It was as if time itself froze, forever leaving her perpetual lifeless gaze in his soul.

  "You look awfully pathetic, much like I did when I begged for the false military to spare my daughter."

  "YOU BITCH!!..." His pulse conquered his ears. "You're FUCKING DEAD!!"

  "To your disappointment, you're far from achieving that. Your companion is pitifully wounded, and what can you do when you can't summon your little pen?"

  "You think I need any of that!? Just try me!!"

  A tendril penetrated his foot, causing him to bite his tongue.

  "The Nurse told me about how resilient you are after you escaped the hospital, but how true is that when you're not dealing with illusions?"

  "She spoke to you?" Hezekiah spit out blood from his cut tongue, cursing The Nurse in his heart. That wench told you about Falina, didn't she!?

  "She's splendidly powerful, sifting through anyone's memories whenever she desires. I suppose I still owe her a small gift of thanks."

  Hezekiah tightened his focus. "That explains it. You never had your memories returned to you. You're just an empty instrument she fed uncertain truths to, all so she can use you to reach me."

  Elaine swung the blade across his wrist. Hezekiah grunted as his blood poured onto the carpet.

  "Shallow, as expected of you. But to my comfort, it was far better that I bore this burden instead of my husband, whom you burned alive."

  Hezekiah's teeth clenched. "What difference would it make!?" He yanked his body back, but he only moved a couple of inches on the tendrils impaling him.

  "It could've been everything." Elaine caressed her stomach before looking down at his sister's severed head. "How would he react if The Nurse revealed that Sally was never his biological daughter? Even with the way I am now, the thought of him rejecting me still sparks fear in my soul."

  "You can't be serious... and am I supposed to feel sorry for you!?"

  "Please, when was that ever my intention?" She pressed the blade against Hezekiah's neck. "Your grief was more than enough to compensate."

  "Hez—Hezekiah, are you okay!?" Irva rose to her feet with her eyes shut. She limped toward the direction of their voices, pain stricken across her face.

  Elaine turned, smiling. "Your sight is forever gone, yet the urge to protect him still runs through your veins. Would've been beautiful—if it was genuine."

  A tendril jetted from behind her. She screeched as it pierced squarely through her spine and out her abdomen. Her legs went limp as blood rushed throughout her system, tempting her to vomit.

  "However, a pawn should know when their time has expired."

  Hezekiah continued trying to free himself. Each moment was excruciatingly painful. A gripping weakness ate through each passing second.

  A small cut was etched in Hezekiah's neck. "And I suppose it's only natural that her king falls as well. Lament forever in your suffering, Master, and farewell."

  A bright cord of light wrapped around Elaine's figure, seizing her movements.

  "What's this...?" Elaine whispered, swiveling her head toward its origin.

  The same cord was wrapped around Falina's severed arm, secured in her grasp.

  "Fa-Falina!?" With one final struggle, he slipped free from the tendrils impaling him. Without wasting a second, he placed a few healing cards on his wounds.

  A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

  "What a failure. Did I expect too much of you?" Her head gently ascended off the ground and faced Hezekiah.

  "You're alive... How?" The blood that sprayed from her torn vessels ceased, her once dead expression gone in an instant.

  Instead of responding to Hezekiah, her head rotated toward Elaine. "You're a fascinating existence. Killing you here would be such a disservice."

  "You're immortal!?" Elaine's eyes narrowed. She attempted to move, but it was as if the threads were paralyzing her.

  "That's one way to describe it, but wanna see something cooler?" Bulges of flesh began sprouting from her neck. Bones materialized and shifted into place, until skin wrapped around it all. "Taa-daa!"

  "What in the hell...?" Hezekiah whispered. A full-form Falina now stood before him, yet the headless corpse—still impaled by the tendrils—remained.

  What is she...? Was she an Abna this whole time? Hezekiah's face tensed. "That's impossible..."

  Falina chuckled at his reaction. "Disappointed that you couldn't be the hero?" She snapped her fingers, freezing all of Elaine's movements as if a pause button was pressed.

  The tendrils faded into dust, dropping Irva to the ground.

