-Mansion, Mirror World-

The count reclined in a lavish chair crafted from marble wood, wearing his mirror duplicate as silver chest armor, transcribing a parchment of his plans for his campaign. The room surrounding him resembled a scholarly study filled with books. Adjacent to him rested a glass of wine made for decoration. The delicacies in the mirror world tasted extremely bitter. A displeased expression crossed his face as he ceased his writing. Swiveling in his chair, he confronted the four replicas. Emitting a low, venomous growl, he voiced his disdain.

"You failed? I should have anticipated as much," Rising from his seat, he asserted. "Must I undertake your duties like a mere worker drone? If I intend to create my kingdom, it must conform precisely to my vision. Understand?!"

The creatures obediently nodded.

"I am your master. You all are tools - devoid of inherent value." He fixed a piercing glare upon the dual-haired woman's replica. "You! You failed in securing the woman. You are the most worthless among the four," He approached the creature. "You were supposed to capture her while the others distracted the children." He tightly gripped its neck and pulled the canokian's replica close to its face. "Why?"

"Knew themselves," It spoke with a raspy tone. "Different opponents yield different outcomes. A familiar face means lowering of guard."

The Count loosened his grip, glare still fixated on the replica while seemingly less than completely satisfied with the answer. "Maybe you are not completely incompetent, but you still failed." He roughly pushed the replica away. "A person of my stature expects perfect results from those deemed lower lifeforms. I am the only one who can lead you. I am the one who can uplift your world from its blank slate into a prosperous domain."

The creatures hesitantly nodded, something that went unnoticed by the Count.

"The commoners and the replicas are the same breeds. It does not matter if the commoners remain blissfully ignorant of their new surroundings. They are still useful in their loyalty, just like the vermin outside, just like your incompetent selves. Understand?"

With less enthusiasm, the creatures nodded.

"Leave, don't come back until you have fulfilled your duty. Do not fail! Your superior demands it!"

The Count witnessed the quintet leave the study. He turned around while placing his hand on the chest plate. "You know better, already submitted to a superior." The armor shimmered in response. "Good, less than stellar tasks will not be tolerated."

Meanwhile, outside the door room, the duplicates sent a disdainful glare at the door. They remained at the spot for a minute or two before begrudgingly leaving.

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-Mirror Rye-

The Fire Radiant waved his hand in the air, trying to feel for any vulnerabilities in this realm. Uncertain of what he should sense or observe, he was given instructions to find a transparent gap or see a spark or something that appeared out of place in a 'normal' world. Not finding anything in the air before him, he moved to the wall of another building to continue his search for irregularity by tracing his fingers across the wall. He felt like an idiot by doing this, but he had to do it. After a while, he dropped his arms and moved away from the wall. Shaking his head, he moved to another part of the ally where he sensed the Guardian member.

He found her gracefully sitting on a crate. Her eyes radiated a magenta hue as her aura flared, dancing like a roaring fire. In the short time of knowing her, he would never guess someone with her elegant stature would see combat. Then again, he knew nothing of her world, so there was no point in thinking who was likely to fight or flee. A moment later, her dancing aura ceased as her eyes returned to normal. Gazing up at the red sun, her frustration evident on her soft features. "Not here."

"What were you doing? You told me what to do before you sat there and did... whatever that was."

"Aura Art: Affix. My aura appends to beasts for scouting purposes," She closed her eyes. "Unfortunately, the number of real insects and animals in this dimension is zero."

"You can control your aura to control other living things, is that all?"

"Affix is only one of the functions of Aura Art, but each function has a drawback." She placed her hand on her hip. "Affix only allows me to control beasts and individuals with less constitution. Sadly, there is a 35-minute time limit and a 20-mile radius. I compensate for the drawbacks by learning other adroit. I hope you are training to wield non-fire adroit."

"I have one ready, but I have to strike quickly before it turns to fire."

"Good," She held an approving smile. "I hope you will continue to excel." She turned her focus elsewhere. "Come, let's move to the outskirts of town."

The boy nodded and followed the elegant woman through town while observing the mingling civilians. A shiver descended through his spine at the idea of never realizing you were under a spell from a madman. You wake up with no memory of the previous world and believe this world was all you knew. Never questioning the world nor the accessory latched on the back of their head.

Once reaching the edge of town, the Lady gazed at the surrounding terrain. "Hopefully, our friends have found a solution. Otherwise, confronting the Count will be the only option. If we do beat him, will we remain here or be released?"

"Could we try to generate enough mana to blow a hole in this dimension? I saw something similar on TV."

"That would be a waste of energy," She folded her arms around her abdomen. "And leave us vulnerable to the Count when the plan fails."

He solemnly nodded. "Yeah, right." He gazed at the terrain, feeling awkward. "The colors are making me sick. Will we be venturing out?"

"No, I wanted to see if there was anything unusual other than the color scheme." She closed her eyes. "I sense nothing. My fondness for the color scheme is declining each minute I am here."

