What good would a mirror do in helping Syrce save the world?
'Well, she did fail in the end,' Noble reminded herself.
Not that the thought was helpful. One way or another, Child of Promise and her cohort would have to succeed where the effervescent Saint had fallen short.
Focusing on the mirror, Noble examined the pieces more closely. The edges were strangely smooth and still very sharp. Child of Promise knew that if she removed a piece and ran it across her skin that it would cut her easily.
The glass had not been shattered or cut by any normal blade. To be so precise and perfect, it had been separated by supernatural means.
'Mirage cut this into pieces. If she had wanted it to be destroyed, surely she could have done that. There must be a way to repair it.'
"Did you get any instructions on how to make it whole again?" Noble ran her finger along the edge of the frame.
She was touching something that a divine Daemon held! Or an illusory copy of one at least. Had Mirage spent time looking at herself in this looking glass? Noble's fingers tingled.
'I am wearing Mirage's cloak and holding her mirror. What a strange feeling!'
Child of Promise could almost picture the Daemon admiring herself in the glass. The thought was surreal. This whole Nightmare was beyond her imagination.
Maybe that was the point?
"The directive I received from Maelys was to find the seven shards of glass and the frame. The mirror should have come together on its own." Syrce frowned. "I don't think it is permanently broken, which means I am missing something."
Noble had to agree that the mirror still had some power running through it. Her cloak had reacted to it, which meant it wasn't mundane.
She continued to feel the frame, searching for anything that might give her a clue.
'You have a secret...what is it?'
The back was completely smooth. Although Noble couldn't see it for fear of dumping the shards, she could not feel anything worth examining. That in itself was curious. She turned her attention to what she could see.
The flames carved up the sides looked alive, yet the surface was cool to the touch. Noble held the handle and looked at the piece as a whole. It was truly a work of art, one that the forgers of Valor would have been honored to see, let alone make.
The pommel on the bottom of the handle was the originator of the flames, looking like a spark that could light the world on fire.
'A spark of divinity…' Noble wasn't sure why, but the thought resonated deep within her soul, as if she had stumbled on some deep truth. Maybe she had read it in a book somewhere?
What was the purpose of a spark? To start a fire.
Was that symbol on purpose or merely a coincidence?
Her free hand wrapped around the spark. Like the rest of the ivory carvings, it did not burn her, but that did not stop the Master from flinching.
'This is just like when you study a Memory. Look for the obvious clues first. When there are none, just feel.'
She closed her eyes, examining the knob with her fingers. Users of Memories had intuitive knowledge of their gifts because the items were attached to the Soul Sea.
This was not attached to anyone but Mirage, but perhaps she could work around that.
With the cloak, Noble had felt almost like she was the Daemon. Having seen her in the Wonder Woods in a vision, she could picture how the divine being walked and moved. Noble pictured herself in the daemon's shoes.
'If I were Mirage, what would I have done?'
The trick would have needed to be both imaginative and functional. The mirror was a work of art, and art often imitates life. What if this was not just a spark, but it was a representation of the spark which fanned the flame to bring everything into existence? The spark of divinity could really be the spark of life. It could be the beginning of it all!
That was a deep existential thought, but it led to a more immediate theory.
'If this represents the beginning, could it be the start of this puzzle as well?'
A feeling overcame Noble, and before she could discern exactly what it was, her fingers tightened firmly around the pommel. Her hand tingled, but she did not let go. Instinctively, she turned the base of the handle.
Noble's eyes opened wide.
'It…it moved!'
There was no seam in the carving at all, yet she was sure that the ivory spark had twisted. Indeed, when she let go, the pommel was a half centimeter off from its original position.
"Look!" Noble pointed to the change. "This piece moves."
"Let me see." The Saint took back the relic, much to Noble's dismay.
She had wanted to finish twisting the spark to see what would happen, but at the same time, she was relieved. If there was a consequence of disturbing the relic, then Noble would not be the one to suffer it. She would have felt guilty for the thought if not for the Saint's superior power and disregard for danger.
Thankfully, the other woman was oblivious to her thoughts.
With a gentle touch, Syrce turned the knob. It ratcheted slowly around twice and then stopped. It would go no farther.
The commander toggled it back and forth, but the spark would no longer move in either direction. Having reached its final resting spot, it had rejoined the rest of the ivory handle.
"That's strange." The Saint frowned.
"Did anything happen?" Noble peered into the frame. The glass was as broken as before.
The mossy-haired woman screamed.
"Why isn't it working?!"
Syrce's question did not seem to be aimed at Noble, but that did not mean that she didn't feel the pressure from the powerful woman.
The entire wagon filled the Saint's presence, pushing so hard that Child of Promise thought the small cabin might explode.
"My lady, we will figure it out." Noble resisted the pressure enough to touch the other woman's arm, but Syrce didn't seem to be listening.
Her eyes were closed, and her expression was tense.
Then all at once, the presence receded. When Syrce opened her eyes, the intensity was gone from them. She nodded slowly.
"Yes, you are right. We still have a couple of days before we need to act. All we need is to stay calm and think."
'I didn't mention anything about how long we had, but I am glad she has calmed down. This situation has her in an unstable state.'
That was understandable. The weight of the world was on her shoulders.
"Maybe we should take a short break. When was the last time you had something to eat or drink?" Noble knew that she always felt better after a good meal.
"It's been a while..." The Saint admitted, "A cup of water sounds nice."
Setting down the mirror, Syrce stood.
She heard a soft tinkling sound on the desk. Two of the shards had fallen out of the frame. Having not been laid down flat, the mirror tilted and dumped part of the contents.
The shards caught the light of the small window, sending reflections of light in every direction of the small space. It was beautiful, and Noble was mesmerized by their pattern for a moment.
"Oops! Clumsy me," Syrce clicked her tongue. "At least I didn't knock it off the table. Did you know Maelys teases me for my clumsiness? I wish she wouldn't, but she isn't wrong. I don't even know what I set it on…"
The Saint picked up the relic to remove the item underneath.
Only, there was no item.
"Then how did it…"
The two ladies looked at one another.
The same thought came to their minds. Syrce flipped over the relic, dumping the remaining shards on the small desk.
Both women were stunned by what they saw. The once smooth back now had a raised flame on it. Spinning the bottom had pushed the emblem from its hiding place.
The broken pieces sitting on top had prevented the ladies from tilting the mirror and seeing it before.
Syrce ran her fingers along the fiery edge with a frown.
"What does it mean?"
"It means there is a missing piece. The back being completely smooth is a clue. The rest of it is intricately carved." Noble's heart raced.
"A missing piece? Are you sure?" The Saint pursed her lips.
Her blonde companion nodded.
"I am certain."
Running her free hand along the chain of her necklace, Syrce hummed softly.
"It seems you are right. Maybe the piece is among the relics in the wagon. If not, I will call for a seer to search for…"
Noble held up her hand. "There is no need. I already know where the piece is. Better yet, I know who has it…"