The figure in the mirror neither moved nor spoke, yet its presence weighed heavier than silence itself. It was made of negative energy of grief and fury, shadow and flame, everything that once was and could be again.
Jonan's breath caught as the being tilted its head, as though studying him through aeons. The key in his hand pulsed slower now, as if the decision before him needed more than will.
Kedes stepped beside him, his eyes never leaving the mirror."It's not guarding the past. It's guarding the choice to repeat it."
Raerin drew in a breath and slowly let it out."This isn't the final seal. It's the reckoning."
The being within the mirror extended one hand—not in demand, but in offering. And Jonan felt the ancient voice return, not from the air, but from within his chest.
"You who carry the echoes," it said, "do you bring the weight of history or the hunger of ambition?"Its words bent around time, making memory feel freshly inflicted.
