Page 79 of The Book of Legends
Or try to.
The ground crumbles beneath our feet, ash swirling like snow. Malachi circles above, roaring fire into the darkness, covering our retreat. Kainen never lets go of my hand. Never slows.
“They’re not retreating,” I pant.
“They’re not supposed to,” he answers darkly. “You’re being tested.”
“Me?”
He glances back. “They’ve never come this far beyond the border. Not even for me.”
I stumble, but don’t fall. Not this time.
“What does that mean?”
“It means you’re no longer a pawn, Selene.” He pulls me closer. “You’re the prize.”
We reach an ancient stone wall, half-buried in ash and tangled vines. A crumbling tower looms beyond it—the Mirror Hall.
Or what’s left of it.
Kainen places a hand on the stone. He murmurs something in a language I don’t recognize, but the sound resonates through me like a second heartbeat. The wall shimmers—then splits open to reveal a doorway glowing faintly silver.
“Inside,” he says. “Now.”
I step through and cross into another world.
The air thickens. Heavy. Charged.
Inside, the hall is a dome of black stone, obsidian walls etched with runes. The floor veins with glowing red and silver, like lava frozen mid-motion. And at the center—taller than Malachi’s wingspan—is a mirror framed in gold and bone.
The glass isn’t glass. It swirls with stars and stormlight. Liquid sky.
It hums when I draw near.
“Do you recognize it?” Kainen asks, voice quieter now.
I shake my head. “No. But it feels like I should.”
He steps closer. “It’s one of the last. One of the original gates from before the fall of the Bloodborne. It only opens for a reason—or for someone.”
I stare into the shifting surface. My reflection ripples—twisting. A child. A girl with silver eyes. A woman cloaked in flame. A queen.
My breath stutters. “What is this place?”
“Where you’ll find your answers,” Kainen says. “Or your ghosts.”
The air grows colder.
“You knew we’d come here.”
“I hoped we wouldn’t have to.” He moves closer. “But the Nightfallen followed us for a reason. Something inside you woke the moment you came through your mirror.”
His fingers trace my jaw, gentle despite the storm outside. “You’re not protected. Not by me. Not from them. And not from the truth.”
I meet his eyes. “Then show me.”
He hesitates, jaw clenched. “Once you step through, there’s no going back. You’ll remember things that hurt. See things that break you. But you’ll finally understand.”
