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Chapter 3: Cracked Reflections

The morning light seeped through the curtains, casting fractured patterns on the walls of Sunny's dorm. Sunny leaned over her desk, laptop open, her eyes scanning page after page of digital archives. Beside her, RAVN stood with his arms crossed, silently watching the lines of text scroll by.

"So," Sunny started, glancing at him, "you're sure this isn't just a coincidence?"

RAVN shook his head. "It's not a coincidence. That device—Jae's 'toy'—isn't just some modern experiment. It's connected to something ancient. Something dangerous."

Sunny leaned back in her chair, rubbing her temples. "This is getting ridiculous. First, the necklace, now this? How is everything in my life suddenly tied to ancient gods and curses?"

RAVN smirked faintly. "Welcome to our world."

"Not funny."

A knock interrupted their conversation, and Jae stepped into the room, her face pale and drawn. She held the portal device in her hands as though it might burn her.

"I looked through my dad's old notes," Jae said, her voice trembling. "This thing—it's not just a toy. He modeled it after something he found in Greece during one of his digs. He said it was... well, it was broken when he found it, so he thought it was safe to replicate."

RAVN frowned, stepping closer. "Do you have any idea what the original artifact was?"

Jae hesitated. "I don't know. But he called it the 'Mirror of the Sun.' He said it had something to do with a Titan... but he never told me more than that."

"The Mirror of the Sun," Sunny repeated, her stomach sinking. "That doesn't sound ominous at all."

RAVN's expression darkened. "It's not just ominous—it's Apollo's creation."

Jae blinked. "Apollo? The secondary sun god?"

"Yes," RAVN said. "The Mirror was a tool he used to seal Helios. It absorbed Helios's power, trapping him in Olympus and keeping him from influencing the mortal realm. It also granted him control over Helios's gifts—the same powers we received after Ares's war. But if your father recreated it..."

Sunny's eyes widened. "Then we basically handed Helios the key to his prison."

Jae dropped the device onto the desk as though it had suddenly become too heavy to hold. "How was I supposed to know?" she whispered. "It was just a prototype!"

"It's not your fault," Sunny said gently, placing a hand on Jae's shoulder.

RAVN, however, wasn't as forgiving. "Fault or not, it's active now. And if it's anything like the original, Helios can use the power it holds to do something. Something dangerous."

Sunny glanced back at the laptop, typing quickly into the search bar. "If this thing was modeled after something Apollo made, there has to be a way to stop it, right? Maybe the original had a failsafe or something."

"Possibly," Leedo said. "But we'll need more information. Jae, do you have anything else from your dad's research? Notes? Journals?"

Jae shook her head. "Most of it was destroyed in a fire years ago. This is all I have left."

Sunny sighed, closing the laptop. "Great. So we're back to square one."

As if on cue, a sharp knock at the door startled them. Keonhee and Hwanwoong burst in, their expressions unusually serious.

"You guys need to see this," Keonhee said, holding up his phone.

On the screen was a breaking news report. The college's computer systems had been hit by a massive series of glitches, disrupting everything from class schedules to security systems. The report claimed it was the work of a sophisticated hacking group, but the Monarchs knew better.

"It's him, isn't it?" Sunny asked, her voice quiet.

Hwanwoong nodded grimly. "Helios. He's using the glitches to spread his influence."

"How is that even possible?" Jae asked.

Xion appeared in the doorway, his expression unreadable. "He's a Titan," he said simply. "Logic doesn't apply to beings like him. He'll use whatever means he can to gain control."

"And he's starting with the school," Seoho added, stepping into the room. "We need to act fast before he does any real damage."

"But what can we even do?" Sunny asked, throwing up her hands. "We're in over our heads here!"

"We need to find the original artifact," RAVN said decisively. "If we can understand how it works, we might be able to reverse whatever's happening.

"And where do we even start looking?" Sunny asked.

"The castle," Xion said quietly. "If the artifact was tied to Apollo, there might be records about it in our old archives."

Sunny groaned. "Of course. Because the answer is always in the creepy, abandoned castle."

"Would you prefer to sit here and wait for Helios to take over?" RAVN asked, raising an eyebrow.

Sunny sighed. "Fine. But if I die, I'm haunting all of you."

Jae clutched the portal device tightly, her knuckles white. "Whatever happens, we have to stop him. No matter what it takes."

The group exchanged uneasy glances, the weight of the situation settling heavily over them. Helios wasn't just a distant threat anymore—he was here, and he wasn't going to wait for them to catch up.

The Monarchs had faced many battles before, but this one felt different. This wasn't just about them—it was about the mortal realm, the future, and a power that none of them fully understood.

"Let's go," RAVN said, his voice firm. "We don't have time to waste."

As the group filed out of the room, the faint hum of the portal device lingered in the air, a haunting reminder of the ancient power they had unleashed.

End Of Part I: It's The BLACK MIRROR... The Start of Part II: You're my Valkyrie