Daniel walked to the carriage, putting his hands into his pockets. Mark was standing waiting for him. "Everything is alright, Prince?"

  "Yes, Mark. But you know, I should have brought one of the maids with me. She would have made the ride much more interesting."

  "That's something I should add to the list, sir."

  "No, you don't need to. I won't be leaving the palace for a while."

  "You will take a break?"

  "No. At least not now. Today will be a long day, and I will need a big break after. So maybe after the day is over, I should do some 'maid hunting'."

  "Sure, sir. I will add that to the list."

  "That's my Mark. Now, let's drive to the ceremony. They should be starting any time now."

  Daniel got to the place, but his face changed when he saw that woman they call his mother. "My dear Daniel, why are you dressed like this?" she said, fussing over him. "Oh, my dear, you are the son of the King! You can't be dressed like that."

  "I do what I want, mother," Daniel said, throwing her hands off of him. "And don't get your hands on me." He walked past her, to his room.

  He found his sister waiting for him. "I watched everything, my brother," Maryal said, her eyes bright. "You are so cool. But why didn't you kill Captain Black?"

  "You have a lot to learn, my little sis," he said, patting her head. "He's more valuable alive than dead. And so, his life has some value." He looked at her. "Anyway, you look so good in that dress, sis."

  "Oh, don't say that, Daniel. You're making me blush."

  "That's my job in this life, sis. To make you blush." He turned to his closet. "Anyway, choose some clothes for this shit ceremony."

  "Language, brother."

  "Sorry, sis."

  They got to the ceremony. The normal things the nobles do. Daniel didn't see any of that.

  He just saw a kid.

  A young boy in the crowd, staring at him. Not with awe. But with so much hatred that Daniel could feel it. A pure, burning, and ambitious hatred.

  Daniel stared back at the kid. "That kid," he thought to himself, "he could be really useful in the Agency."

  Daniel leaned over to one of the nobles. "You know, sir," he said, loud enough for others to hear, "I really like your daughter. Maybe you should bring her by after the ceremony? So, I can have a... chat... with her."

  "Of course, Prince!" the man said, bowing. "That would be my pleasure."

  The ceremony ended. The noble's daughter, Mary, was waiting for him. She didn't look excited. She looked bored.

  This made Daniel even more interested.

  "So," she said, as he approached. "My father has sold me to you in the promise of me becoming your wife. I didn't know I was that cheap."

  Daniel laughed. "Oh, well. We do have something interesting here." He gestured to a seat. "Take a seat. I didn't come here to make you fall in love with me. I could have done that, but I didn't want to."

  "You are too full of yourself, Daniel."

  Daniel's smile faded. His eyes went cold and sharp. "You call me by my name. Not 'Prince.' What an interesting... thing... we have here."

  "A 'thing'?" she said, her voice like ice. "Who is a 'thing'? I am a human, Daniel. Just like you. And you should know... I'm a Type 4. Not a Type 0, like you."

  Daniel stared at her, and then he sighed. The "prince" persona vanished, replaced by a sad, tired boy.

  "Well," he said, "that's the thing that got me to this conversation. I'm going to be killed by my father for sure. After what I did to Black. The war is going to come... and so... I just wanted to relax in my final days in this world."

  "And by 'relax,' you mean seduce me from my father?"

  "Look, Mary..."

  "Don't," she cut him off. "You have done this play many, many times on other servants. The 'be my girlfriend' game. I know it. That thing called my father sold me to a monster."

  The "sad boy" mask evaporated. Daniel looked at her, and for the first time, she saw the underneath. He was not angry. He was... still.

  "Look, Mary," he said, his voice a dead, flat whisper. "I am a Type 5. If I wanted you to lose your mind, I would show you things you can't believe. I would make sure you are my faithful wife forever, whatever I do... just like my mother."

  He looked away, his face twisting in disgust. "But I hate that woman. I hate what she became. And I couldn't do that to the woman I love."