The boy nodded as he analyzed the terrain, feeling an ache in his stomach. The vivid hues and the tension of the new terrain seemed to erode his optimism. He was used to beating the monsters to win, but the possibility of beating the Count might not be the solution to the current problem. Speaking of the current problem, those mirror creatures were still out there. They know little about them and the power they possess.

"What do you think of those mirror creatures?" asked the fire warrior, "They mimic our appearance and power."

"Not our power," Selen-ja replied. "When Geo and I fought our duplicates, they only mimicked our actions. They could not copy his element or the properties of a few adroit I used against them."

"Really?"

"Absolutely, Jake. Remember, keep your eyes and senses sharp." She warmly smiled as she patted him on the head.

The boy felt embarrassed at her action, lightly blushing. "Yeah, can you not do that please?"

"Alright, I won't." She lightly chortled in response. "Come, let's reconvene with the team."

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The duo returned to the village to meet with the others. While they were close to the meeting point, the member of Guardian noticed a boy massaging a man's back. The man appeared exhausted, red in the face as if he had jogged all day. The elven woman wordlessly approached them.

"Excuse me, sir." She greeted. "Are you well?"

"Nay," The man wheezed as sweat dripped from his face. "It feels like I have come under the weather. I have been trying to manage myself just as the physician said." His tone shifted to confusion. "But when did I see a physician?" The man's tone sounded hollow as he tried to remember the past event, but he could recollect the memory.

"Uh," Equally confused, the boy continued to massage the man. "I don't know."

"I see," Selen-ja furrowed her eyebrows. "Can you tell me if you feel anything else?"

The weary man clutched his face. "I feel I can't focus, I can barely breathe, my vision is blurry, dizzy, and sick to my stomach."

Blaze grimaced, sounding unsure. "Maybe you could lie down?"

As he rose to his feet, he forced a smile on them, a contrast to his growing pale face. "No, I can overcome this. I will go home and rest..." His voice faltered, and suddenly, he crumpled to the ground, filling onlookers with dread. Selen-ja swiftly knelt beside him, flipping him onto his back as he gasped heavily for breath. The Fire Radiant felt he was out of his depth with the scene before him. The noble immediately told everyone to move away as she checked his pulse. She felt mana leaking. She turned his head to check the small mirror. A grim expression developed as the mirror glowed while slowly changing into a dull gray color.

"What is that?" The warrior of fire gasped at the slow change of the mirror.

"I don't know." Her voice was concerned.

"Selen-ja!" Kali's frantic voice cried out.

The spiky-haired warrior's attention quickly shifted to see her and Geo racing to them in a state of panic. The Shadow Radiant had a small girl cradled in her arms, her face etched with worry, while Geo wore a visibly troubled expression.

"What happened?"

The petite girl gently laid the girl down before noticing the man. If she could look more pale, she would. "Him too?" Her voice trembling with worry. "Why?

"The child collapsed while investigating." Geo sounded on edge. "We did not know where the mother was, which is why we brought her to you."

Selen-ja nodded. "Good." She looked toward the boy on the bench. "Please find a doctor, a healer, anyone who has medical knowledge."

The child nodded frantically before running away.

The woman exhaled softly, trying not to worry. "Kali, check her mirror. Is it changing?"

The black-clothed girl nodded before looking at the back of the child's head, grimacing at seeing a light gray-colored mirror. "Yes, it's gray, but why?"

"Is the color darkening?" questioned the Terra Radiant.

As he gestured, the once gray mirror transformed to a dark color before it started to crack, shocking the group. Adding to their anxiety, they were met with additional screams erupting around them, shifting their attention to the crowd. Several individuals were suddenly dropping. Some were clutching their faces as they were experiencing disorientation and shortness of breath.

"What's happening?" Blaze's voice choked. His expression grew terrified, with each person succumbing. Something that made him feel like any hope of solving the crisis was starting to decline, with each person crying out in pain. A deep frown marred his lips when he spotted their duplicates approaching them from the crowd. He rose up with anger on his face. "Hey! Do you know what's happening?!"

Kali grimaced at the duplicates. "Please tell us."

The creatures exchanged glances before directing a collective glare at the group.

"Our brethren feed." Selen-ja's replica answered. "Trade mana to heal injured."

"More injured, more mana." finished fire replica.

The canokian grabbed the bridge of her nose. "I see, that is unfortunate." She exhaled roughly, eyes showing worry. "Our friends are probably fighting their brethren without knowing their actions are causing unintended harm. Those with lower mana affinity have enough mana for a lifetime."

The shadow warrior shed a tear as she covered her face while whimpering. "No."

"Damn," cursed the rock warrior, clenching his fist with anger. "We can't contact them."

"If they knew..." Blaze wearily trailing off, feeling unsure of what to do. If the others found out, he could predict their reactions, especially Amy. The girl would hate herself, knowing she was causing harm to civilians, even if it was not intentional. He closed his eyes, trying to think of something. Meanwhile, the elegant guardian eyed the downed man's small mirror. It appeared to have stopped changing, yet the man was not showing signs of recovery. He appeared to have lost consciousness. She closed her eyes, contemplating.

