Location: Prague – A Private Ballroom Hidden Beneath the City
Music played softly from a 1930s phonograph. Crystal chandeliers flickered above polished marble. And in the center of the room, Nyx danced.
Alone.
Her heels clicked elegantly across the floor as she twirled, arms out, eyes closed. She danced as if she owned the world. And in her mind—she did.
Then the doors opened.
A tall man in a three-piece suit entered. Bald, with a long scar cutting down one cheek. His name was Dimitri Volken, one of the final overseers of Project ECHO and Nyx's last handler.
"She's found her," Dimitri said simply.
Nyx didn't stop dancing.
"I know."
"She didn't kill B-94. She brought her back to the Elara. The girl has a new name—Seren."
Nyx twirled once more, then froze, facing the grand mirror wall across from her.
Two reflections stood in it now—her own, and a fractured vision of Alethea behind her.
"She's building a house of glass," Nyx said coldly. "And glass breaks beautifully."
Dimitri frowned. "You're not jealous?"
Nyx's lips curled into something cruel.
"I'm not jealous. I'm insulted."
She walked to the window, staring out at the flickering skyline.
"I was the perfected prototype. Designed with precision. Alethea was the original spark. But that girl…" Nyx scoffed. "That Seren... she's an echo of a mistake. If she lives, it means everything I am—meant nothing."
She turned sharply.
"So we shatter the house."
---
Location: Elara – Training Wing
Seren stood in the middle of the gym, eyes closed, brow furrowed. Her body bore the scars of experimental training, but her movements—sharp, fluid, alert—hinted at the predator within.
Alethea stood a few feet away, watching.
"You're getting faster."
"I had to," Seren replied. "They used to release wolves into my cell if I hesitated."
A pause.
Alethea flinched slightly but masked it.
Seren noticed. "Still pity me?"
"No. I'm furious for you."
Seren cracked a faint smile. "You're soft, but dangerous. Like a match dressed in silk."
Alethea grinned. "And you're a storm waiting for a reason."
Omega entered with urgency. "We have a problem."
They turned.
"Encrypted message intercepted from Prague. It's from Nyx."
He projected it.
"You saved your twin. Cute. Shall I send condolences when she's shattered?
I'm building something too, Alethea. A ballroom of bones. I'll send the invitation soon.
—N."
Alethea's smile faded.
"She's challenging me."
Omega nodded. "She wants a stage. A performance. A reckoning."
Seren's fists clenched. "Then let's dance."
---
Location: Prague – The Velvet Grand Opera House (Abandoned)
Two days later.
Alethea, Marco, Seren, and the infiltration team arrived at the site Nyx had chosen: a forgotten opera house hidden beneath the city. It once held secrets for royalty—now it would host a war between reflections.
They moved in silence through dark corridors, Omega's voice guiding them through comms.
"Thermal scans show multiple life signatures. Nyx isn't alone."
"She never is," Marco muttered. "She thrives on eyes watching."
Alethea reached the stage.
And there she was.
Nyx stood on the center platform, draped in a gown of black sequins, a thin blade in each hand, her eyes wild with joy.
"Welcome," she purred, spreading her arms.
"Let the performance begin."
---
Combat Phase I: Seren vs. Nyx
Seren charged first, ignoring the choreography Nyx clearly wanted.
"You never deserved her face!" Seren yelled.
Nyx met her mid-air, blades clashing. "And you think you did? You were the forgotten twin, my dear. I was the crown jewel."
They moved like fire and smoke—Seren with fury, Nyx with elegance.
But Seren was faster.
She landed a solid strike across Nyx's cheek.
Blood.
Real blood.
Nyx licked it with a laugh. "Oh, sister. That was foreplay."
Suddenly, explosive bolts detonated across the rafters. The building began to shake.
Nyx activated a hologram above them all—images of the Elara under siege.
"If I can't destroy you here, I'll erase your home."
Alethea's blood turned to ice.
TBC..................