  Mary froze. "...what?"

  "I love you, Mary," he said, his voice simple and quiet. "Since the first time I saw you, when we were seven. But I can't be to you... what my father is to my mother. I can't be unfaithful to you, Mary."

  He looked at her, his eyes meeting hers.

  "So, I will give you a deal. Marry me, Mary, in the last days of my life. And I will give you this vow: If you find me, once, unfaithful... you tell my sister. Is that enough?"

  "What would that bring me?"

  "My death," he said simply. "My life. If I am unfaithful... my sister has my permission to end me. Is that enough?"

  Mary stared at him, finally seeing the real, terrifying man in front of her. "I... I will think."

  Daniel smiled, the "sad boy" returning, but this time it was real. "I knew you would say that. And... no pressure. I know you've always looked at me as the golden boy. The one who should be dead."

  "Now, if you like, my lady, I could take you on a dat-"

  "Absolutely not."

  Daniel smiled. "And why would that be, my lady?"

  Mary crossed her arms. "First, I have a name. So, stop saying 'my lady.' Second, you just told me that you love me and that you would leave m-"

  "I said I would leave you to think about the offer," he cut in, "but I didn't say I would wait to take you on a date. Mary, you are my love. I have been holding this back for 11 years. Why should I wait any longer, now that you know?"

  "Because I need to think," she said.

  Daniel took her hand. "Think as much as you want... in the carriage. Just let me get you home. That is the least I can do."

  "No, thank-"

  "Well," he said, not letting go of her hand, "that wasn't an offer."

  Mary sighed, pulling her hand free. "See? You are still the same prince."

  "Well," Daniel said, that charming smile returning. "That's what the heart orders me to do. I don't control it."

  He took her home, then returned to the palace. He saw his mother. His face turned to stone.

  She tried to talk to him. "My son, why do you treat me like this?"

  "Because you disgust me, Mom," he said, his voice flat. "You leave this filth called 'father' with us."

  She slapped him. Hard.

  "Don't you dare say that about your father!" she hissed. "He is the most faithful man alive."

  "Oh, really?" Daniel said, rubbing his cheek.

  "Yes! I don't know what's happened to you. You've gotten older, so you think you can do whatever you want. I am still your mother."

  He took her hand. "Come with me."

  "Leave my hand, Daniel!"

  "I won't," he said, his voice a low growl, dragging her down the hall. "Then let the worst son a mother can have... show you."

  He arrived at his father's locked door. "He's in a meeting, Daniel! Stop this!" Daniel ignored her. He looked at the lock, and with a small, invisible twist of his power, the lock shattered from the inside.

  He opened the door.

  There was his father, having sex with a maid.

  "See for yourself, Mom," Daniel said, taking her head and forcing her to look. "Open your eyes. He's cheating on you. With every maid in this castle."

  The King stopped, annoyed. The maid looked terrified. Daniel's mother, however, just sighed. She pulled her head free and smoothed her dress.

  "Oh," she said, annoyance in her voice. "All of that fuss... for this? Sorry, my dears. Please, continue."

  Daniel stared at her, his face pale. And then, his expression hardened into the "void" we know.

  "That," he said, his voice dead. "That is why you disgust me."

  He shoved her hand away. "Get your hands off me, woman."

  His father got out of the room, his robe barely tied.

  "How dare you enter that room!" he roared. "You unworthy piece of garbage!"

  "Are you talking to me, old man?" Daniel said, his voice quiet and cold.

  "YES, YOU, DANIEL! How can you enter the room WHEN IT'S LOCKED!"

  Daniel stepped toward him. "And you dare speak to me like that? You?"

  He sneered.

  "You. The 'King.' The one all the people think has 'the plans.' You are DOING NOTHING. Except having sex. You make me do everything in this kingdom. I run this world. I am the true king. You... you are just a painting that I let the public see."

  The King, enraged, raised his hand to slap Daniel.

  Daniel caught his wrist.

