The door slammed shut behind them with a deafening echo, sealing off their escape and trapping Caelum and his last remaining soldier in a nightmarish chamber.
The young man, clad in cracked armor, stood trembling beside his commander. His eyes held fear, not bravery.
The chamber stretched around them, walls soaring to a dizzying vaulted ceiling.
Every surface shimmered like polished glass, reflecting not just their images but multiplying them endlessly.
Torchlight fractured into a dazzling array of beams, creating an almost hallucinogenic display that left them disoriented like stepping into the mind of a madman.
"Young Master, what is this place?" the soldier croaked, raising his weapon hesitantly.
Caelum didn't respond,his gaze fixed on the reflections staring back at him his bloodied face, battered armor, and weary posture echoed infinitely around him.
He felt like a shattered man multiplied thousands of times over.
