C29 The Weight of Loyalty

The room was dim, lit only by the faint glow of the garden lanterns outside. Riku sat at the low table, a glass of untouched whiskey before him, eyes distant as if he were staring through the wall itself.

Keiji slid the door closed behind him, moving carefully. He had seen Riku like this before—silent, brooding, dangerous—but never for so long, never so consumed.

He knelt across from him