I exhaled slowly and rolled my neck once, loosening the stiffness. The excitement that had begun on the staircase had not faded. It had only grown stronger.
I did not have to wait long.
The air ahead of me rippled again, and another shadow began forming. Its shape stabilized quickly, its presence heavier than the one before. Behind it, space distorted as a circular construct manifested into existence.
A mirror.
It floated behind the shadow, perfectly round, its surface smooth and silver. It rotated slowly, its surface not reflecting the hall around us but reflecting me. Every movement I made, every shift in my posture, appeared inside that mirror with perfect clarity. Even the faint stirring of Essence within my body shimmered across its surface.
I smiled.
"Reflection," I said softly. "That is interesting."
I understood the trial for this hall was domains.
The shadow moved first.
