Inside of the Infected Zone, the putrid smell of Fusion Matter hits me like a wave. Looking around, I begin looking for Fusion Him. I see movement out of the corner of my eye, turning to see a nearby portal's tentacles wrap around Fusion Him, sending him back into his lair. My fist clenches, and I take a deep breath. I take a moment to center myself before making my way towards the portal. I can't afford to make any mistakes, not anymore. I have to do this right. Not just for me, but for the good of everyone. Right as I reach the portal, my communicator beeps at me. I check it, surprised to see that it is Boomer messaging me. I turn my back to the portal and read the message.

"Blossom, thank you for messaging me back. To be honest, I wasn't sure if you would. I could really use some advice. Something happened, and now I don't know what to do. I don't know what to think anymore, I am really confused. If you are free, I will be in Orchid Bay this afternoon. I hope you can meet me."

'So Boomer will be at the beach this afternoon, it seems.' I think to myself, 'After I take care of Fusion Him, I should have time to meet him.' I nod to myself before sending out a quick message saying that I will meet him there. Turning back around towards the portal, I let myself be grabbed and get sent into Him's lair.

I open my eyes and shudder, my danger sense going off once again. As my eyes adjust to the low lighting of the cave, I listen closely. A light rumbling sound fills the air. Curious, I fly up, attempting to find the source of the sound. I follow the sound and look down to find that I was flying right above Fusion Him. Holding the mirror in his claws, Fusion Him stands perfectly still, with a blue glow surrounding him. Fusion Him is using his Blastons powers on the mirror, but why?

Suddenly, the noise stops and Fusion Him stops glowing. The faint light in the lair grows even dimmer as Fusion Him slowly looks up to look directly at me, his smile growing larger and his eyes narrowing. I freeze for a moment, locking eyes with Fusion Him. He wasn't moving or doing anything. Just staring, with that smile that grew creepier by the moment. I feel my stomach flutter and I look away from him, deciding that now is the time to attack. As I am speeding towards him, he reels back and before I can react, his claw connects with my face. The force of Fusion Him's attack sends me to the ground.

I get to my feet and stare in shock. How was he faster than me? I push my thoughts away and run towards him, ready to take him down. To my surprise, Fusion Him dodges all of my attacks effortlessly. I look at the mirror and wonder. What if the mirror is helping him avoid my attacks? Maybe if I can get it away from him, I can get some hits in. I raise my hand and release a short energy blast from my hand, hitting Fusion Him's claw, forcing him to release the mirror. His face fills with surprise as the mirror falls to the ground.

Taking this as an opportunity to defeat him, I breathe in deeply, feeling my throat go numbingly cold. I blow out forcibly, freezing Fusion Him in his tracks. Stepping up to him, I don't hesitate. I swing my fist towards him, destroying his physical form instantly. A pink boa lays in the pool of fusion matter that was once Fusion Him. The boa glows and floats up into the air. A Him nano appears in a shower of glitter, giggling and rubbing his claws together, smiling devilishly. Nano Him winks at me before disappearing into my Nanocom.

I receive a notification, but I do not look at it. Instead, I focus on the mirror laying on the ground face down. My hand shakes as I reach down towards it. I grab it and feel my body shudder. The hair on my arms and the back of my neck are standing on end, my danger sense going off worse than it has ever done before. I take a deep breath to steady myself before turning over the mirror in my hands. Looking down at the mirror, I gasp in shock and disbelief. The glass of the mirror is missing.

I couldn't move. I just stood there in shock, staring at the mirror. I wish I was seeing things. I place my hand where the glass used to be and my stomach dropped. What does this mean? Is Aku free? Did Fuse free him? What was Fusion Him doing with this mirror? Questions swirled in my head, and I can feel a headache coming on but I don't pay any attention. Suddenly, a buzzing on my hip brings me out of my trance. I'm not sure how long I have been standing here, but I need to leave as soon as possible.

I walk over to the Dexbot and scan my ID to be transported out of the lair. Back inside Habitat Homes, I fly into the air. I take a good look around before leaving just to make sure that I haven't forgotten anything. I check my communicator and see that I have received an email from Dexter, labeled as urgent.

From: Dexter

Subject: Grim

Blossom, I have just received word from Grim, it seems he has found out something interesting that he wants to talk to us about. Please go see him when you can, I think it may be about the mirror. Report back to me when you find out what he knows.

-Dexter

If Grim knows something, I need to go find out right away. It's a good thing that I was already planning on being there to meet with Boomer. Leaving the Infected Zone, I begin to fly off towards Orchid Bay. I don't want to be late for meeting Boomer. While flying, I decided to check my other messages and see that I have one from Gwen, Ben's cousin.

"Hey Blossom, Ben told me what happened yesterday. He was asking me if I knew anything about any magical mirrors or why Fuse would want one. I told him I didn't, but then I remembered a book that Juniper Lee had given me. She told me it was an evil book that she received from Jack, and they asked for me to help use magic to disarm it. We did, and now anyone can read it without going crazy. I've been trying to study it, but it's confusing, to say the least. After Ben called, I decided to take another look at the book. I'm not sure, but I think I found something in the book that can help you. If you can ever get the chance to make it out here, I would love to go over it with you. In the meantime, I'll keep looking for more info. Talk to you soon!'

I wonder what that book could say. An 'evil book' that came from Jack could have information about Aku. Maybe even the mirror that he was put in. I look down at the broken mirror. Any information we can find out about it would be really helpful. Looking up, I realize that Orchid Bay was just up ahead. Slowing down, I start to descend. Landing on the docks, Grim sees me and waves me over.

Author's Note:

Thank you so much to everyone who has read my story! I'm sorry it took so long for this chapter to come out. I have had such a huge writer's block and with life going on I have not been able to write as much as I have wanted. I lost a lot of notes for this story, including three chapters that I was really proud of. It's frustrating, but I will be working hard to continue this story. Thank you to those who have reviewed my story, whether in PMs or through the reviews category. It makes me really happy to see that people are reading what I write. I hope everyone continues to enjoy it! Thank you so much!

-StarryNightPrincess