The first step into the room made no sound.
It did not echo.
It did not respond.
It was as if the space had swallowed the impact before it even existed.
Arthur stepped in first.
The others followed right behind him.
The mirrors remained still.
Silent.
Reflecting only what was already there.
Nothing more.
For a few seconds, no one spoke.
Not Mia.
Not Shirō.
Not Ayame.
Not even Kidero.
The silence wasn't empty.
It was heavy.
As if it were… waiting.
— …
A brief flicker crossed one of the mirrors.
So quick it could have been ignored.
But it wasn't.
Another flickered.
Then another.
And then—
Several.
Not all at once.
Out of sync.
Irregular.
As if each surface was trying to… wake up.
Mia was the first to react.
— Did you see that…?
Before anyone could answer, one of the mirrors to the right lit up for real.
Not with light.
With an image.
A landscape appeared.
Unfamiliar.
An open field.
A sky with tones that did not belong to their world.
And there—
Four figures.
Standing.
Still.
Completely blue.
Not like paint.
Not like light.
As if they were made of pure energy condensed into human form.
Arthur locked his gaze.
The mirror beside it activated.
Another scene.
Another place.
Another version.
The same four.
But different.
Now there was body shape.
Details.
Texture.
Still blue… but less so.
As if something was trying to become matter.
— …
Another mirror.
Another variation.
Now there was skin.
But blue lines ran across their bodies.
Like glowing veins.
Like cracks of something that should not exist there.
Another.
And another.
And another.
The images began appearing in sequence.
Too fast.
Too varied.
Always four.
Always together.
But never the same.
— What… — Shirō started, quietly.
He didn't finish.
Because the room changed.
Not physically.
But in perception.
The ground seemed to tilt.
The walls shifted.
The mirrors—
Moved.
They were no longer where they had been.
Or maybe they were.
But the mind refused to accept them as fixed.
— Stay together — Ayame said, firm.
Kazuko breathed with difficulty.
— I'm not… going anywhere anyway…
Kidero didn't respond.
His eyes scanned the mirrors with tense focus.
Arthur took another step.
And another.
The room spun.
Or they were spinning inside it.
There was no way to tell.
The mirrors now passed by them like moving panels.
Showing.
Switching.
Repeating.
Variations.
Worlds.
Deaths.
Battles.
Falls.
Ascents.
Always four.
Always connected.
Always returning.
— These aren't just visions… — Mia whispered.
Arthur answered, quietly:
— No.
He already understood.
Or at least… felt it.
— They're lives.
Another mirror passed.
Them.
Children.
Another.
Them.
Adults.
Another.
Them.
Fallen.
Another—
Nothing.
Gone dark.
The pattern broke.
One single mirror ahead did not flicker.
Did not change.
Did not vary.
It was still.
Different from all the others.
Arthur stopped.
The group did too.
The mirror activated.
The image formed slowly.
As if it were being constructed.
First, the environment.
Shadows.
Then—
A figure.
Tall.
Imposing.
Four arms.
The presence was different.
Denser.
Older.
A Khaelyr.
He walked.
Unhurried.
Like someone who had no reason to fear anything.
The environment around him was distorted.
Unstable.
But he didn't seem affected.
Then—
The cube.
Black.
Perfect.
No reflection.
No depth.
But something inside.
Purple.
Alive.
Moving.
Like a pulse trapped within.
The Khaelyr stopped before it.
Observed it.
For a brief moment—
And then extended one of his hands.
He touched it.
The reaction was immediate.
The purple energy expanded.
Not outward.
Inward.
Entering.
Flowing.
Being absorbed.
All four arms tensed at once.
His body vibrated.
Not in pain.
In adaptation.
In acceptance.
In fusion.
The air around him warped.
As if it couldn't withstand it.
And then—
The mirror shut off.
No transition.
No conclusion.
Cut.
Silence returned for a moment.
Heavy.
Heavier than before.
— …
Another mirror lit up.
Further ahead.
The last one.
The image appeared faster this time.
A group.
Katlônios.
Moving cautiously.
Weapons in hand.
Eyes alert.
Exploring.
No one said who they were.
But there was something—
Familiar.
They advanced.
The environment was unstable.
Just like the previous one.
And then—
They found it.
The same cube.
Black.
With purple energy pulsing inside.
One of them approached.
Careful.
— This…
The voice wasn't fully audible.
But the tone—
Recognition.
Curiosity.
Warning.
Another stepped closer.
They exchanged a few words.
Brief.
Tense.
And then—
The cube reacted.
Without touch.
Without warning.
The purple energy expanded.
Different from before.
This time—
Violent.
Explosive.
It struck the group.
Entered them.
Not as a flow.
As an invasion.
Their bodies reacted immediately.
They tensed.
Locked.
Their veins darkened.
Their skin began to deteriorate.
As if it were being eaten away from the inside out.
One of them fell.
Another tried to speak.
Couldn't.
The energy kept spreading.
Consuming.
Marking.
Imprinting something that should not exist.
Panic took hold.
But there was no escape.
And then—
The mirror faded.
This time slowly.
As if the image were being torn away.
Silence.
Complete.
The other mirrors began to fail.
One by one.
The images disappeared.
The room slowed.
Or their perception returned to normal.
The ground stabilized.
The walls stopped.
The reflections returned to their natural state.
Everything… normal.
But it wasn't.
No one spoke for a few seconds.
Kazuko was the first to break it:
— I didn't like that.
No one disagreed.
Mia was still staring at the last mirror.
Now empty.
— That… — she started. — It was the same cube.
Arthur answered.
Without looking away.
— Yes.
Shirō frowned.
— Then what happened to them…
Ayame finished:
— Already happened before.
Kidero crossed his arms.
— And it can happen again.
Silence returned.
Arthur remained still.
His eye still burned.
But now it wasn't just pain.
It was connection.
Something inside him—
Recognized it.
The cube.
The energy.
The reaction.
And worse—
The difference.
The Khaelyr was not consumed.
He… received it.
Arthur slowly clenched his hand.
Without noticing.
— …
The room was quiet again.
But now they knew.
They weren't just being shown events.
They were being shown possibilities.
Histories.
Paths.
And consequences.
And for the first time since they entered Monte Arf—
Arthur was certain of one thing.
They were not just passing through that place.
The place was—
Showing what they could become.
And what would happen if they chose wrong.