  The hall went silent. Daniel's grip was like iron.

  "Don't," Daniel said, his voice a low growl. "Don't you even think about it. That woman, at the end of the day, is my mother. But you... you are just a painting."

  He squeezed, and the King winced.

  "You dare... you dare catch my hand..." the King stammered.

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  "I don't just dare to do that," Daniel said, pushing his father's hand away in disgust. "I dare to kill you."

  He turned and started to walk away.

  "But I don't want chaos in my kingdom... King."

  "Come here, Daniel!" his mother pleaded. "You can't talk to your father like that."

  "Just SHUT UP!" Daniel roared. "And stop following me! You disgust me. All of you. You are all filth!"

  Servants and guards, hearing the shout, began to fill the hall.

  "Don't talk to your mother like that, Daniel!" the King said, trying to regain his authority.

  Daniel laughed, a cold, bitter sound. He turned to the servants. "Oh, now you," he pointed to his father, "the filth... will tell me how I should speak? Right?"

  He threw his arms wide, addressing the entire room.

  "LOOK AT ME! I am the true king of this world! Now that your 'king' does nothing, I DO EVERYTHING! He gives you easy tasks. He gives you offers to steal money from this kingdom! I MAKE NO SUCH OFFER!"

  The great mirror at the end of the hall began to vibrate, a low hum filling the air.

  Daniel turned back to his father, his voice a low growl. "You old man... your time is ending. I was the only one stopping you from getting killed by everyone. Even your own brother. But now? Maybe I should kill you."

  "What are you saying, Daniel?" a new voice boomed.

  His uncle came running, flanked by guards—and Captain Black. "You dare threaten to kill our King?"

  "Oh," Daniel smiled. "Even the traitor has a mouth now."

  He ignored his uncle and looked right at Captain Black.

  Black didn't flinch. He just nodded, once, to Daniel. Then he turned to his own men. "Move, guys. We don't have business here."

  "What?" the uncle yelled. "Black! You're leaving? You traitors!"

  Black just shrugged. "Sorry, man. But I won't be alive if I stay in this room for much longer. Neither will my men." He and his soldiers turned and walked away.

  The hall was silent. It was just Daniel, his parents, and his uncle's terrified guards.

  Daniel looked at them, as if Daniel was possessed by the devil and he smiled.

  "Now that I've got all the filth in one room," he said. "Should I clean you all up in one go?"

  "My brother," Maryal said, her voice sharp, "you can't kill them. Don't dirty your hands with their blood."

  The Queen, hearing her, ran over and grabbed her arm. "My daughter! Talk to your brother! Make him stop!"

  The Uncle sneered from behind his guards. "No, don't talk to him, just kill him! He's just a Type 0. Why are you all so scar-"

  The Uncle's words were cut off.

  The great hall mirror began to vibrate violently, a low, groaning hum that made their teeth ache.

  Daniel looked at his uncle, his eyes a pure, cold "void."

  "You," Daniel said, "shall see why they are scared. Have a nice trip."

  The mirror sucked the uncle in. He didn't fly; he was pulled, slamming against the glass from the inside. He was trapped, his face pressed against the mirror, his screams silent.

  He was in the "Glass World" now. He saw it. The lights. The sounds. The other world that no human can stand. He started screaming, beating the mirror with his fists, trying to get out.

  Daniel just watched him. Then, he slowly raised his finger.

  Inside the mirror, shards of broken glass from that world began to rise. They flew at the uncle.

  "No, Uncle," Daniel whispered. "Don't be sad."

  The glass shards tore his clothes and started drawing.

  "Smile. A big smile. One that is worthy of your face."

  The glass carved a long, looping, smiling, happy face right onto his belly. The Uncle's mouth was open in a silent, agonizing scream.

  Daniel smiled. "That's it, Uncle. What was that? I can't hear you over that beautiful smile."

  He leaned in, his voice a soft, mocking purr.

  "Oh, you want to get out? Sorry, Uncle. The party just started."

