The journey away from the ICEGARDEN ruins was slow and heavy. Every step forward felt like dragging the past behind them—one secret, one betrayal at a time. Lys walked quietly, her boots nearly silent on the frostbitten earth. Despite the mistrust in Kael's eyes, she never tried to flee.
Aria kept glancing back. At Aether's chamber, at the ruins, at the places they'd left behind. The temptation to return—to open just one more file, to search for just one more name—itched under her skin like a rash.
Kael noticed. "You can't save everyone, Aria."
"I know," she whispered. "But what if saving just one more person changes everything?"
They reached a ridge overlooking a valley speckled with flickering lights.
"A town?" Rhea asked.
Lys shook her head. "A camp. ICEGARDEN defectors. Survivors like me. Some are safe. Others... not so much."
Kael raised his rifle, scanning the terrain. "So, we're walking into a nest of half-tamed bombs."
"No," Lys said. "You're walking into a mirror. Whatever you think you are now—you'll see what you could have become."
Aria's stomach twisted. She had seen what ICEGARDEN did to people. Had felt it in her own altered bloodstream. If they were walking into a mirror… what would it reflect?