The aftermath of the battle left the city in a strange calm.
The retreat of the Special Units came as a surprise to everyone—especially to Lia and Kael.
They had fought with everything they had, barely surviving the assault, but now the battle was over.
And the reason for it became clear when Thomas showed up with the news.
Ben, Thomas's close friend and one of the key members of Techno, had managed to get a petition through to the Ministry of Defence.
The document called for an immediate ceasefire and demanded the Special Units to halt their attacks on Kael. It seemed impossible that they'd listen, but somehow, Ben had pulled it off.
For the time being, Kael was safe.
Lia stood by the large windows in Techno's base, her mind reeling from the chaos of the past few days.
Her thoughts were scattered, drifting from the battle to Evrard's sudden retreat, and now to the new revelations that her brother Thomas was about to share with her.
Thomas entered the room quietly, his face serious. "Lia, we need to talk. There's something you need to know… something about who you really are."
Lia turned to face him, confused. "What do you mean? What's going on?"
Thomas sighed and ran a hand through his hair, as if struggling to find the right words.
"The reason the Special Units were so interested in Kael… it wasn't just because he's from another world.
There's something deeper going on. But before I explain that, you need to know the truth about yourself."
Lia's heart skipped a beat. "About… me?"
He nodded, gesturing for her to sit. "You're not just human, Lia. You're different—part of something bigger."
Lia sat down, her eyes wide with anticipation. "What are you talking about, Thomas? Just tell me."
Thomas leaned forward, his voice low but steady. "You're half-human, Lia. The other half of you comes from a place called the Mirror World."
"The Mirror World?" Lia echoed, trying to make sense of it. "What does that even mean?"
"It's a parallel dimension," Thomas explained. "One that exists alongside our own. Our parents… they were involved in research that connected both worlds. That's how they met. Mom was from the Mirror World."
Lia felt a chill run down her spine. "Our mother…?"
Thomas nodded. "She was a Mirrorian. That's why you have the abilities you do—why you can absorb energy, why you survived that blast. It's in your blood."
Lia's mind raced as she tried to process the information. All her life, she had thought she was just a normal girl.
Now, everything felt different, as if the world around her had shifted in ways she couldn't fully understand.
"So… I'm not fully human," Lia murmured, more to herself than to Thomas. "But why didn't you tell me before?"
"We didn't know for sure until recently," Thomas admitted. "We've been doing research, trying to piece together everything about Mom's past.
And after the fight with Kael, it all started to make sense."
Lia stared out the window, her heart pounding. The idea that she wasn't just human—half of her came from an entirely different world—was overwhelming.
And yet, it explained so much. The energy she had absorbed during the battle, the strange connection she felt to Kael, even the way she had healed so quickly.
"Does this mean… I'm connected to the Mirror World?" Lia asked, turning back to Thomas.
"Yes," he said quietly. "And it means that the reason Kael came here—why the Special Units are after him—it's tied to the Mirror World as well."
Lia's head spun as she tried to grasp the enormity of what he was saying. "What do you mean? What does Kael have to do with this?"
"There's something called the Dimash Gate," Thomas said, his voice grave. "It's a portal between our world and the Mirror World.
The Special Units believe that Kael is the key to opening it. That's why they're so desperate to capture him. They think he can give them control over the portal."
Lia's eyes widened. "But why? What do they want with the Mirror World?"
Thomas frowned. "We don't know for sure.
But if they gain access to the Mirror World, it could give them unimaginable power.
They could control both worlds."
Lia felt a surge of fear. "And Kael… he doesn't even know about this?"
Thomas shook his head. "No. He's just as lost in this as we are."
Lia took a deep breath, trying to steady herself.
The revelation about her origins, the threat of the Mirror World being exploited—it was all too much to take in.
But she couldn't afford to panic now. Kael needed her, and if she really was connected to the Mirror World, then she had a role to play in protecting it.
"We need to help him," Lia said firmly. "We can't let the Special Units get their hands on Kael. We need to find a way to stop them."
Thomas nodded. "That's why we've been working on something at Techno—a way to cross between worlds without using the Dimash Gate.
If we can figure out how to control it, we might be able to stay one step ahead of the Special Units."
Lia's heart raced with determination. "Then we have to make it work. We have to protect both worlds."
Thomas placed a hand on her shoulder, his expression serious but filled with brotherly warmth. "I'll do everything I can.
But Lia, you need to be careful. The more you use your powers, the more attention you're going to attract. And there are people out there—people from the Mirror World—who might come looking for you."
Lia nodded, her resolve hardening. "I'm ready for whatever comes next. But first, we need to help Kael."
As she spoke, a shadow crossed her mind—Evrard. The boy from her class, who had secretly been working with the Special Units.
He hadn't tried to kill Kael during their last encounter, but he hadn't hesitated to attack, either.
"He's still out there," Lia muttered to herself, her thoughts turning to Evrard. "And I have a feeling we haven't seen the last of him."
Thomas glanced at her, concern in his eyes. "Evrard… he's dangerous. Be careful around him, Lia. He's not someone you can easily trust."
"I know," Lia said softly. "But he's also part of this. And sooner or later, we're going to have to face him again."
With that, Lia stood, her heart pounding with a new sense of purpose. She might be caught between two worlds, but now, more than ever, she knew where she belonged.
She would protect Kael, discover the truth about her own origins, and stop the Special Units from gaining control of the Mirror World.
No matter the cost.
As the night stretched on, Lia felt the weight of her new reality, but she was no longer afraid.
The battles ahead would be hard, but for the first time, she understood that she wasn't just fighting for herself—she was fighting for something much bigger.
Lia was living peaceful days after the tumultuous events with Kael and the Special Units.
The city seemed to have regained its calm, although something strange was looming on the horizon.
A mysterious incident had occurred on a nearby mountain: a wave of freezing cold had appeared without warning, disrupting local weather and intriguing meteorologists.
Every day, Lia continued going to school, spending pleasant moments with her best friend, Emily. Together, they attended their usual classes, participated in long hours of sports, and shared meals in the noisy cafeteria.
One day, during a break in the middle of the day, Emily playfully tapped Lia on the shoulder.
— *"Hey, Lia! Want to come over after school? We could study together for the math test."*
Lia nodded, her eyes sparkling.
— *"Sure, why not? But this time, you're bringing the snacks!"* she joked.
The two friends burst into laughter and continued their day, going through classes and enjoying moments of relaxation during the breaks.