Hammya opened her eyes in a place of utter darkness. There was no light, only a thick and endless blackness. Panic surged through her as memories of what had happened came rushing back.

  She and Clementina had been chatting, passing the time, when someone knocked at the door. Clementina thought it must be Candado, returning after completing his mission; after all, it had already been an hour. She approached the entrance and opened the door. But to her surprise, it wasn’t Candado — it was a man in a suit and hat.

  Casually, Clementina asked for his name. However, when she caught sight of the emblem he wore, she slammed the door shut. The man, quick as lightning, wedged his foot into the gap and forced it open.

  “Good morning,” the agent greeted.

  “Leave this house," Clementina said coldly.

  Two more men appeared at the door behind him.

  “We don’t have any issues with robots," one of them said. "They’re human creations — they're free to do as they please."

  "So what?"

  "Hand over the girl."

  "No."

  The agent closed his eyes, a tired expression crossing his face.

  It was then that Hammya burst into the room.

  "Get out!" she cried.

  In the blink of an eye, Clementina transformed her hand into a machete and slashed the throat of one of the intruders.

  "RUN, HAMMYA!" she shouted.

  The girl hesitated, frozen in fear, but finally turned and bolted toward the back door—only to crash directly into another agent.

  "Don't kill her," ordered a voice. "Take her alive."

  Clementina fired a shot at the assailant’s head, freeing Hammya. But before she could escape, another agent landed a brutal punch to her stomach, denting her metal frame, and tore off her left arm in a single vicious yank.

  Despite the damage, Clementina fought on, ferociously. Hammya tried to help, but two more men seized her, holding her tight.

  Using her legs as lethal weapons, the android decapitated a third enemy. But as she lunged at the leader, he effortlessly dodged her attack, slammed her to the ground, and, pinning her down with a foot on her back, gripped her neck with both hands... and ripped off her head in one brutal jerk.

  "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Hammya screamed, her soul shattering.

  The agent looked at her with cold indifference.

  "You have no idea what you've just unleashed," he said.

  He threw her to the ground and advanced again. Clementina’s severed head, lying on the floor, turned slightly toward Hammya in one last, fragile gesture.

  "Everything will be alright..." she whispered with a serene smile.

  Then her gaze shifted to the leader.

  "You messed with the wrong people..."

  The agent crushed her head under his boot with brutal rage, shattering it into pieces.

  Hammya cried out in helpless agony.

  "Take her away!" the leader barked. "The rest of you — help our fallen."

  Hammya wept in the dark, clutching the memory of Clementina. She had no idea how much time passed, swallowed by darkness, until she heard a lock click.

  The door swung open, and a blinding light flooded the cell.

  "Grab her!" someone shouted.

  She tried to run, but a blow to her stomach knocked the air from her lungs, sending her crashing to the ground.

  "That was stupid," said the man in a voice full of disdain.

  They dragged her down a brightly lit hallway lined with doors, one after the other. Despite the pain, Hammya struggled to take in everything around her, desperately searching for an escape — but she saw none.

  The men dragging her wore black armor and gas masks, their faces hidden.

  They brought her to a metallic stretcher and cuffed her down.

  "Alright, leave us," ordered a voice.

  The masked men obeyed and stepped back.

  A man with a pristine appearance approached her, smiling coldly.

  "Hello, darling. I hope you don't mind," he said, his voice almost tender.

  Hammya trembled, rattling the chains that bound her wrists and ankles.

  "Mommy’s little girl... I’ll try not to hurt you too much, alright?"

  Without warning, he sent a jolt of electricity through her tiny body, ripping a heart-wrenching scream from her throat.

  "Oops! Forgive me," the man chuckled mockingly. "Forgot to lower the setting."

  He shocked her again, this time with even more force.

  "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! STOP!"

  "I never get tired of this..." he murmured with a smile. "Filthy communists, disgusting Peronist scum... always begging."

  He glanced at a monitoring screen.

  "Heart rate at three hundred... Incredible. More than a human. Congratulations: you're not a Peronist. Better yet — you're not even red."

  He laughed cruelly.

  "Rafael," another voice called.

  The man turned at once, straightening up.

  "Oh, Director..." he said with an exaggerated bow.

  "The Patriarch specifically asked that she not be damaged."

  Hammya, soaked in tears, could barely breathe.

  The Director approached and placed a hand on her forehead, as if trying to soothe her.

  "Shhh... It’s over... It’s over..."

  "Rafael," the Director said again, his tone now glacial, "leave. There are other specimens downstairs impatient for your little electric toy."

  "I hate that place," Rafael grumbled, gathering his instruments.

  "You had no problem tossing teenagers from planes."

  "It was for a greater good..."

  "Leave."

  "Yes, Director," Rafael replied, finally retreating.

