The days after the mirror incident left Akihiro Tsukihara restless. Sleep offered no peace; every time he closed his eyes, he saw her — Cai Lin, the woman who had looked at him through the glass. Her beauty had been overwhelming, but it wasn't only her presence that haunted him. It was the way she had smiled, as if she already knew him, as if she had been waiting for him.
At home, the mirrors unsettled him even more. Reflections lingered when they shouldn't. Sometimes the glass rippled when he walked by, though no one else seemed to notice. The air in the house felt heavier, charged with something he couldn't explain.
One night, unable to stand it any longer, he splashed water on his face in the bathroom. When he looked up, the mirror rippled violently. His heart jumped, goosebumps rushing across his skin.
She stepped through.
Cai Lin's form materialized as the light above flickered, the air dropping cold. Her violet-gold eyes locked onto his as she glided forward, silver-white hair spilling around her like flowing light. Regal, commanding, dangerously beautiful — she was more real than any dream.
Akihiro Tsukihara couldn't move. His chest tightened, his breath shallow, as her presence filled the small room.
She circled him like a predator, lips curving faintly.
"You feel different," she whispered, her voice smooth as silk. "Unlike the others. Stronger. Closer to me."
Every word sank into him, sending a shiver down his spine. She leaned closer, her presence both intoxicating and terrifying.
"I've waited centuries for this… child of the lost moon."
Her cold hand hovered near his face — then she pulled back, smirking, before dissolving into the glass once more. The mirror stilled, reflecting only his trembling form.
Akihiro Tsukihara staggered back, gripping the sink. His heartbeat roared in his ears. He knew now, without doubt — she was real.
Later that night, Yueqin Shirakami entered the living room, her expression tense. The air carried faint traces of power, sharp and unnatural. She stopped, eyes narrowing.
"Akihiro Tsukihara," she said firmly. "What happened here?"
He looked away, silent.
Her tone hardened. "Don't hide it. I felt it. That presence… Cai Lin has crossed the mirror, hasn't she?"
The name struck him like a blow. He hadn't spoken it aloud, but Yueqin Shirakami knew. She placed a hand on his shoulder, meeting his eyes.
"She is not a dream. She is real — and she is dangerous. Do not let her draw you in."
Before he could answer, Ayame Shirakami spoke from the doorway. Her face was pale, but her voice steady.
"Aunt… enough. He deserves to know."
Akihiro Tsukihara turned sharply. "You… knew?"
Ayame Shirakami hesitated, then nodded. "When I was a child. Father… he took me through weakened portals. I've been to the Mirror World before."
The words struck harder than any blade. His sister — the one person he thought stood with him against the unknown — had been hiding this all along.
"You knew," he repeated, his voice low. "All this time."
"I didn't tell you because you weren't ready," Ayame Shirakami whispered. "Father told me to protect you from it."
The room fell silent. Yueqin Shirakami's gaze was sharp, her voice low.
"Enough, Ayame Shirakami. He deserves the truth, but not all at once."
Akihiro Tsukihara sat back, his body heavy with the weight of betrayal. Lies, secrets, shadows — from those he trusted most. Anger burned in him, but beneath it was sorrow, and beneath that, understanding.
They hadn't lied to hurt him. They had lied to protect him. To shield him from a world he wasn't ready to face.
For the first time in years, tears stung his eyes, though he hid them quickly. He clenched his fists, staring down at the floor.
"If this is my fate," he whispered to himself, voice trembling but firm, "then I'll face it. No more lies. No more shadows."
Later, alone in his room, he sat before the mirror. His reflection stared back — steady, silent, ordinary. But his eyes burned with a new determination.
The despair had not left him, but from it, resolve was born.
And somewhere deep within the glass, unseen, Cai Lin's faint smile lingered.