Minami no hanashi : Yume (English)

MHY : Luminara - Chapter 1

Many thanks to all our readers! Your enthusiasm has inspired and motivated us to conceive, write and publish this chapter! ❤️

This special and canonical chapter will be in five parts; it does not occur simultaneously with the current publication timeline (Chapter: Clues and Hidden Meanings). You will likely discover it later.

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Beginning of the story

For two years now, I've been embedded within the criminal organization Azplent, an entity that hasn't hesitated to challenge the authority of Kurokafu in the past. Today marks the moment for me to depart from these shadowy corridors.

I am a Luminara, a scout amidst the shadows. My name holds no significance, for in our clandestine world, names are luxuries we cannot afford.

During these two years of infiltration, I've skillfully climbed the ranks. I've been seen as the pillar of the group, someone relied upon in every circumstance. Under my cover, I've assumed the role of mentor for new recruits, guiding their training and easing their integration within the organization. Ironically, I've also been tasked with hunting down and punishing traitors, a task tinged with bitter irony given my true allegiance.

I became the guardian of morality, erecting principles that I myself did not uphold. Loyalty, a concept I was supposed to defend, became a fleeting shadow in my mind tormented by the duality of my existence.

The reason for my departure is an email I received indicating that my mission was complete. Another Luminara even came to warn me that I needed to return to file my report.

Tomorrow at dawn, I will leave the organization, as if I had never existed, as if my footsteps had never trodden these lands. My conscience continually asks me if I have any regrets. But I have none. I am just doing what needs to be done.

In the icy darkness of the night, I wait in a dim alley, concealed from the world's eyes.

The dawn was just beginning to break when a car pulled up in front of me. The engine purred softly as a man stepped out of the vehicle.

"Do you have belongings to gather?" he asked.

"I have none," I replied. We then got into the car and set off towards Kurokafu's main hideout.

The Chameleon who was driving me was not at all talkative, which gave me the opportunity to catch up on my sleep, as I hadn't closed my eyes for two days now.

After a long but too short sleep, he gently pulled me from my rest to announce our arrival.

With heavy eyelids, I struggled to adjust to the bright midday light filtering through the car windows. As the vehicle entered a dark tunnel, we seemed to be descending into the depths of the mountain, far from civilization.

The transition was abrupt: natural light gave way to artificial illumination bathing the tunnel in a cold, impersonal glow. As we progressed, other passages revealed themselves, intertwining the space in a complexity reminiscent of a labyrinth, an urban spiderweb woven in the depths of the earth.

I marveled at the familiarity with which the Chameleon navigated through this maze of tunnels. Every curve, every intersection seemed etched into his memory, as if this subterranean maze were his second nature. As we progressed, guards materialized, emerging from the shadows at regular intervals. At each checkpoint, our identities were meticulously verified, marking our progress with frequent stops.

Finally, after an hour of descent into the bowels of the mountain, we emerged in a vast underground parking lot. It was one of the Chameleons' favorite haunts, a haven of anonymity in the organization's labyrinthine depths. The car parked, and we parted ways at this point, like two strangers crossing paths in the shadow of an unknown city.