  The door slammed shut behind him. Hammya was left alone, trembling, cuffed to the stretcher, trapped in a nightmare with no escape.

  Hammya began to shake uncontrollably.

  "I won't hurt you... not yet," the man said coldly.

  He set aside the electric prod and turned off the monitor tracking her vitals.

  "My procedures are less painful."

  He picked up a pair of scissors and began cutting Hammya's dress with surgical precision.

  "There, there. Relax."

  He finished removing the dress, leaving her abdomen exposed, and began applying a cold substance to her skin. Then, without warning, he drew blood with a syringe.

  "Fascinating... green?" he murmured, observing the liquid inside the tube.

  Hammya couldn't stop trembling.

  "We're done for today. Tomorrow will hurt... I think you deserve a break."

  "Why are you doing this to me?" Hammya asked, her voice breaking.

  "I'm sorry. You've had bad luck... your sacrifice will help humanity."

  "Am I going to die?" she whispered, barely audible.

  "Yes... unfortunately, yes."

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  The man dragged the stretcher into a small, dreary room where there was only a bed. He untied her and let her fall onto the mattress.

  "In a few hours, they'll bring you new clothes," he announced before leaving, closing the door behind him.

  Hammya, alone in the dimness, began to sob uncontrollably, repeating between gasps:

  "Candado... help me, please..."

  Meanwhile, late into the night, Candado checked his watch, seeing the hands strike 12:00 a.m. He was sitting outside Samanta’s house, growing increasingly impatient.

  "Day one outside... four left," he muttered, slipping the watch into his pocket. "Too slow..."

  At that moment, his mother, Europa, and his uncle Gutiérrez arrived.

  "Sorry for the delay," Europa apologized.

  "Four hours," Candado said dryly.

  "Yes, I know... but it was necessary," added Gutiérrez.

  "We managed to identify the object," confirmed Europa.

  Guillermo, another companion, pulled two mirrors from the car. One was ordinary, but the other... well. It was not a common mirror: it did not reflect people, only objects around it.

  "Let's go inside," Europa ordered.

  Candado took the special mirror and headed towards Inés' room, Samanta’s daughter. Gutiérrez followed, intrigued.

  "You know what's happening, right?" Gutiérrez asked.

  "Yes," Europa replied.

  "The girl has been trapped inside the mirror," Gutiérrez explained. "Her powers awakened abnormally... through nightmares."

  "Exactly," Europa continued. "Her segalma went insane, believing it was under attack. After suffering repeated nightmares, her mind identified the threat as coming from within her own brain, and so her segalma struck from the inside, causing hallucinations."

  "The Ref Syndrome," Candado added. "Yes, that’s right, uncle."

  "Then, why did you need the mirror?" Gutiérrez asked, puzzled.

  Candado placed the special mirror in front of the ordinary one.

  "For this."

  Inside the reflection, an image of a cocoon appeared, and within it, a young girl slept peacefully.

  "The girl can control mirrors as portals," Candado explained. "According to what her mother said, she didn’t want to sleep here because she was afraid of her own reflection."

  "Reflection? Oh dear..." said Europa.

  "People who manipulate mirrors have personalities reflected inside them. In other words..."

  "They obey the original personality," Gutiérrez completed.

  "Exactly," Candado nodded. "In one of her nightmares, the girl woke up. Upon seeing her reflection, her terror projected into it. Her segalma, misidentifying that image as a threat, tried to eliminate it. But because it must protect its original, it conflicted with itself... and locked her away."

  He tapped the mirror gently with his knuckles.

  "She locked herself inside," Europa whispered.

  "Do you know how to enter?" Gutiérrez asked.

  "Yes. That's why, while I was waiting, I called someone," Candado said, glancing guiltily at his mother.

  "Why?" Europa asked, intrigued.

  Candado looked toward the open door, where the mirror stood.

  "Zúr... come in, please."

  From the darkness, a male figure emerged.

  "Hello, sister," he greeted.

  Europa shifted uncomfortably when she saw him appear.

  Zúr: hair made of sharp diamond-like crystals, yellow eyes, light blue skin, dressed impeccably in a suit.

  Abilities: a mixture of violet blood and tolerance to sunlight. Apparently, some mineral had hardened his body beyond what should have been possible.

  Skills: cooking and cleaning.

  "H... hello. It's been a long time," Europa greeted awkwardly.

  "Yes... a very long time," Zúr replied coldly.

  Candado and Gutiérrez scratched their necks unconsciously, a nervous gesture.

  "Hey, Zeta," Gutiérrez tried joking.

  "Zúr," the newcomer corrected sharply. "For you, it’s Zúr."

  "Yeah, sure..." Gutiérrez muttered, lowering his gaze.