  "BROTHER, STOP!" Maryal screamed. "You can't! You know your power is connected to the world's stability! If you use it, the world will break down!"

  Daniel looked at her, his face a mask of cold, sad calm. "That's what I want, sister."

  The mirror behind him began to crack.

  "For us to get out of this filth. To kill those filth," he motioned to his parents, "and be happy. I can take you and Mary, and we can get out of this world."

  "And what about the people?" Maryal cried.

  "They are filth," Daniel said. "Just like my father. The scientists who 'searched for stability'? They lied. They lied to keep us in a cage. I have already sent the Type 3s to finish them... before this world breaks."

  The entire palace began to vibrate.

  "Daniel, don't do this!" his mother pleaded. "My son!" the King begged.

  "SHUT UP!" Daniel roared, a sound that was more than human. The mirrors in the hall exploded in a shower of glass.

  He closed his eyes, a look of pure ecstasy on his face.

  "Let me hear the music," he whispered. "The sounds of the mirror shattering... the fabric of this world... this is the music I needed."

  And so, the world broke. The floor, the walls, the sky—everything dissolved into a storm of shattering glass and blinding, white light.

  ...There was nothing. Just a void, and the sound of screaming. Daniel was floating. He held Mary in one arm and Maryal in the other.

  "What have you done?" Mary whispered, horrified.

  "I have done what I always wanted," he said. "To get you two out of that misery. The Glass World is done. But I can make you both the queens of the... next one. There are still people alive who made it through. Be sure that they live a good life."

  "Why are you telling us this, brother?" Maryal asked, her voice trembling. "Are you... are you going to die?"

  "No," he said. He looked at them, his "Type 5" eyes full of a strange, sad love. "But to make you both, and the others, able to cross... I have to split."

  He held them tight. "I have to split in two. One of us will be here, to rule what's left. The other... will be there."

  Mary cried out as she saw him... tear. He began to tear apart, a line of light splitting him down the middle, his form dissolving into energy.

  "Go," his voice echoed, as he pushed them into the void.

  "Both of you. Go... until you find the me in that world."

  ***

  Daniel's eyes shot open. He was hyperventilating, choking on a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. "I... the castle... Maryal..."

  "Easy now, kid."

  Daniel looked around, terrified. He was in a dark, unfamiliar room. Sophie, the nun, was holding a glass of water for him. "Here," Sophie said softly. "Drink. You're safe."

  "Where... where am I?"

  "My apartment," Frank's voice said from the shadows. "You collapsed. At the bar."

  Daniel was crying, his mind a fractured mess. He clutched his head. "I... I saw... I saw him. The prince. He... he smiled at the kid... he recruited John..." He looked at Frank, his eyes wild with terror. "Who am I? Am I him? Am I the Prince... or am I just... me?"

  Frank stepped out of the shadows, his "void" eyes sharp. He sensed the break. This was his chance.

  "The kid in my basement—John—said the same thing," Frank said, his voice a flat, surgical tool. "He said you were the prince. He said the uncle was the traitor."

  "Yes... the uncle..." Daniel whispered, "but he... he got it all wrong... he doesn't know..."

  "Tell me."

  "The war," Daniel choked out. "The scientists... they lied. They... they said the world was stable, but they were lying..."

  Frank froze. This was new. "Who told you they lied?"

  "I... I did," Daniel said, and his face contorted in a mix of "Bar Daniel's" horror and "the prince's" rage. "I told them. I told all of them!"

  "Told them what?"

  "That they were filth!" Daniel screamed. "That I was the true king! That I... I..." He collapsed back, sobbing. "I broke it. I broke the world. It was me."

  Frank was silent, processing this new confession. This contradicted everything.

  "...But John said you had no power," Frank said, testing him. "He said 'The Sister'—Maryal—was the one who destroyed everything."

  "No!" Daniel yelled. "He's wrong! She... she tried to stop me! I'm the one... I'm the Type 5! No! I'm not! I'm nothing! I'm just me! I'm just the one who's trapped..."

