Ashes of Our Flame
by RapwizzyDebaron
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Episode 78: "When Mirrors Bleed"
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The orphanage stood like a memory refusing to fade — decayed, forgotten, but alive in every corner of Kara's mind. The wind howled through broken windows, whispering the names of the past. As she stepped into the threshold, every footstep echoed with ghosts.
Adrian stayed behind, guarding the perimeter, though his voice crackled through the comm in Kara's ear.
"I've got eyes on the outside. If anything moves, I'll let you know."
Kara's hand rested on the cold grip of her weapon, but her mind was burning. Somewhere in this graveyard of childhood, she was waiting.
Not Selene.
Not Vane.
Herself.
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Inside the Orphanage
The walls inside were cracked and curling, paint peeling like old skin. Kara moved through the halls slowly, her flashlight cutting through the darkness.
She passed the playroom.
The burnt mural.
The broken crib in Room Nine.
Each fragment pulled her closer to something buried too long.
Then she saw it.
Written on the wall in crimson strokes:
"I remember what you forgot."
Kara's pulse skipped.
Footsteps.
Deliberate. Light. Echoing her own.
She turned sharply, weapon raised.
There she stood.
Nemesis.
Identical face. Different soul.
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Kara vs. Nemesis
"You look tired," Nemesis said, voice flat but curious. "Memories do that to broken things."
"I'm not broken," Kara replied, breathing steady. "Just… unfinished."
Nemesis tilted her head. "No. You're contaminated. Emotion has made you weak. That's why you failed them. That's why you'll fail again."
Kara's fingers trembled around her weapon. "They made you to erase me. To overwrite what I am."
"No," Nemesis said. "They made me to perfect what you are."
Without another word, she lunged.
The room exploded into motion — fists colliding, bodies crashing through shattered furniture and torn fabric. It wasn't just a fight; it was two halves of the same soul trying to survive.
Nemesis was faster.
Stronger.
But Kara was unpredictable.
Driven.
Human.
They crashed into the dining hall, sliding across the warped tiles. Kara barely dodged a blade slash, retaliating with a hard elbow to Nemesis's throat.
Nemesis coughed — surprised.
"You bleed," Kara said. "That means you can lose."
Nemesis wiped the corner of her lip and smiled faintly.
"Good. I want to see what makes you human… before I end it."
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Outside – A New Threat Rises
Adrian's voice came through Kara's comm again.
"Kara, we've got a bigger problem. Selene just activated the Omega Beacon. That means every sleeper agent in the city is about to wake up."
Kara gritted her teeth, blood on her cheek. "Then I end this. Now."
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Back Inside – The Breaking Point
Nemesis pinned Kara to the ground, blade inches from her neck.
"I am your end," she whispered.
"No," Kara hissed. "You're my beginning."
She reached into her belt, activated the pulse detonator — not enough to kill, but enough to fry circuits.
Nemesis screamed as her neural link sparked, forcing her back.
Kara pushed her off and stood, panting.
Nemesis stared at her, chest heaving.
"What… did you do?"
"Rebooted you," Kara said. "Now… you remember, don't you?"
Nemesis's eyes flickered. Her lips parted.
A single tear fell — the first she'd ever known.
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Elsewhere – Vane Watches
In a secure bunker, Dr. Vane watched the feed, trembling with rage.
"She's corrupting the prototype," he barked. "Execute the failsafe. Wipe her mind. Now!"
But Selene crossed her arms. "No. Let's see what happens next. Sometimes the best way to kill hope is to let it live a little longer."
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Final Moments
Nemesis collapsed to her knees.
"I… remember the lullaby."
Kara lowered her weapon slowly. "Then you're not just a weapon. You're a person. Just like me."
Outside, the sirens of war began to rise.
But inside, two broken girls who shared one face sat across from each other — no longer enemies.
Not yet sisters.
But something in between.
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To be continued…
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The storm is far from over — but the mirror has cracked.