Multiple Greeds emerged from the mirrors, surrounding Laura, Ethan, and Marty with a legion of grotesque and menacing figures.
Each reflection was a distorted and twisted copy of the original, multiplying the creature's evil and cruelty to infinity.
The room became a kaleidoscopic nightmare , a labyrinth of mirrors and monsters where reality fragmented and sanity wavered.
The reflected Greeds moved erratically and spasmodically , jumping from one mirror to another, appearing and disappearing in the blink of an eye, creating a feeling of total confusion and disorientation .
sadistic laughter and menacing growls echoed from all directions, enveloping the young people in a cacophonous chorus of madness and evil.
Marty , overcome with terror, stumbled back , dropping his camera to the ground. " What the…what the…what the … ! " he stammered , his eyes wide open , unable to comprehend what he was seeing.
Reality had surpassed his fantasy of ghosts, and the macabre representation of Greed had hit him with all its force.
Ethan, despite his fear, stood firm, protecting Laura with his chair held high, trying to keep the many Greeds surrounding them at bay .
But the reflexes were countless, attacking from all angles , preventing him from defending himself effectively.
Laura, her mind nearly shattered by the grotesque and overwhelming vision , tried to think clearly, to find a way to escape from that labyrinth of mirrors and monsters. She knew they were trapped in Greed's game, in its theatrical and macabre performance , and that they had to find a way to break the rules, to defy the creature's logic , if they wanted to survive.
He watched the music box in the center of the room , spinning hypnotically on the velvet tabletop, emitting its eerie, tempting melody . The gold coins continued to swirl around it, like magnets drawn to its power. The music box … the gold … the mirrors … everything seemed connected , part of a single sinister mechanism.
And then, he understood . The mirrors reflected not only Avarice's image, but also … Avarice 's own avarice. His obsession with gold, his unquenchable thirst for possession , his madness multiplied and reflected ad infinitum in the mirrored surfaces. The hall of mirrors was not only a visual labyrinth, but also … a mental labyrinth, a physical representation of Avarice 's twisted psyche.
If the mirrors reflected Greed's greed, perhaps ... they could use the mirrors against him. Perhaps ... they could reflect something different , something to disturb the creature, something to break the spell of his labyrinth of madness.
Without hesitation, Laura made a risky and desperate decision. She let go of Ethan 's hand and broke away from his protection , walking toward one of the mirrors, ignoring the multiple Greeds surrounding her, her gaze fixed on her own distorted reflection in the glass.
Ethan looked at her in disbelief and terror, trying to stop her, " Laura , no! What are you doing ? Come back here ! "
But Laura didn't listen . She continued walking toward the mirror, her heart pounding , concentrating all her will on a single idea: to break the reflection, to break the illusion , to break Greed's power.
He stood in front of the mirror and stared at his own grotesque reflection, his distorted and threatening image in the glass. And instead of seeing the fear in his eyes, he tried to project … something else. He tried to reflect … the antithesis of greed. He tried to reflect … generosity. Empathy . Selflessness .
He closed his eyes for a moment, took a deep breath, and conjured up images of generosity , of selflessness, of selfless love. He thought of people who had sacrificed something valuable for others, of acts of kindness and altruism, of the beauty of giving without expecting anything in return. And with all the strength of his intention , he projected these mental images toward the mirror, trying to flood his own reflection with the light of generosity, challenging the darkness of greed emanating from mirrors.
opened his eyes again , and stared at his reflection in the glass again. And for a fleeting instant, something changed . His distorted image seemed to… soften. The threat in his eyes seemed to… dilute. And around him, the multiple reflections of Greed seemed to … waver . The sadistic laughter diminished , the menacing growls grew fainter , the legion of mirrored monsters seemed to… blur.
Laura felt a pang of hope. Was it working? Could generosity, the antithesis of greed, have power against the creature? Could she break the mirrors' spell with the force of her own intention , with the purity of a feeling opposed to covetousness?
Determined to test her theory , Laura reached out towards the mirror, touching the cold, smooth surface of the glass, staring at her reflection, projecting her intention of generosity even more strongly , sending waves of altruism and selflessness towards the labyrinth of mirrors and monsters.
And then, something magical and surprising happened . As she touched the mirror, her distorted reflection … vanished . The grotesque image vanished from the glass, as if it had dissolved into nothingness. And in its place, there appeared … another reflection. A different reflection. A … true reflection.
Her own image, sharp and clear, undistorted and unthreatening, staring back at her from the mirror with eyes full of hope and determination . And all around her, Greed's many reflections began to flicker, fade, and disappear one after another, as if the light of generosity were dispelling the darkness of greed, breaking the mirrors' spell and freeing them from their visual and mental prison . The labyrinth of greed … perhaps , had a way out .
.
Hello everyone. Please comment on what you thought of the chapter so you can help me improve the writing I provide to my readers. Information about the novel "AVARICE" is available in PDF format in the store. It consists of a 12-chapter volume. If you'd like to purchase it, visit my Ko-Fi right now!...
🤩ko-fi.com/winterstar01/shop🤩