"Some eyes see the world as it is. Others see the world as it hides itself." — Scroll of the Mirror Flame
🌌 Namira's Edge — Two Days Later
The snowstorm had passed, but its silence lingered.
Aarav moved through the white wilds without sound, wrapped in a robe woven with mirrored threads. He followed no map — only the pull of something old, something calling.
Behind him, the towers of Namira faded into mist.
Ahead, he saw flickers — not with sight, but with sense.
> A boy under a tree, who did not cry. A girl with a voice that healed time. A hand touching still water… and waking fire.
He blinked. The visions faded.
But one remained: a black sun rising above a burning city.
🌀 Amaravati — Library of Echoes
Meera could no longer meditate.
The visions were constant now — but not chaotic. They followed a pattern, like chords in a song she hadn't yet learned.
She saw him again — silver-eyed, standing in frost, staring straight at her through the weave of distance.
> "Why do I feel like I know you?" she whispered.
In her mind, his voice replied:
> "Because we carry the same silence."
Her breath caught. The crystal floating beside her pulsed with heat.
The Seers of Amaravati had begun to notice.
> "Who is this child you see, Meera?"
> "Not a child," she whispered. "A mirror."
🔥 Sharanya — Temple Courtyard
Shiva sat with his eyes closed beneath the banyan tree. His breath moved like windless fire — still, and yet burning.
He had not spoken aloud in days.
And yet the tree bloomed — not with flowers, but with light.
A message arrived, sent by birdscroll:
> "From the North, a Mirrorborn walks. From the South, a Soul-Singer rises. The Breath watches you, child of no Bloodline."
He opened his eyes.
> "They're coming."
And for the first time, he smiled.
🕯️ Elsewhere — Vault of Embers
Three figures stood before a molten seal.
One wore white veils. One bore mirrored skin. One had no face at all.
> "The convergence has begun."
> "Let the Threads fray. Let them bind themselves anew."