The tension hung heavy in the air as the group stood frozen, eyes locked on the pulsing cocoon and the eerie image of Francis's clone, still in the form of the boy he had transformed into. Damian's voice, calm and steady, cut through the silence. "Stay sharp. This clone might not be as powerful as the original, but it's still dangerous."
Rain's gaze flicked between the clone and Callum, cocooned inside the throbbing mass. His mind raced. 'What is this thing?' The cocoon wasn't just holding Callum—it was doing something to him. Rain's stomach knotted as he recalled stories of horrific experiments where bones were replaced with iron wood. 'Is that what's happening to him right now?'
Liam, gripping his weapon tightly, spoke through clenched teeth. "We need to get Callum out of there. Whatever that thing's doing, it can't be good."
Damian's face was stony, his voice firm. "We'll deal with the clone first. Be ready for anything—Francis's abilities are unpredictable, even in this form."
Without warning, the clone stirred. The once emotionless face twisted into a sinister grin, its eyes glinting with malice. "I thought you'd get here sooner," it sneered, mocking them.
Damian stepped forward, his tone unyielding. "Francis, what are you doing?"
The clone gestured lazily toward the cocoon, a dark chuckle escaping its lips. "This?" It paused, reveling in their unease. "This is my latest creation. No more messy surgeries to replace skin, muscle, bones, or organs. This cocoon does it all on its own. Right now, it's replacing his bones with iron wood." The clone's smile grew wider, pride gleaming in its twisted gaze. "You should know, only two have survived this procedure so far. But two successes don't quite make it a perfected science, do they?"
Rain felt a chill crawl down his spine. The process was ongoing, and if they didn't act fast, Callum might not just die—he could become something monstrous.
Damian turned to Rain, his expression sharp and decisive. "Rain, get back. We'll handle the clone. Our priority is to stop it before it finishes the transformation."
Rain nodded, stepping back as he watched Damian prepare for combat. Damian's hand glowed with energy, solidifying into a glove-like construct that shimmered like metal. Liam's hands were enveloped in fierce red energy, forming deadly claws, while Paige's eyes glowed crimson as she pulled out a sleek staff, her movements steady and calculated.
Paige narrowed her eyes. "The clone's genetic energy reads at peak D-rank. It's strong, but we can take it."
Without hesitation, the three surrounded the clone, their movements swift and synchronized. In a flash, they launched their attacks together, but Francis's clone, now transformed into the form of a small boy, moved with eerie agility. His smaller stature only worked to his advantage, allowing him to slip through their strikes effortlessly, a wicked smile never leaving his face as he toyed with them.
Rain watched the battle unfold, his mind racing. Damian, Liam, and Paige were giving it their all, but none of their attacks could touch Francis. It was as if he was merely playing with them, dodging every blow with mocking ease. 'He's stalling,' Rain realized, knowing they had to act fast if they were going to stop whatever the cocoon was doing to Callum.
Taking advantage of the distraction, Rain sprinted toward the cocoon. When he reached it, he tried to force it open, but the cocoon was solid, like some impenetrable shell. He felt its strange energy pulsating beneath his fingers, cold and alien. 'I can't just smash it open—Callum's inside.'
Rain carefully examined the cocoon, searching for any sign of weakness, a seam or opening that would allow him to break it without harming Callum. He knew a full-force attack could risk injuring the boy. His eyes darted back to the fight. Damian, Liam, and Paige were relentless, but their attacks weren't even grazing Francis, who continued to move like a shadow, effortlessly slipping past every strike.
Rain's heart pounded as the urgency of the situation sank in. Francis wasn't just dodging attacks—he was deliberately prolonging the fight, enjoying the chaos while the cocoon continued its sinister work on Callum. Rain's desperation grew as he searched the cocoon for any opening, but there was none. His mind flashed back to the pseudo-domain they had encountered in the sewers, where cocoons had been connected to vines.
'Could it be the same here?'
Driven by a sudden hunch, Rain started clearing away the snow around the cocoon, his fingers moving frantically. His efforts paid off as he unearthed a web of vines snaking out from beneath the cocoon, far more intricate than what he had expected. Unlike the single vine in the pseudo-domain, these were numerous, spreading out in every direction. He reached for one, trying to snap it, but the vine resisted, as solid as iron.
Realizing brute force wouldn't work, Rain followed one of the vines. It led him to one of the nearby mechanical trees, confirming his suspicion—the cocoon was siphoning energy from these artificial structures. The trees, designed to mimic real ones, were now fueling this abomination, providing the power needed for the transformation happening inside the cocoon. Rain's pulse quickened as he understood the gravity of the situation.
'I have to stop this energy flow before it's too late,' Rain thought, realizing that while he couldn't damage the cocoon or the vines directly, he could sever their power source—the mechanical trees. Just as he braced himself to move, a cold presence appeared beside him. He turned, face-to-face with the boyish version of Francis's clone, who had silently crept up on him.
Francis leaned in, whispering mockingly, "Oh, so you found the weakness."
Before Rain could react, Francis launched a swift kick toward his chest. Instinctively, Rain raised his arm to defend himself, but the force of the blow sent him staggering backward. He felt a sharp crack as his bones fractured under the impact. The pain radiated through his arm, but thanks to his forearm's previous refinement with acid, the injury was less severe than it could've been. His body's natural healing ability kicked in immediately, mending the damage. Rain gritted his teeth, enduring the pain, and quickly assessed the situation.
