In the heart of the frostbitten woods, the sounds of cracked branches and heavy boots echoed violently as a blur of red darted between snow-laced trees.
Chiyo—a girl with striking crimson red hair and a wild, rebellious look—bolted through the underbrush. Her black tank top clung tight to her frame, stomach exposed to the chill, and her cut-off jean shorts showed she clearly dressed more for freedom than survival. A small fang peeked out from the right side of her mouth. Her breathing was ragged, but her feet didn't slow.
Behind her, cruel laughter pierced the trees.
"Chiyo, come back!" one vampire jeered mockingly.
"Yeah! So we can beat you to near death!" another cackled.
"And drag you back to Daddy Dearest!" the third one sang in a twisted falsetto.
Chiyo glanced back with a furious glare, her bangs bouncing with each step. She stuck out her tongue and raised her middle finger high.
"Screw you! And screw my dad too!"
She spun back and pushed herself harder. For the love of God, they won't go away! she cursed internally. Every muscle in her body burned.
She bit her lip, then hissed, "Alright... screw it. I might as well take them out—"
But just as she was about to turn—
A figure stepped into her path from the side trail.
She skid to a stop, boots kicking snow. Her heart nearly dropped. He looked… like Eleo—only wrong. He had the same soft features, but there was no light in his expression. One of his bunny ears was missing entirely, the other bent and torn. His right eye was a large black X.
His voice was low, gruff, and unsettlingly calm.
"Have you seen a face that looks like mine?"
Chiyo blinked, still catching her breath. "Nope. Haven't seen anyone like you. And sorry—kinda in a rush if you haven't noticed."
The Eleo-lookalike tilted his head slightly, gaze shifting behind her. His eyes locked on the approaching vampires.
Before Chiyo could even react—
BOOM.
In a single blur of motion, he vanished. One of the vampires blinked—then screamed.
From above, the Eleo-clone dropped like a shadowy meteor. His right arm twisted and warped mid-air, forming a jagged shadow blade that extended past his wrist. He landed on the vampire's shoulders, then swiped clean through its neck.
SPLURT. The head hit the ground with a dull thud.
The other two vampires froze.
He didn't hesitate. Raising his other hand, he said in a cold voice:
"Shadow Blast."
A pulse of pure shadow energy burst from his palm. It ripped forward in a cone of inky black, vaporizing both vampires instantly. Their bodies tore apart with a howling echo as the energy carved the trees behind them.
Chiyo just stood there, blinking, mouth slightly open.
The figure landed smoothly and rose from a crouch. Snow dust swirled around his feet like smoke. His expression was just as flat as before, completely unfazed.
He looked back to her, calm and unreadable. "So… you haven't seen them, huh?"
Chiyo threw her arms up. "Yeah, like I said—no! What, you got shadow goo in your ears or something?"
He narrowed his eyes. "Then I guess…"
He slowly raised his blade-arm again.
"You're useless. I'll have to kill you."
Chiyo took a shaky step back, then let out a long, frustrated groan. "Oh, you have GOT to be kidding me!"
She threw her hands in the air. "Literally everyone is after me today! Freakin' vampires, psycho dad-stalkers and the Ascendants, and now you?!"
Her eye twitched. "What's next, killer snowmen?! Just bring it on! I'm SO done with this damn island!"
Chiyo barely dodged the first slash—his shadow blade cutting clean through the air, right where her head had been a second before. She flipped back with a sharp yell, landing mid-air.
"Mini Cute Bats!!"
With a clap of her hands, several adorably spherical chibi bats burst into existence around her. Each one had wide, glowing red smiles with two tiny fangs peeking out, and glowing purple eyes shaped like happy curves. Some were lopsided, others had huge bug eyes, and one wore a crooked little crown.
They giggled—yes, audibly giggled—as they zoomed toward the Eleo clone.
He narrowed his eyes and turned to run, his instincts screaming danger.
But too late.
The chibi bats latched onto him, one by one, like balloons sticking to static.
Then all their goofy eyes glowed at once—
BOOM.
A powerful, glitter-infused explosion lit up the forest with sparkles and smoke, launching debris everywhere and sending birds fleeing from nearby trees.
Chiyo landed on a branch, brushing off her shoulders with a smirk. "Got him."
The smoke cleared… and her grin dropped.
There he stood.
Not a scratch.
Still smirking, his shadow blade dissolving into black mist.
"Please," he scoffed, "I've seen old ladies hit harder than that. And they actually made me flinch."
Chiyo's eye twitched. "Why I outta—"
Suddenly—
A sharp mechanical whir cut through the air. Beams of red light pinned her in place.
The ascendants laser blasters trained on both Chiyo and Eleo clone.
"Target located," one barked. "Proceeding with containment—wait..."
He looked at the Eleo clone, tapped on a glowing device. A 3D image of Eleo's face popped up, spinning slowly.
"…What the heck happened to him?"
"Wait, wait, wait—" Chiyo snapped. "Why the hell am I getting chased?! I didn't even do anything!"
Another Ascendant stepped forward. "The Supreme Council has determined you cannot fall into enemy hands. So we were sent to bring you in."
"Oh HELL no!" Chiyo shouted. "I'm not some item you can lock up. I want to live FREE!"
They all raised their blasters.
"Too bad."
FWAP.
A snowball smacked one of them in the face.
"WHO—?!"
From the ridge above, Eleo, Tony, and Timmy stood triumphantly.
Eleo blinked, clueless as ever. "Hey! What's going on? Is this a game?!" He held another snowball, already winding up for another throw.
Tony smirked, casually tossing a pebble in the air like a coin. "Now this looks fun."
Timmy, standing on Tony's shoulder, crossed his little arms. "I don't know what's going on, but I do know they're pointing weapons at someone we don't recognize. And that's usually bad."
The Ascendants all turned again—eyes widening in panic.
"WAIT, WHAT?! THERE'S TWO ELEOS?!"
Eleo looked around confused. "Huh?" He walked right past them, scratching his head as he came face-to-face with the clone. "Wait. What. Another me?!"
Everyone blinked.
"HE DIDN'T EVEN KNOW?!" the Ascendants shouted.
The Eleo clone stepped forward, his voice darker, distorted. "I am NOX. And I am here to kill you."
"
Eleo tilted his head. "Wait wait… you wanna kill me? But I'm me. You're… also me?" He gasped. "Does that mean if you die, I get double snacks?!"
Timmy groaned. "Oh no. He's really that dumb."
Tony grinned wide. "Oh yes. And I love it."