"What is your objective?" demanded the elegant warrior, cautiously eying the duplicates. "Why have you not attacked us?"

"Objective," spoke the rock replica. "Replace the weak."

"The strong strive." said the fire replica. "Count's strength only through convenience."

"Prove you can eliminate the Count, the false ruler," added the shadow replica.

"What?" The Fire Radiant held a surprised expression. "Are you saying you want us to bring him down? Why? What convenience?"

"Might is right. Strength is survival." the replicas robotically spoke in unison, slowly emitting a silver radiance.

The elf woman's expression was puzzled before she rose up, watching their quintet opponents hovering toward each other. "Younglings, be on guard."

The group of creatures melted, forming into four distinct puddles that eventually merged into a single fluid mass. Slowly, it reshaped itself, enlarging and molding itself into a towering figure. This new form was a nine-foot-tall silver humanoid with piercing yellow eyes and a robust jawline. With a forceful motion, it raised its arms and slammed them together, creating a shockwave. Filled with fear, the populace scattered in different directions.

Narrowing her eyes at the monstrosity, Selen-ja rose and clapped her hands together before spreading them apart, creating a magenta mana lumbar that manifested into her bronze and red-tipped bo-staff. She executed an elegant twirl before slamming it on the ground.

"Younglings, I will handle this."

"What?!" the alarmed shadow warrior exclaimed. "No! Let us help you!"

"You need your strength for Count Edgar." the seasoned warrior insisted. "Leave."

Anxiously, Blaze nodded while gently taking hold of Kali's shoulder. Initially hesitant, the girl furrowed her brow, resisting the idea. After a moment, she closed he eyes and then turned away, joining Blaze and Geo. She smiled while watching them leave. Facing the creature ahead of her, she approached it with bold elegance, maintaining her guard.

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The Radiant Trio swiftly moved the man and the child further from the battle, positioning themselves near the town's outskirts. Blaze gently placed the elderly man on the ground while Kali carefully settled the child on a bench. She touched the child's forehead and then inspected the small mirror. She appeared surprised at the mirror slowly returning to its normal color, but the crack was still prominent, bringing a frown to her lips. Her attention shifted to the direction where they left, a fearful expression fully displayed. As much as she trusted the elegant warrior, she had a knot in his stomach at the thought of the Count's intentions and the potential power of the mirror creature "S-should w-we go back?"

"No," Geo responded calmly, his voice tinged with an edge. "We would be in her way."

"Jack!" Kali angrily and fearfully glared at him. "You know what the Count wants."

"You aid her, and we won't be at full strength against Count." His voice turned harsh as he retorted. "I don't like it, either."

"Then I will help!" She made a move to leave, but Geo quickly grabbed her arm

"Don't foolish rush off." He scowled at her. "That will hinder her."

"Let go." She glared at him.

Witnessing a potential scuffle between the two, Blaze rose to his feet, allowing his aura to flare, bringing the two's attention to him. A grimace on his face, he declared. "Stop! We don't have time for this!" He pointed to the old man and the kid. "We have to find a way to help them! Selen-ja can handle that creature. Probably has an adroit that can bring it down in an instant. We need to do something else."

"B-but..." The shadow warrior's voice sounded hesitant and sorrowful. "What do we do?"

"We could continue our search for a path to the real world." The rock warrior gazed out at the terrain. "We haven't gone out there yet."

"We still need to confront the Count." Blaze turned his attention to the mansion, contemplating their next move. "I think we should split up."

The Terra Radiant had a disapproving glare. "Separating is dangerous. All three of us should either confront him or head out to the field."

"It is," The warrior of fire exhaled, frustration increasing. "But what if while we search outside, Selen-ja defeats this mirror beast? The count finds out and abducts her?"

"Then, I will confront him." the shadow warrior immediately declared.

"No." Blaze hesitantly spoke, sweat dripping from his face. "I-We will. You and I. Geo, please go out to the forest."

The warrior of rock scowled, apprehension apparent on his face. "As I said before, separating is dangerous. There is a possibility we might not find anything out there. Are you sure?"

His frustration was still evident. He closed his eyes and exhaled sharply as he roughly scratched his hair. Should they all go to the forest, or should they head to the mansion? Splitting up could work, but if the two of them confronted the Count, would that be enough? What if there was something else out there? There were too many situations where things could turn bad. He opened his eyes and turned his attention to the mansion.

"Whether splitting up is a good or bad idea," He wearily smiled at them. "I want to defeat the Count and leave. What about you all?"

"Eliminate the Count." The brown-clothed warrior answered with a stoic frown. "It's the only thing we can do."

"Even if we risk trapping ourselves." The black-clothed warrior warily smiled. "We have to do it."

Resolute in their decision, the trio faced the mansion and marched forward.