The silence stretched on, suffocating the group. Everyone could feel it..the weight of her presence, cold and unyielding. Mia's lips parted, but no sound came. She just stood there, her brown hair damp and clinging to her face as she stared at them with those unreadable eyes. No warmth. No recognition.
Yona's hand clenched into a fist at his side.
"Mia, where have you been?" he repeated, his voice shaking now. His heart hammered in his chest, each word caught in the air like a confession he wasn't ready to make.
Mia's eyes flickered briefly, but she didn't respond immediately. She just stood, frozen in place as though waiting for something, or someone..to tell her what to do.
Ayumi stepped forward, her voice shaking just slightly, her fingers curling into fists.
"We've been looking for you everywhere. What happened to you?" Her gaze softened for a split second before turning hard again, frustration bubbling under the surface. "Don't you have anything to say for yourself?"
Mia's gaze flickered again, but she only tilted her head slightly. Then, softly, she spoke..her voice almost eerie in its detachment.
"I don't remember… much of it."
Lena took a step closer to Yona, her hand resting lightly on his shoulder. She glanced at Mia with a calculating look.
"Mia… this isn't you, is it?"
Mia finally looked at Lena, her expression unchanging.
"It's me," she said simply, but there was something cold in her tone. "It's just... not everything makes sense."
The air in the room seemed to grow thicker, heavier. Everyone stood in a tense, uneasy silence. Yona's face twisted in confusion and pain.
"What do you mean? Where were you?"
"I was... lost," Mia responded. "I was pulled into this place… a place I didn't belong."
Her eyes met his, and for a brief second, there was a flicker of something familiar, but it quickly vanished.
"But I remember now. I know the way out. Follow me."
Noir's eyes darkened.
"Don't trust her, Yona," he said softly, his voice laced with warning. He could see the hesitation in Yona's eyes and knew he had to intervene before something worse happened.
"This is not the Mia we know."
Yona's gaze shifted from Noir back to Mia, his heart torn. There was a glimmer of hope in his chest, but the fear that he had been betrayed clouded his judgment.
"I... don't know," he muttered, conflicted.
Ayumi took a step back, turning toward the others.
"This feels wrong," she whispered, her voice tinged with suspicion. "We need to be careful."
Lena stood beside her, arms crossed tightly.
"I'm not sure I believe this is really Mia. Something's off. We shouldn't trust this version of her..."
Mia, seemingly unfazed by their words, took a slow step forward.
"I'm me, I swear. Come with me, and I'll show you where you can be safe. Where you can hide from all of this."
Her voice held a strange calm, like she was reading from a script. She didn't show fear, nor did she seem to care about the rising tension around her. It was like she was waiting for something..waiting for them to follow.
Daiki, who had been listening from behind the group, stepped forward, his gaze hardening as he observed the situation. He could feel the wrongness in the air, the underlying sense that something wasn't right with Mia.
"We've all been fooled before," he said, his voice low. "Don't give her what she wants. We don't know what she is anymore."
Mia's eyes flickered briefly in Daiki's direction, and then she turned back to Yona.
"I'm trying to help you. But if you won't follow, then there's nothing more I can do."
Her words sent a chill down Yona's spine. He didn't want to believe it..he didn't want to believe that the person in front of him wasn't the Mia he remembered. But the more he stared at her, the more distant she seemed.
The others moved closer, huddling together as one. Noir kept his hand on his sword, his stance tense.
"Stay together. If we go after her, we need to be prepared for anything."
Aria stepped forward, her eyes still on Mia. She whispered just loud enough for Daiki to hear, "Do you think she's... a copy?"
Daiki didn't answer immediately. He simply nodded, his eyes narrowing as he looked at Mia.
"We need to stay focused. Whatever she is, we're not letting her lead us anywhere."
Yona glanced at the others, torn. His heart still pulled in Mia's direction, but the reality of the situation weighed heavily on him. He could hear the warning in Daiki's voice, the underlying sense of urgency.
"No one speaks to her," Noir said, his voice commanding. "Not unless you're prepared for the consequences."
Mia's words echoed in the corridor: "Are you really going to let fear control you?"
No one moved. The group stood frozen, each of them silently measuring her, caught between familiarity and dread. The dim light flickered above them. Somewhere, water dripped in steady, arrhythmic beats.
Yona's voice cracked.
"It's her… it has to be."
"No," Noir said coldly. "It's not."
Then..
Footsteps. Soft. Off-beat. Like something barefoot moving over stone. Ayumi spun toward the noise, and her breath hitched.
Out from the corridor behind them emerged another Daiki, but younger. Maybe thirteen, face dirt-smeared, eyes too wide. And beside him, a second Ayumi, about the same age, hands clasped in front of her like a doll, her head tilting slightly as she looked at them.
