The reflection stared back—eyes like shadows stretched thin across a fragile surface.
Noel didn't speak.
He hadn't for the past few nights, not really. His presence flickered in and out like a dying flame, sometimes gliding behind the mirror with a sorrowful look, sometimes sitting in silence with only his hand pressed to the glass. And Ethan… Ethan was unraveling.
"Say something," Ethan whispered, forehead against the cold mirror. "Please. I feel like I'm going insane."
The room was dark except for the golden halo cast by the desk lamp. Nimra had left him alone tonight, too tired to ask why her brother kept talking to mirrors.
The silence was unbearable.
Ethan drew back, hands trembling. "Was it something I did?"
Finally, Noel's gaze met his. The boy behind the glass stepped closer. The surface shimmered, almost like water. "You saw him," Noel said softly. "Didn't you?"
Ethan's breath hitched. He knew who he meant.
"Seren."
A nod. The name lingered like ice.
"I don't trust him," Ethan muttered. "There's something about him... he looks like you, but colder. Hollow."
Noel's voice cracked. "Because he is. And he's growing stronger."
Ethan leaned forward. "You're afraid of him?"
"I'm afraid of what he'll do to you," Noel whispered.
That stunned Ethan. "To me?"
Noel reached for the glass again. Their hands met, palm to palm, separated by the barrier. The connection pulsed—warm, aching.
"You're not just looking into a mirror," Noel said. "You're opening a door."
---
Meanwhile, in Reverie, Velmir stood before a pool of frozen memory. His expression was unreadable, face reflecting nothing of his thoughts. The law was being broken, and he would restore balance. Emotions were leaking through.
Zevian watched from the shadows.
"He's cracked," Zevian said, smirking. "Your precious twin is letting the human in."
Velmir's voice rang like cold bells. "He was never meant to feel."
"But he does," Zevian replied. "And that's what makes this interesting."
---
Back in the real world, Auren paced outside Ethan's bedroom door.
He had heard murmuring again.
Something wasn't right. Ethan was fading—becoming distant, drawn, like the boy he once knew was slipping through cracks. He reached out, hand hovering above the doorknob.
Before he could knock, the door creaked open.
Ethan stood there, pale but calm.
"Hey," Auren said. "You okay?"
Ethan hesitated. "I think I'm falling in love."
Auren blinked. "With who?"
There was a pause—a quiet so long it trembled.
Ethan looked past him, to the mirror. "Someone I shouldn't."