"KIAN!"
Mara's scream filled the room.
Kane spun around.
His brother was gone.
One second Kian had been standing beside him.
The next—
nothing.
No footsteps.
No flash of light.
No opening door.
Just an empty space where he had been.
Kade stared at the floor.
"Where did he go?"
Nobody answered.
Elias was already moving.
He rushed toward the child.
"What did you do?"
The child didn't move.
"I didn't do anything."
"You took him."
"No."
The child pointed toward the ceiling.
"He went where he was always supposed to go."
Kane grabbed the front of the child's shirt.
"Bring him back."
The child looked at Kane.
For the first time, his smile disappeared.
"You shouldn't touch me."
Kane's eyes narrowed.
"Why?"
"Because you forget things."
Kane froze.
Kade looked at him.
"What does that mean?"
The child stared into Kane's red eyes.
"You already forgot once."
Kane released him.
His breathing became heavier.
A sudden pain shot through his head.
He stumbled backward.
Images flashed through his mind.
A white room.
A hospital bed.
Three small children.
A fourth bed.
And himself standing beside it.
But the memory disappeared before he could understand it.
Kane grabbed his head.
"Wait…"
Kade caught him.
"Kane!"
"I saw something."
"What?"
"I don't know."
The child watched them quietly.
Then he looked at Elias.
"You did it again."
Elias's face tightened.
"What?"
"You made them forget."
"I didn't."
The child's expression became almost sad.
"You always say that."
Mara stepped forward.
"Where is my son?"
The child looked at her.
Something changed in his expression.
He looked confused.
Then frightened.
"You…"
Mara stopped.
"What?"
The child took a step backward.
"You're not supposed to be here."
Mara frowned.
"Why?"
"You died."
Silence.
Mara's face went pale.
Elias immediately stepped between them.
"Don't listen to him."
The child looked at Elias.
"You told her the same thing."
Elias's voice became sharper.
"Enough."
The child smiled again.
"You're still afraid."
Kade stepped forward.
"Okay, creepy kid. Enough riddles."
The child looked at him.
"You're the loud one."
Kade blinked.
"Excuse me?"
"The one who makes another him."
Kade's expression changed.
"How do you know about that?"
The child didn't answer.
Instead, he looked toward the empty space where Kian had disappeared.
"He's awake now."
Kade's voice dropped.
"What does that mean?"
"It means the door opened."
Kane looked around.
"What door?"
The child pointed at his own chest.
"This one."
---
Kian opened his eyes.
He was lying on a cold metal floor.
For a moment, he couldn't remember where he was.
He pushed himself upright.
The room was enormous.
There were no walls that he could see.
Only darkness stretching in every direction.
A faint green light glowed beneath his feet.
Kian looked around.
"Kane?"
Nothing.
"Kade?"
Nothing.
"Mum?"
His voice echoed.
Then someone answered.
"Kian."
He turned.
The fourth child was standing behind him.
The same black-eyed girl he had seen before.
But she wasn't wearing the appearance of Mara this time.
She looked like herself.
Small.
Pale.
Tired.
Kian stared at her.
"You brought me here."
She shook her head.
"No."
"Then who did?"
She looked around.
"I don't know."
Kian stood.
"Where are we?"
She pointed ahead.
Kian followed her finger.
A massive glass wall appeared out of the darkness.
Behind it were hundreds of small chambers.
Some were empty.
Some contained broken equipment.
Some contained things that Kian didn't want to look at for too long.
The girl walked toward the glass.
"They kept us here."
Kian stepped beside her.
"Who?"
She shook her head.
"I don't remember."
Kian looked at her.
"You said you remembered."
"I remember pieces."
She touched the glass.
"They changed things."
Kian looked at the chambers.
"Changed what?"
"Us."
Kian's stomach tightened.
The girl turned toward him.
"They wanted to know if abilities could be moved."
Kian remembered what Elias had told them.
"You can copy abilities."
"Yes."
"But why?"
