The next morning, Kairo woke in a cold sweat.
Not because of a nightmare—but because the system was changing.
> [Warning: Unauthorized Sync Detected]
[Essence Instability Increasing…]
[New Ability Available: Mirror Break]
[Caution: This ability may fracture identity]
He sat up, gripping his head as a sharp pain lashed through his skull. Images flickered in his mind—visions of himself splitting—dozens of Kairo clones performing different actions, some screaming, some laughing, some… dying.
"What the hell is this?"
Just then, Riven burst into the room. "You used the throne's Essence, didn't you?"
Kairo looked at him, chest rising and falling. "It unlocked something."
Riven cursed under his breath. "You fool. That was the Prime Sync, wasn't it? The throne wasn't just decoration—it was a link to the Original Devourer's core."
Kairo's breath hitched.
So that surge wasn't just a warning—it was an offering.
---
Later that day, the Phantom Guild gathered for a briefing.
Vexa looked grim.
"A high-rank dungeon just opened in the Ashfield Wastes. But this one's... unstable. VeilNet barely recognizes it. We're calling it: the Shattered Hollow."
Kairo's heart stopped.
> [System Notification: The Shattered Hollow resonates with your Essence. Entry is mandatory.]
He stood. "I'm going."
Everyone stared at him.
"Alone," he added.
Vexa frowned. "You won't survive a high-rank raid on your own."
Kairo's eyes glowed faintly violet. "I won't be alone."
He turned and walked out.
---
The Ashfield Wastes looked like a graveyard of broken cities. Crumbling towers, molten concrete, and jagged holes in the sky.
In the center was a swirling rift: The Shattered Hollow.
Kairo approached—and stepped through.
Inside was a fractured mirror world, reflecting a ruined version of Earth. Buildings floated sideways. Time itself felt bent. Shadows didn't follow logic—they moved on their own.
Then came the sound of clapping.
From behind him.
He turned—and saw himself.
But not exactly.
This Kairo had no scars. His hair was slicked back, his eyes cold. His outfit was pristine, almost royal.
> [Mirror Spawn: Entity "Kairo Alpha"]
"This is what you would've been if you hadn't accepted the Devourer," the clone said.
"I prefer who I am," Kairo replied.
"Then prove it," Alpha said—and attacked.
---
The fight was brutal. Kairo Alpha had his old agility, enhanced with perfect precision. Each strike forced Kairo to respond not with brute force—but strategy.
He activated Mirror Break.
The world around him shattered like glass, and suddenly—four other versions of himself appeared, ghostly images acting on instinct.
Each fought Alpha from a different angle.
Kairo grinned. "Let's see you fight me... five times."
Within seconds, Alpha was overwhelmed.
But the victory wasn't clean.
As the final strike landed, one of Kairo's mirror-selves didn't vanish.
It just stood there… watching.
> [Sync Error: Duplicate Entity Sustained]
[Warning: Identity Corruption Possible]
The clone smiled and whispered, "I'll wait."
Then it disappeared.
Kairo stumbled back, panting.
That ability had worked. But something was wrong.
Something was staying behind each time he used it.
---
Back at base, Riven met him at the entrance.
"Did you unlock it?" he asked.
Kairo nodded slowly.
"And did it take something from you?" Riven added.
Kairo paused. "Not yet."
Riven didn't look convinced.
Vexa stepped out from the shadows. "Then let's test it."
She tossed him a scroll marked with crimson ink: a forbidden mission from the Shadow Authority.
"The target's not a monster. It's a Devourer like us—one that went rogue and turned half a city into a crater."
Kairo opened the scroll.
His next target… was named 'Echo'.
Riven's jaw clenched. "I know that name."
Kairo nodded. "Then we hunt."