Figures emerged from the shadowed arches—at first glance, Marek, Lucian, and Selene. Their silhouettes were perfect, but something felt wrong.
Rex's eyes widened. "Lucian!"
I threw an arm out. "No—look at their suits. No true color. They're shapeshifters."
Indeed, their bodysuits flickered red… then blue… then white—unstable threads cycling through missions. Only "Selene" held steady in deep crimson.
The false Selene tilted her head, voice glitching. "Hh-jeop… heho… hepl… help—help!"
Rex froze, sword half‑raised.
"What happened?" I asked in slow, clear words.
The mimic answered, halting: "Wrath… aaattacked… uss. H‑he… killed oter . We… ran."
Rex whispered, "He's saying a 'Wrath' target killed the others—only they survived."
I motioned the mimic Lucian closer, signaling Rex. He pointed his blade at the impostor's throat—hostage secured.
"Agree to my conditions and live," I said.
Lucian's duplicate managed a shaky nod.
My Time Stealer flared. Steal memory? — Yes.
Memory Dive: 24 Hours Earlier
I—wearing Lucian's skin—stood with five other mimics: false Selene, false Marek, false Liora false noah … all red‑suit "Lust" disguises.
"Human bodies are perfect, boss," I croaked in their guttural tongue.
The false Selene smiled."now we will take over humans "
but our suit started to fflicker
Selene said "But look—your suit's betraying you."
Our suits shifted , mixing the red mission veins with colors from those we'd mimicked. Only the mimic wielding Rex's form—his veins turned pitch‑black and he collapsed, unconscious.
Selene's double barked, "Resist the change! Hold the red!"
We tried—but the suits kept flickering. Panic rose.
Rex's mimic stirred—eyes all shadow. A black sword formed in his grip. Without warning he cleaved through false Liora. Her stolen flesh liquefied, suit crumpling to a single grain of ash.
One by one, he butchered the mimics—he killed fake liora and then fake noah as well each kill made him larger, darker. Only mimic Selene, mimic Marek, and I remained—terrified.
End Memory
I snapped back, gasping—just as false Lucian lunged. Instinct: left punch, right hook. Rex's sword finished the creature Elissa screamed in horror "What did you did mr rex you killed one of us "
"That was not human rex said "
As the mimic lucian turned to slime and melted away elissa disgusted in horror and said "what is this ?"
I witnessing the reaction of elissa felt shameful
I didnt ever guessed she would react like that but it was my fault Fir thinking so
I or rex didnt react beacuse we have seen the cold side of humanity and become numb to it in response
I stole the alien memory Despite knowing that it will cause voilence and bloodshed and forcing the alien to attack me and basically kill itself
It didnt seem much of a big deal to me but certainly is a horrible event for her and thats true , it certainly Is a heinious crime and a greater heinious thingh to think it wasnt
If i cant realise the horror and pain of my killing then i am no different then the executioners
I felt more disgusted towards myself like the doctor Or my mother Who exposed myself to the cold and dark side of humanity
Rex exhaled. "Why'd he attack?"
I dont know i said I did know why it attacked me but i didnt have the couraage of facing the guilt of being a murderer because i have been running away from responsiblity from the start
False Selene shook. "What have—you—done?"
"You want to live?" I said trying to muster up my courage. "Answer our questions."
She nodded—because it was all she could do.
Interrogation
I stared at her—the last one standing. Still wearing Selene's face. Still hiding behind the stolen flesh.
"So," I asked, stepping forward, "what's your name?"
The mimic hesitated. Her voice was calm now. "I don't have one. Not like you do."
"No name?"
"In our world, we have no names," she said. "Only roles. I am a leader—representing one of the eight sectors of our planet."
I frowned. "Then why? Why are you doing this?"
She paused, then answered with a strange, almost distant hate:
"Because we despise you humans."
The words hung in the air. Rex didn't move. Marek's hand tightened on his weapon.
"Of the thirty-two known intelligent species," she continued, "you humans are considered the most beautiful. And on our planet… beauty is everything."
Her tone shifted—cold, resentful.
"The more beautiful one appears, the more power they gain. Influence, dominance, control—it all depends on form. But our world… it's a grave of dust. Solid land. No oceans. No sky. No color. No beauty. Only barren plains stretching forever."
She looked down at her own shifting hand, flickering between forms.
"We tried to become beautiful through our own imagination. But imagination has limits. Ours did. No matter how hard we tried, we couldn't invent what we'd never seen."
Then her eyes—Selene's stolen eyes—met mine.
"Until you came."
I felt a chill crawl up my spine.
"You humans showed us what beauty could be. And once we saw it, once we felt it, our desire twisted into something we couldn't stop. The Elders told us: if we could kill a human and assume their full form, then we could become them. Gain not just your skin, but your imagination. Your soul. Your limitless potential."
Her voice cracked—more honest now than ever.
"You are creatures who can dream up entire worlds. We can only copy. And that's why we're here. Not to destroy your bodies—" she smiled sadly "—but to steal your meaning."
My stomach twisted I think that humans are the most unfit to live but there are people who think of us as gods . What makes humans so special and charimatic wondered even more More than charismatic we are the abodiment...no we are the devil iF theres a god but if there was a god who made no mistakes he wouldnt have created devils like us But i cant focus on it , i snapped out ,no matter how filhty i am i can become more filtier till i have hope to meet elari
I kept my palm on the Time Stealer—ready to drain her if she lied.
"tell about the person whose mission was wrath now and why did it kill you," Rex growled.
Selene's duplicate trembled. "He… recieved a mystical black intimidating weapon which seemed so take away his emotions His identity and then he killed the other two of us and grew more demonic
"Where is he now?" I asked.
"IN the hall of complete darkness , "She said pointing towards a direction "he is awaiting to consume more it seemed but i can relate to him in a way"
Rex and I shared a look.
I signalled rex and he punched selene causing her to sleep
I could kill her but didnt beacuse of elissa I could not let her become like me Because if she does become like me i wont have the motivation to save the humanity beacuse i want to save holy and goodness
We left the mimic Marek bound in suit‑cables, then pressed on.
Toward the Hall of complete darkness##
The corridor pinched into glassy black stone. With every step, reflections bloomed—fragments of us pacing beside us.
Elissa brushed the wall, then jerked away. "It's warm—like skin."
Ahead, the hallway opened into a crimson‑lit vault. Shards of mirror floated mid‑air, slowly revolving. In their facets I saw a towering silhouette—wreathed in pitch‑black smoke, clutching a blade that looked more crack than metal.
Not Rex.
Something that wore him like a mask.
Its head turned—every mirror echoed the motion. A hundred Rex‑faces stared back at us, mouths stretching into one crooked grin.
"i feel somethingh strong and fun to kill" glaring to us
Rex lifted the Demon Sword. "Your call,kael ."
Elissa pressed behind me, trembling but defiant.
I took a breath. This thing slaughtered the mimics—now it wants us. No plan, just resolve. The blade has made him thirsty for wrath for killing and bloodshed
I stepped forward. "Then try to kill us "