The crystal's pulse continued to beat in the center of the chamber, its rhythm vibrating through the walls like a second heartbeat. The air itself seemed to warp, distorting the very space around them as if they were standing on the edge of two realities. Kael felt the pressure of it—the weight of the Mirrorwake rising—heavy, unrelenting, and suffocating. It was no longer just a force; it was an entity, a consciousness that was aware of them, aware of his presence. It wanted him.
The shadows around the room began to shift, swirling in chaotic patterns. They grew longer, more defined, like tendrils reaching out to claim the living. Lin's hand tightened on Kael's arm, her face pale with fear, but Kael barely registered her touch. His mind was fixed on the crystal, on the heart of the Mirrorwake. The truth it held, the realities it could reveal, called to him with a power far beyond his understanding.
"We have to destroy it," Aelira said, her voice sharp as she scanned the chamber, her hand never straying far from her sword. Her gaze flickered to the shifting shadows. "Before it consumes everything."
Kael turned to face her, his eyes cold and distant. "It's too late for that. We can't destroy it. The Mirrorwake is already here."
The shadows stretched further, coiling like serpents, their forms now more defined. They whispered in voices too soft to understand, yet Kael felt their meaning deep within his mind, as though they were speaking directly to his soul.
"What are they saying?" Lin whispered, her voice trembling.
"I can't make it out," Kael said, his gaze flickering between the crystal and the shadows. "But it's as if they know me… know everything about us."
Aelira moved closer to Kael, her eyes wary. "What do you mean?"
Kael's eyes darkened as he turned his gaze to the swirling shadows. The voices grew louder now, swirling into something more coherent, and Kael could hear them clearly. Come closer, Kael… you have much to learn…
"Kael?" Lin's voice snapped him from his trance, but the pull was too strong. His hand twitched, reaching toward the crystal.
"No!" Aelira's voice cut through the tension, and she grabbed Kael's arm, pulling him back just as his fingers brushed against the smooth surface of the crystal. "Don't!"
But Kael could already feel it—the answer he'd been searching for, the truth, the knowledge he could never find in any book, any scroll. The Mirrorwake held it all, just within reach.
"I have to touch it," Kael said, his voice distant, almost reverent. "It's calling to me."
"Kael, listen to me!" Lin shouted, her grip tightening on his other arm. "You don't know what it will do to you! The Mirrorwake can twist the mind, warp reality. It shows you the truth… but it isn't always what you want to see."
Kael turned to her, his expression clouded with inner conflict. "I need to know. I need to understand what's happening… what's coming."
Aelira stepped between them, her gaze fierce. "We'll figure it out together. You don't have to face this alone."
The shadows in the room seemed to surge in response to Aelira's words, intensifying in their movement. The air grew colder, and the walls trembled as though the mountain itself was groaning under the weight of the power awakening within it. The crystal pulsed brighter, its light blinding, as if responding to Kael's desire to understand.
"Enough!" Kael shouted, his voice breaking through the chaos as he wrenched his arm free from Aelira's grasp. "I've chosen this path. I will face it—all of it."
Before anyone could stop him, Kael took a step forward. His fingers grazed the surface of the crystal, and the world around him shattered.
The instant his skin made contact, the entire chamber seemed to collapse in on itself. The ground trembled violently, the walls cracked and splintered, and the shadows consumed everything. The light of the crystal flared, brighter than the sun, blinding them all.
Then, silence.
For a moment, it felt as though time had stopped. Kael could feel nothing—no air, no sound, no sensation. Just a void. He reached out, but there was nothing to hold onto. It was as if he had been ripped from the world, pulled into something else entirely.
Then, voices.
Voices from every direction. Not the whispers of the shadows. Not the cryptic murmurs of the Mirrorwake. These were louder. Clearer. More familiar.
"Kael..."
The voice was soft at first, like a breath on the wind. But it grew louder with each passing moment. His name echoed, reverberating through the void.
"Kael..."
He didn't know where the voice was coming from. He couldn't see anything, couldn't feel anything. But he knew it was calling to him.
"Who are you?" Kael asked, his voice carrying across the emptiness. "What is this place?"
For the first time since this strange journey had begun, Kael felt truly alone. The chaos of his world, the battle, the struggles, everything that had brought him here felt distant, as though he was standing on the edge of a precipice, looking out over the vast unknown.
"Your truth... is within you."
The voice was not one, but many. A chorus of voices, ancient and distant, layered together, yet strangely unified. Kael could hear the words, but they made no sense. His mind struggled to comprehend what they were trying to tell him.
And then, the world shifted again.
Reality tore open like paper, and Kael was suddenly standing in a place unlike anything he had ever seen. It was a vast, mirrored expanse, stretching out before him endlessly. The floor, the walls, the sky—it was all made of glass. Reflective. Shifting. Fluid.
In the distance, he saw a figure—tall, cloaked in shadow, with eyes that burned like twin suns. The figure turned, its gaze locking onto Kael.
"I have waited a long time for you," the figure said, its voice a deep rumble that resonated through the very air. "You are the one who will decide the fate of all."
Kael swallowed, his heart pounding. "What do you want from me?"
The figure's smile was cold, predatory. "Everything, Kael. I want everything."
The mirrors around them fractured, splintering into thousands of pieces. Kael could hear the crackling of the glass as it shattered, and through the fragments, he saw glimpses of his past—his choices, his actions, his fears. The mirror reflected them all, showing him things he had long buried deep within himself.
The voices echoed again, their tone turning desperate. "The truth is not yours alone to carry. You must choose..."
But Kael stood still, his eyes fixed on the figure before him. He couldn't turn away. Couldn't move.
The figure raised its hand, and the shattered pieces of the mirrors began to swirl around them, forming a vortex of sharp, gleaming edges.
"You will see the truth, Kael. You will see everything. And then… you will choose."
The ground beneath Kael's feet cracked, and the world began to twist, the mirror realm warping and folding in on itself.