Prologue

***

It felt as if I was floating. Indeed I was. But there was this sensational feeling. I knew I was still at Naos.

Though... it was not as hot as I thought it'll be.

I felt like I was not breathing but rather doing something extraordinary.

***

The neon glow of Neo-Seoul painted jagged shadows across the rain-slicked alleyway. Yoongi, a blur of silver hair and steely resolve, navigated the maze of overflowing dumpsters and fire escapes with the grace of a phantom. His cybernetic boots left no sound as he sprinted, his golden eyes scanning the chaos behind him.

A guttural roar echoed as three Kanagawa goons rounded the corner, each a grotesque caricature of a man. Their bodies, grotesquely augmented with crimson cybernetics, bulged with unnatural power. One sported a massive cybernetic arm, its metallic claws sparking with anticipation. Another had glowing red implants embedded in his skull, enhancing his already formidable strength. The third, a hulking brute with a cybernetic eye that pulsed ominously, slammed a fist into a metal fire escape, warping it with a sickening groan.

Yoongi, ever the pragmatist, didn't waste time on bravado. A flick of his wrist activated a sleek arm guard that morphed into a shimmering energy shield just as the cyber-arm brute lunged. The blow connected with a deafening clang, the energy shield flickering momentarily but holding firm. Yoongi used the distraction to launch a smoke pellet embedded in his belt. A thick, purple cloud engulfed the alley, momentarily disorienting his pursuers.

He wasn't about brute force. Yoongi was a ghost in the machine, a whirlwind of cybernetic enhancements designed for stealth and precision. As the smoke cleared, revealing the startled goons hacking and coughing, Yoongi materialized behind them like a bad memory.

He unsheathed a katana, its blade a shimmering ribbon of blue energy courtesy of his cybernetic gauntlet. The blade sang a high-pitched whine as he sliced through the air, severing the wires feeding power to the brute's cybernetic eye. The goon roared in pain, clutching at the useless implant as darkness consumed his enhanced vision.

The remaining two goons, their initial shock replaced with rage, charged at him. Yoongi, anticipating their aggression, used a maneuver his sensei had drilled into him a year ago. He dropped a small capsule at his feet. With a hiss, a holographic duplicate of himself shimmered into existence, drawing the attention of the enraged brutes.

They swung wildly, their cybernetically enhanced strikes meeting nothing but empty air.

Yoongi, cloaked by the distraction, launched himself at the remaining goon with enhanced agility granted by his cybernetic legs. He landed a precise kick to the pressure point at the base of the goon's neck, his augmented strength ensuring a clean takedown. The goon crumpled to the ground, unconscious.

The final goon, realizing the tide had turned, turned to flee. But it was too late. Yoongi, a blur of silver and blue energy, was already upon him. He delivered a swift blow with the katana, severing the wires connected to the goon's cybernetic arm. The useless appendage clattered to the ground, a testament to Yoongi's ruthless efficiency.

Standing amidst the rain-soaked alleyway, surrounded by the groaning bodies of his defeated pursuers, Yoongi deactivated his cybernetic enhancements. The silence, broken only by the dripping of rain, was a stark contrast to the recent chaos. He holstered his katana, the blue energy fading, and took a moment to catch his breath. He was just a teenager, but the weight of his responsibility as a cyber ninja pressed heavily upon him.

With a final glance at the fallen goons, Yoongi melted back into the shadows, his silver hair catching the faint glow of a neon sign.

It seemed like what Chairman Kenjiro said was true. He had acquired a zodiac...