Before I learned that fire could be beautiful and horrifying in the same breath.
Now I was standing here in a phoenix gown, about to walk into a room full of weapons and war strategy, and I had no idea what waited on the other side.
Girl. . .just open the doors and see.
I pushed them open and entered.
Okay.
The war room was dark.
For one disorienting moment, I thought the women had made a mistake. Wrong room. Wrong doors. Because the space I remembered—the chaos of men, the smoke, the shouted commands—was gone.
Then the lights began to rise.
Slowly.
Softly.
And I saw.
Oh my God.
The massive 4D display of Tokyo dominated the room just as it had before—but everything else had changed.
Instead of harsh tactical brightness, soft golden uplighting traced the miniature skyline from below, turning three and four-foot skyscrapers into glowing sculptures. The buildings cast long shadows across the marble floor, creating a city of light and darkness that took my breath away.
I stepped further inside.
The eight flat screens on the far wall were all dark now. No news footage like the first time I’d come in here.
No bombed buildings burning in Tokyo.
No war.
Just black glass that reflected the hundreds of candles scattered throughout the massive space.
And the candles were everywhere.
Floating in the miniature rivers that wound through the 4D Tokyo. Clustered on the stone ledges along the walls.
The whole room hummed with warm amber and gold light.
The crimson banners still hung from the black-beamed ceiling—silver dragons eating their own tails—but tonight they looked less like war flags and more like decoration.
Like this had always been a ballroom waiting for its queen.
"Tora." Kenji’s voice—low, warm, unhurried— drifted from somewhere inside the 4D city.
I froze.
My eyes swept the miniature skyline. Buildings rose all around the display—some to my waist, many to my shoulders, a few past my head.
But no Kenji.
I called out, "Where are you?"
"Come find me, Tora." The words curled through the city, scattered between rooftops, and dissolved before I could trace their direction.