The clone had already turned its attention back to the others, engaging Damian, Liam, and Paige once more. Seeing his opportunity, Rain shouted, "The cocoon is powered by the mechanical trees! Break them, and the cocoon will stop!"
Damian, always quick to act, immediately redirected his focus. In a swift motion, he attacked one of the mechanical trees nearby, delivering a crushing blow to its trunk. The moment the tree cracked and splintered, the cocoon flickered with a bright green light and emitted a series of beeping sounds, indicating that the disruption had affected its energy flow.
Rain's heart raced as the cocoon flickered in response to Damian's strike. They were on the right path, but they needed to destroy more trees—quickly. The problem was, they didn't know which trees were feeding energy to the cocoon. Before they could make another move, Francis's childlike voice echoed across the park, filled with eerie playfulness.
"I thought I'd play with you all a bit longer," Francis said, his tone laced with mock disappointment, "but it seems you don't want to play anymore."
Francis separated himself from the fight, slipping back from the trio's attacks. Damian, Liam, and Paige froze, watching him warily, unsure of his next move. Rain's eyes darted to the others as Paige voiced what they were all thinking, "Why aren't Jeff and the others here yet? They're not even responding to our messages."
Rain felt the same rising unease. He, too, had sent messages to Sky, Lily, and Siobhan after they'd first found Francis, but there had been no response—nothing. An unsettling silence hung over their communications.
Before any of them could react, the sound of glass shattering filled the air as Francis's clone suddenly disintegrated into countless mirror shards, tinkling like broken glass. The pieces shimmered and shifted, then coalesced into a single large mirror, floating in the air before them. The surface rippled, and within seconds, Damian's reflection appeared, distorted slightly, but unmistakable.
Wide-eyed, they watched as the reflection of Damian stepped out of the mirror, his image unnervingly real. Then, to their horror, Liam's reflection appeared next, and his mirror double emerged, followed by Paige's. Finally, Rain's own image formed within the shimmering glass and walked out, staring back at him.
For a brief moment, they stood paralyzed, staring at their own mirror duplicates—each an eerie, twisted reflection of themselves. Rain's pulse raced. 'Francis's mirror ability...' he thought. 'It can produce our mirror image.' His gaze shifted to his healed forearm, and he braced himself, taking a defensive stance. He had fought his doppelgänger before in the dream space, and the movements of this mirror clone felt hauntingly familiar, mirroring that experience exactly.
'How is this possible?' Rain wondered. He hadn't even fought Francis yet, so how had his mirror clone adopted his combat style? It made sense that Damian, Liam, and Paige's duplicates could mimic their abilities—they had been fighting Francis—but Rain hadn't engaged him at all. Yet here was a perfect replica of his movements, as if Francis's ability could somehow mirror more than just appearances.
'Let's see if it can fully mimic me,' Rain thought, bracing himself. He lunged forward, aiming a punch at the mirror Rain's face. The clone moved with precision, dodging effortlessly. Rain, already familiar with its moves, anticipated the counterattack—a swift kick aimed at his stomach. Knowing exactly what was coming, he blocked the strike with his opposite arm, stopping the attack midair.
Before Rain could follow up, the mirror Rain flipped, launching a second kick with its other leg. But Rain was ready. He caught the leg in motion and, without hesitation, countered with a powerful punch to the clone's thigh, landing the hit squarely.
"It's copying everything—combat ability and all," Rain muttered under his breath, narrowing his eyes. 'But how flawless is this copy?' He knew his techniques inside out, but the real question was whether the clone possessed his instincts and adaptability—or if it was just a perfect reflection, unable to evolve in real combat.
As the clone threw a punch, Rain was already a step ahead. He blocked it effortlessly, anticipating the clone's next move. Quickly, he pushed the clone's arm upward, expecting the follow-up—a kick aimed at his stomach. But Rain noticed something else. The clone had mimicked even the refined weight of his forearms and hands, disrupting its fluidity. The extra weight threw off the clone's balance, and Rain seized the opportunity, delivering a powerful kick that sent the mirror image staggering backward.
Not wasting any time, Rain turned and smashed his fist into a nearby tree, shattering it. The cocoon emitted another sharp beep, its pulsing light flickering erratically. His mirror clone smirked, eyes gleaming with eerie insight. "You have a secret," it whispered, unsettling Rain.
Before he could respond, Rain heard the hurried footsteps of Sky and the others as they arrived at the clearing. Without hesitation, Rain called out, "Destroy the trees! The cocoon is siphoning energy from them."
Sky and the others didn't need a full explanation. Trusting Rain implicitly, they sprang into action, immediately smashing the mechanical trees around them. With each tree that toppled, the cocoon's beeping grew frantic, its pulse becoming increasingly erratic, as if Francis had realized it was a lost cause. The mirror Rain offered a chilling smile, its voice echoing ominously in the clearing. "We'll meet again."
With that, the mirror clones shattered like broken glass, their fragments dissipating into thin air. Rain exhaled heavily, momentarily pushing aside Francis's cryptic words as he focused on the task at hand. Joining the others, he continued to demolish the nearby mechanical trees. The cocoon screeched in protest, emitting a deafening sound before its green light flickered and finally ceased its pulsating glow.
Rain's heart raced in his chest as he let out a sigh of relief, thoughts swirling. 'Now we see if Callum is alive or not.'