The boys woke before dawn.
Cold light leaked through the thin curtains of the inn, turning the room a dull gray. The city outside was just beginning to stir—wooden carts rattling, distant footsteps echoing through narrow streets. Amari sat up slowly, already feeling the weight of the day pressing against his chest.
Daniel stretched beside him, rolling his neck once.
"We can't keep putting this off," he said. "Today we push for the Mirror Stage."
Amari nodded, calm but firm. "Yeah. If we're going to face the Dark Family… this fight won't be like anything we've done before. Could be ten enemies. Could be a hundred. Could be thousands."
Daniel exhaled through his nose, unfazed but focused. "Then we better be ready for all of them."
He slipped the earpiece in. "Sam. Any new leads?"
There was a brief pause before Sam replied, his tone precise.
"Yes. There is an individual in this city with information you need. We will meet him this afternoon."
Amari swung his legs off the bed. "Good. Then we train until it's time."
Sam responded immediately. "I have identified a location off the city's radar. No surveillance. No civilians."
Both boys exchanged a look.
"Perfect," Daniel said.
⸻
The Training Ground
The spot Sam led them to was silent—an open stretch of land hidden between broken stone and overgrown trees. The air felt heavier there, like the world was watching but refusing to speak.
Daniel glanced around. "So… what's the plan?"
Amari crossed his arms, thinking. "I don't know yet."
Before the silence could grow uncomfortable, Sam spoke.
"There is something you should know."
Both boys turned their attention inward, listening.
"The reason I possess such detailed knowledge of your family, your eyes, and your essence… is because I was created by one of your ancestors."
Amari narrowed his eyes. "Who?"
"Her name was Sharron," Sam said. "Many called her 'Midget' because of her height—but she never cared. She was fiercely intelligent. Fiercely loyal. She would do anything to protect her family."
Daniel blinked. "Our…?"
"Great-grandmother," Sam confirmed. "She loved your parents deeply, though she never lived to meet you. She laughed often. She fought harder. She survived cancer twice."
The wind shifted.
"She did not survive it the third time," Sam continued gently. "At sixty-eight, it spread from her lungs to her bones… then to her brain. Before she passed, she told us not to mourn her. She said she would be with God. At peace."
For once, neither boy spoke immediately.
Amari finally exhaled. "She sounds like a warrior."
Daniel nodded. "Yeah. One of us."
"May she rest in peace," they said together.
After a breath, Daniel cracked his knuckles. "Alright. Enough sitting around. It's training time."
⸻
The Mirror Refuses
Sam's voice sharpened. "Sit. Both of you. Calm yourselves. Don't chase the Mirror Stage. Let it find you."
They obeyed.
Hours passed.
The boys sat in silence, legs crossed, eyes closed. Essence stirred faintly—rising, falling—but never locking in. Vision sharpened, then dulled. Pressure built behind the eyes… then vanished.
Nothing.
By the time Sam spoke again, the sun had already shifted.
"It will not open today," Sam said. "The Mirror does not respond to force."
Daniel opened one eye, annoyed but composed. "Figures."
Amari stood slowly. "Then we move on."
⸻
The Informant
Sam sent the address.
An alley.
Narrow. Damp. Empty in the wrong way.
Daniel muttered, "Here we go."
A man stood waiting—hood pulled low, posture loose but alert.
"You got the information?" Amari asked straight to the point.
"Yes," the man replied. "But listen carefully. I don't know you. You don't know me. We don't exchange names."
Daniel shrugged. "Works for me."
The man leaned closer. "Two villages from here. A small island. House in the middle of water—nowhere else around. That's where you want to go."
Amari and Daniel turned briefly, locking the location in their minds.
When they looked back—
The man was gone.
Daniel frowned. "That's not creepy at all."
Amari's jaw tightened. "We got what we needed."
⸻
The Trap Is Set
That night, back at the inn, Amari packed his gear.
"Tomorrow," he said. "We move."
Daniel nodded. "No detours."
Far away—
A voice echoed in darkness.
"So… you gave them the information."
"Yes," another voice answered.
"Perfect."
A slow, cruel laugh followed.
"They're walking exactly where I want them."