Lyra felt like she was losing her grip on reality.

First, Rain reminded her of her sister. And now, this man standing in front of her looked so much like Kloud, but something was undeniably different. She stood frozen, mouth slightly open, trying to find words that wouldn't come.

"Hi! I'm Klay!" the man chirped, his voice full of energy. "I'm Kloud's clone. I was super hungry, so I made pizza and other fun foods for Subby, but I forgot he had a new roommate." He squinted at Lyra, as if studying her closely would provide more clarity. "Are you a girl? Girls aren't allowed here, but you're really pretty, so I don't mind. I'm sure Subby won't either."

Lyra blinked, still processing the rapid introduction. Klay turned to pull something from the oven—a pizza, or at least what was left of it. The crust was charred beyond recognition, and it was a miracle the place hadn't caught fire.

"So this is who the Emperor mentioned," Lyra thought to herself, piecing things together. She could see why Klay might be described as a handful. His energy was contagious, but it also came with a sense of unpredictability.

"I'm Lyra," she finally managed to say, "I was granted permission to stay here from—"

"Hey, Kloud!" Klay suddenly interrupted, shouting into his phone. "There's a girl in Subby's dorm! I I'd kick her out, but she's hot as fuck." Klay, unfazed, grabbed a pair of scissors and began hacking at the pizza, cutting it into jagged, uneven slices.

Lyra watched in stunned silence as Klay continued his conversation with Kloud. "Oh. Well, how was I supposed to know that!" he scoffed, clearly unconcerned. "Okay, well, I'm gonna sleep with her tonight anyways. Bye." Without waiting for a response, Klay ended the call and placed a lopsided, burnt slice of pizza onto a napkin.

"If Kloud asks, we hooked up," Klay looked over at Lyra, declaring between bites, his mouth full.

Lyra blinked again, still trying to catch up. "Were you just... on the phone with Kloud?" she asked, her voice bewildered. This was too much.

"Yeah, duh. I've been texting him all day. We're in a family group chat." Klay nonchalantly showed Lyra his phone, where sure enough, a thread of messages with Kloud, Sky, the Emperor, and Jae-Sun showed.

Lyra's stomach dropped as she processed what she saw. Sky had lied to her, and Kloud was actively ignoring her. A wave of hurt washed over her, unfamiliar and sharp. What had she done wrong? She thought Kloud and Sky liked her—Kloud had even called her his best friend. So why were they shutting her out?

Lyra's heart sank, a sense of betrayal creeping in. What had she done to deserve this? She tried to swallow the hurt, but the feeling only grew stronger, tightening in her chest. She'd trusted Kloud—thought he had her back. And Sky too. How could they be so cruel? 

Her mind raced, replaying every interaction she'd had with them, searching for some clue, something that would explain this sudden coldness. But there was nothing. No sign, no warning. Just silence, and now this—being ignored, lied to, and left out of something she thought she belonged in.

Klay, meanwhile, was oblivious to the inner turmoil she was going through. He continued eating his pizza, chomping down loudly as if nothing was wrong. He was in his own world, seemingly unconcerned with the effect his words had on her.

Lyra cleared her throat, trying to regain her composure. "So... Kloud knows I'm here?"

Klay nodded enthusiastically. "Yep! I told him. He said not to bother you, but I figured you wouldn't mind, right?" He grinned, proud of himself for what he clearly thought was a good decision.

Lyra forced a smile, but it didn't reach her eyes. "Yeah, I don't mind." She couldn't bring herself to say more. What was there to say? Her mind was still reeling from the fact that Kloud had been deliberately avoiding her after he left to talk with his father.

She took a deep breath, deciding to change the subject, at least for now. "Klay, you said you were Kloud's clone? How does that work?" she asked, genuinely curious, hoping a distraction might help ease the tension she felt.

