Zain stepped through the front door.
He could smell the faint scent of curry drift through the air.
"Welcome home, Zain!"
Zelia called out from the kitchen, already setting plates.
Zain gave her a tired smile.
"I'm back. Smells good as always, Sis."
They sat together, quietly eating.
Zain scarfed his food down like a beast, but Zelia didn't mind.
She was just relieved he returned safely again.
"You didn't get hurt today, right?" she asked gently.
Zain shook his head.
"Not even a scratch. Don't worry about me, Sis. I'm getting used to this job."
Zelia smiled faintly, though concern still lingered behind her eyes.
"Still... promise you won't take on more than you can handle, okay?"
Zain smirked. "I only take what I plan to kill."
They finished dinner, exchanged a few quiet words, and Zain returned to his room.
But as soon as he lay down, a strange sensation hit him like a creeping chill.
His instincts—it wasn't just nerves.
It was deeper. Older.
Something was off.
His eyes sharpened.
"...Something's wrong."
He sat up on the bed, scanning the room.
Nothing seemed out of place. No sounds. No presence.
But the feeling didn't fade.
And a Heavenly Demon's instincts were never wrong.
Zain stood up slowly, his fingers twitching in anticipation.
"Whatever it is... it's close."
He quietly stepped out of his room, moving through the hallway with deliberate care.
Then, his eyes shifted toward the door across the hall.
His sister's room.
He was thinking of talking with his sister.
To make sure that she was okay before going back to bed.
He then walked toward her room.
Zain stood in front of the door and knocked against it.
"Sis? I want to talk about something."
Silence.
He paused, brows furrowing. That wasn't normal.
He knocked again—harder this time.
"Zelia?"
Still nothing.
A cold weight settled in his chest.
His instincts as the Heavenly Demon screamed.
Something was wrong.
Without waiting another second, Zain kicked the door open.
CRACK!
Splinters flew as the door slammed back against the wall.
His eyes scanned the room.
Zelia's bed was rumpled—but it wasn't empty.
Someone was here.
A girl stood by the far wall, tall and composed, dressed in a skin-tight black bodysuit.
Her posture was elegant, casual even—but her presence radiated threat.
And slumped over her shoulder, unconscious and unmoving, was Zelia.
Zain's heart skipped. His pupils shrank.
"Put her down. Right now," he growled.
The girl slowly turned her head toward him, smirking.
"You're late."
Zain stepped forward, fists tightening.
Flame ignited along his knuckles. "Let go of her."
"But don't worry," she continued, tilting her head, completely unfazed.
"We're not done playing yet."
She raised a hand and waved with lazy grace.
Then without another word, she stepped backward into the mirror behind her.
The reflective surface shimmered like liquid mercury.
Zain lunged—
But it was too late.
The glass rippled shut. Solid. Cold. Empty.
Gone.
Zain's fist slammed into the mirror. A crack splintered across its surface.
"Damn it!" he hissed. "She took Zelia…"
His breathing slowed as he scanned the room again. That's when he noticed it.
On Zelia's desk.
A white envelope. Folded. Clean. Deliberately placed.
He picked it up and tore it open.
Inside was a single line, scrawled in neat, deliberate handwriting:
"This is Mirro. Rust Rats. CB-2. If you want your sister back… come get her. Alone."
Zain's expression darkened. His hands trembled slightly.
Not with fear, but rage.
"Mirro… Rust Rats… you're going to regret this."
He slipped the note into his coat.
"I'm coming for you."
---
Zain clenched his jaw.
He had just returned from a brutal fight and now this.
He turned toward the cracked mirror.
His reflection stared back—calm, but burning.
"That coward used a mirror to run. Thought I couldn't follow?"
He turned to the faint glow in his vision.
"System. Full Body Restoration. And give me her ability to enter the mirror world."
---
[Hack Initiation: Ability Acquisition & Restoration]
[Target: Zain]
[Ability Acquired: Mirror Step (Low Tier)]
[Effect: Allows short-distance teleportation by entering and exiting nearby reflective surfaces like mirrors or glass.]
[Effect Applied: Full Body Restoration – All injuries healed, body returned to perfect condition]
[Total Cost: 200 Hack Points]
[Status: Executing...]
---
A pulse of energy rushed through him.
The ache in his limbs vanished like smoke.
Zain rolled his neck until it cracked.
"Good. I'm done playing small."
He turned to the mirror again.
The reflection shimmered. His hand hovered just above it.
"You want to test me, Mirro?"
His lips curled into something between a sneer and a promise.
"You think hiding behind glass makes you untouchable?"
He pressed his palm to the surface. It rippled like water.
"I'm not walking in there to negotiate."
"I'm walking in to erase the Rust Rats."
His body vanished into the mirror.
The room went silent.
---
Mirro burst out of one mirror.
Her breath hitched with adrenaline, but her smirk never faded.
She didn't stop—just pivoted and dove into the next mirror mounted on a rusted wall.
The glass shimmered as she phased through again.
Inside the dark chamber, she emerged with a soft thud and straightened up.
She stretched her shoulders like she was getting ready for a show.
Zelia was slumped against the wall, wrists bound behind her, blood trickling from a small cut on her forehead.
She crouched in front of her, tilting her head with amusement.
"Tch. You've got a nice body, y'know. Real clean skin for someone living in CC-1."
Zelia didn't respond as she was still knocked unconscious.
Mirro leaned in, voice soft and teasing.
"The boss'll be real happy I brought you. Girl like you? Makes perfect bait."
She stood again and walked toward a dusty mirror leaning against a pillar.
She paused to glance back over her shoulder.
"I wonder how pissed he is right now," she mused aloud.
"Bet he's smashing furniture. Probably tore apart the apartment looking for you."
She grinned wider. "I wanna see his face."
"When he shows up here—rage burning through him. He'll look right at me."
She tapped the mirror with her knuckles, the surface starting to ripple.
"And I'll vanish again."
She disappeared with a flick of her coat, leaving only the echo of her laugh.