I was still trapped on this wooden platform, my body tied in place. The sharp knives sliced through the air with a speed that defied logic. I squeezed my eyelids shut, feeling the clown's movements become swifter, more precise. The blades flew, one after another, embedding themselves in different parts of the platform with a sickening thud. At times, I could almost hear the sharp clang of metal cutting through the air.
I opened my eyes slowly. The robot—its form trembling, as though it were searching for something—appeared panicked. Without warning, a massive hammer shot forward at breakneck speed. The impact was deafening, followed by the sickening sound of the clown-bot crashing to the floor. Dark, viscous liquid splattered everywhere, its metallic, rancid odor filling the air, some of it even hitting my bound face, not far from the impact.
The audience erupted in wild, unhinged laughter, a sound so out of place, so jarringly inappropriate. Applause followed, mingling with the clanging of the hammer rising once more, disappearing into the dark abyss of the ceiling above.
I could feel the tension in the air. The sound of the crane overhead became more distinct, as if the hammer was being aimed at me.
Suddenly, a bright light flashed, forming a narrow path that guided my gaze. The curtains at the far end shifted slightly, and another robot appeared, walking at a steady pace. The cart's wheels squealed as they scraped against the floor, the sound sharp and jarring.
When the robot reached its spot, it bent slightly, bowing to the audience. Applause and laughter echoed through the room. Without hesitation, the robot picked up a knife from the table and swung it with impressive speed. The blade missed, slicing through empty space in complete silence—but it wasn't aimed at me. Instead, the knife struck the head of the female robot standing beside me.
The audiens laughed again, likely thinking the knife was meant for me. However, the female robot remained still, unmoving. She rotated the platform I was on, and I could only feel my body spinning in response.
The clown robot threw another knife, this time with a certain confidence in its aim. The blade sliced through the air, grazing my thigh and shoulder, leaving deep, stinging wounds on my immobile body. I bit my lip, trying to swallow the pain that coursed from the fresh cuts. Blood began to stain my skin, the warmth of it seeping through my clothes.
It threw another knife, this time aiming directly for my chest. But in the blink of an eye, something fast and precise swatted the blade aside, sending it veering away from my body. Instead of plunging into a vital spot, the knife embedded itself a few inches away from my heart, lodging in the upper part of my chest.
"I'll help you," a voice I didn't recognize suddenly rang out, clear and firm. I turned my head, searching for the source, but all I saw was the unmoving female robot beside me, still frozen in place, even though the knife was buried deep in her head.
Once more, the clown robot hurled another knife toward me, this time straight at my chest. But just before it reached me, a dark sphere materialized from the air, floating in front of me. The sphere swiftly intercepted the flying blade, stopping it cold before it could tear through my chest.
"Who are you?!" I yelled
The black sphere remained, relentlessly swatting the knives that flew toward me, as if refusing to let a single one pierce my body.
"I'am you, or rather, the original owner of this body," the voice replied, light and nonchalant, as if this were all just a game.
"Huh?"
"I'm Fionn," the voice stated clearly.
I turned my head left and right, searching for the source, but there was no one in sight. Impossible! Right now, I was Fionn—I had taken their body, used their memories, and now I was certain they were lifeless in that dungeon.
"Impossible," I muttered under my breath. "My abilities only work on someone who die. That's why I could extract full information from that body. There's no way it's you, Fionn. If you really are, then show yourself now!"
"What's wrong with you?" the voice replied, growing more absurd. "Who said I'm still alive? I am Fionn. No one said I'm alive."
But I couldn't deny the reality of it. What could I do? I was bound here, powerless.
"I'm inside you," the voice grew closer, deeper, "Or more accurately, inside your head."
I fell silent for a moment, trying to process its words.
"I've been watching you since you left the dungeon," it continued, its tone flat. "So far, I've been safe inside your head, so I've stayed quiet. But this time, if you die, I die with you."
I furrowed my brow. "So, this black sphere... it's yours?" I asked, unsure.
"Hundred percent!" the voice responded casually.
"Well, for now, all I can do is this, so yeah... that's how it is."
As we were talking, I hadn't realized the last knife launched by the clown robot had hurtled toward me. Yet the black sphere easily swatted it away. The knives on the cart had run out, and before I could even process what was happening, the giant hammer fell again, crashing down on the robot without warning. The robot shattered instantly, its remnants merging with the ground, and the cart met the same fate, crumbling into nothing.
Then, I heard that familiar laughter once again, just like before.
"You have to help me get out of here,The hammer above will move closer if those robots fail to kill us."
Cold sweat began to bead at my temples. Time was running out. I could feel my heart pounding faster with every passing second.
I stared at the black sphere before me. It started to tremble, slowly shifting shape.
That black sphere finally transformed completely, into a familiar knife.
The blade shot forward with blinding speed, heading straight for my bound wrist. A sharp, metallic sound rang out as it sliced through the ropes, its force growing stronger with each cut.
Suddenly, the lights at the far end of the room flickered back on. But this time, instead of a clown emerging, a knife shot from behind the curtains, faster than I could blink.
The black sphere spun around instantly, reshaping in the blink of an eye. It swatted the flying knife away, redirecting it straight above my head.
"This knife's faster than before!" the voice of that black sphere sound pale.
The robot threw another knife, this time with even greater speed. The blade flew so fast it almost vanished in the air, as if it had dissolved into the atmosphere.