  "I just want to make it clear that I'm here to help my nephew. Not for you, nor for you," he added, pointing first at Europa, then at Gutiérrez.

  "Yeah..."

  "Of course..."

  "It’s..."

  "Yeah..."

  "Shut up!" Zúr snapped, raising two fingers to emphasize his irritation. "You’re the last people I want to hear anything from. But if it weren't for your son," he glared at Europa, "my daughter would still be sad. That doesn't change anything between us."

  Candado, with a solemn gesture, placed a hand on his own back, as if apologizing.

  "I'm sorry. But I really need your help."

  Zúr lowered his gaze and sighed.

  "No. I'm the one who's sorry... and I will help you."

  "Thank you," Candado said, relieved.

  "Tell me, what do you need?"

  "I want to enter the mirror," he said, pointing toward the room where Inés lay trapped. "That mirror."

  Zúr approached and ran a finger along its surface. To everyone's surprise, instead of feeling solid, the mirror rippled softly, as if it were liquid.

  "There must be something very important for you to want to dive into such an unstable mirror," he commented, without taking his eyes off it.

  "I'm going with him," Europa interjected firmly.

  "It's dangerous," Zúr warned, frowning.

  "I know. But it's something only the two of us can do," Candado assured him.

  "And what about me?" asked Gutiérrez, visibly annoyed.

  "Uncle Guti, you're important too... just not right now. Your role will be crucial later."

  "What role?"

  "You'll find out," Candado replied with an enigmatic smile.

  Then he turned to Zúr with determination.

  "Do it."

  Zúr nodded, touched the mirror, and the surface began to glow with a phosphorescent light, pulsing as if breathing.

  "It's ready," he announced.

  Europa grabbed Candado’s hand.

  "Don't let go of me."

  "Funny. I was about to say the same thing," Candado replied, flashing him a knowing smile.

  They shared a brief look and, without hesitation, crossed the mirror, vanishing from the room in a flash.

  "Good luck," Zúr whispered, left standing alone before the portal.

  Candado and Europa entered a world where everything was made of mirrors: the ground, the sky, even the infinite horizon. To the left, to the right, above and below… everything was reflection.

  "This is horrifying," they said in unison.

  Europa chuckled lightly, while Candado blushed, feeling awkward. But soon he composed himself again; there were matters of grave importance to attend to.

  "Ahem... let's keep going," he muttered, moving forward.

  They walked for several minutes without finding anything. Only their infinite reflections answered them from every direction.

  "It should be here," Candado said, his voice trembling slightly.

  "Don't worry, I'm sure it'll show up," Europa tried to reassure him.

  "Yeah... it has to be," Candado repeated.

  They continued walking, but the immutable landscape of mirrors never seemed to change. Normally, Candado remained calm in situations like this; however, this time was different. Desperation began to creep into his voice, his steps, his gestures. If he didn't find what he was looking for... Hammya would be lost forever.

  "Son," Europa called out, concerned.

  "I'm fine," Candado snapped. "Just keep an eye out, will you?"

  "Alright..."

  "I just need to think," he muttered to himself.

  "Son..."

  "Fascinating."

  Europa froze, as if time itself had stopped around him.

  "Greetings, Candado," said a voice, coming from everywhere and nowhere at once.

  The mirrors began to reflect a familiar figure: Odadnac.

  "Hello, brother," Odadnac greeted with a crooked smile.

  He moved freely between the reflections, defying all logic.

  "Your security is pathetic," he mocked. "No matter how many cells you build, you'll never be able to contain me."

  "I don't have time for this," Candado growled.

  "Oh, but here you have all the time in the world."

  "What the hell do you want?"

  "A deal."

  "I refuse. Forget it."

  "Not even going to listen?"

  "No."

  "Very well, then."

  With an invisible snap, everything returned to normal. Europa blinked, regaining his movement.

  "Son... I know this is a desperate situation, but you must stay calm..." He stopped when he saw Candado's face. "What's wrong?"

  "Nothing," Candado said, forcing a smile. "Thank you for your words. I really needed them."

  Many more hours passed, but at last, something broke the monotony of the mirror world.

  "There it is," Candado announced, pointing ahead.

  "Good, we need to hur—"

  Candado cut himself off, suddenly coughing up blood.

  "What...?" Europa exclaimed. "Candado?!"

  Candado collapsed to his knees.

  "Still not fully healed, huh?" he joked bitterly.

  "You're pushing yourself too hard!"

  "No... there's no time."

  Despite the pain, Candado didn’t stop. He knew what he wanted—what he needed to do. There was no turning back.

  He pressed on toward the objective: a cocoon wrapped in fine silk, suspended in midair.

  "Mom, I need your help."

  "Tell me what to do," Europa answered, moving closer.

