The plain of mirrors shuddered as Carlos's reflection stepped forward, every movement precise, deliberate. Its eyes glowed faintly blue, not with life but with the Helm's cold flame. The Blade of Ascension shimmered in its hand, a perfect copy, flawless in weight and balance.
Carlos raised his sword. "You're not me."
The reflection tilted its head, smiling faintly. "I am you. The Victor. The one who survives because he abandons the others. The Helm doesn't lie, Carlos. It reveals."
The others shifted uneasily, but before they could speak, the mirrors rippled again. One by one, their reflections peeled free of the glass, stepping onto the plain.
Lys vs. Lys
Lys found herself staring into black eyes — her reflection, bow drawn, the string already trembling with an arrow aimed at her heart.
"You miss," the mirrored Lys said, voice flat. "You hesitate. And because you hesitate, she died."
"My sister…" Lys's chest tightened, her breath catching. She drew her bow anyway, arrow trembling.
The false Lys sneered. "You never wanted to save her. You wanted to replace her. That's why you're still here."
Tears blurred Lys's vision. Her hands shook, but she forced herself to breathe. "That's not true. I fight because of her."
The two loosed at the same time — twin arrows slicing the air. The clash lit the space between them like lightning.
Rina vs. Rina
The assassin's double twirled its daggers, its grin wicked and wide. "Look at you. Pretending loyalty. Pretending friendship. But you know it's easier to survive alone."
"I'm not that person anymore," Rina hissed, circling.
The mirrored Rina lunged, blades flashing. "You always will be."
Steel met steel, sparks flying. Every strike felt like fighting her own heartbeat, every feint anticipated, every parry too familiar. Yet as the duel wore on, Rina realized her double fought with rage, with hatred. She fought with something different — with purpose.
Thalor vs. Thalor
The knight faced himself kneeling, broken, shield shattered in one hand. The reflection's voice was hollow. "You wear honor like armor, but it's rusted through. You weren't strong enough to save them. You won't be strong enough to save these."
Thalor gritted his teeth, raising his shield. "They're gone. I couldn't save them. But I can save these. That is enough."
The false Thalor rose, suddenly whole, wielding a colossal blade. Their clash shook the ground — shield against sword, grief against guilt.
Maren vs. Maren
Maren's shadow-self loomed tall, staff dripping oily flame. "You love this power. You enjoy watching them afraid of you. Why hide it? Why pretend you aren't a monster?"
The real Maren's hands shook, sparks spilling uncontrolled. "I'm not—"
"Yes, you are. The fire doesn't lie."
The dark Maren raised her staff, and a tidal wave of shadow-fire roared toward her. Maren screamed, thrusting her own staff forward, her flames colliding with the surge. The explosion lit the mirrors for miles, painting the plain in molten red.
Carlos vs. Carlos
While his friends battled their doubles, Carlos's duel had already begun. His reflection moved faster, every strike landing with the weight of inevitability.
"You lead them into death," it said, voice calm even as their blades clashed. "Every Victor fails. Every Victor falls. You cannot change what the Helm made you."
Carlos gritted his teeth, pushing back. "Maybe not. But I can choose what I fight for."
The reflection sneered, their blades locking, sparks cascading. "Then fight me. Fight yourself. And see who remains."
They broke apart, then lunged, steel ringing in endless echoes as the mirrors around them showed every possible outcome — Carlos dead, Carlos victorious, his friends gone, his friends triumphant.
The plain shook, glass shattering, shards spiraling into the void. Each hero was locked in combat with themselves, every strike tearing deeper into their fears. But they fought not alone — each battle fed the others, every stand of defiance strengthening the whole.
And slowly, the truth emerged: their reflections were not invincible. They faltered against conviction, against purpose, against unity.
Carlos parried a killing blow, driving his reflection back. Across the plain, Lys's arrow pierced her double's black eyes, dissolving it into mist. Rina struck her own counterpart down with a cry of triumph. Thalor shattered his double's blade, roaring with strength renewed. Maren burned hers to ashes with a storm of fire and lightning.
One by one, the others fell — until only Carlos's reflection remained.
The Helm-bearing double staggered, cracks running through its form. It grinned anyway, voice whispering like broken glass:"You have not won. You have only delayed. The Helm will make you like me."
Carlos raised his blade, his friends behind him, their reflections gone. "Then it will have to try harder."
He struck.
The reflection screamed as it split apart, light pouring from the wound, mirrors collapsing in a chain reaction that tore the plain to pieces.
The heroes were flung together, falling once more into blinding light.