“I didn’t trap you,” Maruki said softly, his voice laden with an almost painful sincerity. “Not directly, no.” He paused, looking down at Kou with an expression of regret.

“But… I can’t say I’m entirely surprised you ended up here.” He gestured faintly to the hall around them, the soothing hum of the lab with mechanisms rising subtly in the background. “This place… has a way of drawing people in when they’re hurting. When they have unresolved pain.”