The boy was now on the floor, newspapers strewn everywhere.
The man's body, now twitching viciously, began to decompose—first the flesh, then the bone—melting into a puddle of goo. Suddenly, it started to bubble, forming long flesh tendrils that flailed wildly, destroying parts of the station. Most of the people in the train station had evacuated, but some hadn't had time to escape. A few were trapped under rubble; others were frozen in fear. Meanwhile, Lucian advanced.
Lucian was now closer to the Soulfractured. He could see that the people nearest to him were a couple, both around twenty. The girlfriend's leg was trapped under some fallen debris.
"Sam, hang on! I'll get you out of there," a young man with average features and dark hair shouted.
"Ow! This isn't working! Jake!" Sam cried.
Lucian said as he approached, "Stop. You should be aiming to move the rubble, not just pull her leg out."
"Huh? Who are you?" Jake asked.
"That doesn't matter right now. Here—help me lift the rubble."
The two men lifted the debris together, and Sam was able to free her leg.
"Make your way to the exit, you two—but help those stuck on your way," Lucian said, continuing forward, helping those he could.
At this point, the Soulfractured had taken the form of a giant monster, with four arms ending in tendrils and white, soulless eyes, its body covered in matching fur.
It had grabbed the paperboy by the leg, dragging him into the air. The boy screamed as his life hung in the balance.
"Help me—anyone!" he cried.
Lucian assessed the situation. He was still too far away to reach the boy, and the Soulfractured had fully taken form. There was no time left.
The Soulfractured began to flail its tendrils, striking the surrounding area with such force that the air seemed to crackle.
A streak came from just ahead of Lucian. He turned to see an elderly woman, around eighty years old, clearly not in any condition to move.
The Soulfractured noticed her too, snapping a tendril straight toward her head. It would have killed her instantly if it had hit.
Thud.
Lucian tackled the elderly woman to the ground, rolling to the side. Now shielding her, he asked, his voice barely above a whisper, "Are you alright, ma'am?"
"I'm quite alright, dearie. It's nothing I can't handle," the old lady replied, her voice raspy.
Lucian was now at an impasse. He could either continue and try to help the paperboy, risking not only his own life but the life of the old woman. The choice was obvious.
His cane and top hat had been left behind.
He hoisted the old woman onto his shoulders and made a run for the exit.
This wouldn't be a problem if it were just me.
His jaw clenched.
The paperboy shouted, "No! Please, come back!" Tears welled in his eyes.
As he closed in on the station exit, Lucian glanced back at the boy. The Soulfractured was about to slam his small body into the floor.
Step. Step. Step.
Lucian heard footsteps approaching. A man, fully fitted in a grey three-piece suit, accompanied by a small cape of sorts, came into view. He was taller than Lucian, with piercing blue eyes and black hair—but the most striking detail was the insignia on the left breast of his suit: a lion with a crown and sceptre etched perfectly in gold. Beneath it, the words read: Bureau of Public Defence.
The next moment, he was gone from Lucian's view. Lucian stopped in his tracks, turning just in time to see that before the Soulfractured could slam the boy down, its tendril had been cleanly cut into pieces, now sputtering black blood.
The man caught the boy and set him down gently before adjusting his suit, wiping away the small trace of black blood on his cheek with a swipe of his thumb.
"Harming the innocent… have you no shame?" he said, his voice cold and firm. "Disgusting Soulfractured."
Lucian set the old lady down carefully, now watching the battle between the Bureau member and the Soulfractured. The boy had backed away to safety in the process.
It wasn't much of a fight—the man was simply avoiding being cut in half, moving out of the way with minimal effort.
The Soulfractured flung three tendrils—one aiming for the man's face, another for his abdomen, and the final one from behind. Lucian could see the directions before the tendrils even struck.
"Look out!" he shouted, drawing the man's attention for a split second.
"You don't need to worry, citizen. Liam isn't in need of your assistance."
"Huh?"
