Tansy slowly stood up from the bath as warm water flowed down her body.

Steam filled the bathroom, slightly fogging the massive mirror stretched across the wall. The soft blue lights embedded into the ceiling gave the room a calm atmosphere. 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

She stepped out of the water quietly and walked toward the mirror.

The reflection staring back at her looked exactly the same as always.

Yet everything had changed.

Before she could even reach for a towel, another figure appeared behind her.

It was her clone.

The duplicate moved naturally, as though it had always existed beside her. Without saying a word, the clone gently wrapped a towel around Tansy and carefully dried her skin and hair.

Tansy looked at the mirror silently.

Even after using this ability several times already, the feeling remained surreal.

No...

Maybe "surreal" wasn’t the right word.

It actually felt too natural.

That was the frightening part.

Breathing was natural.

Blinking was natural.

And somehow... creating clones felt just as instinctive to her.

She never studied it.

Never trained for it.

The power simply existed inside her as though it had always been there.

Tansy lightly touched the mirror.

"How did I even get this power...?" she whispered softly.

But deep down, she already knew there was probably only one person who could answer that question.

Tyler.

After changing clothes, Tansy wore a simple white shirt and blue jeans before leaving the bathroom.

The moment she opened the door, she saw Rose already waiting outside.

Rose was dressed casually as well, though her energetic expression made her stand out far more than her clothes.

"You took forever," Rose complained dramatically.

Tansy rolled her eyes.

"You say that every time."

The two girls quickly left their room together.

Outside, a long tube-like hallway stretched endlessly in both directions. The transparent walls allowed them to see parts of the artificial city outside, filled with floating pathways and glowing lights beneath the fake blue sky.

Many doors lined the corridor.

Some residents walked past them casually while small drones floated around carrying supplies and packages.

The place felt strangely peaceful despite being hidden beneath the ruined world above.

They didn’t have to walk far.

Just three doors away—

Rose immediately opened a door without even knocking.

Inside, Tyler was already sitting at a table eating breakfast.

Several empty plates were stacked nearby.

"We told you to wait for us," Rose pouted as she walked over and shamelessly stole a bite from Tyler’s sandwich.

Tansy also sat beside them and casually took food from the table.

"Goo morning," Tyler greeted lazily with food still inside his mouth.

Tansy sighed.

"Don’t talk while eating."

Rose laughed.

"Good morning."

The atmosphere instantly became relaxed.

For a brief moment, it almost felt like they were normal friends casually having breakfast instead of people trapped in a broken world filled with strange powers and conspiracies.

Tyler swallowed his food before asking,

"Did you meet your parents?"

Tansy shook her head slightly.

"No. They’re currently staying at another Rebel base."

She took a sip from a drink before continuing.

"The Rebels have many hidden bases across the country. We only talked through a video call."

Rose nodded.

"They’re safe though. Old Lady Veena is protecting them."

"Well," Tyler said while leaning back slightly, "that’s good to hear."

The tension in Tansy’s expression eased slightly after hearing that.

Then suddenly—

"Hey Tyler, look at me," Rose said confidently.

Tyler instantly turned his head away.

Rose froze.

"...Oi."

Tyler continued avoiding eye contact.

"I don’t want to get enchanted by you," he said calmly.

Rose blinked several times.

"Enchanted?" she repeated curiously. "Is that my power name?"

Tyler nodded slightly.

"It’s not hypnosis or mind control," he explained. "Your ability makes people fall in love with you."

Rose’s eyes widened.

"...Seriously?"

"Very seriously."

Rose immediately looked both proud and embarrassed at the same time.

"That sounds ridiculously overpowered..."

Tansy suddenly leaned closer.

"What about me?" she asked curiously.

Tyler looked at her for a moment.

"Yours is..." He paused thoughtfully. "Clone."

Tansy stared at him blankly.

"...That’s it?"

"Yep. Just clone."

Rose burst into laughter.

"That’s such a lazy name!"

Tyler shrugged calmly.

"A clone is a clone."

Tansy sighed helplessly while Rose continued laughing beside her.

After the playful atmosphere settled down slightly, Tansy suddenly became serious again.

She looked directly at Tyler.

"Alright then," she said quietly. "Can you finally explain something?"

Tyler raised an eyebrow.

"How do you know all of this?" Tansy asked.

Rose also looked toward him curiously now.

"And how did we even get these powers in the first place?"

---

Tyler took a slow sip of juice before leaning back in his chair.