  "It's not too late, you know. Irva might kick the bucket if you keep standing there."

  He stood still for a moment before making his way toward her. What's going on...? How long has she...

  As Irva bled out, he placed multiple healing cards across her body. As he noticed she was unresponsive, he briefly remembered what she had said previously:

  "You don't know your sis as much as you think you do. She's been with us for quite some time, then she brought you along. Beats me why she dragged you into this infested hell."

  He rested his head against his palm. Irva didn't even know about the existence of Abnas, let alone about my sister being one. Falina also had special access to floors that Irva had no business being in.

  He turned back to his sister, who was gawking at Elaine as if she had discovered a rare specimen.

  Are you even my sister?

  Falina pivoted her feet, clasping her hands. "I got to hand it to you for such an eventful reunion, but my questions will sadly have to wait."

  "Well mine can't." He never wanted to doubt his sister, but he still had to be cautious in case what Irva said was true. It was this exact reason why he had Irva take any responsibility when any of the rules took effect.

  She softly smiled. "Let's be fair, okay? If you haven't noticed, your heroic rescue put me in a pickle jar. It's a bit early to directly confront The Directors, but some jackass has now forced my hand."

  "Don't blame me for your idiocy. I don't know what you're planning, but Irva's abilities are still in effect. She laced the air with microscopic parasites that eat away the lifespan of others. We have to escape and wait for her to wake up."

  "Sounds scary. Not sure it would kill me, though."

  Falina's headless corpse—twitched. Flesh arose from its headless socket until its form was wholly restored.

  Hezekiah unconsciously took a step back as another fully formed Falina smiled at him. "And besides, even if we were to die, there will always be others left," the other spoke.

  He stood speechless. They were completely identical; not a single detail could set them apart.

  "In the meantime—" The one that was still impaled extended her hand. Space distorted in the hallway until a greenish ethereal light manifested. "This portal will lead to the mirror dimension of this world. Wait there until I'm done cleaning."

  A mirror dimension? Something like that exists? Hezekiah briefly looked at Irva, who was still out cold. Given all the rules, I'm skeptical Falina would be okay. But what am I supposed to do? Force her to run?

  "And why should I listen to you?" he said.

  They laughed. "We're not asking," The portal bolted toward his direction. He attempted to leap but discovered his feet strapped to the ground by the familiar white cord.

  When did she...?

  Darkness swallowed him. The ground disappeared as the emptiness swept him from his feet. It was as if he was fighting against the ocean current during a storm. Irva skimmed past his view before disappearing further into the darkness.

  His face grew hot, muscles tensing as a suffocating pressure sat on his chest. Air ceased reaching his lungs, and light-headedness quickly set in.

  Before he could process what was happening, the creaking of wood echoed beneath his feet. Bright rays of light penetrated the darkness until he found himself on a terrace.

  "What?" he whispered. The burning sensation in his lungs subsided. The wind breathed across his face before the pink sky.

  Rivers of myriad colors flowed down the mountains in the distance. Bird-like creatures with horns and sharp tails drank in packs, as well as a few other critters occupying the lakes below.

  "What just happened...?" He peeked over the railing.

  Acres of forest with blue-leaved trees spread for ages, with small bodies of water here and there.

  He turned behind him. Irva was passed out on the wooden planks. A massive structure with enormous windows was connected to the terrace.

  "A mansion? Is this a joke?" he breathed, retaining his disbelief. In seconds he went from a bloody hallway to an outdoor mythical vacation home. Though, this implied they still had internal injuries; otherwise the portal wouldn't have been able to take them anywhere.

  Well, who knows how objective the rules will be when dealing with the world of Abnas. And whatever this Mirror World is supposed to be.

  "I never had an intruder who snuck past me before," a voice commented.

  Hezekiah looked above him, knitting his brows. "Can't I just rest two minutes?" he muttered.

  "Trespassing into Lady Viraka's establishment is a grave offense toward The Unity Council." A woman with insect wings hovered in the air, having too many eyes for a person. Her gaze was firm as she aimed her crossbow at her target.