Chapter 10: “The Sanctum’s Lie & Mirael’s Prophecy”
Location: Glass Sanctum – One Day Before the Summit
White towers. No shadows. No screams.
The Glass Sanctum was the only place in Lucentia where memories could be rewritten legally. Where reality could be bent—gently, quietly—by those who spoke only in truths too fragile to hold.
In a chamber lined with mirrors that reflected possibilities, Mirael Venla stood alone.
Except for herself.
Twenty-three alternate Miraels flickered like candlelight behind her, each one echoing a path she never took. They argued in silence. Debated in signs. Cried in math.
And Mirael listened.
> "He's accelerating," one version whispered. "Too fast."
> "Echo #3 awoke in combat. That's early," another warned.
> "The violin is bonding," a third hissed. "If he remembers her—it's over."
> "Should we erase again?"
Mirael opened her real eyes—glowing blue, ancient, tired.
> "No."
> "This time, we let him remember."
> "Why?" an Echo asked.
> "Because this time… I want to see what he does after the betrayal."
She turned to a mirror.
And watched Kairo hold Velvara's violin.
---
SCENE SHIFT – Kairo's Camp, Morning
Kairo held the violin in silence.
The string that snapped during his fight with Zayne hadn't regrown.
Instead, it had burned a symbol onto his palm.
A sigil of the Sanctum.
A message.
A summons.
> "She wants to talk," he said.
> "Mirael?" Ayleth asked, arms crossed.
> "She's either ready to help… or she's setting a trap."
> "I'll come," Lyria said, stretching like a cat. "If it's a trap, I get to stab someone pretty."
> "Or someone stabs you," Gix muttered.
> "Win-win."
---
Travel Log: Glass Sanctum – Entered
Guards let them through without a word.
No one spoke inside the Sanctum. Not by rule—by design.
Voices warped reality here. Words shaped memory. And memory? It was currency.
They were guided to a tall throne of glass. Empty. Until she arrived.
Mirael. Gliding like air. Blindfolded. Radiating timeless control.
---
> "Kairo Veltz," she said.
> "Mirael Venla," he answered.
Silence.
> "Why did you summon me?" Kairo asked.
> "Because the lie is collapsing."
She raised a hand.
Mirrors flared to life.
Each showed a version of Velvara.
Innocent. Broken. Heroic. Villainous. God.
Kairo watched them all.
> "Which one's real?" he asked.
> "None," Mirael said. "You didn't fall in love with her.
You fell in love with the version of her you chose to betray."
---
She stepped down from her throne.
> "You were never the hero, Kairo.
You were the keystone of the Sanctum.
You were the one who made the lie possible."
She touched his chest.
And his brand burned.
---
> "System Glitch Detected — Origin Role Accessed."
"Title Unlocked: The Architect of Memory."
"Passive Activated: Memory Reversal (Locked)"
"Warning: This truth may destabilize the world."
---
Kairo staggered.
> "I made this?"
Mirael nodded.
> "You created the lie. We just kept it alive."
Ayleth stepped forward, hand on blade.
> "Then why help him now?"
> "Because he's no longer the man who made the mistake.
And maybe—just maybe—he can become the one who un-makes it."
---
She handed Kairo a shard of mirror.
It reflected nothing.
> "This is your next step. The truth you erased."
> "What happens if I touch it?"
> "You remember what we buried."
> "And if I break it?"
Mirael smiled.
> "Then the world remembers too."
---
Kairo held the shard.
His hand trembled.
Behind him, Gix watched.
Ayleth tensed.
Lyria yawned, but even she was silent.
And then—
Kairo crushed the mirror.
---
SHATTER.
> "Memory Flood: Stage 1 Initiated."
"Echo 4/10: Reawakened."
"Sin: Creation."
"Title Evolved: Mirrorblade ➝ Architect of Fracture."
---
He fell to his knees.
Screamed.
Saw himself designing the Sanctum.
Laying the lies.
Sacrificing children.
Crowning Velvara.
And then... erasing it all.