{ Mia }
And in that circle of silence and shared scars, we were no longer broken pieces — we were a family finally stitched back together.
But there was no time to linger in the fragile warmth of reunion. My twin's eyes darkened with urgency as he turned away, already running through what he'd discovered.
"They've corrupted your system, Mia," he said quietly, voice tight. "I've seen the data — the modifications, the artificial injections designed to twist your power. But I don't know how to reverse it."
I swallowed hard, the weight of his words sinking in. Corruption wasn't just a threat — it was already inside me.
"We have to find a way," I said, determination hardening my voice. "Before it's too late."
He nodded, grim. "There's one place I haven't been able to access — their core lab. If we can get inside, maybe we can find the key to undo this."
Ace stepped forward, fists clenched but steady. "Then let's not waste any more time."
Together, the three of us stepped into the unknown — the fight to reclaim what was stolen had only just begun.
The golden portal flickered behind us, fading fast. Ahead, a cold, metallic corridor stretched into darkness — the entrance to the core lab my twin had hacked into but never breached.
"Security will be tight," he warned, eyes scanning the shadows. "We'll need to move fast and stay silent."
Ace cracked his knuckles, a fierce spark in his eyes. "I've got your back."
I swallowed my fear and nodded, feeling the weight of their trust. Together, we stepped forward — three halves of one whole, walking into a storm we'd never imagined.
Every step echoed in the silence, and my heart pounded louder than the alarms I was sure were waiting to sound. The air tasted sterile and cold, but beneath that, I sensed the dark presence of something vile— the corruption that had seeped into me.
My twin paused, pulling up a holographic map. "There — the lab is just beyond that door. If we can get in, maybe we can find the cure… or at least answers."
The door slid open with a hiss, revealing rows of blinking consoles, vials of glowing liquids, and monitors streaming data — Project Mirror's heart.
"We're close," he whispered.
Suddenly voices echoed through the hallway the three of us looked at each other swiftly climbing to the ceiling blending simultaneously blending with it like a gecko.
The doors bust open and a group of scientists rushed in quickly examining the data.
"Blood sample indicates the corruption is halfway complete. Stage 4 begins in a week." The man with white glasses smirked. " I guess we'll live for another day." He continued casually as if talking about the weather.
Suddenly loud footsteps echoed through the sterile hallway, growing closer by the second. The doors burst open with a sharp clang and two people walked in.
Upon closer inspection, my breath caught. One of the men was the voice behind the chilling words — the one who had called me sweetheart. And standing beside him, cold and commanding, was the boss… the man I was sure I had killed.
I froze a wave of emotions flowing through me. He wasn't dead .HE WASN'T DEAD!!
My fingers trembled against the cold ceiling panel, but it wasn't fear that held me still this time — it was something else entirely.
Relief.
A strange, unexpected wave of it crashed over me, stealing my breath. He wasn't dead.
He wasn't dead.
The truth hit me harder than his survival ever could. For so long, I had carried the weight of his death like a chain around my soul — the guilt, the questions, the what-ifs that haunted me in quiet moments. I thought I'd destroyed him… and a part of myself along with him.
But now… that burden slipped from my shoulders, silent and unseen.
I hadn't killed him. I wasn't a killer.
My chest rose shakily, eyes locked on the man below. Alive. Breathing. Whole. The same calculating stare, the same air of command — but now, to me, he wasn't a ghost from the past. He was proof that I still had a chance to be me.
My twin shifted beside me, sensing the shift in my energy.
He glanced at me, confused. "You okay?" he mouthed.
I gave a small nod, barely perceptible, but it was real. For the first time in a long time, I felt like I could breathe. Like maybe there was still a version of me untouched by the darkness.
Below us, the boss studied the glowing data, unaware of the eyes watching from above.
He was alive.
And that changed everything.
{ Ace }
From my spot just beside her, I felt the shift before I saw it.
One moment, Mia was tense — coiled like a spring, eyes sharp and unblinking. The next… she softened. Just barely. Her chest moved in a quiet breath, her fingers loosened their grip on the metal.
I followed her gaze, heart thudding.
And then I saw him.
The boss.
The one she thought she killed.
The one whose death she carried like a blade pressed to her own throat.
But he was alive. Standing right there like death had skipped him out of spite. And Mia... she didn't look broken. She looked free.
It hit me hard — the quiet way her guilt slipped from her shoulders, like she was finally stepping out from under a shadow I knew too well. A shadow that still haunted me.
She hadn't killed him.
She didn't have to carry that weight.
And for the first time in what felt like forever, I smiled — not wide, not obvious, but real. Because my sister… my twin… didn't have to live in the same kind of pain I did.
She still had a chance to be whole.
To not be like me.
I looked at her — really looked — and for a second, I saw the girl she might've been, before all of this. And I swore to myself I'd do everything I could to protect whatever pieces of her were still left.
Because she deserved that.
She deserved more than survival.
She deserved peace.