The ceiling was too white.
Too clean. Too artificial. It felt more like a surgical room than a recovery ward.
Isaac sat upright on a metallic bed, surrounded by transparent walls inscribed with golden runes—containment seals. Magical circles glowed beneath him, dampening any surge of energy from his body.
He'd been here for two days.
They hadn't let him leave. Hadn't let him speak to anyone outside of the black-cloaked Containment Mages who came in, tested his vitals, and left without saying much.
Every time he tried to summon a spark of mana, the room answered with a cold hiss, pressing back on his core.
"Why am I here?" he muttered, staring at his reflection in the glass.
His eyes were… different now.
Not just sharper. Not just glowing faintly. But his right iris had become an unnatural silver—smooth and shining like a mirror. When he looked into it, he didn't see himself. He saw someone else. A shadow behind the glass.
"Forbidden-tier awakening," one of the mages had whispered when they first brought him in. "Soulpath distortion… Chrono-variant?"
But they never explained more.
The door opened. Heavy boots. Isaac looked up, expecting another test.
But this time, a woman stepped in.
Not a mage.
She wore a long blue and black coat stitched with stars. Her silver hair was tied back, and her eyes—deep violet—were sharp enough to pierce steel. She didn't walk in. She commanded the room.
"You must be Isaac."
He stood. "Who are you?"
She didn't answer immediately. She tapped on the edge of the containment rune and frowned. "This setup is overkill. You're not a threat… yet."
She stepped forward. "I'm Safa Almaus. A Soul Angel. And I've come because your awakening wasn't just rare."
"It was familiar."
Isaac's mouth went dry. "What do you mean?"
Safa's eyes narrowed. "You accessed a realm that doesn't exist. A mirrored reality. Do you know what that means?"
He hesitated. "...I saw a boy. Wings. Flames. He looked back at me like he knew me."
Safa nodded slowly. "You didn't just see him. You connected to him. That boy is Rizz."
Isaac flinched. "Who… is Rizz?"
"Someone with a seal not unlike yours. A soul born of opposites. A divine balance. And right now, he's coming to meet you."
Isaac blinked. "Why?"
"Because your awakening wasn't natural. And if left unchecked, your soul might tear open the veil between worlds."
Safa paused, her tone softening.
"You may be two sides of the same mirror, Isaac. The world needs to know… which side you truly stand on."
And before he could answer, the runes pulsed.
A presence approached.
Stronger than any he'd felt.
Golden fire. Abyssal shadow.
Rizz Almaus had arrived.
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