Location: Seoul – Dreamscape RealmDephnie was floating—not in water, not in air, but something in between. A grey haze swirled around her, whispering voices tugging at the edges of her thoughts.
She turned in slow motion and came face-to-face with herself.
No… not quite. This version of her had jet-black eyes, darker skin, and a shadowed expression of bitterness.
"You forgot me," the mirror-Dephnie whispered.
"I… don't understand. Who are you?"
The mirror Dephnie's lips curled. "I'm the one who never got saved. The one left in the burning world. While you got your love story… I burned."
The world twisted.
Dephnie snapped awake in her bed, drenched in sweat. Her chest heaved.
It was just a dream.
Or was it?
Location: Korean Peninsula – Border of the Disrupted ZoneProfessor Song stared at a new reading: unstable energy surging at the boundary between dimensions.
"The Fifth has awakened," she whispered to Woo-jin. "She's trying to rewrite the past."
Woo-jin's face paled. "But if she changes anything—"
"—our reality could fracture. Or worse… she could replace our Dephnie."
Location: Royal Residence – Training Grounds
Lee Gon was practicing swordwork alone, his movements sharp and swift. The blade shimmered with faint blue light—residue from its contact with the Sword of Echoes.
Dephnie approached, quietly watching.
"You always fight when you're scared," she said softly.
He paused, blade mid-air. "I'm not scared."
She tilted her head. "Then what are you?"
He lowered the sword, walked over, and placed the hilt in her hands.
"I'm preparing. If something is coming for you—I'll be ready."
They stood close. Too close.
But before she could respond, Woo-jin appeared breathlessly.
"She's here. In this world. The Fifth version. She crossed over an hour ago."
Location: Seoul Underground Tunnels
The Fifth Dephnie moved like a shadow through forgotten tunnels beneath the city. Her fingers brushed the cold concrete walls, ancient and cracked.
She stopped before an ancient mirror embedded in the wall. Unlike others, this one shimmered black and gold.
"I'll take everything she has," she whispered. "Everything that was stolen from me."
She pressed her palm to the surface—and it lit up.
Location: Palace Hall – Emergency Meeting
Professor Song placed a projection on the table.
"This version—Dephnie-5—was trapped in a parallel Korea that fell into collapse after the multiversal wars. She believes our Dephnie was chosen unfairly. She's coming… not just for revenge, but to replace her."
Lee Gon clenched his fists.
"I won't let that happen."
Dephnie's voice was firm. "Neither will I. She's me—but I'm stronger."
Professor Song hesitated. "There's one problem. You share the same genetic signature. The universes can't sustain both of you in the same world for long. One will start fading."
Silence.
Then Lee Gon said it quietly: "So it's her or you."
Location: Rooftop—That Night
Dephnie stood at the edge, wind whipping her hair.
"Am I strong enough, Gon?"
He stepped behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist. "You've always been. From the moment you challenged me to prove you existed."
She leaned into him. "Then I'll end this. For both our worlds."
✨ End of Episode 13