  He was spiraling, clutching his head.

  "Frank, stop," Sophie said, stepping in front of him. "You're breaking him. Look at him. He's not an 'info source.' He's a person. He's just a lost kid."

  "What a piece of garbage I became," Daniel whispered. "...What a piece of garbage I am."

  "Welcome to my world," a voice said. A familiar voice. His voice. "Or... our world, Daniel."

  Daniel looked around. He wasn't in Frank's apartment. He was... nowhere. A room of endless, dark mirrors. And standing in front of him, wearing the clothes of a Prince, was himself.

  "How did I get here?"

  "Well," the prince said, smiling, "the mirror that was right beside you at the bar? It sucked you in."

  "WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME?" Daniel screamed. "WHY DID YOU DO THAT TO ME?"

  The prince laughed. "Sorry for the question, but... I did what, exactly? Oh. You mean I made you learn the truth?"

  "I knew the truth!"

  "You knew half of it," the prince corrected him, circling him like a shark. "You knew the half that I told my sister to give you. But even that you couldn't handle. So, I soaked you in ice water to get you back on track."

  He stopped and smiled. "Plus... that girl. Lucy. You can let her go now. Let her get back to her father. You're 'back in your mind'."

  Daniel's blood went cold. "What? You... you kidnapped Lucy?"

  The prince sighed, looking annoyed. "Well. I think I did become that stupid in the other world. Look, 'brother'... when the Mirror World collapsed, you... we... were frightened. Broken.

  "So, to get you back to your senses, we put you in a lab. A loop. And we took that girl as the 'prize.' A little mouse for you to chase. If you could get her, you could 'get back'."

  He leaned in, his face a mask of cold, sociopathic disappointment.

  "But nothing worked. You were just too stupid."

  The Prince sat on the floor, his legs crossed, looking at his other self with a mix of pity and disgust.

  "Man, sometimes I think to myself... 'I should have been the one in the other world.' The free one."

  He laughed, a cold, empty sound.

  "But then I see you. I see how stupid you are... and I'm just glad that I'm me."

  He leaned forward, his voice a low, conspiratorial whisper. "In my world, I put plans in motion that no one could ever think of. Plans that no one would ever know... except God."

  "But you... you are a disgrace."

  He sighed and stood up, brushing dust from his clothes.

  "But still. I can't kill you."

  He looked at his broken half, a tool he despised.

  "You are the only way for Mary... and for my sister... to have a normal life. You have to be alive for the plan to work."

  He shook his head.

  "I would have liked to kill you. Just to save the world from your stupidity."

  He smiled, that cold, "prince" smile.

  "But whatever."

  "So," Daniel whispered, his voice trembling. "You mean I'm a puppet."

  The prince smiled. "A puppet with free will. Don't forget that."

  He looked at his fingernails, bored.

  "Anyway. I just wanted to tell you..."

  He looked up, his "Type 5" eyes glinting.

  "You should probably tell that 'investigator' friend of yours to get his daughter from the bar. Or those men are going to rape her."

  Daniel's blood went cold. "What?"

  "She's naked, after all."

  "You... you sent her here... naked?"

  The prince sighed, annoyed. "That wasn't a choice I could make. It's a rule of the crossing. Even my sister and Mary were like that when they arrived. But I could choose the location."

  He smiled, that cold, sociopathic smile. "And I know how much you love that place, don't you?"

  "How... how are you like this?" Daniel stammered. "Are you a monster?" He stopped. He looked at the prince, his perfect, identical face. "...No. I'm you."

  He started to laugh. A broken, horrified, gasping laugh. "Man, you are just... so... stupid."

  The prince’s smile vanished. "From now on, I will try to help you with your life, since you are me. You will stop this 'Lucy' nonsense. You will marry Mary."

  "No," Daniel said, his voice hard for the first time. "I will marry Lucy."

