Midnight in Celestara
When the fireworks faded, the city exhaled.The laughter, the music, even the light—all folded back into the mirrors, as if Celestara was putting itself to bed.
Kuroha's tails flicked once. "Midnight. The mirrors dream now."
Ayaka adjusted her cloak. "And we're going to sneak into those dreams?"
"Essentially," I said. "Nothing suspicious about three students breaking into a sacred sub-dimension under the academy."
Kuroha smirked. "We prefer the term field research."
The Descent
The path revealed itself where the plaza's central mirror met the ground.The rune we'd seen earlier flared crimson and split, forming a spiral stairway of glass descending into darkness.
Each step reflected a different version of us—older, younger, corrupted, saintly.Ayaka leaned closer to one where she wore armor instead of ribbons. "I look amazing in that timeline.""Focus," I said."Can't. She's got bigger tails."
The shadows thickened. My Nihility Fire flared instinctively, lighting the way. Kuroha padded ahead, each step leaving ripples of gold flame.
The Chamber of Echoes
At the bottom lay a vast circular room—a lake of mirrors suspended in midair.Above it floated a single shard of red crystal, humming softly.
Runes surrounded it, shifting like clockwork.The air vibrated with whispers: countless voices speaking at once.
Ayaka took my hand. "That's the fragment, right?"
Kuroha's eyes glowed. "The Mirror Core. Fragment Four of the Red Code."
I frowned. "But shouldn't we be on the second one?"
"The Code doesn't follow human numbering," Kuroha said. "It follows awareness. You found it because you began to reflect instead of destroy."
The Test of Reflection
The mirrors rippled. One by one, our reflections stepped out.Mine smiled too kindly. Ayaka's stared coldly. Kuroha's shadow split into nine smaller foxes, each whispering in a different tone.
"Who are you without your fire?" my reflection asked.
"I don't know," I said. "But I'm learning."
"Who are you without your laughter?" Ayaka's reflection asked.
She hesitated, then answered softly, "Still me. Just quieter."
The reflections nodded—and shattered into light. The fragment pulsed brighter.
The Core Awakened
Runes surged around us, swirling into a spiral of flame and glass.The red crystal dissolved into threads of code that streamed into my chest, merging with the Eye of Odin.
Pain and clarity hit at once. The world unfolded into layers again—every mirror in Celestara lighting up, connecting to the others through luminous pathways.
For a moment, I saw everyone's reflections—their memories, their regrets, their hidden smiles.
Then the voice returned, deep and distant:
Fragment IV — Mirror Core integrated. The Eye now perceives truth and deception alike.
Kuroha watched quietly. "Your reflection domain just grew."
Ayaka touched my shoulder. "You okay?""Yeah," I breathed. "But I think I can see… too much."
The Whisper of Odin
Before we could leave, the room darkened again.Runes rearranged themselves into a single glowing sigil—an eye crowned by a flame.
Child of Nihility, the voice said, the mirrors remember the day I fell. Seek the Verdant Script—life's reflection. It will guide you to my heart.
The sigil faded. Silence returned.
Ayaka sighed. "You realize your father left treasure maps in the city architecture."
Kuroha chuckled. "Divine parenting at its finest."
Return to the Surface
We climbed back up as dawn began to stain the sky.The mirrors around the city flickered faintly with red light, as though acknowledging what we'd done.
Ayaka yawned. "If anyone asks, we were doing homework."
Kuroha stretched. "We learned something."I nodded. "Yeah. The void has depth."
Ayaka smiled sleepily. "You're starting to sound wise."
"Terrifying, isn't it?"