  "When you take the girl, you have to leave through this mirror," Candado explained, activating a nearby portal. "She hasn’t mastered her powers yet. If we stay in direct contact with her for too long, we’ll become a threat to her."

  "Understood."

  Candado gathered what little strength he had left to power the portal. Then he looked at his mother.

  "NOW!"

  Europa scooped the girl into her arms and rushed toward the portal. But danger struck immediately: one of the mirrors morphed into a blade and pierced Candado’s arm. The splintering crack of bone was loud enough to make Europa spin around in horror.

  "CANDADO!"

  "Go! Now!" Candado shouted, unfazed by the pain.

  Europa hesitated... but at that instant, Candado knew what he had to do.

  "Asinóh..." he whispered.

  From the ground, flaming dogs burst forth, charging at Europa and the girl, sweeping them through the portal and out of the mirror world.

  "NO!" Europa screamed, reaching out as they vanished.

  Candado fell to his knees, utterly spent. Before him, incomplete bodies began to form—grotesque, broken imitations of human beings—advancing with murderous intent.

  He didn’t plan to surrender... but he no longer had the strength to escape on his own. For the first time in his life, he had to resort to Plan B.

  "Isidro..." he murmured.

  He closed his eyes. Within seconds, every creature froze in place, turned to statues.

  A figure emerged from the mirrors: Odadnac.

  "I see you've made your decision," he said, smiling with a mixture of mockery and triumph.

  Candado gritted his teeth. Though he had called for help, though he knew he needed it... his hatred for his "brother" burned undiminished.

  "I will accept your help."

  "And...?"

  Candado raised his hand.

  "That includes your demands."

  "Do you swear it?"

  "I never lie."

  "Good." Odadnac extended his hand. "Will you take it now?" he teased.

  Candado stared at it—first at the outstretched hand, then into Odadnac’s eyes.

  "I hate you."

  "I know."

  With a heavy sigh, Candado took his hand.

  On the other side of the mirror, Europa had made it out, carrying the unconscious girl.

  "Euro, where’s Candado?"

  "He hasn't come through yet." She laid the girl down carefully on the sofa and hurried to the mirror. "Zúr, open it again."

  "That won't be necessary," a voice said behind her.

  Europa whirled around, startled to see a second mirror that had been brought along.

  "...!"

  The mirror shimmered, and Candado stepped out, his expression confident.

  "I always have an escape plan. Thanks, Uncle, for bringing another mirror."

  "Oh, so that’s why it mattered?"

  "You could say that."

  Without wasting a second, he headed straight for the large mirror in the room and shattered it with a single punch.

  "All we needed was to do this," he said, glancing at Zúr. "Thanks for the help, Uncle."

  "You're welcome."

  Candado moved over to the girl, who remained motionless. He placed his ear against her chest and his hands on her forehead.

  "Her heart's still beating." He paused. "Her brain is fine, no major damage. Perfect."

  "Canda—"

  "Mom."

  "Yes?"

  "From here on out, I’m doing this alone."

  "No, you’re not. You're injured and going up against a dangerous organization."

  "I know what I'm doing. So relax."

  "I'm going with you."

  Candado fell silent. He knew that if he kept arguing, his mother would only grow more stubborn, and he'd waste precious time trying to convince her with logic.

  "Fine, fine."

  "I like the sound of that."

  "Zúr, could you please get rid of this frame? The glass will vanish tomorrow, but the mirror needs to be destroyed."

  "I’ll handle it. But... are you sure you don't need more help?"

  "Not at all. I don't want you getting any more involved."

  "I understand."

  "Say hello to ío for me."

  "I will," Zúr replied with a smile.

  "And from me too," Europa added.

  "I will," Zúr said, grimacing playfully.

  "Uncle Gutiérrez, bring the mirrors back later, alright?"

  "Sure thing, champ."

  "Mom, I want you to—"

  "WHO GOES THERE?!" Europa shouted, alarmed.

  Immediately, Candado and the others went on guard.

  Suddenly, a figure materialized before them.

  "My apologies for startling you, ma'am."

  "Alexander... what are you doing here? Wait... did you succeed?" Candado asked.

  Zúr approached, studying the young man closely.

  "Are you Marina’s son?"

  "Yes, sir."

  "Zúr."

  "Zúr what?"

  Ahem. Candado cleared his throat, clearly uncomfortable with the awkward exchange.

  "Oh, right, sir," Alexander said, handing over a folder. "I have it. All the information."

  Candado took the folder and opened it.

  "What is it?" Europa asked, watching Candado anxiously.

  "Personal information on the prisoner," Alexander replied, his voice grave.

  "I knew it," Candado said, a glint of certainty flashing in his eyes as he stared at the documents. "She was an accomplice."