  The prince just looked at him with pity.

  "Bro," he said, "that girl wants you dead. She's Frank's daughter. She knows exactly what you... what I... did."

  He paused.

  "She wants you dead because you have my face."

  "Anyway," the prince said, his voice bored. "Fast. Go and get that girl back to her father. It's time for a good old-fashioned 'reunion,' stupid."

  "Stop... stop calling me stupid! And why are you doing this?"

  The prince put a hand to his heart, his face a mask of fake sincerity. "Oh, I'm really sorry. I'm sorry that I hurt your feelings."

  He turned to walk away into the darkness.

  "Anyway, bye..."

  He paused, and looked back over his shoulder with that cold, sociopathic smile.

  "...disgrace."

  Daniel was thrown from the mirror, slamming onto the hard apartment floor. He gasped, his mind a fractured mess of Daniel and "the prince."

  Frank, who had been watching his unconscious body on the couch, jumped up. "Kid! Where were you?"

  "I... I was kidnapped..." Daniel stammered, clutching his head.

  "Stupid as always."

  Frank froze. "Who said that?"

  Daniel pointed, his hand shaking, at the "void" on Frank's own couch. "He's... he's here."

  Frank saw nothing. Just an empty cushion.

  "No, you weren't 'kidnapped'," the prince’s voice echoed, though he saw him clearly, lounging on the couch. "You were in the Mirror World. With me."

  "Why are you here?" Daniel whispered, horrified.

  "Didn't I tell you I'd help?" the prince said, looking bored. "Which means I'll be with you all the time. So don't get me bored, stupid."

  He looked at his fingernails. "Also, we don't have time for this. The girl is naked in a bar. Do you really love this girl, or is it just-"

  "LUCY!" Daniel screamed, scrambling to his feet. "Frank! LUCY! SHE'S IN THE BAR!"

  Frank grabbed his arm. "What are you talking about? Daniel, Lucy was kidnapped ten years ago by the Agency. Why would they release her today?"

  "Just believe me, Frank!" Daniel begged, tears in his eyes. "He... he said... they are going to rape her! We have to go!"

  "WHAT?"

  "Let's move!"

  They drove to the bar. Screams and loud music spilled out into the street. They burst through the doors, expecting a nightmare.

  And found... a party.

  Lucy was there. She was on a table. But she wasn't naked. She was wearing clean, new clothes. And she wasn't screaming; she was dancing with the men, laughing.

  "Well," the prince’s voice purred in Daniel's ear. "What do we have here." He paused. "To be honest... that girl is very interesting."

  "Lucy..." Daniel whispered, confused. "L-Lucy... you're really here?"

  She stopped dancing. She looked over the crowd. Her eyes landed on Frank. Her face, which had been laughing, broke.

  "Father?" she whispered. She jumped off the table and ran, pushing through the drunks.

  "FATHER!"

  She ran and hugged Frank. And Frank, the "void," the "brick," those hollow, gray pupils... All dissolved when he touched her.

  He hugged his daughter and the wood squealed as if it was tearing. He held her for a long second, his eyes shut. Then, Lucy looked over Frank's shoulder... and saw Daniel.

  She froze. Her entire body went rigid. She wasn't just "scared"; she looked confused. She slowly pulled away from Frank.

  She stared at Daniel, her voice small, like a prisoner speaking to a guard. "You... Y-o-u. Why are you here?"

  She looked around the bar, at the drunks, at her father. Her eyes were wide with a horrifying, dawning realization.

  "Is this... is this the test?" she whispered to Daniel. "Am I... am I released? Is this a break?"

  Frank saw the look on his daughter's face. He saw her talking to the man he'd been tracking.

  He saw her terror. He pushed Lucy gently behind him. His hand was on his gun.

  Daniel saw the look on Frank's face. He saw Lucy's terror. "No... no, I..." Daniel put his hands on his face, trying to bury himself.

  "Bro. I told you. She hates us."

