The deeper they ventured into Keitha, the more the city seemed to shift—alive, watching, waiting. The group wandered through a vine-covered corridor that looked like it hadn't seen sunlight in centuries. At the end of the hallway stood a massive arch, pulsing faintly with silver light.
"This feels... weird," Sylvia murmured, glancing back at the group.
Before anyone could answer, the arch shimmered—and pulled them in.
There was no falling, no spinning. Just silence, then sudden stillness. When Zora opened her eyes, she was alone.
She stood in a circular room lined wall-to-wall with mirrors. The floor sparkled like glass. For a heartbeat, she could see her reflection—but then the mirror began to change.
Her reflection stepped forward. It had the same curly hair, the same wide eyes... but the expression? Cold. Judgmental.
"You're wasting your chance," the reflection hissed. "You think a girl who makes K-pop playlists and silly songs will survive here?"
Zora took a shaky breath. "You're not me."
The reflection laughed. "I'm more you than you are."
Zora clenched her fists. Her necklace—the one she always wore—glowed faintly. The reflection blinked, stumbled, and shattered. Glass fell in slow motion, evaporating before it touched the ground.
One by one, the others woke up in their own mirrored chambers.
Blair faced her younger self—scared, lonely, and holding a camera.
"Why do you share everything?" the reflection whispered. "What happens when people turn on you?"
"I'm not afraid," Blair said, but her voice shook.
"You are. Of being left. Of being replaced."
Blair's hands flared with heat. She looked down to see golden sparks flickering from her fingertips. When she looked back, the mirror was empty.
Enzo found himself surrounded by broken artifacts. His reflection stepped forward, clutching a burned journal.
"You won't find anything. You're chasing ghosts," the reflection sneered.
"I have to find answers. I always have."
"Why? You think history will save your friends?"
"No," Enzo whispered, stepping forward. "But it'll save us from repeating it."
The air grew dense. His reflection vanished, leaving behind a single glowing rune on the mirror.
Athena stared at a mannequin wearing one of her own designs. The reflection behind it smirked.
"You're just a girl with glitter and fabric. You think that's enough?"
"My designs are me. My heart. My future."
The mannequin cracked down the middle. A single sewing needle floated in the air, glowing. Athena took it without fear.
Ace's chamber looked like a darkened concert stage. He saw himself, exhausted, ignored, clapping alone in a silent room.
"They'll leave. They always do."
"Not my real friends," Ace said firmly.
"But what if you disappoint them?"
"I won't. I've got music, I've got them, I've got me."
The lights surged to life. The mirror exploded into color.
Sylvia's room was a blank canvas.
Her reflection stood before it, holding a dripping paintbrush.
"You're not really brave. You fake it. You push others to be bold so you don't have to be."
Sylvia's eyes narrowed. "I am brave. I just don't waste it on mirrors."
She snatched the brush and painted a single red streak across the canvas. The room dissolved around her.
Asher's room was a mess of floating code and tangled wires. His reflection typed fast, hands sparking with electricity.
"You think you can control this place? This city doesn't play by your logic."
"I can learn. I am learning."
"Keitha's watching you, Asher. And it doesn't trust you."
Asher smirked. "Good. I don't trust it either."
The code around him pulsed and faded.
Axel found himself on a football field under a stormy sky. His reflection tackled him, hard.
"You can't save everyone."
"I have to."
"You'll get yourself killed."
"I'd rather die than lose them."
A whistle blew. The storm stopped. His reflection gave a respectful nod—then vanished.
Moments later, all eight of them snapped awake—together, back under the archway.
"What the hell was that?" Blair whispered.
"A test," Enzo said. "Of our minds."
Zora's voice was soft. "Did anyone else... feel changed?"
They all nodded slowly.
Keitha wasn't just testing their powers.
It was testing them.