The chamber pulsed, each mirror like a beating heart. And at the center, Arthur Virelith stood still as stone—his mind working at speeds even Luke couldn't imagine.
"Only one can leave."That was the rule.
A cruel rule. One that was enforced, not explained. A trade. A law.
But rules could be rewritten.
Arthur had done it before—in games, in systems, in life. Even fate could be tricked if you understood its language.
He turned toward the woman—his sister, or whatever was left of her. "What happens if I refuse the trade?"
Her smile flickered. "Then both stay."
Arthur nodded slightly. "So it's a binary decision. One leaves. One stays. The system is built on imbalance."
Luke stepped forward. "Arthur, we don't have time to overthink this. These mirrors are about to shatter—"
"No," Arthur said softly, staring at the room.
"I'm not overthinking. I'm breaking the loop."
He moved to one of the mirrors—his own reflection staring back at him.
But something was off.
His reflection blinked first.
Arthur turned to the woman again. "You said the mirror feeds on choice. On trade. But what if I give it something it can't calculate?"
She narrowed her eyes. "It will reject you."
"Exactly," Arthur whispered.
He grabbed Luke's arm and pulled him into the center of the chamber.
"Mirror," Arthur said coldly. "I make my trade."
A hum filled the air—deep, angry, ancient.
"Speak."
Arthur stared directly into the largest mirror—the first one to show his reflection. "I offer myself. But not in exchange for Luke. I offer me… and him."
The mirrors flickered.
"Invalid. Two cannot be freed. One must remain."
"I'm not freeing us," Arthur said. "I'm binding us."
Luke's eyes widened. "Wait—what?!"
Arthur spoke louder now, voice cutting through the air like steel.
"You want imbalance. I offer unity. If you take one, you take both. If you reject one, you reject both. I nullify your rule."
The pulse grew violent now—mirrors cracking, voices screaming from every surface.
"YOU DEFY THE BARGAIN."
Arthur didn't flinch.
"I defy you."
And then—silence.
The woman let out a ragged, unnatural scream, collapsing to her knees as the room began to collapse inward. Glass turned to smoke. The mirrored floor shattered into stardust. The faces in the glass began to fade.
Then—darkness.