I blink, disoriented. The world around me is back to its vast, endless landscape, but everything feels… off. It's as if I've returned from somewhere deep inside myself, yet I'm still not whole. The echo of the mirror's reflection lingers in my mind, and I can't shake the feeling that it's still watching me, waiting for me to understand.
The others are standing around me, looking just as unsettled as I feel. Some of them are touching their faces, as if trying to verify their own existence. It's clear we've all gone through something, something profound — but what exactly, I can't yet articulate.
I glance at the version of me who had been so confident earlier. He meets my gaze, his expression a mix of uncertainty and realization. He steps forward, his voice shaky but strong. "We've all seen something, haven't we? The mirror… it was showing us what we were running from, wasn't it? The parts of ourselves we've ignored, the mistakes, the regrets."
I nod. "Yes. That was the first fracture. The moment when everything changed, when we made the choice to break free. But there's more, isn't there? More fractures… more parts of ourselves we need to confront."
The others begin to speak, each of them voicing their thoughts, their own reflections, and slowly, it becomes clear: what we've just experienced wasn't just a test. It wasn't just the past calling us back. It was a revelation. We're not just trying to fix the world; we're trying to fix ourselves. Every version of us that exists, every choice we made, every person we've been — they've all left their mark, not just on reality, but on who we are. The fractures are not only in the world around us. They're within us.
I turn away from the group, my mind spinning. I need to understand. I need to reconcile with the choices I made, the paths I took, the versions of myself that I've left behind. The first fracture was only the beginning.
As I walk, the landscape shifts again. The hills fade into a fog, and the sky darkens, swirling in a pattern I recognize. It's like the loop, but without the rigid structure. It's fluid, chaotic — the kind of chaos that we thought we had escaped, but now, it's back, waiting for us to confront it.
The air around me begins to hum, a low frequency that feels familiar. I know this sound. I've heard it before — in the loop, in the moments when time began to break apart. The fractures are here, just as much within me as they are in the world.
I step forward, determined. It's time to face the next fracture.