Anara had seen ruins before, but nothing like Mirrorsong.
They came upon it at dawn's edge—or what passed for dawn in their fractured world. Mist clung to the craggy cliffs where the city lay carved into gleaming obsidian, its spires rising like frozen music. Every surface shimmered: walls of mirrored glass, rooftops of silvered stone, windows shaped from polished crystal that caught echoes rather than sound.
As they stepped through the gates, their reflections warped and multiplied—versions of themselves older, younger, braver, or afraid. Cael flinched at one and muttered, "They say Mirrorsong doesn't show who you are—it shows who the light thinks you could become."
Inside, silence ruled. No wind, no voices—only the strange, melodic hum of the city itself. The shard in Anara's hand pulsed in response, catching flashes from the mirrors until a hidden path was revealed: a spiral of fractured glass leading below the city's skin.
There, nestled beneath the mirrored arches of an ancient council chamber, stood the Third Shard—floating atop a pedestal of obsidian veined with starlight. But between her and it stood six mirrors—arranged in a ring—each flickering with living illusions. Visions.
In one, Anara's parents turned away, unrecognizing. In another, Cael's silhouette walked into fire, leaving only ash. One showed Anara ruling a city of light—and another showed her alone, with light but no people to share it with.
"The third shard knows fear," Cael whispered. "This is its domain. Not the light outside—but the doubts we cast within."
Anara stepped into the ring. The illusions blinked to life, whispering her in
securities, her hesitations, her potential to lose herself in the journey.
She spoke not with defiance, but with clarity.
"I see these shadows. But I don't walk alone."
She reached back—and Cael took her hand, steady and real. The mirrors faded. The shard came to her like a sigh of relief.
As it touched her palm, it merged with the others—and light threaded outward, casting a single chime that echoed through the city: Mirrorsong, singing again after centuries of silence.
And somewhere, far away, something in the darkness stirred. Watching. Listening.
Ready to venture into Chapter 7? We could explore Cael's past, a shattered sanctuary called Embervale, or the arrival of a mysterious stranger who calls Anara "Sunborn." 🔥🌄