Klay's face brightened with excitement at her question. "Oh yeah! So, long ago, Kloud got into trouble with some mafia guys, and they took a strand of his hair to make me!" He said it with pride, as if it were the most normal thing in the world. "But then I killed them all 'cause they were mean to me." He grinned widely, completely unbothered. "But I'm not exactly like Kloud, you know? I'm me." He pointed to his chest proudly. "I have my own thoughts, but sometimes things get a little confusing. Dad helps me when that happens."

Lyra watched him carefully, realizing just how different Klay was from Kloud—not just in demeanor, but in his whole approach to life. There was an innocence to him, a pure honesty that she couldn't help but appreciate.

Klay suddenly perked up. "Hey! Do you want to see the group chat? We talk all the time. I even sent Kloud a picture of the pizza, but I forgot to tell him it got burnt," he said with a laugh, handing her his phone.

Lyra hesitated before taking the phone, her heart racing as she scrolled through the conversation. The messages were casual, full of banter between the siblings, but Kloud's absence from her life was glaring. He hadn't mentioned her once, hadn't even acknowledged her existence.

Her chest tightened again, the betrayal cutting deeper than she expected."I should probably call it in for the day," Lyra said softly, handing Klay his phone back. "Thanks for... uh, the pizza."

Klay's face lit up, completely ignoring the fact that she was trying to leave. "Wait, wait!" he blurted, waving his hands in front of him as if trying to stop her. "You can't go yet! There's this really fancy party happening tonight. The Dragon King is hosting it! You have to come with me!"

Lyra paused, turning back to face him, confusion crossing her face. "A party? Tonight? Klay, I'm really not in the mood—"

Klay leaned in closer, his eyes wide with excitement. "Come on, it'll be fun! You don't wanna miss this. The Dragon King's parties are legendary, and if you're with me, Subby will notice you for sure. Plus, I wanna show off my hot new friend!"

Lyra blinked, caught off guard by Klay's enthusiasm. The idea of going to some grand event, rubbing shoulders with royalty, felt like the last thing she wanted. She just wanted to go to her room, bury herself in her blankets, and not think about anything for a while. But Klay's pleading eyes and his childlike excitement tugged at something inside her.

"Klay, I really don't think I should—"

"Oh, come on! You can wear something fancy, and I'll introduce you to everyone. Subby loves parties, and you're, like, super cool and pretty! Everyone's gonna talk about how amazing you look. And when Subby sees you? Pfft, he's gonna fall in love. I know it."

Lyra couldn't help but laugh a little at Klay's enthusiasm. His energy was contagious, and despite her earlier feelings of betrayal, there was something comforting about how earnest he was being. The thought of meeting "Subby," whoever that was, didn't seem so bad in the moment.

"Subby?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. "Who's that?"

Klay grinned from ear to ear. "Oh, Subby's my best friend! He's the coolest. You'll like him. He's the one who lives here! He's totally gonna freak when he sees how gorgeous you are. I promise, you'll have fun."

Lyra hesitated, weighing her options. She could retreat to her room and stew in her feelings, or she could let Klay drag her to this party and forget her troubles for a while. 

Maybe a distraction wouldn't be the worst thing.

"All right," she finally said, a small smile playing on her lips. "I'll go."

Klay's eyes widened with joy. "Yes! I knew you'd say yes! Okay, okay, we need to get ready. You'll need something fancy—do you have anything sparkly? Oh, wait, no, I'll find something for you. They won't know what hit them when they see you!"

Lyra chuckled, shaking her head. "Klay, I don't think it's that serious."

But Klay was already buzzing with excitement, darting around the room, talking about outfits, the party, and how much fun they were going to have. Lyra couldn't help but feel a little lighter as she watched him. Maybe this night wouldn't be so bad after all.

She glanced at the chaos in the kitchen, sighing as Klay darted off into her room. With a quick wave of her hand, Lyra summoned her magic, effortlessly tidying up the mess he had made. In an instant, everything was back in place, as though nothing had ever happened.