  "No," Daniel thought, his world collapsing. "She... she's broken. She thinks I'm her... her jailer."

  "Ah. Well, that's a good point. This is a mess. Frank's hand is on his gun. Our plan, right now, is survival."

  "You must make her think we are two different things. You need to establish that you were also a victim."

  "Which is true..."

  "Which is real. And now... you're free. So, talk, stupid. Before he shoots us both."

  "I was a prisoner!" Daniel cried, his eyes full of tears. "Just like you! He... he put me in a loop!"

  He looked at Lucy, his voice breaking. "He's a monster. What you've been in, I've been in the same thing. And in that... that dream... you were the only person who was real. The only one who wasn't an illusion."

  Frank was still tense, his hand on his gun, his face a mask of cold confusion. But Lucy... Lucy was analyzing Daniel. She stared at the broken man on the floor.

  "You... you really do sound different than him," she said, her voice quiet.

  She looked at Daniel's crying, agonized face.

  "He wouldn't be crying like a kid," she whispered. "He wouldn't be on the floor."

  And with that, she reached over and gently pushed her father's hand, lowering the gun from its aim.

  "You see the difference, boy?" The prince said.

  "What?" Daniel thought, his head spinning.

  The prince’s "ghost" was now laughing, moving between the stunned, drunken bar patrons. "Even when I was her 'tormentor'... she still thinks I'm better than you."

  He started laughing, a cold, silent laugh that only Daniel could hear.

  "I can't stop laughing. You are so, so... dumb." The prince fell into the ground from the laughter.

  Lucy, still trembling, looked from Frank to Daniel. "So... who are you? Why do you look the same? Is he... is he you?"

  Frank's hand was still on his gun. He was staring at Daniel, waiting for an answer.

  Daniel opened his mouth, but no words came out.

  "Well... here I need to take the control wheel. Sorry, bro, if this hurts."

  The mirrors in the bar—the one behind the bottles, the one by the door—didn't just vibrate. They screamed. A high-pitched, metallic shriek filled the room.

  Then, they exploded. The shattered glass didn't just fall; it shot sideways, raining down on the tables and the drunks, who started screaming.

  "HE'S HERE!" Daniel screamed, his terror 100% real. "HE'S HERE! RUN!"

  He grabbed Lucy's hand. "FRANK, RUN!"

  Frank, seeing the "supernatural" attack and Daniel's genuine terror, didn't hesitate. He grabbed his daughter and ran.

  They spilled out onto the dark street, panting. Frank was checking Lucy for cuts.

  Daniel looked around, his heart pounding... and then he saw him. The prince was lounging on the hood of Frank's car, looking perfectly calm.

  "Why..." Daniel panted, "...th-"

  "Why did I do that?" He stood up from the car hood and brushed himself off. "Because if she finds out we're the same person, she'll think you're acting. Okay, stupid? I helped you. I proved that the 'monster' is a separate, violent thing."

  The prince smiled, that cold, sociopathic smile. "Can you learn to say 'thank you'? T-H-A-N-K-Y-O-U."

  "Man... just shut up," Daniel whispered.

  Frank looked up from his daughter. "What did you say, kid?"

  "Look who's talking..."

  Frank, his arm still around Lucy, kept his other hand on his gun. He was staring at Daniel.

  "What was that, kid?" Frank said, his voice a low growl. "It seemed like a bomb. But it didn't happen until my daughter asked you that question."

  "That investigator talks too much. But I can't kill him. That stupid 'thing' that I'm in... this body... it will be broken, more than it already is." He sighed. "Okay. Say as I say. Word for word."

  "Okay," Daniel whispered.

  Daniel looked up, his face pale. "He... he says... 'the monster is listening.' He doesn't want you to ask so many questions."

  He took a shaky breath. "He says... if you 'get your nose in things you shouldn't get, he will cut it for you.' And... and by 'nose'... he means Lucy."

  "WHAT?" Frank roared, his hand tightening on his gun. "How... how can you hear him?"

