"The ugliest truths hide beneath the prettiest lies."
[Morning – Kingsvale Institute, Cafeteria]
The cafeteria buzzed like a beehive—students jockeying for table space, alliances shifting like quicksand.
Elijah sat alone at the corner table, tray untouched. His Perfect Body attracted attention—girls whispering, boys eyeing him with thinly veiled jealousy—but none dared approach.
He wasn't just a student.
He was a problem.
Naomi slid into the seat opposite him like she owned the place.
"Mind if I join?" she asked, voice calm but sharp enough to cut glass.
Elijah didn't look up. "Take a number."
Her lips twitched. "Good. Because you're on my radar now. Officially."
He finally met her gaze.
"Why?"
Naomi shrugged. "You're a walking contradiction. No record, no history. Yet you command presence like a CEO on the trading floor."
Elijah smirked. "People like me tend to disrupt things."
"And disruption makes people uncomfortable," she said. "Which means they either try to kill you… or control you."
[Conversation – Underneath the Surface]
Elijah leaned in, voice low.
"Control means chains."
Naomi met his eyes. "Chains can be gilded."
He studied her carefully.
"Look, Naomi, I don't want your sponsorship, your network, your whatever. I survive by being unseen, by being the ghost behind the throne."
Her smile turned ice-cold.
"And yet, here you are, wearing the crown."
He laughed. "Funny, isn't it?"
"Not really." She scanned the cafeteria, eyes sharp.
"There's a war happening. Not with guns or fists."
"Social currency."
"Exactly. And the currency? Is fear, information, and appearance."
Elijah nodded slowly.
"I'm learning."
Naomi pulled out a slim device, flicking it on.
"Your 'Perfect' body has perks. Strength, speed, looks. But you're still..." She hesitated.
"Fragile. Because you're juggling two realities."
Elijah's jaw clenched.
"How do you know that?"
She shrugged.
"I don't."
"But I can guess."
[Flashback – Elijah, Late Night Alone]
The memory hit him like a punch.
The night he woke up in his New Body for the first time.
The cold mirror staring back at a stranger who looked nothing like him.
The crushing loneliness of knowing the world only acknowledged that version of him.
He was two men in one cage—and neither could break free.
[Present – Cafeteria, Naomi's Warning]
Naomi's voice broke the silence.
"Here's the thing."
She leaned closer.
"Everyone at Kingsvale plays a role. The Elite, the Middle, and the Invisible."
"The Elite run the politics, the business, the violence."
"The Middle are pawns, loyal to whoever gives them power."
"The Invisible? Like you in your other body. Ghosts who don't exist."
Elijah's heart thudded.
"You can't be both worlds."
"Maybe I don't want to be."
Naomi stood abruptly.
"But you're out of time."
She paused at the door, looking back.
"Tomorrow, a 'welcome event.' A fight. You're invited."
She left.
[Night – Elijah's Apartment, New Body]
Elijah stared at the ceiling.
The invitation wasn't a social call.
It was a death sentence.
A welcome fight meant:
Public humiliation if he lost
Physical destruction if he failed
Exposure if he tried to run
And he wasn't just fighting to survive.
He was fighting to protect a secret that could destroy him.
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION – Hidden Only to User]
Incoming Challenge: Kingsvale Invitational Combat Event
Status: High Risk / High Reward
Recommendation: Prepare physical and psychological conditioning immediately.
New Trait Available: "Dual Existence" – Manage social interaction risk with increased vigilance.
[Final Thoughts]
Elijah's mind spiraled.
One body thrived in this world. One faded away.
But the cage was closing.
And soon, someone was going to break the mirror.