On the other side, Blazy found herself in a strange place — by the edge of a river. The river was flowing with intense force, its waves fierce enough to make it seem as though anything caught in its current would be swept away. Aside from the river, however, the weather all around was calm and peaceful.
But as Blazy took in her surroundings, her eyes widened, and her face was overtaken by a haunting mix of fear and pain — ghosts from her past rising once more.
"This river... this is—!" Terror clung to her face.
Just then, she noticed a small child running quickly toward the river. He was playing dangerously close to the water's edge.
"No! NO!" Blazy sprinted toward the boy, trying desperately to pull him away — but before she could reach him, the child slipped on the ground and fell into the river. He began crying out, his sobs echoing through the air.
Blazy tried to jump in after him, but her body had frozen — she couldn't move. She was paralyzed, as if the weight of the moment had turned her limbs to stone. The child's cries, full of pain and fear, echoed all around her — and the sound broke her completely.
"No… forgive me… please forgive me… I couldn't save you..." Blazy's voice cracked under the weight of memory.
She was drowning in her own guilt, remembering the day from her childhood when she had watched her best friend fall into a river just like this one. She had tried to call for help, but by the time anyone arrived… he had already drowned.
Blazy collapsed to the ground, weeping uncontrollably. Even breathing had become difficult.
Far away from everything else, when Snow opened her eyes, she found herself inside a room — and what she saw left her completely stunned. It was the room from her childhood home.
"Didi…?"She heard a soft voice call out. Turning around, she saw her little sister lying on the bed, reaching out to her.
Snow quickly rushed to her bedside.
"Didi… you couldn't save me, right? You broke your promise," the little girl said, her voice weak and tired. The words cast a shadow over Snow's face.
"I did everything I could to save you, Lavanya. Please believe me… but you were in a coma—"Before she could finish, the little girl interrupted her.
"Don't lie to me, Didi. You could have saved me. All I needed was your bone marrow… but Mom and Dad refused, and you didn't fight them. You chose not to save me. You're the worst sister ever."
Snow's eyes filled with tears. Her heart felt like it had been shattered into pieces.
"No… that's not true…"
"YES, IT IS!" the child screamed.
"NO, IT'S NOT! I will save you! I'll find a cure for you in the Celestial Domain! I'll make you better again!"Snow shouted with all her might — and for the first time, her little sister fell silent.
"Then… do you feel no guilt at all? That you didn't give me your bone marrow?" the girl asked, crying.
"No, I don't feel guilty," Snow said, holding her sister tightly. "Because I will save you — without hurting myself, I'll find a way. I swear I will."
"But now… you have to go. You need to stop asking me these questions… You have to leave my mind," Snow whispered gently.
"You have to go… you have to go…"Snow kept repeating those words for a long time. And then, she saw Lavanya smile softly — before suddenly vanishing into thin air.
Before Snow could process what had just happened, she was abruptly teleported and came crashing down onto the ground.
"LEADER!"The moment Forest Brown saw his leader, he ran toward her and caught her in his arms.
"What happened, Leader?! Where are Blazy and Smight?" Forest Brown asked in a panic.
"They weren't there… not at all," Snow replied in a quiet voice. She still couldn't make sense of what had happened to her. She had just relived her past — faced her greatest fear head-on.
"What's in that mirror? Is our leader safe in there?" Bear asked nervously.
"That mirror shows you your past… a fear that can shake you to your core," Snow replied thoughtfully."I was lucky… I managed to conquer mine."
"Then if those two are to make it out—" Aaryan's face was filled with worry.
"They'll have to face their fears too," Snow said, finishing his sentence.
INSIDE THE MIRROR (PRESENT TIME):
Nitish lay sprawled on the ground, blood streaming steadily from his head, staining the once-white floor a deep, violent red.
His doppelgänger walked calmly across the room, heading toward a wall where a door had now appeared. A smug smile played on his face — he knew he had won. All that remained was to step out of here… and slaughter Nitish's companions.
"Hhhuff…"A loud, labored breath drew the double's attention.
He turned around — and saw Nitish slowly rising from the ground.
"STOP!"Nitish's voice was trembling, but every word came out sharp and clear.
"You're still clinging to life? Why won't you just admit it — you're nothing but a worthless, two-bit loser!" the doppelgänger growled, grinding his teeth as he stormed toward him.
"You're right. I am a loser," Nitish said softly.
Hearing this, the doppelgänger's grin stretched wide across his face. He laughed mockingly."Good… very good! So you've finally accepted the truth about yourself."
