Shattered Reflection

Chapter 25: Shattered Reflection

The air was thick with confusion as the surviving children huddled together, their eyes darting nervously toward the staff, who moved methodically, their faces expressionless. Zane's body trembled as the staff continued to work on him, their hands glowing faintly as the healing process slowly stabilized his fractured form. Despite their intervention, Kai couldn't shake the knot of fear in his stomach. Zane's once-white hair was nearly gone, his skin pallid and worn, but he was alive—barely.

As Kai watched over his friend, his thoughts swirled with frustration and unanswered questions. The staff, once distant observers, were now fully involved, using their powers with cold precision. Kai's heart pounded with barely restrained anger. Why hadn't they intervened sooner? He could still hear the labored sound of Zane's breath, see the blood that had pooled around his mouth. He felt helpless, despite knowing that his gravity power could have helped more in an ideal situation.

But now, as the glowing light from the staff's hands spread through Zane's body, something unexpected started to happen. Slowly, strands of white hair began to regrow, filling in the bald patches. At first, it was faint—almost imperceptible—but as the light deepened, the hair thickened, becoming fuller, returning to its once vibrant sheen. His skin, cracked and blistered, began to heal, the fragments of broken flesh mending before Kai's eyes.

Kai stared, momentarily stunned. He had expected the staff to heal Zane's wounds, to keep him alive, but watching his friend return to something resembling his former self filled him with a strange, conflicting sense of relief and unease. The sight of Zane's hair growing back, slowly covering his scalp once more, was unsettling—like watching something unnatural force life back into his frail, dying body.

Despite their efforts, Zane was still trembling, his body convulsing every few seconds as if resisting the healing. His breath remained shallow, his eyes flickering beneath his eyelids, as if trapped in a nightmare. Kai could feel the fragment's power still raging inside Zane, uncontrolled despite the staff's intervention.

"They're healing him," Kai muttered to himself, his voice laced with suspicion. "But why didn't they do this sooner?"

Around them, the other surviving children began using their abilities almost instinctively. The silver-haired girl, who had been in their group, manipulated the air around her, calming herself as she whispered to another child. The red-haired boy, standing near the back, used his fire-based power to warm his hands—tiny flames flickering as if to reassure himself that he still had control. It was as if each child, despite their exhaustion, was seeking comfort in the familiar pull of their abilities.

Kai flexed his fingers absently, feeling the gentle tug of gravity under his skin. He could manipulate the weight of objects, even people, but doing so over an extended period drained him—especially in a chaotic environment like the maze. That was why he hadn't used it to help Zane during their escape. It would've only made things worse for both of them. His power had limits, and he'd reached those limits during the test.

He glanced back at Zane, who lay motionless on the cold ground. The staff's hands still glowed with that strange healing light, but Zane wasn't waking up.

Kai's heart tightened. He had fought so hard to keep Zane alive, and now, despite everything, he could do nothing but watch as the staff mended his body in ways Kai never could.

"I hate this," Kai muttered under his breath, fists clenching as he fought back the surge of emotion. "I hate that they're in control."

His eyes scanned the crowd of children, each one recovering in their own way. The staff moved between them, healing injuries but offering no comfort, no explanations. They were like shadows, ever-present but distant, their power something the children could only guess at. The silver-haired girl, who had been watching closely, approached Kai, her gray eyes sharp but questioning.

"Do you think they'll ever tell us what this is all for?" she asked, her voice quiet but steady.

Kai's gaze hardened. "No. I think they're just waiting for us to break."

The girl nodded slightly, her expression unreadable. "Then we can't let them break us."

Before Kai could respond, a loud voice boomed through the air, commanding attention. One of the senior staff members, a tall, imposing figure with a faint blue glow emanating from his hands, stepped forward.

"The final test begins soon," the man said, his voice cutting through the whispers and quiet conversations. "Prepare yourselves."

The tension that had already been suffocating thickened even more. The final test. After everything they had just endured, there was more?

Kai's chest tightened with apprehension. He glanced down at Zane, whose breathing had steadied, whose hair had fully regrown in its stark white strands, but whose eyes remained closed. Will he even survive the next test? Kai thought.

But the real question—the one none of the children dared ask—lingered in the air, unspoken but heavy:

What happens if we don't survive?