The Mirror Tower shimmered like a mirage, rising above the Sea of Shards. Its spiraled form was made of crystalline light, and as Aelira approached, the air thickened with magic so dense it was hard to breathe.
"It recognizes you," Ashar whispered. "You've touched it before… in another life."
Aelira placed her palm against the smooth surface of the outer wall.
It rippled like water.
And then it opened.
🪞 The Chamber of Possibilities
Inside, the walls gleamed with endless reflections.
But none of them were her.
They were versions of her — lives she might've lived. Some dressed in red, ruling empires of fire. Others cloaked in sorrow, having never found her power. One version wept in chains. Another stood tall, alone on a battlefield of bones.
Kaelen's hand brushed hers.
"Are these visions?" he asked.
"Choices," Aelira said. "Some I never knew I made."
Suddenly, one reflection moved — not mimicking her, but walking freely inside the glass.
She was regal, cruel-eyed, crowned in obsidian.
"Ah," the reflection purred. "You must be the weak one."
A Crown Divided
Aelira stepped forward, her voice steady. "Who are you?"
"I'm you," the reflection said, stepping from the mirror like stepping through silk. "The version who didn't hesitate. Who didn't beg forgiveness. Who conquered the Twelve Realms alone."
Her presence radiated power. Even Kaelen stepped back.
"You're not just a vision," Aelira said slowly. "You're a memory. A cast-off fate."
"A fate that wants her throne back," the reflection said, smiling. "You've stumbled through destiny, gathering men like fallen leaves. But you don't rule. You hesitate. You feel."
"And you don't?" Aelira asked.
"I burned those parts away. I became what we were always meant to be."
Mirror Duel
The reflection drew a blade of light.
"If I take your place, I'll protect the Realms. I'll destroy the Mirror King, the gods, the prophecy. All of it. I'll make the world bend."
"Then you've already lost," Aelira whispered, drawing her own sword — forged from starstone, glowing faintly at her touch.
The two Aeliras collided.
Magic clashed in silver arcs.
Every strike cracked the tower's walls, and the other reflections flinched, fading in and out.
Kaelen tried to rush forward, but Ashar held him back.
"This fight is hers alone," the mage warned. "To interfere is to break the mirror forever."
Fire and Mercy
As their blades locked, the reflection snarled. "You don't have the strength to win."
"No," Aelira said. "But I have the will."
She dropped her sword — and placed her hand on the other Aelira's heart.
"You're part of me," she whispered. "But I won't let you rule me."
Light flared — warm, golden, real.
The reflection screamed.
And then she vanished… shattering like glass into a thousand stars.
The mirror calmed.
The chamber quieted.
Aelira stood alone before the final panel — one that showed nothing but a path of possibility.
The Choice
As the others entered, Kaelen ran to her side. "Are you—?"
"I'm whole," she said, voice steady. "For the first time in centuries."
Vaelen looked at her quietly. "What do you see now, in the mirror?"
"A future," she said. "Not written in blood or guilt. One I'll shape — with those I trust."
The Mirror King stepped forward. "Then it is time."
A door opened at the top of the chamber — leading into starlight.
"Where does it go?" Riven asked.
"Beyond fate," Aelira said. "And into the unknown."