{ Mia }
The silence after his words was louder than any scream.
Twin.
My twin.
The word kept echoing in my mind, warping everything I thought I knew.
My knees hit the floor before I even realized I'd fallen. The cold stone didn't hurt — not compared to the fire unraveling inside me.
Ace was gone.
The truth was a lie.
And the person standing in front of me wore my face.
I couldn't breathe.
He crouched beside me, that sad version of my own expression etched into every line of his face.
"I know it's a lot. But you needed to know before it was too late."
" What do you mean by too late?"
He took a deep breath gently helping me up.
" I know about the corruption... I know what you've been going through... I'm here to help..."
I stared at him, chest tight. "You know? About the corruption in my system?"
He nodded, gaze heavy with guilt. "Yeah… I know. Because I've been watching."
"What do you mean watching?"
He stood slowly, pacing once before answering. "After I escaped the people who took me, all I could think about was finding you. I didn't know where you were, or if you were even alive… but something in me knew you were still out there."
He paused, voice low. "So I started digging. Following whispers, tapping into surveillance channels, breaking into their encrypted systems. I saw things I wasn't supposed to see."
I swallowed hard. "What kind of things?"
"The project. The way they've been tracking anomalies — people like us. But you… they singled you out. I found files, Mia. Blueprints, injections, simulations tied to your name. They called it Project Mirror."
My blood ran cold.
"They've been testing something inside you," he continued. "Not just tracking your power… but twisting it. Feeding it something artificial. Something corrupted."
I shook my head. "Why would they do that?"
He looked at me — and for the first time, I saw fury behind the sadness.
"Because they think you're a weapon. And if they can't control you, they'll destroy you."
I staggered back, heart pounding. "Ace… he knew, didn't he?"
His expression darkened. "Yeah. And he tried to protect you from the truth. But the truth was already coming."
He stepped closer again, slower this time. "I didn't come here just to say I'm your twin. I came because they're accelerating the plan. You're running out of time."
He extended his hand — firm, steady, familiar.
"You can hate me later. But right now, we need to move. "
" Well what do we do ?" I asked eagerly.
" Well first, let me bring Ace back." He said snapping his fingers.
Suddenly a golden portal appeared bringing Ace.
I stood there my eyes wide." That's just like —"
" Yes your power I know..." He whispered smiling.
I snapped back from my daze and rushed to Ace's side.
" Ace, are you okay ?"
" I-I'm fine cupcake..." He shrugged scratching his head.
As soon as he looked up at my twin he quickly stood up standing in front of me.
" Stand back Mia, whatever you do stay away from him!" He ordered though a flash of sadness crossed his features.
" What why ?"
" Because..."
" Because what Ace?"
" BECAUSE I SAID SO !!!" He finally snapped.
I flinched.
The weight of Ace's voice cracked something in me. Not because he shouted — he never shouted — but because I saw it, just for a second. The fear.
Not for himself.
For me.
Ace's shoulders sagged the moment he saw my reaction. His fierce mask slipped, replaced by something raw and unguarded.
"I didn't mean to yell," he muttered, eyes clouding. "I just… I thought I lost you. And now he's here and it's— it's too much."
My twin didn't move, didn't speak. He just stood there, letting Ace spill the panic he'd been choking back.
Ace finally looked at him, fists trembling at his sides. "I saw what they turned you into. I saw the footage. The things you did… the things you were made to do."
A flicker of pain crossed my twin's face.
"I know," he said quietly. "I was corrupted. They used me. Twisted everything I was. I don't even remember how long I was under. But I fought."
He turned to me now, eyes shining.
"And then… I felt you."
I blinked. "What?"
"The moment your powers reawakened — that night when everything went wrong — it reached me. Like a shockwave. Like someone tearing open the dark. Your energy... it broke the trance. It pulled me out."
Ace's breath hitched. "You're telling me she saved you?"
My twin nodded. "She saved me without even knowing it."
Silence pulsed in the space between us. And then, slowly, Ace stepped aside.
I looked at the boy who wore my face, who'd been a ghost in the files, a name in the dark. He was real. He was mine.
And without another word, I stepped forward and wrapped my arms around him.
He froze — then clung to me like he'd been waiting a lifetime.
"I found you," he whispered, voice cracking. "I finally found you."
"I'm right here," I whispered back, tears slipping down my cheeks. "We're together now."
Behind us, I heard Ace let out a shaky breath. When I looked back, his eyes were misted, but he smiled.
We both looked at each other then back at Ace. Then, we signaled for him to join us. He heasitated then stepped in.
And in that circle of silence and shared scars, we were no longer broken pieces, we were a family finally stitched back together.