The black mirror pulsed faintly, like the heartbeat of some ancient god. Its surface rippled with each breath Aelion took, drawing him nearer, whispering without words.
Kealen stood rigid at his side, one hand on the hilt of his blade, the other steady on Aelion's arm. "Do not let it touch you. These things were forged to test kings, not to guide them."
But Aelion's gaze was fixed, entranced. "If this mirror holds truth, then it may tell us what the prophecy truly demands. We cannot turn away."
The reflection shifted again. His face blurred, stretched, until he saw not himself but two figures—one bathed in sunlight, the other cloaked in endless night. They circled one another, neither striking, neither yielding, until at last they touched, becoming a single blinding star.
Aelion's chest tightened. He stumbled back, breath sharp. "Kealen… it showed us united. Not destroyed, not divided. United."
Kealen frowned, searching his face. "And yet every vision comes with a price. What if 'united' means one of us must be consumed by the other?"
Aelion's throat burned with the weight of it. His hand trembled, but he reached for Kealen's, gripping it tight. "Then let it take me, if it must. I would rather burn with you than shine alone."
For a long moment, Kealen said nothing. Then he pulled Aelion into a fierce embrace, his voice a low growl against the prince's ear. "Never say that again. If fate demands your life, then I will tear fate apart."
The mirror pulsed once more—then went dark, its surface swallowing the light of the lantern, as if hiding what it had revealed.
---
Elsewhere – The Shadow's Court
Far across the realm, deep within the cavernous halls of obsidian stone, the escaped prisoner knelt before a throne of shifting darkness. Chains still dangled from his wrists, but now they were weapons, writhing like serpents.
Before him, the shadow that had whispered since his escape took form—a towering figure with silver eyes like twin moons, its body an ever-changing storm of smoke and flesh.
"They have touched the mirror," the prisoner said, his voice reverent. "They walk the path of truth."
The shadow's voice rumbled, ancient and cold. "Good. Let them learn. The prophecy is not a warning, but a snare. They will cling to one another, and in that clinging, they will break."
The prisoner bowed his head, a twisted smile on his lips. "And when they break, I shall rise. The sun's throne will be mine."
Around him, the shadow's new army knelt in unison, their voices a chorus that shook the cavern:
"One shall shine, one shall fall. The heavens demand it."
The silver-eyed shadow leaned forward, its gaze piercing through stone and distance, as if it could see directly into the crypt where Aelion and Kealen stood.
"Shine brightly, little sun," it murmured. "For the brighter the flame, the darker the shadow that consumes it."
---
Back in the Crypts
Aelion and Kealen stood in silence, the mirror now lifeless. The lantern flickered, as though straining against the heavy dark.
"We've woken something," Kealen said at last.
Aelion nodded slowly, his jaw set. "Then let it wake. I will not let prophecy rule me. Not while I have you beside me."
The echo of his words lingered long after they left the crypts, though neither of them saw how the mirror's surface shimmered faintly once more, as if laughing.