Chapter 13 :
The Mirror's Edge
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Liana awoke with a start, her breath coming in sharp, panicked gasps. The world around her was a blur of shifting shadows and broken fragments, like a dream that refused to settle. She had been pulled—dragged—into the darkness, but now she found herself in a place that felt even worse than the Void.
It wasn't emptiness. It was stillness. An unnatural silence hung in the air, oppressive and heavy. The ground beneath her feet was cold stone, slick with moisture, as though the very walls of reality had been cracked open and left to decay.
She stood alone, her fingers trembling as she reached for the Heart that pulsed in her chest. Its energy was erratic, unstable—like a living thing, both alive and threatening. The power coursed through her veins, thrumming beneath her skin, but it felt more like a curse than a blessing now.
Where were the others? Rook? Cassandra? Her heart skipped a beat as the emptiness seemed to swallow her whole.
"Rook!" she shouted, her voice echoing into the abyss. There was no answer, only the sound of her own breath, ragged and strained.
She forced herself to move, her body aching as if she had been shattered and pieced back together. Each step felt like a battle, as though the very fabric of reality was pulling her down into the depths.
But then she felt it. A presence. Cold, distant—but unmistakable.
Liana turned quickly, her heart racing, her hand instinctively reaching for the Heart. The shadows around her thickened, swirling with an unnatural force, as if they were alive, moving in response to her fear.
And then she saw it.
A figure emerged from the darkness, tall and cloaked in shadow. Her breath caught in her throat as she recognized the figure before her.
It was her.
Her own reflection, twisted, distorted, standing just beyond the veil of reality. Her hair was darker, her eyes burning with an otherworldly fire. The air around her shimmered with a strange energy, an aura of malevolence that made Liana's skin crawl.
"Liana," the reflection spoke, her voice like the whispers of the Abyss, a thousand voices all speaking at once. "You've made a grave mistake. You can never escape me."
Liana took a step back, her pulse quickening. This wasn't possible. This couldn't be happening.
"What—what are you?" Liana demanded, her voice trembling but fierce. "What is this place?"
The reflection smiled, but there was nothing kind in the gesture. "This is the place where everything you are becomes everything you feared to be. You are me, Liana. You always have been."
Liana felt a chill run through her. The reflection's words cut deeper than any physical wound. "No. I'm not you. I'm not like that."
The figure stepped forward, her eyes gleaming with an unsettling mixture of pity and amusement. "You say that now. But you cannot deny what the Heart has done to you. What it will continue to do. We are one."
Liana's mind reeled, her hands shaking as the Heart burned against her chest. The power was growing stronger, more insistent, urging her to accept its dominance. The words of her reflection rang in her ears like a curse.
"You're wrong," Liana said, her voice firm despite the rising fear inside her. "I'm not like you. I'll never be like you."
The reflection's eyes glinted with dark amusement. "Oh, you already are. The Heart will show you. The power inside you—it is not just a gift. It is the thing that will destroy you. And when it does, you will become me."
Before Liana could respond, the reflection raised a hand, and the very air around her crackled with energy. Shadows swirled, pulling her into their grasp, and Liana gasped, struggling to free herself. The Heart pulsed violently in her chest, as if reacting to the growing darkness.
"No!" Liana cried, trying to push the shadows away, but it was as though the darkness was her, as though it was inside her, wrapping around her mind, pulling at her very soul.
The reflection smirked, stepping closer. "It's already begun. You can't run from what's inside you."
But just as Liana felt herself sinking into the Abyss, the shadows receded. The Heart pulsed again, this time with a blinding light, casting the darkness away. The reflection recoiled, its form flickering as if it were fading into the air itself.
"You're not real," Liana gasped, her hands shaking as she clutched the Heart. "You're just a fragment. A part of me. And I won't let you take me."
The reflection's voice echoed in her mind, its laughter hollow. "We'll see, Liana. We'll see. In the end, you'll be just like me."
And then, the world around her shattered.
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Liana blinked, and the landscape changed. She was no longer standing in the cold, oppressive darkness. Instead, she found herself in a vast, ruined city. Towering structures, once beautiful, now crumbled under the weight of time and decay. The air smelled of ash and forgotten dreams.
She could feel it—this was no longer a mere vision. This was a place outside of time.
And standing in the distance, she saw them: Rook, Cassandra—but they were not alone. Figures stood beside them, dark shapes that blended with the shadows, their faces hidden beneath hoods.
Liana's heart skipped. She recognized one of them—the reflection, but this time, it was standing beside Rook.
"Rook!" she called out, her voice filled with desperation.
He turned, his eyes wide with shock and concern. But something was wrong. His expression was distant, his face pale. As if he didn't recognize her.
"Liana," Cassandra said softly, her voice distant, "you have to let go. You've already lost."
Liana's breath caught in her throat as her reflection stepped forward, her voice now clear, cutting through the haze of confusion. "You see it now, don't you? You've already fallen. You're too deep in it. The Heart has already claimed you."
Liana's chest tightened as the truth began to settle in. She had always feared becoming like them—a twisted reflection of herself. But now, it was clear: the Heart was not just power—it was control. And her struggle wasn't just against Eryx or the Abyss—it was against herself.
The Heart was pulling her into its grasp, and no matter how much she fought, it was clear now: she couldn't escape what she was becoming.
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End of Chapter 13
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The chapter leaves Liana facing the devastating truth that the Heart is not just a power to be wielded—it's a force that can consume and change her. The reflection, now a part of her, is a chilling reminder of what awaits her if she loses control. With Rook and Cassandra's confused and fearful reactions, it seems that Liana is slipping further away from the people she once trusted. The line between friend and foe is blurring, and Liana must now face the darkness within herself before it consumes her completely.