The mirror pulsed again—once, then twice—like something slumbering just beyond the veil. Adexander stepped closer. Each heartbeat resonated in his bones, ancient and primal. Not just a memory. Not just a reflection.
> A prison.
Raik glanced between him and the dark pane of glass. "Uh… should we be breaking that thing or running from it?"
Igris stepped forward, sword still drawn. "That is not a reflection… it is a gateway."
> "To what?" Raik asked, his voice lowering instinctively.
> "To the part of him still caged," Igris replied grimly. "The part even he sealed away."
Adexander reached out, hand hovering mere inches from the surface.
> "It's calling."
The mirror rippled. No reflection. No form. Just a void—and from it, a whisper. Not in words. Not in language. A feeling.
Loneliness.
Wrath.
Yearning.
Then, a voice, cold and low:
> "You left me here…"
The others heard it too.
Raik drew both daggers. "Okay. Creepy ghost mirror talking. Definitely not ideal."
The whisper came again.
> "You were supposed to return… we were supposed to BECOME."
Adexander's hand brushed the surface.
The mirror shattered.
But no glass fell.
Instead, it folded inward, like reality tearing open. Beyond the frame—nothingness. A swirling storm of red and black. And from it, something emerged—
Not a shadow.
Not a memory.
A being.
Tall. Humanoid. Crimson energy coursed through transparent veins. No face. Only a mask—black, with a single, vertical slit. It bore no weapon, but the weight of its presence filled the chamber like gravity.
> "What the hell is that?" Raik whispered.
> "His regret," Igris said quietly. "Given form."
The being raised its head.
> "You gave me a name once… before the world ended. But you forgot it. So now I will name you—Failure."
Adexander narrowed his eyes.
> "Then let's see if regret bleeds."
He surged forward.
---
The clash was unnatural. The being didn't move like a fighter—no stance, no form. It reacted instinctively, fluid and formless, like smoke given purpose. Each time Adexander struck, the creature rippled, absorbing or redirecting the blow.
But it wasn't invincible.
A punch connected.
CRACK—!
The mask split slightly.
> "You… have changed," it whispered.
> "And you stayed the same," Adexander shot back.
Igris leapt in, his blade glowing red from absorbed ambient mana. He slashed low, forcing the being back. Raik followed with a flurry of enchanted daggers, pinning it for a breath of time.
> "We're not letting it take you," Raik called out.
The being's voice returned—warped, echoing from everywhere.
> "You never understood. I don't want to take him… I want to JOIN him."
Adexander faltered.
The being pressed a hand to its own chest.
> "We were once one. The fury that conquered. The hunger that created empires. You need me."
> "No," Adexander said slowly. "I don't need you…"
He spread his arms.
Crimson energy burst from him like a sun rising.
> "You need me."
The being staggered—light carving through its form.
And then Adexander whispered a word—not in the common tongue.
A name.
> "Kaien."
The being froze.
Igris's eyes widened.
Raik blinked. "Wait. Kaien?!"
The mask cracked in full.
And beneath it—
A face.
Adexander's own.
But younger. Wilder. Burning with pure rage and sorrow.
> "You… remember," Kaien whispered.
Adexander stepped forward. "Not all. Just enough."
He reached out—
And this time, instead of striking, he offered his hand.
Kaien stared… then slowly, reached back.
Their palms touched.
The void pulsed once.
Twice.
And then—
Light.
---
When the light faded, Kaien stood beside Adexander. Not an enemy. Not a ghost.
A brother.
His crimson energy now tempered, tethered by Adexander's will. The aura of madness still burned in his eyes—but so did understanding.
Raik crossed his arms. "So… we're just collecting walking disasters now, huh?"
Adexander gave a half-smile.
> "He's family."
Igris gave a short bow.
> "Then the Crimson Court begins to form once more."
Adexander turned to face the now-empty frame of the mirror.
> "One by one, the past returns. But this time…"
His eyes gleamed.
> "I decide what it becomes."