The Shiny lunged—and then it didn’t.
Instead of crashing into them, it twisted mid-air, its form dissolving into shadow and smoke. A thick, choking smokescreen exploded outward, filling the chamber with darkness so complete that Aria couldn’t see her own hand in front of her face.
"Everyone stay close!" Kelly shouted, his voice muffled by the smoke. "Don’t let it separate us!"
"I can’t see anything!" Bunny yelled back.
"Neither can I!"
"THEN HOW ARE WE SUPPOSED TO FIGHT?!"
"USE YOUR IMAGINATION!"
---
Aria screamed.
It was a raw, piercing sound that cut through the chaos, followed by a massive burst of light that briefly illuminated the chamber. The light flared, then faded, and then—
Silence.
"Aria!" Kelme shouted, his voice carrying a note of genuine fear. "Aria, where are you?! Are you okay?!"
Nothing.
"ARIA!"
Still nothing.
Kelme felt his heart drop into his stomach. He’d lost people before. He’d lost everyone he’d ever loved. He couldn’t lose her too. Not now. Not like this.
"Aria, please! Say something!"
---
Then, out of the darkness, her voice came.
"It’s okay."
Kelme’s relief was so intense it almost made him dizzy. "Aria?! Where are you?! What happened?!"
"I fought it off somehow," she said, her voice calm, almost casual. "I’m fine. It’s gone."
The smokescreen began to dissipate, revealing Aria standing in the center of the chamber, looking completely unharmed. Her clothes weren’t even ruffled. Her hair was perfect. She was smiling.
"See?" she said, spreading her arms. "I’m fine. No need to worry."
Kelme rushed to her, grabbing her shoulders and checking her over. "Are you sure? It didn’t hurt you? It didn’t—"
"I’m fine," she said again, her smile widening. "Really. I’m perfectly fine."
---
The Gold rank adventurers gathered around, their expressions a mixture of relief and frustration.
"That was close," Grom rumbled. "Too close. We almost lost her."
"At least she’s okay," Mira said, her voice carrying a note of genuine concern. "That was a lucky escape."
"Lucky is an understatement," Darian muttered. "That thing had her. How did she survive?"
Aria shrugged. "I don’t know. I just... fought it off. It was weak. Tired. I think we were wearing it down."
"Wearing it down?" Kelly asked, his voice carrying a note of skepticism. "We were barely holding it together. It wasn’t even using its skills."
"Maybe it was saving its energy for something else," Aria said smoothly. "But it doesn’t matter now. It’s weak. We have a chance to finish it."
She stepped toward the entrance to the Shiny’s lair—the massive stone door with its single keyhole—and pulled out the extra key they’d found and opened the door.
"What are you doing?" Kelly asked, his eyes narrowing.
"We’re going in. To its lair. To finish it."
"Are you insane? We just barely survived its attack. Going into its lair is suicide!"
"Not if we catch it while it’s weak."
"WE DON’T KNOW IF IT’S WEAK!"
"Of course it’s weak. I fought it off, remember?"
---
The team exchanged uneasy glances.
"She has a point," Kelme said slowly. "If it’s weak, this is our best chance."
"She also has no idea what she’s talking about," Kelly shot back. "We were barely holding it together. That thing didn’t even use any skills. What if it has a healing skill? What if it’s been playing with us this whole time?"
"Kelly’s right," Bunny added, her voice carrying a note of unease. "My instincts are telling me to go home. That thing didn’t even try. It was toying with us."
"The Gold ranks agree," Grom rumbled. "We should bring more people. Better people. We’re not prepared for this."
Aria’s smile flickered, just for a moment. Then it was back, bright and confident.
"Trust me," she said. "Have I ever led you wrong?"
The Gold ranks stared at her.
"Girl," Darian said flatly. "I just met you."
"Oh, come on!" Aria threw her hands up in exasperation. "I’m the one who got us out of the Shiny’s trap earlier! I’m the one who saved Kelly! If it wasn’t for me, we’d all be dead!"
"You also gave the Shiny the key to its lair," Bunny pointed out. "So, you know, mixed results."
"THAT WAS TO SAVE KELLY!"
"And it was heroic," Kelly admitted. "But that doesn’t mean you know what you’re talking about now. This is different. This is—"
---
Kelme stepped forward, his expression shifting from uncertainty to something harder. He’d been watching Aria closely, and something wasn’t right.
