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The city's fog pressed thick against the glass as dusk slipped into midnight. Inside Midnight Curiosities, the shop felt restless—magic building, shadows bending around corners, anticipation humming through every flickering candle. Corven moved with deliberate care, checking the ledgers, dusting the glass shelves, pausing before the old silver mirror that now sat propped atop the counter.
For nights it had been only a curiosity, its surface mottled and dull, reflecting little but candlelight and dust. Tonight, though, something about the mirror was alive. When Corven glanced at it, his own reflection seemed to shimmer—older, bolder, touched by shadows and secrets.
He set out new silks and polished the cuffs, nerves tingling as he unlocked the biggest ledger and watched the script unfurl in a pulse of blood-red magic:
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[Shopkeeper's Ledger — Initiate]
Ecstasy Harvested: 6
Bargains Sealed: 6
Shop Status: Whispered (6/100)
Unlocks Pending: Mirror of Secrets (Unlocked), Stock Expansion, Second Room
Legend Progress: 6/ 100 — The city whispers; new eyes turn toward the shop.
---
He ran a thumb over the page. The Mirror of Secrets—he could feel its presence now, breathing at his back. Tonight, something would change.
The bell chimed, cutting through the hush. A lone woman entered, swathed in a cloak the color of winter violets. She moved with wary grace, hood half-raised, gaze drawn almost magnetically to the mirror. Her hair was silver-blonde, eyes sharp, a faint scar curving at the edge of her mouth. In her arms, she clutched a velvet-wrapped box.
Corven greeted her with his usual careful warmth. "Midnight Curiosities welcomes you. State your desire, and the shop will judge the price."
She stood silent a moment, then set the box atop the counter, hands trembling. "I want to know the truth," she said, voice low. "Not the mask I wear, not the story I tell. What do I truly want? Who am I when no one else is watching?"
Her gaze flicked to the mirror. "Show me."
Corven nodded, feeling the magic crackle in the air. He opened the ledger. The words spilled out in fresh, hungry red:
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[Desire: The Truth Reflected. One Night of Naked Want—No Masks, No Lies.] [Price: Unconditional Surrender—Body and Soul, every secret laid bare in the mirror's gaze. Artifact: A memory you may never wish to forget.]
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She inhaled, steadying herself. "I accept."
Corven closed the shop, dimmed the lamps, and guided her into the ring of candlelight before the mirror. The shop seemed to hold its breath, shadows swirling along the walls as if drawn by invisible hands.
He gently drew the cloak from her shoulders, revealing pale skin and a silken shift beneath. She stood rigid, muscles tense, her reflection shivering in the mirror's glass.
"Look at yourself," Corven said softly. "No one else can see what you see tonight. Only you—and the magic that lives here."
She met her own eyes in the silvered glass, lips trembling. "I'm afraid."
He stepped behind her, hands warm on her shoulders. "Fear is honest," he murmured, letting his lips brush her neck. "But you came here for truth."
He slid the shift from her body, baring her to the candlelight and her own gaze. She gasped, arms fluttering to cover herself, but Corven caught her wrists, guiding them to her sides.
"Let the mirror see. Let yourself see."
Her reflection blushed, chest rising with each shaky breath. Her body was strong, marked by life and experience—a tattoo winding across her ribs, faint stretchmarks at her hips, scars old and new.
Corven's hands roamed over her skin, slow and reverent. He stood behind her, eyes meeting hers in the glass, letting her witness her own unraveling. He cupped her breasts, thumbs teasing her nipples to aching peaks, pressing his chest to her back. The mirror caught every tremble, every pulse of hunger.
He let his hand drift lower, skimming her belly, sliding between her thighs. She moaned—soft, uncertain, the sound blooming in the silent shop. Corven teased her clit, slow circles building heat, his other arm holding her tight as she rocked back against him.
She watched herself in the mirror as he worked her, saw the flush spread down her neck, saw her mouth fall open in pleasure. "Don't look away," Corven whispered. "See yourself wanting."
He slid two fingers into her, curling slow, deliberate strokes inside. She whimpered, one hand flying up to brace against the mirror, her hips moving with him. Corven pressed kisses along her shoulder, tongue flicking over her skin, breath hot in her ear.
"Tell me what you see," he murmured.
She shivered. "A woman… desperate to be touched. To be claimed. To be seen."
He grinned, teeth grazing her throat. "Then claim yourself. Watch yourself come apart."
He knelt, turning her to face the mirror fully, parting her thighs wide. She saw herself—raw, open, flushed and panting, every secret on display. Corven licked her slowly, tongue pressing against her clit, hands holding her hips steady. She locked eyes with herself, watched the pleasure build, unable to hide from the truth of her own hunger.
She climaxed—sobbing, shuddering, her reflection wild and beautiful in the candlelight. Corven didn't stop, licking her through every aftershock, making her watch every tremor.
When she slumped, breathless, he lifted her up and carried her to the thick rug before the fire. He stripped himself with patient grace, baring his own body to the mirror's judgment.
He knelt between her legs, sliding inside her with exquisite slowness. She gasped, clinging to his shoulders, her eyes darting from his face to the mirror and back.
They moved together in a thousand mirrored reflections—her riding him, hair streaming wild, her hands on her own breasts, Corven gripping her hips and guiding her up and down his cock. He bent her over, fucking her from behind, both of them watching her face twist in pleasure and surrender.
He bound her wrists in silk, blindfolded her, then made her kneel before the mirror, sucking his cock while she listened to every filthy word he whispered. He fucked her on the floor, against the glass, atop the counter—always with the mirror reflecting every moment, every sound, every raw confession.
She begged for more, begged to come, begged to be taken. Corven granted every request, pushing her to new heights, demanding she look herself in the eyes each time she shattered.
Hours passed—pleasure layered on pleasure, secrets given up in every gasp and cry. Corven made her promise aloud what she wanted, made her confess her hidden shames, made her watch herself receive and give, over and over, until she sobbed and screamed her own name, her own truth.
When the sky grew pale, Corven gathered her in his arms. The mirror shimmered—its surface rippling with the memory of every touch, every surrender.
On the counter, an artifact formed: a small, hand-held mirror of silver and jet, its surface flawless.
She dressed in silence, eyes shining, the artifact clutched to her chest.
Corven guided her to the door, his own body spent but his spirit thrumming with magic and pride.
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[Desire Fulfilled: The Truth Reflected. One Night of Naked Want—No Masks, No Lies.] [Payment Rendered: Unconditional Surrender—Body and Soul, every secret laid bare in the mirror's gaze.] [Artifact Created: Mirror of True Desire.] [Effect: When gazed into, shows the bearer what they most long for—and what they most fear to admit.]
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Corven watched her vanish into the morning mist, the bell's echo a promise in the air.
He turned to the mirror, seeing his own eyes—changed, older, fierce. The shop was no longer just a den of secrets. It was a place where truths were born.
He checked the ledger one last time before sleep, watching the numbers tick up, the legend growing with every bargain sealed.
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[Shopkeeper's Ledger — Initiate]
Ecstasy Harvested: 7
Bargains Sealed: 7
Shop Status: Whispered (7/100)
Unlocks Pending: Stock Expansion, Second Room
Legend Progress: 7 / 100 — More than rumors now.
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The mirror hummed in the gloom.
Midnight Curiosities waited for its next secret.
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