The portal spat them out into silence. Elyndra was gone—no lanterns, no market stalls, no cobblestones. Instead, Kaelis and Selara stood in a realm of shifting mists, where the ground shimmered like glass and the sky fractured into countless fragments of light.
"This place…" Kaelis whispered, staring at the endless reflections of himself stretching into the fog. "It feels alive."
Selara tightened her grip on his hand. "It's the Realm of Mirrors. A place where your deepest fears take form. Orin warned me about it. Nothing here is real… but the pain it brings can break you if you let it."
As if summoned by her words, the mist swirled, and a figure stepped forward. Kaelis froze—it was his mother. Her face kind, her smile gentle, just as he remembered from childhood.
"Kaelis," she said softly. "Why did you let me die?"
The words pierced him like a blade. His knees threatened to buckle. "No… I tried—I was only a child—I couldn't save you."
Her form flickered, eyes turning hollow, voice rising into a wail. "You will fail Selara too… just as you failed me."
"Kaelis!" Selara's voice cut through the illusion, steady and fierce. She stepped between him and the apparition, her own aura glowing brightly. "Don't believe it. It's a mirror of your guilt, nothing more. Look at me. I'm real."
Kaelis's breath came in ragged gasps. Slowly, he raised his hand, channeling the warmth of his gift. Instead of pushing the illusion away, he embraced it—acknowledging the sorrow, the helplessness, the grief. Light radiated from his chest, and the false image of his mother dissolved into mist.
Selara smiled faintly. "You faced it. That's the strength Orin spoke of."
Before Kaelis could respond, the mist shifted again—this time forming a reflection of Selara herself. But this Selara was different: her eyes glowed with darkness, her smile cruel.
"You think you can trust me?" the shadow-Selara hissed. "I will betray you. The curse inside me will destroy everything you love. And when it does, you'll wish you had never touched my hand."
Kaelis's heart pounded. He turned to the real Selara, who stood pale and trembling. "Kaelis… it's not wrong. The curse—it is inside me. That's why I tried to keep my distance."
Kaelis stepped forward, ignoring the shadow. He reached for Selara, his voice steady. "I don't care about curses or prophecies. What I see is you—and I won't let fear take you from me."
He pulled her close, and together their combined light flared, shattering the false Selara into shards of broken shadow.
The realm quieted. The mirrors cleared, showing only their reflections—two figures standing side by side, stronger together than apart.
For the first time, Selara's defenses slipped. She whispered, almost to herself, "Maybe… fate didn't curse me after all. Maybe it gave me you."
Kaelis's heart raced, but he smiled. "Then let's face whatever comes next—together."
The mists parted, revealing a path of glowing stones that led deeper into the realm. Their trial was far from over, but something had changed. The bond between them, tested in the crucible of fear, now burned brighter than ever.