Lucian turned his head to the right and saw a girl no older than fifteen. She wore a purple dress with golden accents, it looked impractical, almost overly frilly.
Her appearance was just as strange: long, flowing lime hair and large, glass-like eyes. She was sucking on a lollipop and carrying a small black purse.
Judging by her tone—and the way she said his name—it was safe to assume she was one of the Bureau.
"When did you get here, young lady? Well… that's not really the only question I have. You're a Bureau member, aren't you?" Lucian said, looking directly into the girl's eyes.
The girl tilted her head, looking straight at Lucian. "You're sharp, aren't you? After all, you deduced the situation quite well," she said casually, taking the lollipop out of her mouth.
"Clara, it's time to end this, lest more damage be caused to the station."
Liam's voice came from the battlefield, unbothered.
Lucian looked back at him, and what he saw was the Soulfractured, heavily injured. Two of its arms had been cut clean off. Its legs were riddled with slash wounds, making it difficult for the beast to stand without wobbling. And yet, Liam didn't have a speck of dust on his suit.
Clara perked up, but her expression quickly turned sour. "But you must know how taxing it is on my little body to perform my ability on such a large scale," she pouted, stamping her foot.
Lucian looked between the two, dumbfounded. They're Bureau agents… right?
The Soulfractured began to rise again, preparing for a second wave of attacks.
"Fine, be that way," Liam said. "But I won't be treating you to lunch if that's how you're going to act."
"What? You vile cretin!" Clara snapped. "Fine, let's not waste any more time."
She turned her gaze to Lucian. "Boy… be careful not to get in the way, yeah?"
With that, she tossed the purse to him. He caught it instinctively.
Clara looked toward the Soulfractured, measuring the distance, her lollipop still in hand. Then, with a small sigh, she let it drop.
It spun in the air—
—but before it could even fall halfway, she spoke a single word:
"Mirror."
The station froze.
All sound vanished. Colour drained from the world.
Then, with a sharp, cracking sound—like glass shattering—the station twisted. The floor became the ceiling, the ceiling the floor—yet Lucian and the others did not fall.
Lucian looked around, his mind racing.
A transportation ability? No… not on this scale.
We haven't been moved… we're still in the station.
And the word she used—
"Hey… this is a mirror world, isn't it, Miss… Clara?" Lucian said, probing for answers.
Clara glanced back at him, a wry smile playing on her lips, as if to say impressive, isn't it?
"You are smart," she said, placing the lollipop that had flipped with them back into her mouth.
"But enough about me—just watch the show." She turned her attention back to the battle.
There wasn't much difference in the state of the Soulfractured or Liam—but what had changed was that Liam now held a one-handed katana with a branded handle. Its blade was pure white, almost translucent, giving off a chilling air, etched with faint, glowing rune-like symbols that shimmered softly along its length. The hilt was subtly ornate, with a refined guard and a firm, wrapped grip.
When did that get there?
No, Liam had cut the Soulfractured when he saved the boy. So, was it that the katana had always been there… and he simply couldn't see it?
Well, not that it mattered.
Liam, now with weapon in hand, advanced toward the Soulfractured. It swung its remaining arms, letting out a guttural roar—rahhh!—tendrils striking at Liam from all angles.
Then silence.
Liam took a single step.
He appeared behind the Soulfractured before it could even react.
In the next instant, it was sliced into a hundred pieces. Black blood scattered through the air as the creature fell apart. Even the surrounding space bore the marks of the strike signs and debris cleanly severed, falling in fragments.
Liam flicked his blade clean, the motion precise and effortless.
Closing his eyes, a solemn expression formed on his face.
"May you return to God's side. Amen."
"Thank heavens it's over now," Lucian said with a sigh. "What an exciting morning."
He looked down at his watch—the hands were stuck at 7:30. Great… it must have broken when I tackled the old madam. How unfortunate.
He dusted himself off, then paused, as if a spark of inspiration had hit him.
I'm going to be late for work.