She looked down.
"Because they couldn't make them."
Kian frowned.
"They tried to create mutants?"
"No."
She looked directly into his eyes.
"They tried to create something better."
Kian felt a chill.
"What?"
She didn't answer.
A sound came from somewhere behind them.
Footsteps.
The girl immediately grabbed Kian's hand.
"Hide."
They ran.
Kian glanced behind them.
Nothing.
Then the footsteps stopped.
The girl pulled him behind a large machine.
"Don't move."
Kian whispered:
"Who's coming?"
She put a finger to her lips.
A shadow appeared on the other side of the glass.
Tall.
Thin.
Human-shaped.
It walked slowly past them.
Kian held his breath.
The figure stopped.
Its head turned toward the machine.
Kian's eyes began glowing black.
The figure suddenly continued walking.
The girl looked at him.
"You did that."
Kian whispered:
"What?"
"You made it forget you were here."
Kian stared at her.
"I can't do that."
She shook her head.
"You didn't do it like your brother."
Kian frowned.
"Kane?"
"No."
She touched Kian's forehead.
"You didn't make it forget."
Kian's eyes widened.
"You made it unable to see you."
Kian looked toward the figure.
His heart began beating faster.
"What does that mean?"
The girl looked frightened.
"I don't know."
The lights suddenly came on.
The entire chamber was illuminated.
The figure was gone.
But there was someone standing behind them.
Kian turned.
Elias.
He was standing on the other side of the glass.
Kian's eyes widened.
"Dad?"
Elias pressed his hand against the glass.
"Kian."
The fourth child stepped back.
Kian moved toward Elias.
"Dad, where are Kane and Kade?"
Elias looked at the girl.
Then back at Kian.
"They're safe."
"Where are they?"
Elias didn't answer.
Kian's expression changed.
"Dad."
Elias lowered his head.
"I need you to trust me."
Kian stepped closer.
"I trusted you before."
Elias looked at him.
"I know."
"You lied."
"I know."
"You said there were three of us."
"I thought there were."
"You said the fourth was dead."
"I believed she was."
The girl looked away.
Kian's voice became quieter.
"Then what else don't you know?"
Elias stared at him.
For a moment, he looked like he wanted to tell the truth.
Then the glass behind him changed.
A message appeared.
SUBJECT 03 — ACTIVE
Elias turned.
Another message appeared beneath it.
ORIGINAL — ACTIVE
Then a third.
CONNECTION ESTABLISHED
Elias's face changed.
"No."
Kian looked at the screen.
"What?"
The girl whispered:
"They found you."
The entire facility began shaking.
Elias slammed his hand against the glass.
"Kian, listen to me."
Kian looked at him.
"Get away from the wall."
"Why?"
"NOW!"
Kian stepped backward.
The glass cracked.
Once.
Twice.
Then hundreds of cracks spread across it.
Elias looked terrified.
The fourth child grabbed Kian.
"What is happening?"
Elias shouted:
"THE ORIGINAL IS WAKING UP!"
The glass exploded.
Kian and the girl were thrown backward.
Through the shattered wall came a wave of darkness.
Not smoke.
Not a shadow.
Something alive.
It moved across the floor like liquid.
Kian tried to phase through it.
His body flickered.
But the darkness followed.
He stumbled.
The fourth child screamed.
"Kian!"
The darkness wrapped around his arm.
Kian looked down.
Black veins began spreading across his skin.
Then he heard a voice.
Not Elias.
Not the fourth child.
Not his own.
A voice that sounded like it had been waiting for him for years.
You were never the copy.
Kian froze.
The darkness climbed toward his shoulder.
You were the door.
His eyes turned completely black.
And somewhere far above them, Kane suddenly collapsed.
Kade caught him.
"Kane!"
Kane looked up.
His red eyes were wide with terror.
"I remember."
Kade stared at him.
"Remember what?"
Kane whispered:
"Kian wasn't the third."
A pause.
"He was the first."