Chapter 33: The Shattered Reflection

The mirrors splintered. Cracks ran like veins of lightning across the glass, distorting the reflections within. A tremor coursed through the cathedral, sending shards cascading onto the obsidian floor. Elias recoiled, shielding his face from the storm of fractured memories.

His future self—if that was truly who it was—stood unmoving, watching with an unreadable gaze. The weight of unspoken truths lingered in the air, pressing against Elias's chest.

"Why are you showing me this?" His voice was hoarse, laced with confusion.

"Because you are running out of time." The figure's voice was steady, carrying the weight of inevitability. "You need to remember before the cycle repeats."

A surge of urgency clawed at Elias's mind. The cycle. The dream. The paradox. It was all connected, but how?

Before he could ask, the ground beneath them quaked violently. The cathedral groaned, its once-majestic walls warping like melting wax. Beyond the shattered mirrors, glimpses of the real world bled through—a dimly lit room, a rain-soaked window, the flicker of candlelight.

Elias's breath hitched. He had seen that place before.

His reality.

A force pulled at him, dragging him away from the cathedral. The reflection of his future self wavered, dissolving into streaks of silver mist.

"Wake up, Elias." The voice was distant now, barely a whisper against the collapsing dream.

The pull grew stronger. The fragments of the dreamworld crumbled away, swallowed by the abyss.

Elias closed his eyes—

And then, with a gasp, he awoke.

Darkness greeted him. The scent of damp wood and old parchment filled his lungs. His heart pounded against his ribs as he struggled to steady his breath.

He was back.

But something had changed.

His reflection in the cracked mirror across the room flickered—just for a moment—as if something else, something unseen, still lingered within.

And then, in the silence, came a whisper.

"The hardest truth has yet to be faced."