The Mirror That Lied
Cuco stared at the mirror.
His reflection didn't mimic him anymore.
It smiled when he didn't.
It blinked when he didn't.
And when he turned away…
It stayed facing him.
He backed up slowly.
Then the reflection moved—not like a person, but like a liquid being poured through glass. The mark on its hand flared black and gold, veins crawling up its neck like vines.
"You feel it too, don't you?" it said. "The crack in your soul."
Cuco's throat tightened. "You're not me."
The mirror-version tilted its head. "But I will be. I'm just... faster."
The reflection pressed its palm to the glass.
Cuco's mark burned.
Then—the mirror shattered from the inside.
Glass exploded outward. Cuco shielded his face as a force knocked him to the ground. When he looked up…
There was nothing.
No mirror.
No reflection.
Just his darkened room and the wind slamming the window open.
Then—
A voice behind him.
"You're not ready for that."
Cuco spun around.
Isabela stood in the corner.
Same as before—but different. Stronger. Her eyes glowed faintly violet. She held a curved blade that shimmered like it was forged from moonlight and broken promises.
"You almost let it in," she said, stepping closer.
"You said I was the gate," Cuco whispered.
"I said it's inside you," Isabela replied. "But that doesn't mean you have to open it."
He stared at her. "Why are you helping me now?"
She didn't answer right away.
Then, softly: "Because I remember what it feels like… to still believe you can choose."
Suddenly, the window burst wide open.
A gust of shadow swept in—carrying with it a form, hunched and snarling.
Another Hollow One.
But not like before.
This one wore a body—one Cuco recognized.
Linux.
Eyes hollow. Jaw twisted. Hands like knives.
He screamed, but the sound wasn't human.
Isabela threw the blade.
It flashed through the air and struck the creature's shoulder, pinning it to the wall.
Cuco stood frozen.
"Move!" she yelled.
He dove behind his desk as Linux-Hollow thrashed, shadow leaking from the wound.
Isabela grabbed Cuco's hand.
"Listen to me. It's not just about fighting these things anymore."
The creature roared, snapping the blade loose.
Isabela pulled Cuco close, forehead to forehead.
"There's more than one gate. And you're not the only Key left."
She raised her hand.
A symbol glowed in the air between them.
A circle inside a triangle—inside a burning eye.
"Find the others," she whispered. "Before the First Dreamer finds you."
Then she slammed her hand into Cuco's chest—and everything went white.