Midnight
The decoded notes from the music box translated into coordinates. Vale had decrypted it in under an hour.
Vale: "It points to Sector 7C. But there's a problem."
Lucian: "Let me guess—it doesn't exist."
Vale: "Not on any map."
Kael: "It does. But it's sealed. For a reason."
Ryker: "Now I really want to go."
I: "Then we break in."
---
Sector 7C — Abandoned Corridor
Dim lights flickered above as we moved silently down the hall. Every footstep echoed louder than it should have.
I: "This place feels… wrong."
Vale: "Electromagnetic distortion. Someone's jamming tech."
Lucian: "So we're blind."
Darius: "Not me."
He stepped forward and pressed a panel. It hissed open.
A lab. Dusty. Forgotten.
Inside: broken monitors, shattered glass, dried blood.
And a mirror.
It stood alone in the center of the room. Tall, gilded, untouched by time.
Ryker: "Why a mirror?"
Lucian: "No… It's the Red Mirror."
---
Suddenly, the mirror shimmered.
Then—
It showed us.
But not who we were now.
It showed our darkest selves.
Lucian as a warlord.
Vale manipulating cities with tech.
Ryker surrounded by flames.
Me—in a white wedding dress—standing beside a faceless figure holding my hand.
My voice whispered from the mirror: "I chose them all."
---
Darius threw a blade at the mirror. It cracked.
Kael's voice rang through the comms: "Get out. Now."
Too late.
The floor collapsed beneath us.
---
Underground Chamber
We landed hard. Lights buzzed.
I groaned, pulling myself up—only to realize:
I was alone.
No Kael. No Vale. No Ryker.
Only a slow clap in the distance.
And a man in shadows.
Man: "Welcome, Ashira."
I froze.
I knew that voice.
It was Professor Alden.
My teacher.
But not the one from class.
No. This one wore black.
And a smile like death.
---
End of Chapter 34