But the ball, now moving with even more precision, seemed to anticipate where the knife would land. Several times, it deflected them perfectly, but sometimes, the blade slipped through, barely missing.
The last knife grazed my skin. Something warm began to seep through, and I could feel my blood falling, staining the floor beneath me.
"Damn it, can't you deflect any of these?" I snapped.
"You think it's that easy? Sorry for making it only the size of your fist!"
Another knife shot forward, even faster this time. Luckily, it missed. I quickly shifted my free hand, attempting to untie the ropes around my left wrist. The knife came again, faster than before, but this time, I managed to dodge it just by ducking. The black ball shifted again, this time transforming into a knife, and swiftly attempted to cut through the rope binding my right foot. Without thinking, I pulled both feet free.
The effort wasn't in vain. I finally managed to stand, freed from the board that had bound me. The knife flew again, but this time, I had more room to dodge it. Without hesitation, I charged at the robot, and the black sphere, without a word, covered my hand. It transformed into something resembling a glove.
The robot threw another knife, and this time, I used my hand to swat it away. The knife ricocheted off the black layer, and as it came closer, I swung my fist at the robot. But it nimbly jumped back, evading my strike. I didn't stop chasing, relentless in my attempts to land a punch.
I lunged again, but the robot swiftly jumped back and threw four knives at once. The black sphere shifted into a protective ball, perfectly shielding my back.
"You can't just attack recklessly," the voice sounded anxious. "If you keep going like this, being free won't mean anything."
I didn't care. Without hesitation, I kept pursuing the robot. The knives flew again, but this time, I easily dodged or deflected them. As the robot reached the edge of the arena, I gathered all my strength for a final blow.
My punch shot forward with full force, shattering the wall in front of me into rubble. But once again, the robot slipped away, using the debris to avoid my attack.
"Didn't you hear me? Attacking like that won't destroy it!"
I kept chasing after it, getting closer, the distance between me and the robot shrinking with each step. It dodged every punch, swerving left, then right, and finally, I launched a powerful uppercut. I felt it—my fist collided with the robot's chin, sending it flying into the air.
"Finn—"
"Idiot! It's jumping up to attack you!"
The robot pulled out a knife, I couldn't tell from where, and began showering me with sharp blades. I ran, desperate to avoid them as they fell like rain. My breath came in ragged gasps, but thankfully, the knife shower stopped. The robot landed back on the ground, strolling casually as it retrieved a knife embedded in the floor and hurled it in my direction. I managed to deflect it, but my energy was running low.
"Your combat IQ is seriously low, huh?" the voice teased. "Don't you realize what's going to happen if you keep running around like that?"
"If you're so smart, why don't you fight instead?!" I shot back.
The ball fell silent for a moment. I felt a pang of guilt after shouting like that, but the frustration was too much to hold back. I pushed myself to rise, determined to keep chasing the robot.
But then, an odd sensation began creeping in.
My vision remained clear, but my body felt detached, as if I were being pulled backward into some empty space. My view began to drift away, and suddenly, I saw someone—someone with a face and appearance just like mine—stepping forward.
In an instant, I was sucked backward, into a space I didn't recognize. I lost control of my body completely.
Ahh, it's been a while since I moved," the voice sounded relieved. It stretched my body, pulling my arm to the right to loosen my muscles, warming up. But the robot didn't care; it continued throwing knives.
This time, it was different. Instead of swatting them away, I advanced, dodging each knife with swift, fluid movements. The robot was clearly startled, quickly trying to put distance between us.
But this time, my movements were different—more efficient, faster. Before I even realized it, I was right in front of the robot. Without hesitation, I unleashed a powerful uppercut, sending it soaring into the air. Once again, the robot flew, pieces of its face scattering as it crumpled into the air.
The black layer that had been coating my hands suddenly detached and shifted to my legs. I took a stance, and the black layer acted like a spring, providing extra power to my body. I leapt into the air, chasing the robot still suspended in midair. In the air, the black layer shifted back to my hands, and with all my might, I struck the robot. It was sent crashing into the far end of the arena, smashing through the wall, and causing the audience seats to collapse.
"Is it over?" I asked casually, though my chest was still pounding.
My body descended slowly, and I watched the robot struggling to rise from the rubble. It didn't seem like it was ready to give up just yet.
"Is that it? Where's the fun in that?"
Without warning, my body raised my left arm. The black layer that had coated my hand vanished, and I made a motion as though I was pulling something. At the same moment, the robot seemed to be drawn forward, its chest jutting out, while the rest of its body seemed to resist the pull.
The robot shot toward me, launching itself into the air. It swung at me, and as it grew closer, my punch went straight through its body. It shattered into pieces, fragments of metal flying through the air, quickly disintegrating into unrecognizable rubble.
From the wreckage of the robot, the black sphere floated back, circling around me.
I stood frozen, unable to say a word. I never expected it to end like this. The black sphere had really worked—far more effectively than I had imagined.
In my defense, I realized just how little I truly understood about how the black sphere operated. I didn't even know how it worked exactly, so it made sense that he was far more skilled at using it than I was.
As I drowned in my thoughts, the space around me suddenly began to shift. The stage slowly faded away, the crumbled walls disappeared, and everything I had just seen gradually morphed into a scene I recognized all too well.
I was back in the mirror room.