Throught the Glass

Chapter 7:

Through the Glass

The moment Lila's hand pressed into the mirror, the glass shuddered beneath her touch. It was no longer cold and solid—it was alive, shifting and pulling, like liquid silver wrapping around her fingers. The hum in the air deepened, resonating in her bones.

Caelan's eyes locked onto hers through the rippling surface, his expression filled with urgency.

"Step through," he said, his voice barely a whisper through the barrier.

Lila's pulse hammered. There was no turning back now.

She took a deep breath, braced herself, and pushed forward.

The mirror swallowed her whole.

The Space Between

For a moment, there was nothing.

No light, no sound. Just an endless, weightless void. It was like falling and floating at the same time, like being caught between two realities that didn't want to let her go.

Lila squeezed her eyes shut as the world twisted around her, her body stretching and shrinking in ways that made no sense.

Then—

She landed.

The impact sent her to her knees, her breath rushing from her lungs. The ground beneath her was cold and smooth, not wood, not stone—something else.

She opened her eyes.

She was back in the mirrored hall.

The space stretched endlessly in both directions, lined with towering mirrors that flickered and warped, their surfaces shifting like water. Some of the reflections showed things that weren't there—places, people, figures that twisted and vanished before she could make sense of them.

A shiver ran down her spine.

She wasn't alone.

A hand reached for her, pulling her up.

"Are you hurt?"

Lila turned to face Caelan. He was close, his grip firm but gentle, his emerald-green eyes scanning her face.

She swallowed hard, shaking her head. "I'm fine."

His jaw tensed. "You shouldn't have come."

Anger flared in her chest. "I didn't exactly have a choice! You pulled me in before, remember? And then I found this." She held up her hand, showing him the glowing mark on her palm. "You want to explain this?"

Caelan exhaled sharply. "Damn it." He let go of her wrist, running a hand through his dark hair. "You're marked."

Lila crossed her arms. "Yeah, I figured that out already. Why?"

His expression darkened. "Because Varos knows you exist now."

A chill wrapped around her spine.

Varos. The thing that had whispered to her. The thing that had tried to pull her into the darkness.

Lila took a shaky breath. "The book mentioned him. It said he… binds people to mirrors. He keeps them trapped."

Caelan nodded, his gaze flicking to the surrounding mirrors. "He owns this place. He's the one who cursed me here."

Lila frowned. "Why?"

Caelan hesitated, then turned away. "That's a long story."

Lila wasn't having it. She grabbed his arm. "We don't have time for cryptic answers. If Varos is coming for me, I need to know what I'm up against."

Caelan's jaw clenched. "I defied him. That's all you need to know."

Lila narrowed her eyes. "That's not an answer."

Before he could reply, a low rumble echoed through the hall.

The mirrors trembled.

Lila's breath caught. She turned toward the nearest mirror—its surface had darkened, the swirling shadows within stretching, clawing to break free.

Caelan swore under his breath. "He's here."

Lila took an instinctive step back. "What do we do?"

Caelan grabbed her hand. "Run."

The Hunt Begins

They ran.

The mirrored hall seemed to shift as they moved, the reflections warping, distorting, watching. The air thickened, pressing down on Lila's chest like a weight.

Then came the whispers.

Low, curling through the space like fingers trailing over her skin.

Lila…

She knew that voice.

It was his.

Varos.

She gritted her teeth and pushed forward, her fingers gripping Caelan's tightly. He led her through the endless corridor, weaving between mirrors that showed impossible things—visions of the past, flickering images of people she didn't recognize, places she had never been but somehow felt familiar.

A voice slithered through the air.

You cannot run from me, little one.

Lila's breath hitched.

The shadows in the mirrors grew darker, deeper—moving.

And then—

A shape stepped out of the glass.

Tall. Cloaked in darkness. Its face was hidden, but its eyes—silver and endless—bored into her with a hunger that made her blood run cold.

Caelan yanked her to a stop.

"Lila," he said urgently. "Listen to me."

Her chest heaved. "What?"

He turned to her, gripping her shoulders. "I can hold him off, but you need to get to that mirror." He pointed down the corridor, where a single mirror—larger than the others—stood waiting. Its surface glowed faintly, its frame covered in carvings like the mark on her palm.

Lila shook her head. "I'm not leaving you!"

Caelan's eyes softened for just a moment. "You have to. That mirror is the only way out."

Varos took a step forward. The air rippled around him, and Lila swore she could feel something wrapping around her throat, pulling.

Caelan's grip tightened.

"I won't let him take you," he said. "But you have to trust me."

Lila swallowed hard, searching his face.

She didn't want to leave him here. But the book had said it—freeing a soul from glass meant taking responsibility for what followed.

She could save him.

But she had to survive first.

With one final look, she ran.

Caelan turned to face the darkness behind her.

"Come on then," he muttered, his voice steady. "Let's see if you can still bleed."

And then he struck.

Lila didn't look back. She sprinted for the glowing mirror, her heart hammering against her ribs. The corridor twisted, the shadows screamed, but she didn't stop.

The mirror was right there.

She reached out—

And the moment her fingers touched the glass, the world shattered.