The Mirror World pulsed around them, an unstable, flickering kaleidoscope. Each surface seemed animated by a secret consciousness, trembling under the effect of a silent breath. Mayu, Seth, Lia, and Number 45 walked in silence, their footsteps muffled on this ephemeral plane of existence. Around them, visions tore themselves from the void – shards of light that gradually formed elusive images, at once beautiful and terrifying. The wavering light drew moving halos around each silhouette.
The mirrored walls devoured the silence. In this giant mirror, each memory revealed both its share of light and shadow. Seth saw his childhood image huddled against a tense mother, a sad smile on his lips. Lia, meanwhile, perceived a golden hue around a happy childhood memory, like a ray of sunlight filtering through her sorrow. Their hearts, moved, laughed and cried in silence, caught in these waves of shimmering memory.
A shimmering room of shadow appeared, and Mayu recognized the fields of blue flowers from her childhood, running toward a setting sun. A pure smile lit up her childlike eyes, but this happiness was short-lived. Suddenly the sky cracked and the flowers withered into misshapen silhouettes pulled by invisible chains. Mayu stifled a cry as the memory distorted, a bitter taste flooding her lips.
Seth stifled a groan as he saw his reflection silently scream his fear of loneliness. Lia closed her eyes, a strange pain coursing through her as she saw a familiar face detach itself in golden light, like a reminder of her guilt and of what she was missing. Number 45 swallowed, feeling the unspeakable sadness of these echoes reach him as well, even though he could not grasp their origin. A heavy silence suddenly fell. They realized that these mirrors had delved deep into their souls, revealing the wounds they refused to admit.
Without warning, the mirrors projected in front of them fragments of possible futures, hazy and menacing. In one vision, Seth stood in the middle of a worm-eaten battlefield, carrying a wounded Mayu, while Lia looked on helplessly at the total ruin surrounding her. Number 45, meanwhile, found himself sitting alone under a crimson sky, surrounded by indistinct shapes. The image of a grim future flashed through their minds like a bolt of lightning, then dissipated, swallowed by the darkness of the Mirror World. The icy silence soon reclaimed its dominion.
The tension subsided for a moment. Seth turned to Lia, his voice trembling: "This world knows everything." Lia nodded, still pale, and even Number 45 could not suppress a shiver.
No words were needed any longer. Around them, the mirrored faces merged into a pulsating void, as if the inner and outer worlds no longer existed. Faint cracks sounded: little by little, a flight of glass steps appeared before them, ethereal and suspended in the air. The staircase rose straight ahead, glowing with a bluish light. The tension increased as the staircase took shape before their eyes.
They climbed the sparkling spiral, each step reflecting their silhouettes like a curved mirror. Seth placed a hesitant hand on the glass railing, afraid that any trace of their passage would vanish. Lia whispered words of encouragement softly, while Number 45 followed silently, his face lost in thought. The glass vibrated faintly beneath their feet, resonating with the rhythm of their emotions.
At the top of the staircase they discovered the central element of the Heart of the Reflection: a body frozen in crystal, with an eerily familiar face. Its eyes were closed under a smooth covering, and its translucent skin revealed features identical to Mayu's, but aged by about ten years. It was her – Mayu – in her original form, the cloning matrix imprisoned in the glass. The woman seemed protected by her crystalline confinement, like a living memory held at the heart of the world.
Seth blinked, pained and uncertain. Lia gently tightened her grip on Seth's wrist, her eyes fixed on the statue. Number 45 stepped back a pace, torn between astonishment and reverence. A visceral emotion pierced them. Even Seth felt his legs buckle. A heavy silence suddenly weighed on them. Mayu remained frozen, unable to look away from her double trapped in the glass.
Mayu held her breath, her heart pounding. She stepped forward uncertainly and laid her hand on the crystal. A cold breeze swept through the air. In the silence, she almost whispered in a hushed voice, "Who are you?" No sound replied, except for the slightest tremor of the crystal.
The statue vibrated slightly. A crystalline voice came from the heart of the glass, distant and muffled: "I am you, and you are me... I am the memory you are seeking within yourself." The voice sounded far away, like an echo lost in time.
Another voice, clearer and closer, rose from the crystal: "You never stopped being me, Mayu. I was the one who stopped being you. They tore your roots away, frozen in this heart of glass. My existence is your lost memory, and I belong to you as much as you belong to me." The words slid between them like the melting of a forgotten dream. Seth placed a reassuring hand on Lia's shoulder, while Number 45 watched the scene in silent admiration.
Mayu closed her eyes for a moment, tears on her cheeks, feeling vulnerable yet supported. Then she whispered, her voice breaking, "I searched for you without knowing it. From the very beginning, I knew you lived somewhere in these reflections. I abandoned you..." She felt a shiver run down her spine, as if the air had left her. Then she dared to add, "You waited for me too?"
"Yes... This world devoured me. Every clone, every shard of you pulled me away from myself. And I stayed here, waiting for you." The voice of the former Mayu grew clearer, carrying the full weight of the time that had passed.
Mayu opened her eyes, surprised to feel understood. She spoke again: "I feel empty without you."
"Maybe we were destined to meet," murmured the former Mayu. The crystal vibrated and fine cracks of light streaked across the glass wall. "Look at me... make way for all those forgotten fragments of you," the voice commanded. The glass panel trembled as if about to give way, then with a muffled crash, the crystal shattered.
Mayu swayed as she saw reflections of herself multiply around her – the intrepid little girl, the fierce warrior, the timid shadow, and the luminous rebel. All these images converged at a central point, where the former Mayu smiled, reaching out her hand. Their fears, their joys, and their secrets had all gathered around them. Then, in a blinding flash, the two figures fused into a single entity, their outlines blending into one light.
In the regained light, Seth, Lia, and Number 45 stepped forward cautiously, their silhouettes seeming suspended out of time. Mayu's heart overflowed with an indescribable feeling: she finally felt whole.
In this newfound clarity, Seth gently murmured into Mayu's ear: "Mayu, thank you for coming back." Lia nodded, her eyes brimming with tears, and Number 45 gave a timid smile. A new peace enveloped the group, their breaths falling into the same rhythm.
The last fragments of glass vanished into the air. The crystalline statue had disappeared, dissolved into the light of their mutual acceptance. The Heart of the Reflection had fulfilled its destiny. Mayu offered a moved smile: she was now the sum of two existences, past and present united. A final dying echo rose in the silence of the Mirror World, the faint murmur of a past finally revealed.
Without a word, Mayu knew where to lead her companions. Beneath their feet, the glass staircase slowly reformed, guided by the new strength emanating from her. Through every shattered reflection, their path back to reality had solidified. The Mirror World finally seemed to welcome its found daughter. Mayu took a deep breath: the past and the present were no longer two separate paths, but one unwavering way. Leaving the Heart of the Reflection behind, they descended the glass staircase together. At last, the wind of the real world brushed their faces, bringing each of them back to themselves. Mayu knew that in that instant, her two souls had become one. A rare peace settled in her heart as they crossed the threshold of reality. The daylight gently caressed their faces, a tangible promise of renewal. Mayu felt a new strength welling up within her.