Elara's investigation led her to an abandoned building on the outskirts of the city. Its windows were shattered, the interior dark, filled with mirrors that reflected infinitely. Every step she took multiplied her image, fracturing her perception. The red fog seeped in through cracks in the walls, curling along the floor like smoke, thickening with every heartbeat.
Raven emerged first, guiding her steps with precision. Each movement Elara made was calculated, defensive, anticipatory. Mira, however, was omnipresent, whispering in every reflection, distorting the images, taunting her with visions of failure and destruction.
As she walked deeper into the building, the mirrors began to show versions of herself she didn't recognize: fearful, lethal, seductive, and broken. Each reflection carried the weight of a different fragment of her psyche, revealing the fractured battles within.
Then she realized: the mirrors were not just reflections. They were windows into her mind, exposing the fractures, the manipulations, and the truth behind the blackouts. She understood fully for the first time: to reclaim control, she had to confront every fragment — Raven, Mira, and herself simultaneously.