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Chapter 56 - Chapter 56 — The Room of Endless Wombs

Chapter 56 — The Room of Endless Wombs

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8:22 AM | Within the Fifth Mirror — A Labyrinth of Flesh and Desire

Yuuto and Aika stepped through the jagged crack in the Fifth Mirror's surface and into a vast, dimly lit chamber. The walls pulsed with a slow, organic rhythm—like a colossal heart built from living tissue. Veins of dark crimson ran through translucent membranes, casting blood-red light onto the floor, where slick puddles reflected their footsteps.

Aika's obsidian wings flexed behind her. Her crystalline skin trembled in half-light as she whispered,

> "This place… it was made to test you. Or to claim you forever."

Before them, a corridor branched in three directions, each lined with dozens of carved alcoves. Within each alcove stood a woman—identical to Aika, half-ghost, half-goddess. Their eyes flickered with hunger, mouths parted in silent invitation.

> Sign above central arch: "The Path of First Love"

Right arch: "The Path of Waning Lust"

Left arch: "The Path of Eternal Yearning"

Aureate runes floated above the doorways, whispering in a tongue older than memory:

> "Only one womb leads on. Every embrace births a trap."

Aika's hand found Yuuto's, cold and firm.

> "Each clone wants you. Each womb leads you deeper—and closer to your end."

He nodded. Steeling himself, he crossed under the first arch.

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Corridor of First Love

Rows of alcoves stretched away, each niche glowing softly. Inside each, an Aika-clone eased herself forward, hair damp with ethereal dew, skin shimmering like blood-touched glass. They stepped from their niches in unison as Yuuto approached, voices merging into a single, lilting plea:

> "Touch me… remember our first night together…"

He felt his pulse quicken. The scent of cherry blossoms and warm wine filled the air. As he passed, one clone slid her hand along his chest, fingertips glowing with runic patterns. Another brushed her lips against his earlobe, cold yet electrifying.

Trap: The moment he responded—let his fingers trace the first clone's curve—a spike of phantom pain shot through his collarbone. He staggered, but the next clone pressed her chest against his, siphoning that pain into a soft gasp that echoed into the labyrinth, triggering walls behind them to shift, revealing deeper corridors.

Aika appeared at his side, her voice low:

> "You must endure—do not lose yourself to memory."

Yuuto gritted his teeth, squeezing her hand, and forced himself onward.

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Hall of Waning Lust

The air turned cooler. Alcoves widened; the clones here were distant, almost mournful. Each stood apart, arms crossed, eyes lowered—still beautiful, still cursed. As Yuuto advanced, their whispers grew harsher:

> "You only want me because you can't have her."

"Your desire fades; my want grows."

He hesitated before one who knelt in the center, skin veined with silver scars. She beckoned, voice trembling:

> "Let me be your cradle of loss."

When he knelt beside her, the floor became slick, and Aika's face flashed in every reflection—all of them twisted in agony. Yuuto realized: every moment spent here tears a memory from him. He pressed a hand to his temple, vision swimming, and forced himself up, breaking her gaze. The walls behind parted, granting them passage deeper, but Yuuto felt a pang of something precious slipping away.

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Chamber of Eternal Yearning

A hush fell. The alcoves here were vast niches carved into flesh-like walls, each containing not just Aika-clones but also ghostly infants, translucent and wailing. Their cries echoed off the living walls, a lullaby of sorrow and want.

A lone clone knelt before him, one hand cradling an infant's head. She tilted her face upward:

> "This child calls you… 'Daddy.'"

He froze. The babe's hollow eyes bore into his soul. The clone's hand drifted lower, beckoning. Her robes fell away, revealing sigils scorched into her thighs. Each step she took caused the infant to moan louder, vibrating the very marrow of his bones.

Trap: The moment he reached out, the babies' wails united in a scream of loss so pure it threatened to drown his mind. Visions flashed: Aika's laughter, Reika's tears, Hana's smile—each memory distorted into pain. He reeled, vision darkening, but Aika's hand came to rest on his cheek, guiding him back.

> "Do not fear… remember why you came."

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The Heart of the Labyrinth

At the end stood the Fifth Mirror itself—an obsidian panel edged with living flesh, pulsing in time with the distant heartbeats. Four pedestals ringed it, each bearing a single womb carved from bone and ivory.

Aika's voice echoed in the hush:

> "One embrace, one seal—and you open the final gate."

Yuuto stepped forward, every fiber of him trembling. Clones in all corridors moaned in anticipation, the tower groaning as though alive. He placed his hand on the womb closest to him—etched with his own rune-crown—and felt heat surge through veins.

Aika knelt beside him, lips brushing his temple:

> "I will hold you… and we will end this."

He closed his eyes, drew in a ragged breath, and pressed forward into the embrace that would either save them all… or bind them forever within the Fifth Mirror's embrace.

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