When it happened, Aki Izayoi was still asleep.
In her dream, she saw Yusei—that man—firmly telling her at the Fortune Cup arena that she needed to learn to love herself and think for herself.
Then she saw Godwin. He had given her a chance at rebirth, allowing her to break free from her cursed past, accept everything about herself, and step toward a new future.
But compared to Yusei, though Godwin had likewise given her a chance to change her life, she felt that he seemed to have more hidden sides. Sometimes, she even felt that she had never truly known this silver-haired officer.
Perhaps that was why she had such a terrifying dream.
She dreamed that beneath Godwin's gentle exterior lurked something truly horrifying. Something like a Dark Signer or an Earthbound Immortal, beyond her understanding, yet possessed of unimaginable ambition.
"Mmm... ah..."
Qiu jolted awake and found that her sheets and blanket were soaked.
Soaked through with sweat.
She sat bolt upright, clutching her chest as she gasped violently.
Why had she dreamed something so absurd?
"Pain..."
Only then did Qiu realize that what had awakened her seemed to be a stabbing pain. Instinctively covering her arm, she saw the red glow of the Signer Mark on it flickering on and off.
"The Signer Mark..." Qiu found it strange.
After the Dark Signers had been defeated, the Signer Marks had never reacted again. She had once thought that their duty as Signers was complete and that the marks would never flash again.
So why now?
Qiu looked out the window, and her pupils abruptly contracted.
She saw an unnatural phenomenon.
In the bustling heart of New Domino City, night hung low. Neon lights refracted hazy halos through the damp, rain-soaked air, while the sky beneath that curtain of