Chapter 3: Ash Between Mirrors
The air turned gold before it turned black.
From across the neighborhood fence, Flame Zero stepped into the dying light—slow, deliberate, like a predator already certain of the kill. He looked just like him… but older, rougher, eyes glowing dimly from within scorched sockets.
And his smile wasn't human.
Zero flinched as fire bloomed behind the man, casting long shadows through the trees.
Lin didn't hesitate. She threw the backpack to Zero and stepped in front of him.
"Run," she said.
"I'm not leaving you."
"You will," Flame Zero called out, voice calm and clear. "That's what you always do."
Zero narrowed his eyes. "You're just another version of me. Corrupted. Twisted by the loop."
"No," Flame Zero said, stepping closer. "I'm the one who stopped lying. I'm what you become once you finally remember everything."
[ENGAGEMENT IMMINENT. THREAT LEVEL: EXTREME]
[INITIATING PROXIMITY LOCKDOWN: TEMPORAL STABILIZATION FIELD ACTIVE]
Time slowed. The air thickened. Zero moved without thinking—left foot pivot, shoulder shift, pack secure. Lin held out a thin blade from her coat. Not a weapon, but a ritual tool—a memory cutter.
"You know what this is," she whispered.
"I don't."
"You will."
Flame Zero raised his hand.
Flames spiraled like coiling serpents, twisting into patterns, forming the shape of a mirror.
It floated between them—a perfect pane of reflective fire. Zero saw himself in it. But not the version standing here.
No… this reflection wore a crown of black wires. Eyes hollow. Chest stitched with numbers. And behind him stood a thousand Zeros, each different—one with wings, one with a scythe, one laughing, one crying.
The mirror cracked.
"You see it now," Flame Zero said. "This world doesn't need saving. It needs ending."
"You're wrong."
"No," he said gently, "you're just not ready yet."
Then the mirror exploded.
Zero flung himself sideways as fire slashed across the lawn. Lin moved with impossible speed—blade flashing in arcs, tracing glowing sigils in the air. A wall of ice rose between them and the flame.
"NOW!" she shouted. "MOVE!"
They ran.
The street bent behind them. Fire chased their heels like hungry mouths. Buildings shimmered, then blinked out of existence entirely—sector instability.
Lin turned into an alley that didn't exist seconds ago. It folded into being, a seam between false houses. Zero followed her, heart hammering.
"Where are we going?!"
"A breach gate," she said. "I keep one open. In case you ever made it this far again."
They skidded into a small clearing—a shattered gazebo surrounded by flickering tiles. In the center, a mirror stood upright, untouched.
A real mirror.
Its surface rippled like water.
[MEMORY ANCHOR DETECTED]
[GATEWAY TO SECTOR 9-B]
[WARNING: UNKNOWN VARIABLES PRESENT IN DESTINATION]
Lin grabbed his wrist.
"I'm going to wipe your trail," she said. "He won't follow immediately."
Zero shook his head. "You're coming with me."
"No," she said. "Not yet. I need to erase what he's already seen. I'll find you later."
"How will I know it's you?"
She smiled softly.
"You'll remember."
She placed the blade—the memory cutter—into his hand.
"For when the truth hurts too much," she said.
Then she shoved him into the mirror.
Light. Heat. Cold. Wind.
Then—
Silence.
Zero lay in a forest.
Real trees. Real birds.
A stream gurgled nearby.
He blinked, stunned. For the first time in what felt like eternity, he smelled life. Soil. Pine. Morning dew.
[SECTOR 9-B CONFIRMED. TIME THREAD: STABLE (FOR NOW)]
[OBJECTIVES UPDATED]
☑ Find the girl who remembers
☐ Decode Flame Zero's origin
☐ Retrieve the memory core
☐ Uncover your true identity
He sat up slowly, still clutching the blade Lin gave him.
He didn't feel victorious.
He felt hollow.
Because part of him believed what Flame Zero said.
That every step toward the truth… was a step toward becoming him.
And now, for the first time, Zero wasn't sure if he wanted to remember at all.
To be continued…