Break Into My World │ Binary Code: EP │ ONEUS FF │Connect With US│

Chapter 7: Polarity

The Black Mirror was a maze of twisted paths, glitching reflections, and an overwhelming sense of isolation. The ground beneath them shifted like liquid glass, and the air felt heavy with unspoken tension. Surrounding them were mirrors that didn't just reflect their faces but fractured, corrupted versions of their lives.

Helios appeared—not as a radiant god but as a fragmented, glitching entity, his once-golden form now warped and flickering with jagged edges of shadow. His presence radiated the same suffocating power they remembered from centuries before, only now, it was tethered to this corrupted world.

"I see you've found my masterpiece," Helios said, his voice crackling like static. He gestured to the endless expanse of the Black Mirror. "I told you once before—balance is a farce. This is the world I've been building since the moment you defied me. Eternal night. Eternal power."

RAVN stepped forward, his expression cold. "We've destroyed your plans twice now. We'll do it again."

Helios's laugh echoed around them, sharp and mocking. "You destroyed nothing. You delayed the inevitable. This is my domain now, and here, you are nothing but shadows."

The Monarchs exchanged uneasy glances, their powers flickering like dying embers. The Black Mirror had twisted everything they knew, cutting them off from the strength they once shared.

Sunny clenched the necklace around her neck, her voice trembling but firm. "If this is your domain, then why are you still so broken? Look at yourself—you're nothing but a glitch."

Helios's form flickered violently, his eyes narrowing. "Careful, child. Your blood may have freed your ancestors, but it binds you to me just the same. Do not test me."

"Then how about me?" Seoho said suddenly, his voice calm but resolute. He stepped forward, his

levitation flickering faintly beneath his feet. "You may have built this world, but you're not invincible. You're scared. That's why you're hiding behind all this."

Helios snarled, and the ground beneath Seoho cracked, but before Helios could retaliate further, a beam of light broke through the dark clouds above.

Apollo's voice rang out, clear and commanding. "Helios. Enough."

A golden light illuminated the group, momentarily cutting through the oppressive darkness. Sunny felt a surge of hope, but it was fleeting. The light flickered and dimmed as the Black Mirror pushed back against Apollo's presence.

"We're still disconnected," Xion muttered, his voice tight with frustration.

Seoho glanced at the mirrors around them, their surfaces rippling with distorted images. "This place... it's designed to isolate us. Helios built it to keep us from each other. We need to find a way to reconnect."

"Jae!" Eui called out, her voice echoing as she followed Keonhee to the meeting point. "Jae! It's me!"

Jae froze, her breath catching. Her eyes darted toward the girl standing by the mirror—a girl she hadn't seen in years but who looked exactly as she remembered.

"Eui?" Jae's voice cracked, disbelief and shock twisting her expression. She took a shaky step forward, her laugh breaking into a choked sob. "Eui, you can't... You're joking, right? What is this?"

"It's real, Jae," Eui said softly, her voice trembling. She stepped closer, her form flickering slightly, like static on an old TV. "It's me."

Jae's knees buckled, and she sank to the ground, her trembling hands hovering just above the surface of the mirror. "It's really her," she whispered, her voice breaking as tears spilled down her cheeks. "It's really you..."

Eui knelt down, her glitching hand hesitating for a moment before resting gently on Jae's shoulder. "I'm here, Jae. I've always been here."

Keonhee rushed to Jae's side, steadying her before she completely collapsed. "Jae, listen to her," he urged, his tone gentle but firm.

Jae's tears flowed freely now as she looked up at Eui, her voice thick with emotion. "Dad told me you left. He said you made your choice—that you wanted to leave us. I couldn't believe it. I was too scared to even touch it for so long. But I thought... maybe if I did, I could bring you back."

Eui's form flickered again, her face shadowed with guilt. "Jae, I never chose this. I didn't leave. The portal wasn't ready when Dad tested it—it pulled me in before he could stop it. I've been trapped here ever since."

Jae's hands clenched into fists as a fresh wave of tears blurred her vision. "I wasted so much time blaming myself. I thought I wasn't brave enough, that it was my fault you were gone."

Eui shook her head, her flickering hand tightening on Jae's shoulder. "No, Jae. None of this is your fault. It's Helios. He's been pulling the strings from the start."

Just then, Sunny and the others arrived, skidding to a stop as they took in the scene. Sunny stepped forward, her eyes locking on Jae with a steady, determined gaze.

"Jae," Sunny said, her voice calm despite the chaos around them, "this isn't on you. Helios manipulated all of this—your family, your choices, everything. But we're here now, and we're going to stop him. Together."

Jae wiped at her face, her breaths coming in short, shaky bursts. "How, Sunny?" she asked, her voice almost a whisper. "How do we stop someone like him when he's already won?"

Sunny knelt in front of Jae, reaching out to take the device from her trembling hands. She held it tightly, her expression softening as she looked into Jae's eyes.

"We start by trusting each other," Sunny said gently. "And then, we fight back."

Closing her eyes, Sunny gripped the device firmly and whispered, her voice clear and resolute: "Please stop, Black Mirror."

The device shuddered in her hands, glowing faintly as a warm light began to emanate from it. The ground beneath them rippled like water, and the mirrors around them cracked and shattered one by one, their distorted reflections breaking apart into fragments of light