Light. Endless, blinding light. Then—shattering.
Rai landed hard on polished marble, his breath catching as the world around him came into focus. The ground beneath his feet gleamed like crystal, reflecting a sky fractured into countless mirror shards. Every movement echoed softly, as if sound itself were afraid to exist here.
He stood on a street made of translucent stone, lined with towering spires of glass that reached toward the heavens. Each spire mirrored a version of the city—some bright and beautiful, others cracked and dark.
He frowned. "A reflection… or a prison?"
A familiar voice replied from behind him, dripping with mockery. "Why not both?"
Rai turned, his sword drawn in an instant. From the rippling air stepped a figure wearing his face—same scar, same crimson eyes, but with a cruel smile that chilled the air around them.
The doppelgänger bowed. "Welcome, Vowbound. To the City of Glass and Lies—a world built from every truth you refused to see."
Rai's grip tightened. "You're not real."
The reflection tilted its head. "Neither are your promises."
The ground cracked, spreading outward like lightning. Buildings shifted, twisting into impossible shapes. People began to appear—mirrored citizens walking backward, their eyes glowing faintly as they whispered fragments of words that made no sense.
Then he heard it again—the same whisper that had haunted him since the first day of his curse.
"Do you remember what you vowed… under the eclipse?"
Rai's chest tightened. The world pulsed in rhythm with his heartbeat.
"Enough!" he roared. Flames burst from his blade, sending waves of light crashing into the mirrored version of himself. But the reflection only laughed, blocking the strike effortlessly.
"You can't destroy what you still are," it hissed. "You lie to yourself and call it resolve. You kill to survive and call it justice."
Each word struck deeper than steel. The reflection's blade sliced through the air, grazing Rai's shoulder. Blood splattered—only for it to turn into shards of red glass midair.
Pain surged through him, but so did fury.
"I made those choices because I had to!" Rai shouted. "I'm not the same man anymore!"
The reflection smiled—sadly, this time. "Then prove it."
The city trembled. From every window, countless reflections of Rai stepped out—some weeping, some laughing, some covered in blood. Each held a sword, each whispered:
"You made us."
It was a storm of selves. Rai was swallowed by the sound of shattering glass as hundreds of his reflections charged. He parried, dodged, and cut through them—but each broken copy released a wave of emotion: grief, rage, guilt.
His flames dimmed again. His knees buckled.
Then—something shifted inside him. The mark on his wrist flared, not in agony, but in clarity.
He shouted, voice echoing through the mirrored world. "I am Rai Solen, last of the Vowbound! My lies forged this world, but my truth will end it!"
The city screamed. Cracks spread across the sky like spiderwebs. The mirrored versions froze—then shattered all at once, dissolving into streams of light that spiraled into the heavens.
Rai fell to one knee, panting. The reflection of himself still stood before him, though it was now faint, flickering.
The other Rai smiled weakly. "Maybe now… you're finally ready to see what we became."
He raised a hand and touched Rai's chest. A rush of memories exploded—battles, betrayals, the first formation of the Vowbound Order. Faces of those who stood beside him centuries ago.
Then the reflection faded, whispering:
"Truth is the sharpest blade. Don't forget to bleed."
The entire city fractured like glass under pressure, collapsing into a single beam of white light. When it faded, Rai stood in front of a massive crystalline gate engraved with thousands of names.
He recognized one—Lyra.
His voice trembled. "Lyra was… one of the Founders?"
The gate pulsed as if responding. A voice echoed from within:
"The second key awaits, Rai Solen. But every truth comes with a price."
He stepped forward, hand trembling as he touched the gate. The mark on his wrist ignited again, transforming into a new symbol—a burning eye surrounded by shattered wings.
The Key of Truth.
The gate opened with a thunderous crack. Beyond it was darkness, and in the far distance—a faint, rhythmic sound. Like a heartbeat.
As Rai stepped through, the voice whispered one final warning:
"In the next world, you will not face what you've done… but what others did because of you."