But before he could say another word, he noticed Nitish was quietly chuckling… and wiping the blood from beneath his nose.
"Yes, I'm a loser. I'm not special," Nitish said as he slowly drew his sword. A wicked grin crept across his face — one that almost seemed demonic.
"But that's exactly what makes it fun. If I weren't a loser… my life would be so damn boring, wouldn't it? I don't want to win all the time."
"But…" his voice grew louder, steadier, "I do know one thing — even if I lose a hundred times, one single victory will be enough for me."
"YES, I'M AFRAID! YES, I'M SCARED OF EVERYTHING! BUT THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT MAKES ME WHO I AM! AND THAT'S WHY, RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW—!"
Suddenly, Nitish plunged his sword straight into his own abdomen.
"NO! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! STOP!"His doppelgänger's eyes went wide with shock, his body trembling as if he were the one stabbed — not Nitish.
"THAT'S WHY RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW — I WILL KILL MY FEAR! I'LL KILL MY REGRET!" Nitish roared, laughing madly through the pain.
"You were wrong about only one thing… that I don't have friends."With those words, Nitish spat the blood from his mouth — right into his doppelgänger's face.
"I do have friends! I have a real family! They call me their leader! THEY. ARE. MY. FRIENDS!"
"THEY
ARE
MY
FRIENDS!"
With that final cry, Nitish shoved the sword all the way through himself. The pain was excruciating — yet he still wore a smile on his face.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOO!"The doppelgänger screamed and charged toward Nitish. But before he could reach him, his body suddenly began to disintegrate into dust.
"You've won, Nitish Sharma."
A serene smile appeared on the dissolving face of the double — as if, in defeat, he had finally found peace. And with that… he faded away into nothingness.
Before Nitish could even process what had happened, his body was suddenly teleported.
INSIDE THE MIRROR (RIVER SCENE):
Blazy lay on the ground, struggling to breathe. A deep pain filled her lungs, every breath more difficult than the last. Somewhere deep inside, she felt it — her time was running out.
"Will I always live with this fear? Will I never be able to save my friends?"The thought kept circling in her mind, crushing her from within. Her childhood trauma had left her broken… hollow.
Then suddenly — a voice echoed inside her.A voice that gave her strength.A voice she called… a friend.
"I don't know what I'd do without you, Blazy. In this entire guild, you're the only one I can truly open up to…"
Snow's words replayed in her mind like a warm echo.
"Hm… Snow… You trust me that much. But… am I really worthy of that trust?"Blazy thought to herself. She was still lying on the ground, her eyes bloodshot from crying.
"You know, Blazy…? On this journey to find a cure for my sister, there are times when it feels like the weight of my pain and exhaustion is too much to bear. But then… when I spend even a little time with you… all that sorrow just fades away."
Blazy recalled Snow's words. A soft smile appeared on her face.
"Yes… Snow… I won't ever let anything happen to you. I won't let anything happen to any of my friends ever again."With renewed determination, Blazy began forcing herself up from the ground. As soon as she stood, she took a deep breath — then dove straight into the river.
As soon as she hit the water, Blazy pushed herself with everything she had, swimming with all her strength toward the drowning child. In moments, she reached him, grabbed hold of his tiny body, and pulled him back to the shore.
"HAAAAHHHH…"The child gasped for air as he emerged from the water, then looked up at Blazy.
"I saved you," Blazy said, her eyes brimming with tears.
"Yes, you did," the child said with a warm smile. "You'll always keep your friends safe, Blazy."
Before Blazy could say anything in return, the river water suddenly surged and flooded in every direction. She was swept away, drifting toward a brilliant white light as everything around her began to dissolve.
INSIDE THE TEMPLE:
WHOOSHHHHHHH!
Nitish was suddenly teleported and landed on something unusually soft.
"OUCH!" he groaned in pain.
"Since when did the ground get this soft…?" Nitish was still trying to make sense of it — until the realization hit him.
He hadn't landed on the ground…He had landed on Snow.
"Smight, I think it's time you got off me," Snow said irritably.
Their teammates' hearts nearly jumped into their throats. Smight was so close to Snow, the scene looked like it was straight out of a Fifty Shades of Grey film set.
"Ahh—sorry!" Nitish panicked, flustered by the awkward and extremely intimate position. He quickly tried to get off her — but before he could move…
THUNK!
A staff fell from above and struck him square on the head, forcing his face even closer — just inches away from Snow's.
They were now so close, they could feel each other's breath. One more inch and then…
AHEM!
