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Chapter 14: The Mirror King's Domain
To the north lay the Virellian Vale—a land draped in twilight, where rivers ran with silver and trees grew upside-down from the sky. Nothing in Virellia was as it seemed. And at its center stood a palace made of glass and illusions.
Kaelen had heard the stories.
This was the realm of Solas the Mirror King—keeper of the Illusion Ring, the seventh.
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Reflections of Self
As Kaelen and Aeris entered the vale, reality began to bend.
Trees shimmered like smoke. Mountains flickered in and out of view. At times, Kaelen saw himself walking beside himself—other versions, younger, colder, crueler.
"Don't trust anything," Aeris warned. "Not even your thoughts."
They reached the Mirror Palace, its halls endless and overlapping. Every surface reflected a different truth. Every shadow whispered a different past.
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The King of Lies
In the throne room, Solas awaited—cloaked in silver, his face hidden behind a mask of ever-shifting mirrors. His voice was calm and cruel.
"So the Ring-Gatherer arrives. Tell me, Kaelen… how many times have you betrayed yourself already?"
Kaelen stepped forward. "I'm not here for riddles."
"Oh, but riddles are all that's left when the truth is too heavy to bear."
Solas raised his hand—and Kaelen vanished.
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Trial of the Self
Kaelen stood in a world of mirrors. Each one showed a version of him:
The King who ruled with all ten rings.
The Child who never left home.
The Tyrant who burned the world to save one life.
A voice echoed around him:
"Which of these are you willing to become?"
Kaelen stepped toward the mirror that showed nothing—no crown, no fire, no past. Just a man choosing, step by step.
"I'm not bound to fate. Or fear. I choose my own path."
The mirror shattered—and the Illusion Ring floated forward.
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Solas Smiles
Kaelen returned to the throne room, the ring now on his hand.
Solas bowed. "You see now why illusions matter. They reveal more than truth ever could."
Kaelen met his gaze. "They only matter when we choose which ones to live by."
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Seven Rings. Three Remain.
As Kaelen and Aeris left Virellia, the sky trembled.
In the frozen south, a storm erupted without end—the Tempest Ring had awakened.
And far beneath the sea, an ancient voice began to sing again.
The Herald watched it all—and began to move.
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