The corridor narrowed, walls slick with damp. Their torchlight hit something ahead — a tall mirror set into the stone, its surface rippling faint like water.
Riven groaned. "Not this shit again. Didn't we just do masks?"
Kael's gut tightened. The Compass at his chest quivered, pointing straight at the glass.
The system whispered:
[Room Detected: The Glass Corridor] Rule: Do not walk alone. Condition: If one lags, reflection takes their place.
Riven leaned close to the mirror. His reflection sneered back, lips moving faster than his own.
"He slows you down. Leave him."
Riven jerked back. "Fuck off." He gripped his sword tighter.
Seren scribbled quick, shoved the note at Kael: Stay close. No gaps.
They lined up, shoulders brushing, moving slow. Every step, their reflections lagged a second behind, then caught up again. The delay grew longer. By the tenth step, the reflections were three paces behind, eyes sharper, smiles wider.
Kael's throat itched. The silence Burden pulled at him. He wanted to speak, but the rule was clear — do not walk alone. Words might count as distance.
Riven whispered anyway. "They're faster than us."
The reflections lunged forward. Hands pressed to the inside of the glass, palms flat, mouths stretching too wide.
BOOOONG.
The gong shook the corridor. The mirror cracked down the middle, a long jagged line.
Kael grabbed Seren's arm tighter. The Compass buzzed, pointing left. He dragged them to the side wall, pressing against the stone.
The reflections slammed against the glass. One of them — Kael's — leaned close, lips moving. "Hollow." The word smeared across the glass like blood.
Kael's chest tightened. He dug his nails into his palm, forced himself not to answer.
Seren shoved a scrap into his fist. Kael. Not Hollow.
The mirror cracked further. Dust rained from the ceiling. The system hissed:
[Reflections destabilizing] Hold line. Stay three.
Riven snarled, voice sharp. "Then we stay three." He pressed his shoulder into Kael's, sword in the other hand, daring the glass to break.
The reflections clawed, mouths open, silent screams tearing at the air. Then the mirror shattered, glass exploding into dust.
The system whispered:
[Room Cleared: The Glass Corridor] Reward: +2 Tokens Ledger Note: Trio Recorded
Kael's chest ached. Trio recorded. It sounded like a blessing and a curse both.
Riven spat glass out of his mouth. "Next time we see mirrors, I'm breaking them first."
Seren scribbled: Idiot. She handed him the note with a glare.
"Pfft." He grinned anyway, even with blood on his lip.
Kael tucked the scrap she'd given him into his cloak, next to the others. He would need it again.
Behind them, the last echo of the gong lingered.
BOOOONG.
The Ledger was watching. Always watching.