CHAPTER 13:The Mirror Trial

The air was thick with silence as the seven stepped into the new realm. One moment, they had been walking through the temple's great halls, following a path they did not understand. The next, they stood in an empty, endless space—a vast void where the sky was silver and the ground beneath them rippled like water.

In the center of this strange place stood a single object: a tall, ornate mirror with a dark golden frame, pulsing faintly with an unseen power.

A voice, neither male nor female, spoke from everywhere and nowhere.

"To walk forward, you must first face yourselves. Step forth, and see what lies beneath."

The Seer was the first to move. She approached the mirror with cautious steps, her heart pounding. As she gazed into its surface, her reflection began to change. At first, it was simply her own face, but then it twisted—older, then younger. Then she saw herself consumed by flames, her own voice screaming accusations.

"You saw the signs, but you did nothing."

The reflection reached out, and for a moment, she felt heat sear her skin. She gasped and stumbled back, but the mirror was no longer showing her. It had moved on.

The Warrior stepped forward next, arms crossed, unimpressed. His reflection smirked at him.

"You fight, but for what?" the reflection taunted. "You call yourself strong, yet you hide behind your anger."

Then the reflection laughed—a cruel, knowing sound. The Warrior clenched his fists, but something held him in place. The reflection leaned in, its eyes dark with truth.

"Without your strength, what are you?"

The Warrior turned away, his chest tight.

One by one, each of them stepped forward, each faced with their deepest truths, fears, and regrets. Some cried out, some tried to argue, and some stood in frozen silence. But the mirror never lied.

At last, the Keeper approached. Unlike the others, he did not hesitate. He already knew what he would see.

The reflection stared back at him, eyes heavy with knowledge. It did not speak, but he heard its voice in his mind:

"You already know what must be done. The question is—can you bear it?"

The mirror's surface rippled, and the trial was over. The voice from before spoke again:

"Truth has been seen. Now, you mayproceed."

With a soft hum, the mirror shattered into dust. The path ahead revealed itself—a golden bridge stretching into the unknown.

But as they stepped forward, they did so with heavy hearts. Not all truths could be forgotten.

And not all wounds could be healed.