The Gate didn't open with sound or light.
It opened with reflection.
One moment, the sky over Veltraxis shimmered with stars. The next, two of those stars turned pitch black—twins locked in orbit, pulsing with opposing rhythms. Where they passed, clouds split cleanly down the middle. Light itself bent into spirals.
And from that tear in space, a silver spiral of polished glass descended—twisting, shattering, reforming—a structure that could not exist.
The Gemini Gate had opened.
✦ Dominion Council – Emergency Session
"It's not a traditional breach," growled Councilor Virell of Capricorn, eyes flaring as his constellation rippled across the hall.
"It's not a Gate of force," whispered Virgo, pale and concerned. "It's a Gate of influence."
The stars on the Astral Grid had started to loop.
Constellations were repeating.
And at the center of it, two figures walked side-by-side—one dressed in a mirrored suit, the other draped in a blood-red shawl. Identical faces. Identical voices. Identical intent.
But opposite hearts.
"They are the Inverted Gemini," said Aries. "Called Vel and Vyrra."
"And they do not fight alone. They fight each other—and everyone else is simply collateral."
✦ Erza and the Squad Return to Elarin
Erza descended the shuttle ramp, his coat now fully reinforced with Dominion weave, Leo's sigil stitched on his shoulder in gold thread. The Dream Lich core crystal was embedded into his belt. He carried himself taller now—more composed.
But the moment his boots touched the city floor, the world felt... off.
Children stared at him. Some whispered. Others smiled strangely.
Then one woman stepped forward and bowed low.
"Thank you, Prince Erza," she said.
He blinked. "How do you—"
"You saved us from the cancer of the stars."
She stood up—and it wasn't the same woman anymore.
Her eyes mirrored his.
Her face was his.
Lysra moved faster than thought—her dagger at the woman's throat. But before contact, the figure vanished into a thousand reflections.
"A Gemini pre-echo," Auren muttered. "We're being watched."
✦ Gemini Gate – The Fractured Hall
Within the spiraling glass tower, Vel and Vyrra danced in mirror combat.
Swords clashed. Each move mirrored. Each strike anticipated.
But their styles were different.
Vel fought with rhythm—measured, composed, like music.
Vyrra fought with chaos—improvised, unpredictable, explosive.
They were not trying to kill each other.
They were trying to see which one was real.
"Who did Father name first?" Vel asked as they locked blades.
"Who bled first?" Vyrra replied, laughing. "That's what matters."
A distant hum reverberated through the hall. A Gate had aligned.
Vel lowered his blade.
"He's coming. The Leo Flame."
"Good," said Vyrra. "I want to see if the lion roars the same way backwards."
✦ Preparation in Elarin
Back at the Dominion Base, Erza stood in front of a mirrored training obelisk. His Solar Lacer had improved—tighter, faster, more refined. But Leo's Celestial Script remained elusive.
Seris stood beside him, holding a scroll.
"This Gate won't test your flame," she said. "It'll test your identity."
"What do you mean?"
"The Gemini Twins invert not just reality, but self. If you strike with anger, they reflect rage. If you strike with doubt, they become your fear."
Auren added from behind, "They don't destroy your body. They split your mind."
Erza exhaled slowly. "Then I have to burn clear."
He opened his palm. A small star-flecked glyph flared there: the Leo Sigil.
"No matter how many versions of me they throw… I'll be the one who remembers."
✦ First Contact
The squad arrived at the edge of the Gemini Gate—where the world broke in halves. Trees grew in both directions. The air shimmered with moving reflections. Everyone could see ghosts of themselves walking parallel paths.
Korr grunted. "I see my brother."
"He's been dead six years," Auren whispered.
Erza stepped forward—and saw himself, standing across a mirrored ridge.
Only, the other Erza was laughing.
Mocking.
And the flame in his hand… was black.
"I am the lion who chose vengeance," the reflection said. "I didn't hesitate when they burned our kingdom."
"I made the world burn back."
Lysra snapped. "It's a trick!"
"No," Erza said.
"It's a choice."
And he walked toward it.
End of Chapter 29