The mechanics of the Mirror Realm were completely indifferent to the biological pacing of mortal marrow. Within the non-space of the shattered lattice, the latency factor did not merely stretch the milliseconds; it compressed a decade of physical growth into the span of several internal rotations.
Gwen sat upon the edge of a floating obsidian ledge, her long, dark hair braided over one shoulder. Her golden eyes tracked two figures moving across the wide, reflective plain below. It had been less than a week since the catastrophic breach where Aurelius had systematically shattered their upper sky. Yet, looking down now, the infants she had cradled in the dust of the high library tower were gone. In their place stood two striking, silver-haired teenagers, their bodies already carrying the dense, heavy mana of the northern sovereigns.
