Mirror took another step.
Then another.
His movements were slow.
Unnatural.
As if invisible strings were pulling him toward the Black Tower.
"Mirror."
He didn't answer.
The ancient voice continued whispering inside his mind.
Come home...
Your throne has waited long enough...
Every word echoed through his soul.
Not his ears.
His soul.
The battlefield disappeared from his senses.
The frightened soldiers.
The terrified horses.
Even Myreiya's voice became distant.
All he could hear was that impossible call.
A call that somehow felt...
Familiar.
"Mirror!"
Myreiya grabbed his arm.
The moment her fingers touched him—
He stopped walking.
His golden eyes blinked.
The strange crimson glow faded.
He looked down at her hand.
Then at her face.
"My... Queen?"
She didn't let go.
"You weren't listening."
Mirror frowned.
"What happened?"
"You were walking toward the tower."
"I..."
He looked ahead.
The tower stood hundreds of meters away.
He didn't remember moving.
His heart sank.
The voice was becoming stronger.
Soon...
He might not be able to resist it.
The Guardian watched the scene silently.
Its empty helmet turned slightly toward Myreiya.
Then it spoke.
"Again."
Myreiya narrowed her eyes.
"What?"
"It is happening again."
Mirror looked at the Guardian.
"What do you mean?"
The ancient warrior lowered its sword.
"In every age..."
"It is always her..."
"...who brings you back."
The words echoed across the battlefield.
Neither Mirror nor Myreiya understood them.
But something inside them reacted.
A strange ache.
Like an old wound reopening.
Captain Rowan rode forward.
"My Queen!"
His sword remained raised.
"We have to leave!"
"The barrier won't last much longer!"
Behind them, the royal mages struggled to maintain a glowing shield protecting the camp.
Dark creatures continuously slammed against it.
Every impact weakened the magic.
Cracks spread across the barrier.
Another strike.
Another crack.
The chief mage coughed blood.
"We can't hold it much longer!"
Myreiya finally looked away from Mirror.
"We're retreating."
Captain Rowan sighed with relief.
"Sound the horns!"
Three long blasts echoed through the wasteland.
The soldiers immediately began falling back in disciplined formations.
The wounded were carried first.
The mages followed.
The knights remained behind.
Buying time.
Mirror turned once more toward the Black Tower.
The crimson light pulsed again.
The voice whispered.
Don't leave me.
He clenched his fists.
"No."
The voice became softer.
Almost...
Sad.
You promised.
Mirror shut his eyes.
"I don't know who you are."
As the army retreated, the Guardian did something unexpected.
It did not attack.
Instead...
It stepped aside.
Making a path.
Captain Rowan frowned.
"Why isn't it stopping us?"
No one answered.
Even the Guardian seemed strangely peaceful.
Its empty gaze remained fixed on Mirror until he disappeared into the mist.
Then it quietly whispered,
"My King..."
"I will wait."
Hours later...
The royal army finally reached an abandoned fortress several miles from the wasteland.
Its walls were old but sturdy.
The massive gates slammed shut behind the last soldier.
Everyone breathed easier.
For the first time since sunrise...
They were safe.
Or so they believed.
Inside the fortress infirmary...
Mirror sat on a wooden bench while the royal physician examined the mark on his chest.
The old doctor frowned.
"I've never seen anything like this."
He gently touched the edge of the symbol.
Nothing happened.
Then...
Myreiya entered the room.
The physician immediately bowed.
"My Queen."
"Leave us."
The old man hesitated.
"But—"
"Now."
He obeyed without another word.
The heavy wooden door closed behind him.
Silence filled the room.
Mirror stood.
"My Queen."
She slowly approached.
This time...
There was no anger in her expression.
Only questions.
Too many questions.
She stopped only a step away.
"Take off your shirt."
Mirror blinked.
"My Queen?"
"That's an order."
Slowly...
He removed the torn cloth covering his chest.
The broken crown mark glowed faintly beneath his skin.
Myreiya reached out.
Her fingers hovered above it.
"I don't understand."
Neither did Mirror.
She finally touched the mark.
Warmth spread through both of them.
Another vision erupted.
A vast royal garden.
Cherry blossoms drifted through the air.
Mirror stood beneath an ancient tree.
Only...
He wasn't Mirror.
He wore brilliant silver armor.
A magnificent crown rested upon his head.
Across from him stood Myreiya.
Not dressed as a queen.
Not dressed as a warrior.
She wore a simple white dress.
She was laughing.
Actually laughing.
He had never seen her smile like that.
The armored man gently placed a flower behind her ear.
"I'll come back."
He promised.
She smiled.
"I know."
Then...
The entire garden burst into flames.
The vision shattered.
Both stumbled backward.
Mirror caught himself against the wall.
Myreiya nearly lost her balance.
Their breathing became ragged.
Neither spoke.
The same memory.
The same people.
The same promise.
Finally...
Myreiya whispered,
"That wasn't a dream."
Mirror slowly nodded.
"No."
"It felt..."
"Real."
She looked into his eyes.
For the first time since he entered her palace as a servant...
She wasn't looking at him as someone beneath her.
She wasn't looking at him as a mystery.
She was looking at him...
As someone she had once known.
The realization frightened them both.
A knock suddenly echoed through the room.
Captain Rowan burst inside.
"My Queen!"
His face was pale.
"The eastern watchtower has stopped responding."
Myreiya frowned.
"What happened?"
"We sent scouts."
"They never returned."
Mirror's mark burned again.
Not painfully.
Warningly.
He looked toward the fortress window.
Outside...
The fog had become unnaturally thick.
Too thick.
Shapes moved within it.
Watching.
Waiting.
Then...
A single handprint appeared on the outside of the window.
Slowly...
Another joined it.
Then another.
Within seconds...
Hundreds of pale hands covered every window of the fortress.
None belonged to the living.
Silence swallowed the room.
A small voice echoed from somewhere beyond the walls.
Barely louder than a whisper.
"We found you."