"Hey, Karl!"
"What's up, Eveline?"
Tinkering with his new Sturm model, Heisenberg, shirtless in a black tank top, responded as Eveline floated upside-down above him. He tested the propeller while answering.
"Miranda brought Mia to the village," Eveline said.
"Mia? Your 'mom' from America, right? It's been three years since you showed up—why now?"
"Dunno. But it's a chance, right? Miranda's got Mia involved. Ten-to-one, Ethan's coming. No way he'll forgive her for kidnapping Mia."
"Ethan… the guy who fully adapted to you, yeah?" Heisenberg said, nodding. "Three years is enough time for a kid to pop up."
"What's that mean?"
Heisenberg sighed, pointing his screwdriver at Eveline like he was lecturing a child. "Listen up. When a man and woman in love spend three peaceful years together, what happens?"
"Love?"
"Seriously? You're too pure. A kid, Eveline—a kid!"
"A kid? Ethan and Mia have one? Besides me?"
Eveline blinked, dumbfounded. Heisenberg remembered her childlike mindset, despite her appearance.
"Three years, and a stork delivers a baby?" she asked.
"No storks!" he groaned. "When a man and woman get it on, they make a kid. A child of a guy who bonded with you and a woman infected by you—probably the perfect vessel for Miranda's plans."
"Oh! So Miranda kidnapped Mia to snatch their kid for a swap!"
"Your brain only works for scheming, huh?" Heisenberg said as the phone rang. "Here we go—summons."
While Heisenberg answered, Eveline pondered her next move.
"I'm heading to a certain place," Miranda declared to the gathered Four Lords. "I'll leave a double behind, but I'll be gone a few days. Handle things in my absence."
"I'm tagging along with Miranda, so take care!" Eveline chirped.
Miranda glared, but Eveline just whistled poorly, unfazed.
"Go well, Mother Miranda. And drop dead, Eveline," Dimitrescu sneered.
"Drop dead? Harsh!" Eveline protested.
"Be safe…" Donna murmured.
"Don't come back, Eveline!" Angie cackled.
"I'll be careful, Donna. And I'm definitely coming back, Angie!" Eveline retorted.
"Don't worry about the village, Mother Miranda!" Moreau said. "Help Mama out, Eveline!"
"Ew, no way."
"Watch yourself out there, Eveline," Heisenberg said. "When you're back, I'll show you a new killer robot. Look forward to it."
"Can't wait, Karl!"
Miranda transformed into a flock of crows and flew off, Eveline zipping after her. The Four Lords watched them go.
"Is Mother Miranda okay with Eveline?" Dimitrescu scoffed. "My daughters get along better than that brat's personality."
"Eveline's a good kid, Dimitrescu…" Donna said softly.
"Her brattiness is the problem! Veee!" Angie added.
"She's helped my Lycan research a ton," Moreau said.
"Whatever she does, it's just annoying," Heisenberg said. "She can't touch anything, so no need to worry, right, Dimitrescu?"
"She's unpredictable!" Dimitrescu snapped. "If I could erase that menace, I'd do it now!"
For days, Miranda, disguised as Mia, lived in the Winters household, with Eveline floating nearby, observing. Miranda's double in the village had extracted intel from the real Mia, letting her blend in seamlessly. One day, while Miranda read a bedtime story to Rose, Eveline, bored and yawning, floated in front and made a silly face. Miranda faltered but pressed on.
"What's wrong, Mia?" Ethan asked.
"It's fine, Ethan," Miranda said. "And so, the girl reached the dark forest's heart."
"Can't see now, huh?" Eveline teased.
"…Don't interfere," Miranda hissed.
"Huh?" Ethan said, confused.
"…And then, an iron horse with golden gears appeared," Miranda ad-libbed, continuing the story.
Eveline blocked the book, earning a cold mutter from Miranda, who improvised to cover her slip. Her acting was unreal.
After finishing the story, Ethan took Rose to bed, and Miranda, still as Mia, started cooking. Eveline spoke up.
"Hey, how long's this family charade gonna last? It's been a week. Let's grab Rose and go—I wanna see Ethan cry and scream!"
"Pleasing you is irritating," Miranda said, stirring a pot. "I might stay a bit longer."
"Wait… are you getting attached to this family thing you can't have anymore?"
"…Maybe," Miranda admitted, smiling saint-like as she tasted the dish.
Eveline gaped, incredulous. "You're admitting it? What about Eva?"
"It's not okay," Miranda said. "But… I want to savor this peace a little more. I'm content."
"But you're not Mia. Rose isn't Eva. Ethan's not your husband."
"I know, I know…" Miranda murmured.
"Mia? I put Rose to bed—what's wrong?" Ethan asked, returning.
Miranda resumed cooking, composed. "Nothing, just talking to myself, Ethan."
"Hysterical one minute, perfect Mia the next!" Eveline mocked.
"Dinner's ready. Let's eat," Miranda said.
At the table, Miranda and Ethan shared a meal, her face glowing with happiness. Eveline softened, smiling—until Chris and his Hound Wolf squad attacked. Miranda faked Mia's death to escape, while Ethan and Rose were taken. Clenching her fists in rage, Miranda trembled, still in her dead disguise.
"See? Fake families don't last, Miranda," Eveline said, smirking with cruel delight.
As Mia's "corpse," Miranda was loaded onto a transport. Shedding her disguise, she wiped out the Hound Wolf team, grabbed Rose, and flew back to the village on wings. Eveline followed.
"So, was the family game fun?"
"…Not bad," Miranda said. "I'll bring Eva back and continue it."
"Why not kill Ethan? He's the one who killed me," Eveline asked, glancing at the overturned transport where Ethan was left.
Landing at the village church, Miranda folded her wings. "Ethan could join my new family. To revive Eva, I need the Four Lords' lives. Ethan, who defeated you and your kin, can handle them. Then I'll welcome him as family. Brilliant, no?"
"What… kill the Four Lords?"
"Keep quiet about it, Eveline," Miranda warned. "Rebellion would be troublesome. They're expendable now that I have the vessel."
"…But they're my friends. I can't just stay silent…"
"What if I said I know how to erase you?" Miranda said.
Eveline, heading toward Heisenberg's factory, froze, turning back in disbelief.
"Erasing you means death," Miranda continued. "You don't want that, do you?"
"…Coward," Eveline spat.
"I won't let you interfere," Miranda declared. "My century-long dream will come true!"
With Ethan Winters' arrival, the village's mad, fateful day began.
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