Mira

“Mira?”

Eira’s voice was tentative as she stepped forward, hand reaching for her shoulder.

But Mira lashed out.

“Don’t touch me!” she shouted, shoving Eira back with a surprising burst of force. The younger girl stumbled into the wall.

Mira’s breathing was ragged, her eyes wide and unfocused. Her gaze locked past the group—past reality—into the darkness where the faceless figure lingered.

And then she moved.

With a scream that tore from her throat, she sprinted straight toward Sai pushing him down onto the ground, her hand darting into his pockets. Steel flashed as she ripped free the knife he had kept from the inn. Before he could stop her, she barreled deeper into the alley, brandishing the blade in wild arcs.

“Mira! Stop!” Sai shouted, chasing after her.

But she wasn’t listening. Her world wasn’t the same as theirs. To her, the monster loomed—taller now, stretching across the alley walls, its blank face turning slowly toward her.

She slashed. Once. Twice. Each swing cut empty air, the knife whistling.

Then—

THUD.

A boot slammed into her stomach. Mira’s breath exploded out in a grunt as she staggered back, doubling over. The others froze as they approached, as if it emerged from the shadows itself, they spotted the unmistakable form of a masked figure.

One of Gladius’s soldiers.

Shadow One.

It moved with brutal precision, striking Mira with a sharp kick to the leg, then pivoting into a heavy punch across her jaw. She reeled, knife flashing desperately in defense.

But to Mira, none of that was true. She didn’t see the soldier. She only saw the monster—inhuman, impossible, advancing no matter how many times she swung.

Sai’s hand clenched into a fist. He knew what was happening. She wasn’t fighting the Shadow. She was fighting something unseen.

“Mira, it’s not real!” he shouted, darting forward.

The soldier’s mask tilted toward him. For a heartbeat, their eyes met. Cold recognition passed through the hollow black slits.

And then, almost tauntingly, Shadow One turned back toward Mira—ducking low under another wild slash.

“Damn it!” Sai cursed.

Corvin lumbered forward, ready to tackle. But the Shadow was faster. It twisted, slid between his legs, and waited just a second or two at the entrance of the alleyway pulling down its mask only to flash a grin as its frame was lit up from the sunshine outside.

Mira spun—knife trembling—and now her eyes weren’t on the dark anymore. They were on them.

On her friends.

“Oh no…” Eira whispered, horror in her voice.

The illusion had shifted. Whatever Mira saw in that shadowy figure had bled onto them.

And now she swung the knife at Sai.

He barely raised his arms in time, the blade grazing his sleeve and slicing fabric. He stumbled back throwing a look towards the shadow that had now disappeared. His eyes widened as Corvin and Eira looked on as Mira tried to hit him again. “She must think we’re her opponent now—we must get her to calm down”

Corvin growled in protest. “You want me to wrestle her with a knife in her hand?!”

“You’re strong—hold her down!” Sai barked.

Corvin hesitated, then lunged. His hands wrapped around Mira’s wrist, muscles straining to pin the blade away. For a second, it worked. But Mira fought with a frenzy neither of them expected—her knee slamming into his ribs, her elbow cracking into his chin. Corvin grunted, grip loosening just enough for her to twist free.

She slashed wildly.

The knife caught him across the shoulder. Not deep, but enough to leave a searing line of red.

“Shit!” Corvin fell back, clutching the wound.

Sai darted behind her, wrapping his arms around her midsection in a desperate grapple. “Mira, it’s us! Wake up! It’s not real!”

But she thrashed, head snapping back into his nose with a sickening crack. Sai stumbled, blood streaming, as she tore from his hold.

Her gaze snapped toward Eira.

Eira froze, bow trembling in her hands. Her lips moved, whispering. “Mira… please…”

But Mira didn’t hear her. The monster’s faceless head had shifted again. Now it wore Eira’s frame.

She lunged.

Eira squeaked, stumbling back falling onto the ground. Corvin tried to stand, but he was too slow. Sai staggered sideways, dizzy from the blow.

It was just Eira. Alone.

Mira swung—knife arcing down.

On instinct, Eira searched for something to defend herself with. The last second she got the hold of a stick and held it up in front of herself, the steel screeched against wood, sliding down the sticks curved frame. Mira shoved forward with all her weight.

Eira’s arms shook, straining to hold her back. “Mira, stop! It’s me! It’s not real!”

The blade inched closer.

Sai, regaining balance, rushed forward again, grabbing Mira’s other arm to wrench it back. “Corvin, help me!”

Corvin shoved off the wall, staggering toward them. He wrapped both arms around Mira’s waist, lifting her bodily off the ground. She shrieked and kicked, thrashing like a wild animal.

The three of them collapsed into a heap, struggling desperately. The knife slashed inches from Sai’s face before Corvin yanked Mira’s arm down. She twisted, biting his forearm so hard he yelled.

“Damn it, she’s too violent !” Corvin shouted, sweat running down his temple.

Sai tried to think—fast. “We need to disarm her—if we just—”

But his plan ended as Mira slammed the back of her head into his face again. His grip failed.

With a sudden twist, Mira tore free from both of them. She spun, knife flashing, eyes glassy and unseeing.

She was going to kill someone.

Eira’s body moved before her mind caught up.

She grabbed the first thing her hand found—the stick again. She stepped forward, heart hammering, and swung it like a club.

The wood cracked across the side of Mira’s head.

Her scream cut short. The knife slipped from her hand, clattering against the stone. She swayed once, twice, and then collapsed heavily to the ground.

The alley fell still.

Eira stood frozen, the bow shaking in her hands, her breath ragged and terrified. “I… I didn’t mean—”

Sai grabbed her shoulder. His nose was bloodied, but his voice was steady. “You did what was needed.”

Corvin leaned against the wall, panting hard, his arm bleeding from bite marks and cuts. He glanced at Mira’s unconscious form, then toward the shadows where the soldier had vanished. “She wasn’t fighting us,” he muttered. “She was fighting something else.”

Sai nodded grimly. “And i bet Shadow One knew exactly what”

Eira slowly lowered the stick to the ground, her hands trembling. “But why?”

Sai looked down the alley. The shadows were empty. The soldier was gone.

And Mira lay between them, chest rising and falling, caught in nightmares none of them could see.