Get up. You must keep moving…

Slowly, Jin opened his eyes.

A couple of pedestrians passed by below him, unaware of his presence atop of the statue installed at the center of the quiet park. He had spent enough time resting, so he stood up from the spot where nobody could disturb him. The rising sun warmed the air more than he liked it.

After landing on the paved ground, he directed his steps towards the unfrequented stairs linking one level of the city to another. Signs of neglect ran rife in the district he walked through, overgrown weeds and litter everywhere he looked. Judging by how the area above had started to expand with new constructions, this place was destined to become another slum district in the future. Regardless, the lack of attention from officials didn't mean he could proceed without caution.

An ars magus' effect currently hid him well enough to allow free movement without being noticed. But conserving energy while being on the move posed its own problem when he had to maintain the concealing spell at the same time. Entering places through low-traffic routes or in the cover of the night became his preferred method of travel whenever possible. Under normal circumstances, ars magus of that kind was a trivial matter.

Following the directions pointed out to him, Jin made way to the lower sections of Kagutsuchi.

Every few sets of stairs, his surroundings grew dimmer with various structures that had accumulated over the century blocking out the sunlight. Soon enough, the stairway ended at the floor it had been built from. On an old bulletin stand, aged and frayed papers stuck on by the former locals covered the surface. Projected next to all the flyers was a basic map. According to the scrolling text, the current zone was labeled for commercial supply deposit. Many of its smaller streets had been left unchanged.

Keeping a steady pace, Jin steered around the few people traveling down the same path. Each alley he passed by resembled one another, empty and devoid of life. Only the large arches and columns framing the roads added some texture to the flat, geometrical architecture.

A break from the pattern made him pause.

One of the archways had collapsed. Seeing that no repair crew had been dispatched yet, it must be another instance of local authorities turning a blind eye to this dismal place. Strangely though, the rest of the area didn't show any signs of extreme disrepair.

By the time he drew closer, something else caught his attention—someone was tailing him. His pursuer had masked their presence while maintaining their distance. A well-executed attempt that spoke of experience, but Jin noticed them nonetheless.

Much sooner than he anticipated, they revealed themself. Speaking with a gruff voice, a strange-looking creature walked out from around a corner. "Pretty good job hidin' yourself, but that ain't gonna fool me."

"Hmph, so you're the one that was scuttling around." Jin spoke at what appeared to be a cat-type beastkin in an orange coat. The fact that the beastkin saw through the effect of the ars magus told Jin not to underestimate him.

His bearing seemed lax and composed but it had a tension threatening to spring into motion at any moment. "Just doin' my part by checkin' on signs of shady activities. Now be kind by tellin' me what's goin' on here, and I'll let ya go without any more fuss."

"..." Jin's gaze met with the lone, red eye of the beastkin, weighing his options.

The cat… A warrior who fought during the Dark War. He's strong, so I advise you to pick wisely…

Hearing it emerging out of nowhere, Jin winced. He rid himself of the stifling sensation with a slight shake of his head. If the beastkin was as old as he appeared, there weren't many historical figures who fit the description. As unbelievable as it sounded, Jin gave his answer, "You're…Jubei of the Six Heroes?" Then again, very few things would shock him at this point.

"Not a mighty big fan of that title, but I guess folks do know me that way." A smirk showed itself on the cat's face, faintly amused at being recognized.

"I see…" His air of confidence certainly fit the name. From the way the beastkin readied to draw his swords, Jubei had him cornered.

Combat was not ideal without Yukianesa by his side. Before he got sent out, that scientist had insisted on performing a series of tests. It only resulted in her being adamant about leaving the option to fight as a last resort—especially after he had refused to wield her 'Idea Engine', and subsequently any equipment powered by it.

This left him with the choice to talk his way out like the beastkin had asked. But there was not much he could actually tell when his own grasp of current events remained muddled at best. His last clear recollection involved a dull scene of him picking up the papers Tsubaki had left at his desk. Everything afterwards contained a darkness he couldn't pierce no matter how many times he retraced his steps.

Jin did away with the camouflage as he stood idle, stopping a pointless drain on his strength. The less he had to say in order to get away, the better it was for him.

As soon as the effect lifted away, a spark of recognition lit up in the beastkin's face. Just as quickly, his tails uncurled themselves from his weapons. "Well I'll be damned. That explains some, but not a whole lot. Whatcha doin' out here for, Jin?"

The beastkin knowing his name didn't come to Jin as a surprise, but to address him with such familiarity was a different matter. "I don't see why I should tell you anything." He glared down at him to make his intention clear that they were not going to be friendly acquaintances. "You're just getting in my way, so scram."

Unstirred, Jubei spoke back with a hint of admonishment, "I'd sure like ta know what's gotten ya in such a hurry. The way I see it, you're just temptin' trouble again."

"..." He had no idea why the nosy beastkin wanted to get involved. Perhaps Jubei mistook him for someone else. In that case, he needed to find a way out quickly.

The sight of two tails flowing behind Jubei brought forth the image of that unpleasant half-beastkin again. Her constantly dissatisfied look, bare-bones explanations, and nonsensical questions didn't serve in making any sort of good impression. Jin had no qualms in using her and her group's name to throw the old war hero's attention away from him. "...Go bother Sector Seven with your questions. A fellow feline ought to hear one another out much better."

Mentioning Sector Seven did the trick, as Jubei's eye widened with sudden alertness. "What didja mean by that? Kokonoe's got somethin' ta do with this?"

Ignore the cat. He does not need to learn anything.

Despite the questions being asked, Jin brushed them off and moved past the beastkin. The sooner he could appease its commands, the sooner it would return to staying quiet. Once he left the backstreets, the sound surrounding him regained its clarity at last and the grating sensation faded. Somehow, Jubei had allowed him to go without resistance.

"So many annoying things…"

Not long after he had regained consciousness in an unknown place, something surfaced that only he could feel. Since then, it refused to leave him be. Whether this was the 'Power of Order' the half-beastkin woman had spoken of, he had his doubts. Yet she insisted it was, and that he should do what it said for the sake of overall good. With little else to follow, Jin allowed it to pull him towards one place after another with the occasional advice.

However, its overbearing tone left much to be desired. In spite of the guidance, the thing got on his nerves more than it helped. Moments where reality blurred plagued him on occasions. He hadn't found an explanation for those happenings, only speculations. For now, Jin tolerated those interferences at most. Something pushed him to act, to seek a dangerous presence currently within Kagutsuchi. Perhaps by finding it, he would receive some real answers for once.