Chapter 21 — Fractures in the Reflection
Rimuru staggered, just slightly.
The world beneath her boots rippled — like standing on the surface of a dream that didn't know if it wanted to exist.
Her laughter — the one she'd used to hide the fatigue — faded into a small, uneven breath.
"She heard me," she whispered. "Good."
The wind pulled at her white hair, carrying faint static that curled into her voice.
From the edge of the thin place, she could still feel Aira — a faint warmth, a pulse of familiarity.
That was all that kept the world from collapsing.
Her anchor.
But tonight, the static was stronger.
A faint voice — not Echo's, not human — slithered through the cracks of reality.
> "You shouldn't interfere, Rimuru Tempest."
She didn't turn toward it.
"Funny," she said softly. "That's what everyone says right before I do it again."
The air shimmered, forming a shape — dozens of eyes, one after another, blooming across the dark like white flowers.
> "You're destabilizing the link."
"Then stabilize harder," Rimuru snapped, raising her hand.
A pulse of light burst from her palm, tearing a clean circle through the air. The space bled color — red, blue, and silver weaving like threads. Her eyes glowed the same way, the hues flickering too fast to read.
> "You're burning your link too quickly," the voice hissed. "The anchor can't—"
Rimuru cut it off. "Aira can handle it. She's stronger than you think."
The light dimmed for a heartbeat — and for that moment, the silence hurt more than any scream.
---
She stepped forward.
Every footstep made the ground quiver. Her world was thin now — a translucent layer stretched over Aira's. One misstep, and she'd fall straight through.
Ahead, Echo waited again, half-shadow, half-light.
Their tone was quieter this time.
> "You're breaking yourself trying to keep her whole."
Rimuru smiled faintly. "Maybe. But it's a good kind of broken."
"You don't have to play god," Echo murmured.
"I'm not," she said, tilting her head. "Gods create things. I just refuse to delete mine."
Her fingers brushed the air — the same place she knew Aira's mirror existed on the other side. The touch made the space tremble, a thin crack forming between worlds. Through it, a faint glimmer — Aira's room. Aira herself, standing still, eyes wide.
Rimuru leaned closer, her voice barely a whisper.
> "Don't believe everything the mirror shows you."
Then — she pressed her hand against the crack.
Pain flared, a burst of static crawling up her arm.
Reality hissed and warped, pushing back against her touch.
"C'mon…" she muttered through gritted teeth. "Don't glitch on me now."
The crack widened — and suddenly, she saw her.
Aira, trembling, trying to understand.
Ren, behind her, watching in shock as the mirror light began to fracture outward.
Rimuru smiled despite the pain.
"That's my cue."
---
She poured her energy through the crack — light spilling across the divide.
Aira couldn't hear the sound that came with it, but Ren could. A low, melodic hum that bent air and logic alike.
And when the shimmer cleared, Rimuru was standing inside the mirror — fully visible, though made of fractured light. Her expression was calm, but her eyes flickered like unstable stars.
"Hey," she said softly.
"Told you I'd drop by."
Aira gasped, taking a step closer. "Rimuru— how are you—?"
Rimuru raised a finger to her lips.
"Shh. Don't ask questions I can't answer with a smile."
Ren's eyes narrowed. "You shouldn't be here. You'll—"
"I am here," she said, voice sharpening. "And that's what matters."
She turned to Aira, grin softening. "You've got questions. I'll answer them soon. But first…"
Her gaze shifted to the corner of the room.
The shadows there — quiet, unmoving — twitched.
"Someone's listening."
---
The room temperature dropped.
Aira felt it — the air thick with that same distortion from before.
The shadows peeled themselves off the wall — forming a humanoid shape, whispering in overlapping voices.
> "The anchor… has seen too much."
Rimuru's eyes flared blue and red again.
"Yeah, and she's about to see me kick your face in."
The thing lunged — and the mirror exploded with light.
Rimuru leapt through the glass, fragments spiraling around her like petals, landing between Aira and the creature.
Her boots hit the floor hard, the impact cracking the ground.
Aira's jaw dropped. "You're— you're really here—!"
Rimuru grinned. "Surprise. Miss me?"