Then came a teenage Yona, taller than the real one, his eyes dull, slack-jawed like a puppet moving without purpose. A moment later, another Ayumi appeared..this one older, maybe in her twenties, her movements too smooth, too quiet.
The real Ayumi stumbled backward into Noir, eyes wide with horror.
"What is this?!"
The younger Daiki tilted his head and spoke. His voice was too calm.
"Don't go with her. She's lying. Stay here. It's safer here."
The teenage Yona blinked, then muttered in a distorted tone, "She killed him, Lena. She killed the real Yona..that Mia.. You know she did."
Lena's face twisted with confusion and revulsion.
"Stop. Just..stop talking."
Then the older Ayumi took a step forward. She stared straight at Noir, her voice dreamlike, soft and syrup-thick.
"Noir… I love you."
Ayumi paled. "No..no! That's not me. That's not me!"
Panic surged. The air thickened, as if the corridor itself were closing in around them. The copies inched forward..not fast, but steady, unblinking.
"Mia, that room!" Aria pointed at a half-open door ahead. Mia turned without hesitation, grabbing the handle.
"This way. Now." Her voice lost all softness..now it was firm, commanding.
"Go!" Daiki barked. "Move!"
No one had time to argue. They ran. The group rushed toward the door as the copies crept closer, their movements synchronized now, their eyes void. Mia ushered them in, one by one.
The last to step inside was Noir, eyes still locked on the older Ayumi copy. Just before he entered, she whispered,
"We could've been perfect."
SLAM!
Mia shut the door behind them..loud, final. The lock clicked into place.
Silence for a moment.
Then..
Knock. Knock. Knock.
A soft knock. Then voices. Too many voices.
"Yonaaa… it's me. Lena. Open the door…"
"She lied to you."
"She killed him. She killed him."
"Ayumi… Noir, I love you. You know it's true."
Ayumi backed up until she hit the wall, eyes wide, hands shaking.
"Make it stop… please…"
Lena stood still, staring at the door, her face unreadable. Yona paced in a tight circle, muttering to himself.
"It's not her. It's not her. I know it's not her."
Daiki stood between them all, chest heaving.
"No one opens that door. No matter what they say."
Aria stepped forward, looking at Mia.
"Where are we? What is this place?"
Mia stared ahead at the far end of the room. Her voice came low. Hollow.
"Safe… for now."
Noir's eyes narrowed.
"Define 'safe.'"
But Mia didn't reply. She just stood there.. watching the door, like she was waiting for it to knock again. And behind it, the voices whispered on. The knock and whispers had faded into uneasy silence. Only the sound of everyone's breathing filled the dim, stale air of the sealed room.
Yona stepped forward, breaking the quiet. His voice was low, but sharp with emotion.
"Enough, Noir. She just saved us."
Noir glanced at him from the shadows, his eyes unreadable. But he didn't argue. He said nothing.
Yona turned his gaze to Mia, who stood slightly apart from the group, her posture quiet, still. Her eyes met his..soft, unsure, as if waiting for judgment. Then, her lips moved in a faint motion: Thank you.
No sound came out, but Yona understood. Something in him stirred, aching with strange familiarity. He gave a small nod, kindness flickering in his expression. From the corner, Lena watched..eyes narrowing. She stepped closer to Yona, her voice dropping to a whisper only he could hear.
"Do you like her?"
Yona blinked, startled.
"What... are... you... asking?"
But Lena's eyes didn't waver.
"Do you like her?" she repeated, this time with the sharp tinge of jealousy edging her voice.
Yona hesitated..then his eyes flicked back to Mia, whose gaze was still on him. But as soon as he looked, she turned away quickly, almost guiltily. He turned back to Lena, then did something unexpected..he reached for her hand and held it.
"The only one I love," he said gently, "is you, Lena."
Her cheeks reddened instantly. She looked away with a faint, flustered scoff.
"Stupid," she whispered.
But Yona smiled, holding her hand a little tighter.
From the side of the room, Diago leaned silently against the wall, arms crossed. He had watched it all..Yona, Lena, Mia..his face unreadable. But he said nothing.
Daiki stood near Aria, both of them still catching their breath. The weight of everything pressed down around them like iron. Aria's voice was a hushed tremble.
"Are we going to die?"
Daiki didn't answer at first. His jaw clenched, his stare fixed on the far wall..like he was trying to hold the room together with sheer will. But before he could speak, Noir's voice cut through the tension, steady and firm.
"We're going to get out of here," Noir said, "All of us. Safe."
The words grounded the room for a moment. Even Aria looked up at him, eyes searching his for certainty. And found it.
