Luminara's Shadow

Kai didn't waste a second. He knew time was of the essence, and every minute spent lingering increased the risk of being discovered. Casting a quick glance around, he ensured the corridor was empty. The oppressive silence of the space only amplified the adrenaline surging through him.

He inserted the key into the elevator's lock and turned it. A soft click followed, and the doors slid shut noiselessly. As the elevator descended, Kai was already calculating his next moves. He had deduced that this floor, dedicated to archives, likely held crucial information—especially about the inspector who had dismissed Eliott's father's complaint.

The doors opened to reveal a surprisingly dark and narrow space. Kai stepped forward, immediately noticing the complete lack of surveillance cameras.

Strange, he thought. This is supposed to be a high-security area, yet no cameras...

It felt like a stroke of luck, but it also reinforced the notion that this basement wasn't designed to accommodate many visitors.

Ahead stretched a long corridor, nearly silent except for the dull, rhythmic sound of his footsteps on the concrete floor. The bare walls, devoid of decoration or windows, accentuated the cold, unwelcoming atmosphere. At the end of the hallway, he spotted a security gate and a heavy, locked metal door.

Kai approached cautiously, his ears attuned to any sound. The oppressive stillness of the place felt as if time itself had frozen. Placing a hand on the gate, he quickly examined it.

If this door requires another key, things might get complicated... but I'm already too far in to turn back.

He crouched slightly, inspecting the area around the metal door. There was no visible lock, but the gate blocked his way. The place seemed eerily deserted, but Kai knew that even the smallest mistake could ruin his plan.

There has to be a way around this, he thought, searching for a solution.

Despite the urgency, Kai remained calm. He eventually spotted an intercom.

Kai examined the intercom beside the metal door. After a brief moment of consideration, he pressed the button, and two chimes echoed through the silent corridor. A deep, slightly weary voice finally answered.

"Yes, who is this?"

Kai, without hesitation, adopted a professional tone and calmly replied,

"I'm a cleaning technician from Shinra Clean Solutions. I needed some additional details about the cleaning protocol for the archives next time."

He allowed a brief silence to hang, waiting for the person's reaction. The man on the other end of the line seemed perplexed.

"Same as usual, isn't it? You always clean the same way, right?"

Kai noted the hesitation in the voice. He knew he needed to tread carefully, but he aimed to extract more information. He followed up with another question, as if it were part of his routine job:

"Yes, of course, but I just wanted to confirm one last thing. How many people are present in the archives today? We need to adjust our cleaning procedures depending on the personnel present, especially if it's a thorough cleaning."

The man on the intercom hesitated for a moment, probably surprised by the unusual question. Then, in a moment of naivety, he replied without suspicion,

"Just me today... But if it's about cleaning, you should talk to the secretary. She handles that."

Kai smiled discreetly, pleased with the information he'd just obtained.

Alone in the archives... perfect.

Kai knew the conversation was reaching its limit, and the man on the other end was growing impatient. He decided to make a request, using a trivial excuse to divert attention and buy time.

"Ah, one last thing—sorry to bother you again... Have you seen a black jacket with blue stains in the archives?" Kai asked with a feigned innocence.

A silence followed before the man responded, slightly confused,

"A jacket?"

"Yes," Kai replied without missing a beat. "My colleague left it the last time we cleaned here. He keeps pestering me to check with the archives staff to see if it's still there."

The man on the line seemed ready to refuse; his voice betrayed signs of impatience. "I haven't seen anything like that here, and no one's—"

Kai quickly cut him off, "If you could just open the door so I can take a quick look. It'll only take five minutes; I know exactly what it looks like. I can find it in no time."

The other man, visibly uneasy, replied firmly, "No, sorry, but no one is allowed in here without proper authorization."

Sensing resistance, Kai didn't relent. Remaining composed, he switched tactics.

"Alright, I understand. But I have a photo of the jacket on my phone. You can take a look at it, and then you can check the archives yourself. That way, I don't even have to go in, and you can quickly confirm whether it's there or not. It would really help me out and stop my colleague from nagging me."

A pause followed. The man seemed to weigh his options, uncertain. Kai knew he was on the verge of giving in.

After a long moment of consideration, the man on the other end finally relented. With an audible sigh through the intercom, he said, "Fine. I'll come take a look at the photo. But make it quick."

Kai smiled inwardly, though his face remained impassive. He stepped back slightly to wait. Moments later, the sound of a key turning in the lock echoed, and the metal door creaked open slowly.

A man in his twenties, wearing a gray lab coat, appeared in the doorway. He looked tired and visibly displeased at being interrupted.

"So, where's this photo?" he asked, glancing briefly at Kai.

Kai, maintaining his act, casually pulled out his phone and showed him a random photo from his gallery. "Here it is. A black jacket with blue stains. Are you sure you haven't seen it?"

As the man leaned closer to get a better look, Kai noticed a crucial detail: behind the man, the archives stretched out in a dimly lit room, filled with rows of file cabinets and metal shelves packed with documents. Most importantly, there was no one else in sight.

"You're alone here today, right?" Kai asked nonchalantly, as if making casual conversation.

The man nodded. "Yeah, it's quiet. It's usually like this. But I've got work to do, so if that's all—"

"Perfect," Kai said.

"Huh?"

BANG

Before the man could react, he was struck with a sharp blow to the head and collapsed unconscious.