"Hm..." he muttered thoughtfully. "How should I even start explaining this..."

Rose and Tansy both stared at him silently.

The atmosphere suddenly became serious.

After all, the strange powers they possessed had changed their entire lives overnight. If Tyler truly knew something about them, then this conversation might finally give them answers.

Tyler placed the glass down gently.

"Alright," he said. "Let me tell you a story."

Rose immediately narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

"Whenever someone starts with that sentence, something crazy follows."

Tyler ignored her.

"In a faraway universe... or maybe even this same universe. Honestly, I’m not fully sure anymore."

His gaze drifted slightly as though recalling distant memories.

"There exists a world called the Boundless World."

Tansy and Rose quietly listened.

"That world is covered by endless oceans. Nearly ninety-seven percent of it is water. Massive islands float across ancient seas while cultivators travel through storms, monsters, and ruins seeking power."

His voice remained calm.

"In that world, there are energies called Aura and Prana. People cultivate those energies to surpass mortality itself."

"To become immortals?" Tansy asked softly.

Tyler nodded.

"Yes."

He continued.

"At the edge of the Boundless World, there exists something called Eternity."

The moment he spoke that word, even the atmosphere felt heavier somehow.

"It was left behind by ancient gods long before recorded history. Countless immortal experts have searched for it for over two million years."

Rose nearly choked on her sandwich.

"Two million?!"

"And nobody ever obtained it," Tyler finished calmly.

Silence briefly filled the room.

Then Tyler continued speaking.

"In that world, many famous immortal practitioners existed."

His eyes slowly shifted toward Tansy.

"One of them was named Masha."

Tansy blinked.

"She possessed the power of cloning."

Tansy froze slightly.

Tyler then turned toward Rose.

"Another one was called ’Manhunter’ Isadora Nightkiss."

Rose immediately frowned.

"What kind of title is Manhunter?!"

Tyler ignored the complaint.

"She possessed an abnormal charm ability. Something close to a succubus."

Rose instinctively scratched her nose with the back of her palm while still holding half a sandwich.

Tyler’s mouth twitched slightly.

"...You got mayonnaise on your face."

Without hesitation, he reached over and lightly scratched the spot for her.

Rose blinked awkwardly.

"...Thanks."

Tyler casually leaned back again as if nothing happened.

"Anyway," he continued, "there exists a Treasure called the Orion Tesseract."

The moment he mentioned the name, his tone became more serious.

"It contains Trials capable of turning mortals into immortals."

Tansy’s expression became focused.

"These Trials are strange," Tyler explained. "They send souls into different bodies across timelines. Past. Future. Alternate realities. Different worlds."

"And during those Trials," he continued, "Orion Fragments holders can bring an abilities... or an object with them.... ."

The room became silent again.

Tyler looked directly at the two girls.

"And that," he said quietly, "is probably why you both have powers."

Tansy’s breathing slowed.

Rose stopped eating entirely.

"If my guess is correct..." Tyler continued, "then you two are likely those people."

"Masha."

"And Isadora Nightkiss."

Silence.

Complete silence.

The girls simply stared at him blankly.

The information sounded so absurd that their brains almost rejected it immediately.

Mysterious powers.

Immortal cultivators.

Other timelines. Boundless World.

And now reincarnated immortal beings?

Neither girl spoke for a very long time.

Tyler simply continued drinking his juice quietly while waiting for them to process everything.

Almost half an hour passed before Rose finally spoke first.

"...Masha?"

Then she pointed at herself dramatically.

"And what the heck is Manhunter?!"

Tansy rubbed her forehead slowly.

"This is insane..."

Then both girls suddenly looked at Tyler at the same time.

"Why can’t we remember any of this?" they asked together.

Tyler thought quietly for a moment before answering.

"You probably died multiple times during the Trials."

The casual way he said it made the answer even scarier.

"Repeated deaths can damage memories," he explained. "And Orion Tesseract itself is currently unstable. Something happened to it."

He paused briefly.

"That’s probably why you never received proper Trial tasks either."

Tansy lowered her gaze slightly.

"So we’re... fragments of people from another world?"

"Not exactly," Tyler replied. "You’re still yourselves."

Rose leaned back in her chair slowly.

"So if I’m Isadora..." she muttered.

"And she’s Masha..."

Her eyes suddenly narrowed toward Tyler.

"Then who are you?"

The room became quiet once more.

Tyler stared at them silently for a few seconds.

Then he smiled lightly.

"Hm..."

"I’m just Tyler White."