Chapter 67 — "Facing Myself"

Chapter 67 — "Facing Myself"
The sight of me—or rather, the warped, mirror version of me—stepping from the shattered glass sent a chill racing down my spine.

Her smile was wrong. My face, but colder. Cruel. Her eyes gleamed like polished obsidian, as if they’d swallowed every ounce of fear I’d ever felt.

“Well, isn’t this cozy?” my Unself purred, voice perfectly matching mine but dripping with venom. “You and your little bodyguard.”

Lucas stiffened beside me, sliding instinctively between us. His voice was tight. “Stay behind me, Rae.”

I swallowed, never taking my eyes off the twisted version of myself. “I don’t think that’ll help this time.”

My Unself tilted her head, as if amused. “You’ve grown braver. Cute. Shame it won’t matter.”

Lucas gripped the wrench tighter, muscles coiled like a spring. “Why are you here? What do you want?”

She laughed—a sound that made my stomach turn because it was my laugh. “The same thing I’ve always wanted. To exist. To be free.”

“You already exist,” I whispered.

“Not like you do.” She stepped forward, glass crunching beneath her boots. “You get to feel. To love. To be loved.” Her gaze flicked to Lucas, her smirk deepening. “That little kiss? Adorable. But you can’t protect her, Lucas. Not from me.”

My chest tightened, but I forced myself to stand my ground. “You’re just a reflection.”

“I’m everything you pretend you’re not.” She sneered. “All that doubt you try to hide. All the fear you bury. I’m your truth.”

“You’re my weakness,” I shot back. “And I’ve faced you before.”

“Have you?” she whispered, eyes narrowing. “Because here we are again.”

The humming returned, vibrating through the air, stronger than ever. The shards on the ground trembled like they were alive.

Lucas shifted, voice low. “Rae. If we’re doing this—if we’re fighting her—it has to be together.”

I glanced at him. “I know.”

But my Unself caught that moment. “Together?” she repeated mockingly. “You think he’ll stay once he sees what you really are?”

“Shut up,” I hissed.

Her voice softened into a wicked purr. “You’re terrified he’ll leave you. That he’ll see how broken you are. That’s why you were too scared to confess for a whole year, wasn’t it? Because you know you’re not enough.”

I flinched.

Lucas stepped forward. “That’s enough.”

But she wasn’t finished. “You think kissing him fixes you? Makes you whole? You’re still empty inside. You always will be.”

My breath caught in my throat. For a flash of a second—just one second—her words burrowed in. Because they weren’t lies. Not entirely.

And she knew it.

The humming grew sharper, almost like a shriek. The room seemed to vibrate, the air thinning as the glass shards rose off the floor like metallic snowflakes suspended midair.

Lucas grabbed my hand, anchoring me. His voice was firm. “You’re not her, Rae.”

I blinked back tears. “I know. I know I’m not.”

But my Unself’s smile widened, sensing my hesitation. “Don’t pretend you don’t hear me, Rae. You are me. I’ll always be here. Whispering in your head. Reminding you that you’re not worthy of love.”

Lucas let go of my hand—and instead cupped my face, forcing me to look directly at him.

His eyes burned with something fierce. Raw. Unshakable. “Listen to me, Rae. I love you. The real you. Flaws, fears, doubts—all of it. That’s what makes you you. And that’s who I’ve fallen for.”

My heart stuttered.

He… he said it.

He loved me.

The words slammed into my chest like a wave. For a second, everything else—the humming, the glass, the monster wearing my face—blurred into background noise.

Lucas loved me.

I wasn’t broken.

I wasn’t empty.

Tears spilled down my cheeks, but this time they weren’t from fear. “I love you too,” I whispered.

The instant I said it, the humming faltered. The shards hovering in the air wobbled.

My Unself’s grin slipped.

“No,” she rasped, voice losing its edge. “No. That’s not how this works.”

“It is now.” My voice steadied. “You don’t get to control me anymore.”

The shards trembled violently.

Lucas squeezed my hand. “Keep going.”

“You exist because I was afraid,” I said, stepping toward her. “But I’m not afraid anymore. Not of you. Not of loving someone. Not of being loved back.”

The Unself staggered back as if struck.

“I’m me.” My voice rose. “You’re just my shadow. And you don’t get to win.”

The humming cracked. Literally.

The shards hanging mid-air began to burst, one by one, like tiny fireworks. The air around us shifted, the oppressive weight lifting as my Unself writhed.

“No!” she screamed. “You need me!”

“I don’t.” My voice was steady now. “I never did.”

With a final shriek, the last of the shards exploded into dust. My Unself dissolved into fragments of shimmering light, scattering like falling stars.

And then—silence.

The room was still. The air felt lighter, cleaner. Like something toxic had finally been drained away.

Lucas let out a long, shaky breath. “Holy—”

I collapsed into him, laughing and crying at the same time. “Holy everything.”

He wrapped his arms around me, his forehead resting against mine. “You did it.”

We did it. But I didn’t correct him. Because right now, being in his arms felt like the safest place in the world.

For the first time since this entire nightmare started—I felt free.

But our peace only lasted about ten seconds.

Because from somewhere beyond the room, another distant hum started. Different this time. Deeper. Meaner.

Lucas stiffened. “That’s not over, is it?”

“No.” I swallowed. “That was my Unself.”

We both turned toward the hallway, where an ominous pulse echoed from somewhere far below.

Lucas’s expression hardened. “That means his Unself is still out there.”

I nodded. “The original one.”

“The one who started it all.”

We stood in silence for a moment, letting that truth settle.

Then I took his hand, interlacing our fingers. “We finish this. Once and for all.”

Lucas smiled, his eyes burning with resolve. “Together.”

We stepped out of the ruined workshop into the corridor, ready to face whatever waited for us.

But as we turned the corner, we both froze.

Because standing at the bottom of the staircase wasn’t just his Unself.

It was both.

Both of us.

Two mirror versions—mine and Lucas’s—standing side by side. Their hands interlocked. Smiling like they’d been waiting.

And behind them, towering in the shadows—

A third figure.

Larger.

Distorted.

Pulsing with unnatural light.

Something new.

Something worse.

The fusion.

The Unselves had merged.

And it was coming for us.

Cliffhanger Ending:
The Unselves have joined forces, creating something entirely new—something neither Rae nor Lucas has faced before. Their greatest fight has only just begun.