The next morning, no one spoke much.
Even Mira didn't joke. That alone said everything.
Ceal had been up all night, running tests in his lab — which mostly involved staring at jars of glowing water and muttering things like "fascinating, but horrifying."
When Lyra and Aiden entered, he was already scribbling notes.
"Good news," he said without looking up. "Your reflections aren't trying to kill you."
He paused. "Yet."
"That's… comforting," Mira muttered.
"So what are they doing?" Aiden asked.
Ceal finally turned, eyes serious. "They're not reflections anymore. They're bridges. The Veil's fabric is folding through mirrored surfaces — water, glass, anything that holds an image."
Lyra frowned. "And Loren?"
Ceal hesitated. "He's on the other side of that fold. When the Veil cracked, part of his essence started leaking through — reaching for what it remembered."
"But he doesn't remember me," Lyra said softly.
"Memory isn't the same as instinct," Ceal replied. "Sometimes the heart remembers first."
Mira blinked. "Okay, that's romantic and creepy."
In another world — quiet and dark — Loren stared into a pool of still water.
The surface rippled, and for a second, a faint image appeared: Lyra's eyes.
He didn't know her name. But something in his chest twisted painfully, like a forgotten promise.
"Why do I feel… sad?" he whispered.
The reflection didn't answer, only shimmered faintly before fading.
Back in the academy, Mira tried to lighten the mood.
"So, uh… should we cover all the mirrors? Because I once watched a horror movie—"
"Yes," Ryn said immediately.
"Absolutely," Lune added.
"I'll handle it," Solen said, already moving.
Aiden sighed. "Do it. I don't want any surprises tonight."
Ceal raised a brow. "Oh, you'll get surprises anyway. Just… maybe smaller ones."
"That's not helping, Ceal," Mira groaned.
As night fell, Lyra stood by her dorm mirror again.
Her reflection looked normal — tired, maybe, but hers.
Then, softly — like a breath on glass — a whisper came again.
"Lyra…"
She didn't flinch this time.
"I'm listening," she whispered back.
For a heartbeat, their worlds overlapped. Two souls separated by time and broken memory — reaching toward the same light.
The mirror pulsed once… then went still.