The mirrored arch rippled like disturbed water as the five heroes approached. Their reflections stared back at them, but the images didn't mimic their movements—they anticipated them. The doubles tilted their heads at odd angles, smiling, sneering, whispering silently against the glass.
Carlos's gut tightened. He raised the Blade of Ascension, its faint hum vibrating against the glass surface. The reflection's sword ignited before his did, as though daring him to follow.
Rina hissed under her breath. "I don't like this."
"No one does," Thalor said, lowering his shield. "But we move forward. Always forward."
Together, they stepped through the arch.
The World of Reflections
The air shifted instantly. Cold, sharp, metallic. The labyrinthine city was gone. In its place stretched an endless hall of mirrors, corridors spinning in every direction. Some mirrors were broken, others warped, but all of them held images that moved independently, like predators caged behind glass.
And yet, with each step, the reflections pressed closer to the surface.
Carlos felt his pulse quicken. In one mirror he saw himself—only darker, eyes burning with cruelty, blade raised not to defend but to slaughter. In another, he glimpsed Rina, but twisted, daggers dripping black venom.
Maren clutched her staff tighter, her own reflection wreathed in uncontrolled fire, cackling silently in the glass. "This is wrong," she whispered.
The Helm spoke, its voice echoing from everywhere at once:"The labyrinth tests your unity. The mirrors test your truth. Will you face what you might become?"
The Breaking Point
Without warning, the mirrors shattered outward. Shards flew l
The doubles didn't hesitate.
Carlos's reflection lunged, its blade striking with brutal precision, faster and sharper than his own. Sparks exploded, and the force drove Carlos back.
Rina's twin slashed at her with flawless mimicry. Every move Rina made, the reflection matched—anticipating feints, twisting counters.
Thalor's double towered like a war machine, shield heavier, sword sharper, every strike carrying the weight of his failures.
Lys's reflection loosed an arrow of shadow, piercing the stone at her feet. When she raised her bow in return, her twin was already ready with the next shot.
And Maren—Maren's fire double laughed as it summoned flame without hesitation, a wildfire that roared uncontrolled.
Alone Against Themselves
The real battle wasn't with the doubles. It was with doubt.
Carlos staggered under his reflection's strength. "You're no leader," it snarled. "You're a child playing at hero, dragging them to their deaths."
He gritted his teeth, forcing the blade up. "Maybe I'm not perfect. But I'll never stop trying for them."
Lys's reflection sneered. "You'll fail like you failed your sister. You'll watch them die the same way."
Her hands trembled—but she steadied, exhaling as she loosed an arrow straight through her twin's shoulder. "Not again. Not while I still stand."
Thalor roared as his double's shield bashed him to his knees. "You couldn't protect them then. You won't protect them now!"
Thalor shoved upward, shield meeting shield. "Every failure makes me stronger. Every name I carry makes me fight harder!"
Rina slashed at her twin, both moving like dancers in a deadly duet. "You'll never trust them," her reflection hissed. "You'll always be alone."
"Not anymore," Rina spat, feinting one way and then driving her dagger into its ribs.
Maren faced her burning twin, the flames licking at the mirrors, threatening to consume them all. "You'll never control me," it laughed. "You are the fire. You'll kill them all, sooner or later."
Maren's chest shook—but she raised her staff, her flames bursting forth in a controlled stream, white and pure. "I am not your puppet. I wield the fire—it doesn't wield me!"
Victory in Unity
One by one, the reflections faltered. Carlos struck his twin through the chest, shattering it into glass shards. Lys's arrow pierced her reflection's heart, dissolving it into smoke. Thalor crushed his double with a shield slam that broke the ground itself. Rina's daggers cut her twin down, the reflection laughing even as it faded.
And Maren, with a final cry, unleashed a storm of fire that consumed her double whole—this time without fear of losing control.
The hall trembled. Mirrors cracked, splintered, then collapsed into nothing. The shards dissolved into dust, leaving only silence and the five heroes standing together, battered but whole.
The Doorway
Ahead, where mirrors once stood, a doorway appeared. Plain stone, glowing faintly gold. A straight path forward, with no tricks, no shifting walls.
The Helm's voice whispered, quieter this time, almost reverent:"You have faced yourselves. You have not broken. Step forward."
Carlos lowered his blade, breathing hard. He looked at the others. Their faces were tired, scarred, but resolute.
"We keep moving," he said.
And together, they stepped through the doorway.