Elyas and Kellen stepped through the doorway into what appeared to be a vast, empty hall. The chamber was expansive, with a high, vaulted ceiling that seemed to stretch into infinity. The floor was made of smooth, polished stone, reflecting everything with a perfect mirror-like sheen. The walls, too, were reflective, creating the illusion of endless space and countless versions of themselves stretching out into the distance.
Kellen (glancing around): "Okay, this place is officially creepy. It's like we just walked into a giant funhouse mirror."
Elyas (nervously): "Yeah, except I don't think there's going to be anything fun about it."
As they moved further into the hall, their reflections moved with them, but something felt off. Elyas noticed that his reflection was lagging behind slightly, as though it were a second out of sync with his movements. Kellen's reflection, however, appeared to be completely in sync—until it wasn't.
Kellen (frowning): "Wait… did you see that?"
Elyas (nervously): "See what?"
Kellen pointed to his reflection, which had suddenly taken on a life of its own. The mirrored version of Kellen winked at them, then made a mocking gesture before turning its back on them and walking off into the distance.
Elyas (wide-eyed): "Uh… I don't think reflections are supposed to do that."
Kellen (gritting his teeth): "Yeah, pretty sure that's not normal."
Before they could react, Elyas's own reflection began to behave oddly. It smirked at him, then waved mockingly before stepping forward—out of the mirror and into the real world. Elyas stumbled back in shock as his mirrored double stood before him, identical in every way except for the twisted grin on its face.
Elyas (panicking): "Oh no. Oh no, no, no! This is bad!"
The Elyas reflection laughed, a cold, hollow sound that echoed through the chamber. The Kellen reflection, having returned from its stroll, joined in, its laugh just as chilling.
Elyas (to Kellen): "What do we do?!"
Kellen (stepping forward): "I say we show them that the originals are always better than the copies."
But before they could make a move, the reflections suddenly split into multiple versions of themselves, creating a small army of twisted Elyases and Kellens. The hall was soon filled with their distorted laughter, the sound bouncing off the walls and creating an overwhelming cacophony.
Elyas (frantically): "This is getting out of hand!"
Kellen (nodding): "Agreed. Any ideas? Because I'm all out of patience."
Elyas (thinking quickly): "Maybe… maybe this is a test of identity? Like, we have to prove we're the real ones somehow."
Kellen (sarcastically): "Great. So how do we do that? A dance-off? A quiz on our favorite foods?"
Elyas looked around, trying to make sense of the situation. The reflections were growing more aggressive, their mocking gestures turning into threatening postures. The hall seemed to be closing in on them, the endless reflections multiplying with each passing second.
Elyas (with a sudden idea): "Wait! What if the reflections can't do magic? They're just copies—they don't have our abilities."
Kellen (raising an eyebrow): "You're betting on that?"
Elyas (shrugging): "It's worth a shot!"
With that, Elyas took a deep breath and focused on the most basic spell he knew—a simple light spell. He extended his hand, and a small, glowing orb of light appeared in his palm. The reflections faltered, their movements growing uncertain.
Elyas (smiling): "It's working! They're hesitating!"
Kellen (catching on): "So if we keep using magic, they can't keep up with us. Let's make them regret coming out of those mirrors."
Kellen summoned a ball of fire in his hand, its warm glow contrasting sharply with the cold reflections around them. The copies recoiled, their forms flickering and distorting as they struggled to maintain their shape. Unfortunately, Kellen's fireball went a little rogue and hit a nearby mirror, causing it to burst into a shower of sparks and broken glass.
Kellen (looking sheepish): "Oops. Didn't mean to start a glass recycling program."
Elyas (grinning): "Hey, at least now we've got extra shards for later!"
As they continued their magical assault, Elyas conjured a gust of wind that sent the reflections tumbling backward, while Kellen unleashed a wave of flame that scorched the stone floor. The reflections, unable to keep up with the onslaught, began to waver and fade, their twisted forms dissolving into the air. One particularly cheeky reflection attempted to mimic Elyas's moves, but ended up flailing wildly, knocking over several of its mirrored counterparts in a comedic domino effect.
Elyas (laughing): "Did you see that? Even their flailing is out of sync!"
Kellen (chuckling): "Yeah, it's like watching a bad dance routine."
But just as they thought they were winning, the floor beneath them began to tremble. The polished stone surface rippled like water, and from it emerged a new reflection—a massive, towering version of Elyas, its eyes glowing with an eerie light.
Elyas (staring up at the giant reflection): "Okay, that's definitely not a good sign."
Kellen (backing up): "You think?!"
The giant reflection raised a hand, and the entire chamber shuddered as it prepared to strike. Elyas knew they had to act fast—if they didn't find a way to take down this monstrous copy, they might not make it out of the hall alive.
Elyas (determined): "We need to find its weakness. If it's just a reflection, it has to have one."
Kellen (nodding): "Right. Let's think—what do reflections hate? Maybe… maybe it's the truth?"
Elyas (realizing): "The truth! Of course! Reflections are just distorted versions of reality. If we show it the truth, maybe it can't handle it!"
But how could they do that? Elyas racked his brain, trying to think of a way to confront the reflection with the truth. Then it hit him—his own doubts, fears, and insecurities had always been his greatest obstacles. What if the reflection was feeding off those negative emotions?
Elyas (yelling at the reflection): "You're not real! You're just a twisted version of me—my doubts, my fears, my mistakes. But I'm more than that! I'm stronger than that!"
As he spoke, the giant reflection seemed to falter, its glowing eyes flickering as if Elyas's words were breaking through its facade. The chamber began to tremble again, but this time it felt different—like the entire hall was on the verge of collapse.
Kellen (catching on): "Yeah! And I'm not just some muscle-bound sidekick! I'm my own person, with my own strengths and flaws! You're just a reflection—you're nothing!"
The giant reflection roared, but its form began to waver, cracks appearing along its surface as the truth of their words shattered its illusion. The hall shook violently, the mirrored walls cracking and splintering as the reflection started to break apart. One of the cracks sent a stray shard of mirror flying, which embedded itself in Kellen's shoe.
Kellen (yelling): "Ow! Who knew reflections could be so pointy?!"
Elyas (laughing): "Maybe it's their way of saying we should have been more careful with our footwork."
The giant reflection shattered into a thousand pieces, the fragments scattering across the floor and disappearing into the void. The hall of reflections began to dissolve around them, the mirrors shattering one by one until all that remained was a simple, stone chamber with a single doorway leading forward.
Elyas (panting, relieved): "We… we did it."
Kellen (grinning, catching his breath): "Yeah. We really did. And I think we've officially earned the right to never look at a mirror the same way again."
Elyas (reflective): "You know, I think that was more than just a trial. It was like… like the tower was testing who we really are."
Kellen (nodding): "Yeah, and I think we passed. With flying colors—and a few broken mirrors."
They exchanged a look, a newfound respect and understanding between them. They had come a long way from the two students who had bumbled their way through simple spells. Now, they were learning what it truly meant to be powerful—not just in magic, but in character.
Elyas (smiling): "Let's keep going. Whatever's ahead, we'll face it together."
Kellen (smirking): "And if there are any more giant reflections, I say we skip the magic and go straight for the pep talk."
They laughed as they headed toward the next door, their confidence restored and their bond stronger than ever. The challenges ahead were still unknown, but one thing was certain: they were ready for whatever the tower had in store for them.
Together, they stepped through the doorway, prepared to face the next trial in their journey.