"BLAZY! ARGH! SMIGHT — GET OFF ME, PLEASE!"Snow shouted, and without hesitation, she flung Smight off her with surprising ease.
"OUCH! Oh come on! Am I a damn bell or something? Why is everyone taking turns to ring me up?!"Nitish groaned in pain, still sprawled on the ground.
Blazy had also just teleported out of the mirror. Snow quickly rushed over to her, worry etched across her face.
"Are you okay, Blazy? Did you get hurt anywhere?"Snow gently examined her arms and legs, checking her for any injuries.
"I'm perfectly fine, Leader," Blazy replied softly — and without another word, wrapped Snow in a tight hug.
"Hey, is anyone going to ask me if I'm okay?" Nitish grumbled, slowly getting to his feet. "Seriously, no one?"
"What's there to ask you?" Snow said, shooting him a look. "You're practically a demon. You came out of the mirror and went straight into a romance scene."
"Excuse me? You were the one who got under me — and I'm the one getting scolded?!"Nitish growled, tossing Blazy's staff back at her. "Here, take your staff. Damn thing's got a mind of its own."
"WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU INSIDE THAT MIRROR, LEADER?"Nitish's friends had gathered around him, concern written all over their faces.
"What happened to me?" Nitish raised an eyebrow and smirked. "Oh, nothing much. Just got back from a Maldives vacation… with hot girls."
He delivered the line with a perfectly straight face, while everyone else stared at him with a collective "Are you serious?" expression.
"Wait a minute…"Nitish suddenly looked down at his stomach. Seeing no sword impaled through it, he let out a breath of relief.Good. So it really was all just an illusion.
"Nitish, Blazy… did anything strange happen to you both in there?" Snow asked, her voice steady but curious.
"Yes, Snow," Blazy replied softly. "Inside that mirror… I saw my past. In fact, I saw my greatest fear from it."
"I saw my present — which, I guess… is now my past," Nitish said, taking a deep breath.
"That mirror… it truly knew our weaknesses," Blazy said, deep in thought. "But in a way… we overcame them. We passed its test."
"Yeah… but even after going through all that, all we did was face our fears," Snow said with disappointment. "We didn't gain anything — no reward, no key… nothing."
"Then going in there was pointless," someone muttered."And if we still don't have the key… then how the hell are we supposed to get inside the temple?"
Everyone fell silent, anxiety and frustration creeping into the group.
"Who said we don't have the temple key?"Nitish flashed a confident grin and pulled a small square box from his pocket.
"Here it is — the temple key. That mirror was actually a test, and this," he said, tossing the box into the air and catching it with flair, "is the reward for clearing it."
"BOSS, YOU'RE THE GREATEST!"Nitish's team erupted in celebration, rushing over to hoist him up on their shoulders.
"Long live Smight Boss!"
The entire team cheered and danced around — even members of Snow's team, overwhelmed with joy, joined in and began spinning Nitish around on their shoulders.
Watching this wild celebration unfold, Blazy and Snow stood to the side, exchanging a look that said everything they were both thinking:
"All this shouting… for a key? Ugh, boys. We went through the mirror too, didn't we?"
After a few minutes of chaos and laughter, Snow composed herself and called everyone back to attention, her voice shifting to a tone of command.
"We've got the key now. Which means… it's time to face the boss and make it out of this dungeon. Is everyone ready?"
"YES MA'AM!"The response came in perfect unison, full of energy and resolve.
As the group began walking back toward the gate, Aaryan lagged behind with Nitish, a mischievous grin spreading across his face.
"So… how did it feel, almost kissing Snow?" he teased, nudging Nitish. "Honestly, I've never seen someone luckier than you. Tell me the truth — was that your plan all along?"
"What?! No way!" Nitish hurriedly clamped a hand over Aaryan's mouth. "And keep your voice down, man! What if she hears you? What's she gonna think about me?"
"Ohhh?" Aaryan pulled back with a devilish smile. "So now it matters what she thinks of you? Wowwww."
"Aaryan, I swear, if you bring this up one more time, I'll personally toss you back into that creepy mirror!"
Nitish leapt at him, trying to shut him up again as the two wrestled playfully.
"Gotta say," Paradise chimed in with a smirk, glancing at Nitish, "I'm impressed the leader didn't slap you after you landed on top of her like that. That's… kind of a big deal."
"I didn't jump on her! I FELL!" Nitish corrected in a flustered voice, his face now burning red with embarrassment.
And just like that, he knew the teasing wouldn't stop anytime soon.
Ugh, great. Now I'm going to hear about this the whole way to the boss gate…