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"Some wounds are so deep that even silence hurts."
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📍Opening Scene: Mirror Guild Headquarters
Right after the entrance trial, the new mages of the Mirror Guild are assigned to tower dormitories.
To their mutual dismay, Cael and Ezren discover they've been paired as roommates.
The atmosphere between them is… radioactive.
Ezren avoids contact, hiding behind sarcasm:
"If I vanish in the middle of the night, we'll know who killed me."
Cael, as usual, replies with disdain:
"Relax. I only kill people who are worth the effort."
🎯 Mission: The Village of Vureldar
A few days later, they're sent on an emergency mission to Vureldar, an isolated village surrounded by misty forests.
Mission Report:
"Cases of chronic insomnia, shared hallucinations, and psychotic episodes. Suspected cause: Deep Reverie-class Entity. High danger level."
Upon arrival, something feels wrong: all the houses have their lights on, but there are no voices, no footsteps.
In the only bar still open, a hollow-eyed old man whispers:
"Here… no one sleeps, boy. Because those who sleep… wake up different."
"Different how?" Ezren asks.
"They forget who they are… and what they loved."
🌒 First Night: The Nightmare
The only available room has two small beds, locked windows, and a fireplace that creaks even when untouched.
Ezren falls asleep first. Cael stays awake, sensing… something off.
In the middle of the night, Ezren begins to murmur:
"Dad…? No… come back… don't leave me again…"
Cael approaches, cautious. Suddenly, something slithers across the ceiling—like living smoke.
A figure with white eyes and a hazy form hovers above Ezren, whispering:
"He dreams of you, shadow mage… and you do too."
Cael reacts fast. A containment circle of shadow energy flares, driving the creature away.
Ezren wakes up sweating, breathless.
"What… what was that?"
"Nothing you need to remember," Cael replies — cold, but visibly shaken.
🧠 Psychological Horror: The Entity
The next day, the village is even more distorted.
An old woman hugs Ezren, swearing he's her long-dead husband.
A boy points at Cael and screams:
"He killed me! I dreamed it! He killed me!"
The distortions worsen the longer they're together.
The more they look at each other, the more the mirror of pain reflects them both.
By the riverbank, Ezren breaks the silence:
"Why do you act like you don't feel anything?"
"Because feeling hurts more than pretending."
Ezren steps closer:
"But last night, you looked at me. And it wasn't with hatred."
"It was to protect you."
"Lie. You look at me like you want to… run away or kiss me."
Cael turns abruptly, heart racing.
"You have no idea what you're saying."
🕯️ Climax: Shared Dream
They decide to confront the entity on its own turf — the dream realm.
With a temporary soul-binding spell, their spirits intertwine, entering the village's collective nightmare.
Inside the dream:
The sky is made of cracked mirrors.
The houses float.
The villagers repeat sentences they never spoke.
The entity takes different forms to torment them:
Ezren's father, cold and distant, saying: "You were never enough."
A light mage whipping young Cael, chained down by his shadow magic.
Ezren screams:
"Is this you?"
"It's what's left of me," Cael whispers.
With tears, they merge their powers — light and shadow, feeling and pain.
They create the Ecliptic of Truths, an explosion that shatters the mirrors and dissolves the entity.
The village breathes.
People sleep.
For the first time in years… they dream in peace.
💔 Ending
Back at the Guild, the silence between them is no longer hostile — it's intimate.
Before turning off the lights, Ezren says:
"If you ever… want to talk about what I saw… I'm here."
Cael hesitates.
His dark eyes linger on Ezren, as if trying to memorize the moment.
He smiles — for the first time.
Small. But real.
"Good night, Ezren."
He turns away.
But his heart was still awake.