"Hey, Aria," he said, his voice casual. "If you keep doing this, you’ll never survive long enough to find your brother. You know, the one you love so much."
Aria’s smile didn’t waver. "Of course I will. Don’t worry about my dear brother. I will find him."
Kelme’s blood ran cold.
"Aria," he said, his voice barely a whisper. "What brother?"
Aria blinked. "What do you mean?"
"You don’t have a brother. You’ve never had a real brother. You’re running from your....—well you know or you don’t because you’re not you —but short story long... you hate him. You’ve always hated him. You told me that yourself."
Aria’s smile froze.
"I said all of that?" she asked, her voice suddenly wrong. Too smooth. Too controlled.
"Yes. You did. And whatever he is to the real Aria. You or She wouldn’t call him ’dear brother.’ You’d never call him that."
Aria’s face twisted—not into anger or fear, but into something else. Something that didn’t belong on a human face.
"Attack her!" Kelme shouted. "That’s not Aria! kill it before it does anything! Before she run away!"
The team reacted instantly. Weapons drawn. Magic ready. But before they could strike—
Aria smiled.
It was a wide smile. Too wide. Wider than any human face could possibly smile. Her teeth were too sharp, too many, arranged in rows that didn’t belong in a human mouth and than she teleported to the lair.
"Call me an idiot for thinking you were the dumbest of them all," the thing wearing Aria’s face said, its voice no longer Aria’s voice. It was the Shiny’s voice—smooth and seductive and utterly inhuman. "I thought I had you all fooled. I should have probably studied you guys a bit longer."
It reached into its own mouth—its too-wide, too-sharp mouth—and pulled. Its fingers disappeared down its throat, and when they emerged, they were holding Aria.
The real Aria.
She was limp, unconscious, but alive. The Shiny held her up like a trophy, dangling her in front of the horrified team.
"You pieces of shit," the Shiny said, its form beginning to shift, to reform, to become the monster they’d been fighting. "Enter before I kill her."
---
The chamber fell silent.
Kelly’s face was pale. Bunny’s cheerful demeanor was gone, replaced by cold fury. Kelme’s hands were shaking, but his eyes were steady.
"Let her go," Kelme said, his voice carrying a note of deadly calm.
"Why would I do that?" the Shiny asked, its voice dripping with mock sympathy. "She’s my insurance policy. You attack me, she dies. You run away, she dies. You do anything I don’t like, she dies."
"You won’t kill her," Kelme said. "She’s too valuable. She’s the only reason we haven’t attacked you yet."
"Maybe. But I can hurt her. I can hurt her a lot." It tightened its grip, and Aria whimpered in her unconsciousness. "So here’s what’s going to happen. You’re going to walk into my lair, nice and slow, and we’re going to have a proper fight. And if you somehow manage to kill me, you get her back. If you don’t..." It shrugged. "Well. You can imagine the rest."
---
Kelly stepped forward, his voice steady despite the fear in his eyes. "This is a trap."
"Of course it’s a trap. But it’s the only trap you’ve got. So either take it, or watch her die."
"Kelly," Bunny said, her voice carrying a note of warning. "Don’t."
"I have to. She saved my life. I can’t just let her die."
"I know, but—"
"But nothing. We’re going in."
---
Kelme looked at the Shiny, then at Aria, then back at the Shiny.
"You better hope she’s alive when we kill you," he said. "Because if she’s not—"
"Oh, she’ll be alive. She’ll be very alive. Right up until I eat her in front of you."
"Then let’s go."
They walked into the lair, their weapons ready, their hearts pounding. The door slammed shut behind them, and they knew there was no going back.
---
The lair was exactly as they excepted to be, it was a mimic after all. Treasure everywhere. Glittering gold, sparkling jewels, artifacts that seemed to hum with ancient power. And in the center, on a throne made of bones, sat the Shiny.
It looked different now. More solid. More real. More hungry.
"Welcome," it said, its voice warm and inviting. "I’ve been waiting for you."
"Let her go," Kelme said.
"Not yet. First, we fight. If you win, you get her. If you lose—" It smiled, and its teeth were sharp and many. "Well. You know."
"Fine. Let’s fight."
The Shiny rose from its throne, and the battle began.
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