## Episode 3: "Echoed Reflection"
---
### Prologue: A Shattered City
Carol, Lilac, and Milla stepped out of the swirling portal and into the familiar yet warped streets of Shang Tu. The air was thick with cold mist, and a biting wind swept through the abandoned streets. The once vibrant city was now eerily quiet—frozen in time.
Milla clutched her arms, shivering. "It’s so cold... What happened here?"
Lilac’s eyes narrowed as she scanned the frost-covered buildings. "It’s like the entire city was... paused."
Carol exhaled and saw her breath form a misty cloud. Her tail flicked nervously. "Neera’s here somewhere. If anyone’s tough enough to survive this, it’s her."
The bracelet on Carol’s wrist pulsed faintly, drawing her attention. She held it up as the glow brightened, guiding her down a frost-covered street.
"Looks like bracelet buddy’s pointing us this way," Carol muttered.
Lilac walked beside her, cautious. "Just be careful. The closer we get, the more dangerous it’ll be."
---
### Scene 1: Fragments of Time
As they followed the path deeper into the frozen city, strange time distortions became more frequent. Entire buildings hovered mid-collapse, shards of glass and debris hanging in the air as though frozen by some unseen force.
Milla whimpered as she saw a group of Avalicians trapped mid-stride, their bodies encased in shimmering ice. "They... they look like they were running from something."
Carol gritted her teeth. "Whatever did this is still out there."
The bracelet pulsed again, and Carol stopped in front of a massive, ice-covered monument. Embedded in the base was a familiar figure—Neera Li. She was trapped within a cocoon of thick ice, her eyes closed, staff clutched tightly in her hand.
Milla gasped. "Neera!"
Lilac’s voice was grim. "She’s frozen... but she’s still alive."
Carol stepped forward, placing her paw on the ice. The bracelet pulsed rapidly. "Hang on, Neera. We’ll get you out of there."
The ice began to crack as the bracelet’s glow intensified. However, a chilling voice echoed through the air.
"Why bother? She chose this fate."
The ground trembled as a new figure appeared, stepping out from the shadows of the monument. It was Shadow Neera, her fur darker, her eyes glowing a cold, pale blue. She held an ice staff brimming with time energy.
---
### Scene 2: The Icebound Duel
Shadow Neera’s gaze was cold and unfeeling as she pointed her staff at Carol. "This world was broken long before time unraveled. Neera accepted that order must be absolute—why can’t you?"
Carol clenched her fists. "Yeah, no thanks. I’m not a fan of the whole ‘absolute order’ thing."
Shadow Neera spun her staff, sending a wave of frost toward them. Carol grabbed Milla and darted out of the way as ice spears erupted from the ground. Lilac leapt to higher ground, preparing for an opening.
"Stay back!" Carol called out. "This one’s mine."
Milla and Lilac exchanged worried glances but nodded.
Shadow Neera twirled her staff, causing the air around her to shimmer with frost. "You’re fast... but time itself bends for me."
Carol’s bracelet flared as she dashed forward, narrowly dodging a time-frozen shockwave of ice. "Yeah? Let’s see if it bends fast enough for this!"
Carol blurred around Shadow Neera, delivering a series of rapid kicks. But with each strike, Shadow Neera twisted time slightly, redirecting the blows with her staff.
"She’s warping my attacks!" Carol thought, frustrated.
---
### Scene 3: The Unbreakable Resolve
As the battle raged, Carol's attacks began to slow as her energy waned. Shadow Neera raised her staff high, preparing to encase Carol in a frozen prison.
"Carol!" Milla cried out.
The bracelet pulsed again—stronger than before. Time around Carol slowed briefly, giving her a moment to breathe. Carol remembered Lilac’s advice from their last battle: "Do something unexpected."
Carol smirked. "Alright, Shadow Popsicle, let’s mix things up."
Instead of dodging, Carol lunged straight into the icy blast. Shadow Neera’s eyes widened in surprise as Carol slipped through the weakest point of the attack, using her momentum to spin behind her.
With a glowing punch fueled by the bracelet’s energy, Carol struck the core of Shadow Neera’s staff. The staff shattered, sending shards of energy flying. Shadow Neera gasped as her form flickered.
"How...?" she whispered before dissolving into fragments of time.
---
### Scene 4: The Real Neera Awakens
The icy cocoon around Neera began to crack and splinter. Carol hurried over, her bracelet glowing softly. Milla and Lilac followed, watching as the ice melted away.
Neera fell forward, gasping for breath. Carol caught her before she could collapse.
Neera groaned, eyes flickering open. "Carol...? Lilac...? Milla...?"
Milla’s eyes welled up with tears. "You’re okay!"
Neera steadied herself, looking around. "The city... I tried to stop the distortion. I thought I could hold it back."
Lilac nodded. "You did—but you don’t have to fight alone anymore."
Neera’s eyes rested on Carol’s wrist. "That bracelet... It’s unlike anything I’ve seen before."
Carol gave a lopsided grin. "Yeah, it’s my new time-saving gizmo. Comes with fancy powers and a few weird side effects."
Neera’s gaze softened. "It’s powerful... but be careful, Carol. Time has a way of twisting even the strongest wills."
The bracelet pulsed once more, and a glowing Chrono Shard appeared where Shadow Neera had fallen. Carol reached out, and the shard fused with the bracelet, its glow intensifying.
Lilac exhaled. "That’s the last shard."
Milla clapped her hands together. "We did it!"
Neera stood tall, gripping her staff. "If the timeline is stable again... does that mean it’s over?"
Carol’s expression darkened as the ground beneath them began to hum with unstable energy. The air grew thick with golden light as a massive rift opened above the city.
"No," Carol whispered. "It’s not over yet."
From the rift, a familiar, towering silhouette stepped through—Celios. His silver robes shimmered as he surveyed the group with a calm yet unsettling expression.
"You’ve done well... but your journey is not yet complete."
Carol narrowed her eyes. "Celios... what’s going on?"
Celios raised his hand, and the energy around the rift pulsed. "The Prism is whole again... but so too is the truth. Come—there is one final choice to be made."
The portal behind him opened wider, revealing the swirling chaos of the Time Rift Nexus.
Carol turned to her friends, her tail flicking nervously. "Looks like we’re not done after all."
Neera, Lilac, and Milla nodded.
"Together," Neera said firmly.
Carol’s grin returned as she tightened her gloves. "Yeah. Let’s finish this."
They stepped through the portal into the unknown.
---
### To Be Continued in Episode 4: "Race for Reality"
