Harley woke up choking.
She bolted upright in bed, gasping for air, her hands flying to her chest.
No wound.
No blood.
Sunlight streamed through the curtains.
Birds chirped outside.
Her bedroom.
Her childhood bedroom.
Her phone buzzed on the nightstand.
Date: April 12
Harley froze.
Her fingers trembled.
She has been reborn to three days before the Heavy Rain Apocalypse.
Her heart began to race.
"I… came back?"
A translucent blue panel appeared before her eyes.
[System Initialization Complete]Host Detected: Harley Vale
System Assigned: Shrinking System
Her breath caught.
Shrinking?
No.
That was Mira's system.
She staggered to the mirror. Her face was younger, softer. No scars. No exhaustion carved into her eyes.
She was nineteen again.
Her door opened suddenly.
"Harley?"
Mira stood in the doorway, hair tied casually, eyes bright.
Alive.
Whole.
Smiling.
Harley felt relief—and then dread.
Because Mira was looking at her the same way she had on the tower.
Like someone watching prey.
Another panel flashed.
[Enlarging System Successfully Bound]. Harley's blood turned cold.
Mira had it.
So that's how it was.
They had both returned.
And Mira had taken Harley's power.
Mira tilted her head sweetly.
"Sis," she said. "Isn't it a beautiful day?"
Harley forced a smile.
"Yes."
But inside, she understood.
The apocalypse hadn't started yet.
The war between sisters already had.