... Great, Shinji. You were paranoid as hell."
Another pressure plate triggered a dart trap—Kai twisted to the side, letting it zip past.
A pendulum axe swung down from above. Kai's instincts screamed.
"No fear. You're not a coward anymore." He rolled beneath it, heart pounding, breathing heavy.
Memories of his friends' deaths filled his mind. His trembling hands began to steady.
"I won't lose anyone again."
Finally, he reached the massive door to the lab. Its metal frame pulsed with old circuitry.
Click.
As it opened, a small robotic voice chirped: "Is that you, Shinji?"
The voice sounded… like a child's.
Kai stepped forward into the lab.
His spine tingled.
The room was vast, buzzing with whirring machines, glowing panels, and floating orbs of unknown technology.
But his attention wasn't on the tech.
It was caught by something far more astounding.
Something that shouldn't be here.
Something that defied everything Kai thought he knew.
His eyes widened. "What the hell…?"
End of Chapter 6