The narrow path glowed faintly beneath their feet, stones shimmering like fragments of the night sky. The mist thickened once more, rising higher, until the trees around them blurred into shadows.
Prava's heart pounded in her chest. Every step seemed to echo louder than the last, as if the forest itself was listening.
"Something is watching us," Rafael muttered, his hand resting on the hilt of his blade. His eyes scanned the shadows, sharp and vigilant.
Allara shook her head slowly. "Not watching… waiting." Her voice was calm, but her gaze was tense.
The mist parted ahead, revealing a vast clearing. In its center stood a stone arch entwined with roots, glowing with a pale, otherworldly light. The air hummed with energy, and as they drew closer, the arch shimmered like a mirror.
Within its surface, reflections began to form—yet they were not the reflections of their bodies.
Prava gasped softly. In the arch, she saw herself… but different. Her mirrored self bore eyes colder, harder, filled with anger she did not recognize.
Rafael froze as his own image appeared—tired, burdened, holding a sword stained with blood that was not his enemy's. His reflection's eyes held doubt, and shame.
Allara's breath trembled as her reflection came forth—one where she stood alone, cloaked in endless shadow, her hands stained by magic that devoured rather than healed.
The arch pulsed, and a voice whispered all around them:
"To walk forward… you must face the truth within yourselves. Deny it, and be lost. Accept it, and the path will open."
Prava staggered back, shaking her head. "That… that isn't me!" she cried. Yet her reflection only smiled bitterly, as if mocking her denial.
Rafael reached for her shoulder, his grip steady. "Prava… maybe it is a part of us. A part we try to hide."
She looked into his eyes and saw his own turmoil. He was right—the forest was showing them not illusions, but possibilities of who they could become.
Allara closed her eyes, steadying her breath. "The veil of truth does not lie. What we see is not meant to break us. It is meant to remind us… of the choices we carry."
The mist thickened, wrapping around them like chains. Each heartbeat became a question.
Prava swallowed hard, then stepped forward. "If this is the truth… then I will not turn away." Her voice trembled, but resolve burned within her eyes.
The reflections flickered, shifting with her words. The arch glowed brighter, as if acknowledging her courage.
Rafael followed, his steps firm despite the weight in his chest. "I will face it too. No matter what I see."
Allara placed a hand over her heart, whispering something only she could hear, then stepped forward as well.
The arch shone with blinding light, the mist breaking apart. For a moment, all sound vanished, and the world seemed to hold its breath.
Then, with a sound like a heartbeat echoing through the earth, the veil lifted. The path beyond the arch revealed itself—leading deeper into the forest's heart, where destiny awaited.