  "He's in my mind!" Daniel cried. "He doesn't want to leave! But he says... he says he'll let me live if I do what he wants!"

  "And what would a monster like that want?" Frank sneered. "To kill the whole world, or something?"

  "No," Daniel said, shaking his head. "He... he wants to find his sister. And Mary."

  Frank froze. "...His sister is in the Mirror World."

  "Tell him."

  "No, she isn't, Frank," Daniel said. "That... that was an illusion. To lure you out. To keep you searching for nothing."

  "What...?"

  "Yes, Frank," Daniel said, his voice breaking. "You were running inside his trap. All of this time."

  Frank stared, his 10-year "void" shattering. "That... that motherf—"

  "Okay. Now he's really pissed me off."

  In Daniel's vision, the prince just moved his finger.

  In the real world, the headlight on Frank's car exploded. A small, sharp shard of glass flew through the air and sliced Frank's nose.

  "DAD!" Lucy screamed.

  Frank yelled, clutching his face, blood running through his fingers. He stared at Daniel, his eyes wide with a new, horrified understanding.

  "I told you," Daniel whispered, terrified. "I told you he's listening."

  Frank wiped the blood from his nose, his eyes a cold "void." "Who does that thing think he is?"

  "...'That thing'?" The prince’s "playful" mask evaporated. His ego flared into pure, cold rage.

  "Daniel. Say as I say. Word for word. Or I will kill that man right now."

  "Okay... okay..." Daniel whispered, his body trembling.

  He stood up straight. His voice was no longer his own. It was cold, arrogant, and booming with the prince’s power.

  "He's telling you, Frank... 'I will tell you who I am. Not who I think I am.'"

  "I AM THE KING."

  "I AM THE KING... who killed his father because he thought he was filth."

  "I AM THE KING... who killed his mother because he was enraged by her naivete."

  "I AM THE KING... who killed his uncle because he was a traitor."

  "THAT IS WHO I AM!"

  Daniel/The Prince took a step toward Frank, who was stunned into silence.

  "So, you tell me, Frank. WHO ARE YOU?"

  "Are you the father that couldn't protect his daughter? And now thinks he's 'tough'?"

  "Are you the piece of garbage who drinks more than he breathes?"

  "Are you the cop who spent his entire life... searching for nothing?"

  "Are you the 'detective' who thought that he was so smart... but he was actually just a RAT. IN. A. TRAP?"

  Daniel/The Prince smiled, that cold, "Castle" smile.

  "IS THAT WHO YOU ARE?"

  Daniel, still channeling the prince’s rage, took a final, shuddering breath. "So, the next time," he boomed, "don't even think about talking to me like that. Do not mistake my silence for patience. I have none."

  The "possession" ended. The prince’s power receded, and Daniel's body gave out. He was trying to catch his breath, his legs buckling, about to fall to the pavement.

  The prince was now standing right in front of him, his face a mask of pure contempt. "STAND UP," the prince shouted. "FROM TODAY, YOU ARE MY PHYSICAL REPRESENTATION IN THIS WORLD. SO DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT BEING THE KID YOU WERE."

  Daniel, terrified, his body screaming, forced his legs to lock. He stood up.

  Frank, his mind shattered, couldn't process the words. The "rat in a trap." His 10-year quest was a lie. He was on autopilot. He just took Lucy's arm, pulled her to the car, and got in.

  Daniel followed, getting into the back seat.

  The ride to Frank's home was in absolute, heavy silence.

  ...Except in Daniel's eyes. He saw the prince sitting right next to him in the back seat, calmly looking out the window, a small, satisfied smile on his face.

  "Be brave, Daniel," the prince said, his voice now soft, almost kind. "As I was brave, you should be brave."

  Daniel just stared at him, his heart pounding with a mix of awe and pure terror.

  But the Prince didn't know—or didn't care—that the reason for all of this misery, and the source of all of Daniel's fear... was him.