Then Ayumi stepped forward. Slowly, carefully.
She moved toward Mia, who hadn't spoken since the door had shut. Mia turned to her as she approached, her expression unreadable, somewhere between wary and calm. Ayumi stopped a few feet away, her voice soft but resolute.
"Why didn't you answer me before? When I asked where you've been."
Mia looked at her, silent. Then..finally..she spoke, voice fragile, almost too quiet to hear.
"I was... somewhere else."
Ayumi frowned.
"That's not an answer."
Mia looked down, her shoulders tense.
"I couldn't get out. I didn't know how. Until now."
Noir stepped forward slightly.
"And what changed?"
Mia hesitated, eyes flicking toward the others..Yona, Lena, Diago..before settling again on Noir.
"You all came closer," she said simply. "Too close. The copies... they react to that. So I used the distraction."
The room fell quiet again. What she said made sense..yet didn't. Like a truth wrapped in fog.
Ayumi narrowed her eyes.
"And you're not one of them?"
Mia looked at her, then at Yona..just briefly, and said,
"I remember my name. I remember... what it means."
She looked down.
"I don't think they do."
There was something chilling in the way she said it. Something that made even Ayumi pause. Noir watched her for a long, silent moment. But this time, he said nothing at all. The low hum of silence was broken by a sharp, mechanical click.
Everyone froze.
Then...BOOM.
The door behind them shook violently, dust falling from the frame, the walls trembling as if the very building was holding its breath. A second slam hit even harder.
"They're trying to break through," Noir said, his voice low, sharp.
From the other side came the distorted sound of voices..wrong versions of their own..calling out like mocking echoes.
"Lenaaa… open up. He's not breathing…"
"You left me… you left me…"
"Noir…" a soft copy of Ayumi's voice called. "I still love you…"
Aria backed against the wall, hands trembling. Yona moved protectively closer to Lena. Ayumi stood near Mia now, and even she had paled.
Then...CRACK.
A line split through the steel of the door.
"They're going to get in!" Aria gasped.
"No!" Mia stepped forward suddenly, pushing past them. "Help me..there's another way out!"
She grabbed a rusted vent panel in the wall and ripped it open with a grunt. A narrow crawlspace yawned in the dim light.
"Hurry!" she said.
Noir grabbed Yona by the shoulder.
"Go. All of you..now!"
They didn't wait. One by one, they scrambled in..Lena, Aria, Ayumi. Then Yona, who turned back only once..to Mia. She met his eyes, gave a small nod, and followed.
Noir was last..he lingered only a second, eyes flicking to the cracking door.
"Mia..don't make me regret this."
She didn't answer. She just climbed in behind him, sealing the vent. As they crawled through the narrow passage, a deafening metal tear rang behind them.
"They're inside the room," Daiki muttered from the front, breath short. "Too close."
They crawled faster, the metal groaning beneath their weight. It felt like hours. Finally, they dropped down into another chamber. Concrete. Old. Flickering emergency lights. They collapsed, gasping, but alive. Then Ayumi gasped.
"Where's Diago?!"
Everyone turned. The realization hit like a punch to the gut.
"He was right beside me.." Aria started, voice rising.
"He never came through," Lena said, eyes wide.
Noir was already moving back to the crawlspace.
"Dammit, Diago!"
"Don't," Mia said quickly, grabbing his arm. "It's too late."
"You don't know that!" Noir shouted.
"Yes, I do," she said quietly. "If they took him… you won't get him back like this."
A silence fell. Heavy. Defeated. Yona staggered back, leaning on the wall. Lena moved to him, brushing his arm without a word. Just touch. Comfort.
Aria suddenly grabbed Daiki's hand. Her voice cracked.
"Is this it? Are we just going to keep running till there's no place left?"
Daiki looked down at her. His hand squeezed hers..tight.
"No. I'll protect you. No matter what."
She looked up, eyes wide with the sting of tears.
Then without thinking..she kissed him. Just a breath..urgent, fleeting, like the world might end the next second. It broke as suddenly as it began.
Daiki blinked, breathless.
"Aria…"
"We might not make it," she whispered. "I didn't want to wait."
Ayumi leaned back against the wall. Her eyes drifted to Noir. He caught her glance, but said nothing. She stepped closer, slow.
"You know… I always thought you didn't care."
Noir looked at her now..really looked. "You were wrong."
She smiled, but it didn't last.
Because that's when the alarm started blaring overhead. Intruder containment breached. Sector Delta. Unauthorized genetic overlap detected.
Yona's face twisted.
"What does that mean..?"
Suddenly, through a crack in the upper wall, they saw them.
Copies...
To be continue ...