Akihiro crashed through the glass and slammed against the ground. His palms scraped across cracked stone, the sting sharp enough to jolt him awake.
He staggered to his feet, chest heaving. The world around him was barren — a wasteland of scorched earth and twisted trees, their blackened branches clawing at the fractured sky. The air reeked of ash. Every step crunched against broken ground, as though he had fallen into the aftermath of a war.
The silence was broken only by whispers. Hollow voices drifted across the dead landscape, carrying no bodies, no faces — just echoes.
His heart pounded. He knew he wasn't in the stadium anymore.
The air rippled.
Cai Lin stepped into view, her vessel form glowing sharper in this world. Violet-gold eyes pierced the gloom, her silver-white hair flowing in an unseen wind. She moved like the world bent to her stride, each step bending reality into ripples of glass.
Akihiro froze as her gaze settled on him.
"Welcome, child of the lost moon… to the Mirror World."
She spread her hand. The dead trees groaned, twisting upward into glittering glass spires. With a flick of her wrist, they shattered into dust, scattering into the air like stars.
"This world bends to power. Will. Bloodline. Aura. The weak are swallowed by their own reflections. The strong reshape it as they wish."
She lifted her hand higher. The barren wasteland melted away into a glass sea, floating shards glowing like constellations.
Illusions appeared: ghostly figures stepping onto glass platforms, each radiating a different aura.
Fragile shadows flickered. "Energy Building — the fodder."Sturdier figures held faint lights. "Foundation — rooted, but small."Warriors with glowing orbs in their chests bent shards around them. "Core Building — true power begins here."Radiant figures let their souls drift freely. "Nascent — body and soul as one."Titans shook the glass beneath them, unstable but overwhelming. "Half Emperor."Thrones of light and shadow formed around luminous rulers. "Full Emperor — kings, queens, clan leaders."Divine beings towered above, their presence forcing reverence. "Saint — feared, worshipped, unbound."And finally, all light vanished. From the void stepped a figure without form, endless, like the world itself. "The Void — reflection, eternity, destiny."
The illusions shattered with a snap of her fingers.
Cai Lin stepped closer, brushing her icy fingers across Akihiro's cheek. Her voice softened into something dangerous, both tender and threatening:
"This is the ladder your clan once ruled. The Tsukihara stood at its peak. Now you are nothing but a broken heir… yet still mine."
Her lips drifted near his ear, her whisper a caress and a blade all at once.
"I can help you rise… to Saint, to Void. All you must do is surrender your heart. Whether in love or in fear… it makes no difference."
Akihiro's breath caught, his chest tightening. He wanted to recoil, but part of him could not look away.
Elsewhere.
In the quiet of their home, Yueqin Shirakami stood before the mirror. Her aura shimmered like silver fire, the glass trembling at her touch. Ayame clutched her arm, eyes wide with both fear and determination.
"Stay close," Yueqin said firmly. "We're going after him."
The glass rippled like water, and together they stepped through.
They landed in a vast courtyard. The air hummed with power, lightning crackling through the fractured sky. Students sparred with thunder-imbued blades, sparks bursting with every clash. Elders stood at the edges, their presence like looming storms, guiding each strike with commanding voices.
Ayame gasped in awe. "So this… this is Father's world."
Yueqin's eyes narrowed, her expression grim. "The Raiden Clan. If Cai Lin is already moving her pieces… this clan may be forced to choose sides."
Meanwhile.
Far away, in her own home, Sola Hoshikawa stood before a mirror. Her golden eyes burned with conviction.
"If Akihiro has been taken… then I'll find him."
She pressed her palm against the glass. Radiance spilled from her hand, and the mirror pulled her in.
She emerged in a breathtaking domain: star-lit halls carved of crystal, glowing with golden light. Disciples moved gracefully across courtyards, weaving beams of light in dazzling patterns. Elders stood above them, sharp-eyed, their aura steady like suns that would never fade.
Sola bowed briefly to her clan's banners before clenching her fists.
"I won't let him be swallowed by her."
Back with Akihiro.
Cai Lin's smile widened as he staggered under her presence. Footsteps echoed faintly in the distance. She tilted her head, violet-gold eyes gleaming with satisfaction.
"You are not the only one I've brought here tonight."
Akihiro's heart skipped. He wasn't alone — but whether the others were allies or enemies, he didn't know.
The Mirror World had claimed them all.