Chapter Text
LOCATION: UNKNOWN
The place was swallowed by darkness.
A single flashlight was all that guided the man and the woman as they moved through the tunnels. The ceiling lights hung broken and useless. The walls, stained with dried blood and scattered debris, told a story neither of them was willing to voice.
The echo of their footsteps was the only constant.
They both knew it.
Byakuya Togami wasn’t the type to personally involve himself in operations like this. It simply wasn’t his style. Still, he understood something better than anyone: the fewer people who knew about this, the better.
That’s why he was here.
“Has the signal stabilized yet?” he finally asked.
It was one of the few things he had said to his partner since they descended into the underground.
Kyoko Kirigiri didn’t look up. Her sharp, analytical eyes remained fixed on the metallic device in her hands.
She shook her head slightly.
“No… The signal is still unstable. Even though we should be much closer by now.”
Her voice was as calm as ever.
But there was something beneath it.
Something unspoken.
Concern.
“Hm. Only someone like him could make me look foolish while I’m the one tracking him,” Togami replied, adjusting his glasses with a faint, resigned smirk.
Silence fell between them again as they kept moving.
They had been navigating the underground labyrinth for several minutes, following a lead that was supposed to guide them straight to their target.
But something felt off.
“He should be here…”
Kirigiri’s gaze shifted to the railway tracks stretching across the area. She paid close attention to the support beams, partially buried under small piles of debris.
Then—
A sound.
Both of them reacted instantly.
Togami swung his flashlight toward a cluster of rubble. For a split second, a small shadow seemed to slip away into the darkness.
Whatever it was… it was watching them.
But neither of them had time to process it.
The device in Kirigiri’s hand vibrated.
The signal…
had completely vanished.
Location: 2000 meters above the surface — Japan
Red, black, and white.
Those were the colors that had come to define the world for over two years.
The sky burned in a dull crimson hue. The clouds, once bright against a clear blue, now looked torn apart, dissolving into a sickly horizon.
Below them, the city stood as a reflection of humanity itself: fractured.
On one side, areas tinted in soft blue—seemingly stable.
On the other, a violent red pulsing like an open wound—territories still consumed by despair.
Figures wandered the streets.
Men and women wearing metallic bear-shaped masks.
Even after the fall of Junko Enoshima, the so-called Ultimate Despair hadn’t disappeared. They had lost ground, yes…
but not the war.
And if not for a certain organization, they might have already taken everything back.
Rising above the ruined buildings like a symbol of constant surveillance stood the headquarters of the Future Foundation.
From there—
they watched everything.
Inside one of the upper offices, behind massive glass windows, stood the Vice Chairman.
Kyosuke Munakata sat with his arms crossed, listening in silence.
Across from him, his right-hand man, Juzo Sakakura, made no effort to hide his anger.
“Told you,” he spat. “That coward couldn’t handle the pressure. It’s been weeks since the remnants were taken in… this was bound to happen.”
He slammed his fist against the desk.
“Just give me the signal. That’s all I need. I’ll make sure he regrets ever trying to run.”
He was about to continue, but a slight gesture from Munakata cut him off.
Munakata stood up.
“There’s no need for you to dirty your hands…” he said calmly. “But you’re right about one thing.”
He extended his arm decisively.
“Issue an announcement to the entire Foundation.”
The message spread quickly.
Cold.
Direct.
Makoto Naegi, member of the 14th Division and presumed leader of the operation involving the Remnants of Despair, is now missing.
He is to be considered a high-priority target.
Locate and capture immediately.
Alive… or dead.
If you’re all so obsessed with hope…
that’s your choice.
But let me warn you.
No matter where you go…
all you’ll find is despair.
The two are bound together—
like two sides of the same coin.
Will you remain loyal to hope… Makoto Naegi?
Location: ???
We did it.
Even after everything… someone as ordinary as me managed to escape that hellish killing game—together with everyone else.
The memories were still fresh.
My classmate…
the Ultimate Despair.
Junko Enoshima.
The one responsible for the destruction of the world…
was defeated.
But that wasn’t what mattered most.
We chose.
We chose to move forward.
We chose hope.
Something she could never accept.
After her self-inflicted execution, we understood something.
That wasn’t the end.
It was just the beginning.
I pressed the button with a firm smile.
Blinding light flooded in as the massive doors opened.
Freedom.
We had finally made it.
At least…
that’s how it was supposed to be.
But—
Something felt wrong.
A sudden wave of dizziness hit me.
Heavy.
Familiar.
I hated it.
I hated how natural it felt… like my body already knew what was coming.
My vision began to fade.
The last thing I saw…
were their faces.
Everyone’s smiles.
Even Kyoko Kirigiri…
was smiling.
Just a little.
And then—
everything went dark.
…
…
…
The sound came first.
A steady rhythm.
Soft.
Waves.
“…Waves…?” I muttered weakly.
Sunlight struck my eyes. I raised an arm to shield them, blinking until my vision cleared.
And then I saw it.
A vast blue sky.
Endless.
I slowly turned my head.
The ocean stretched out before me, shimmering under the light.
“…What is this…?”
I didn’t finish the sentence.
I didn’t need to.
Sand beneath my hands.
Palm trees in the distance.
An island.
My mind went blank for a moment.
Then the questions rushed in.
Where am I?
What happened?
Where is everyone?
I pushed myself up, unsteady.
“No… this can’t be happening…”
My hands trembled.
Not again.
It couldn’t be happening again.
I shut my eyes tight.
No.
I can’t lose hope now.
“I need to find the others…”
I clenched my fist.
Took a breath.
And forced myself to move.
I walked along the shore, scanning the area for anything—any clue.
Then I saw them.
In the distance.
A girl with white hair, lying on the sand.
And beside her, a boy with orange hair, leaning over her.
I got closer, just enough to hear.
“Are you… okay…?”
No response.
“You look scared… I mean, that’s fair. I don’t even know what’s going on either…”
I stepped forward.
The sand shifted under my feet.
The boy turned toward me immediately.
The girl slowly began to sit up.
“Who are you…? Where am I?” she asked, her voice flat, but clearly confused.
I opened my mouth to answer.
But stopped.
Because the truth was simple.
I didn’t have an answer either.