Mirror of War

Location: Subterranean Archives – Halem Reach (Nightfall)

The scrolls lay unfurled beneath the dim lanterns as Nora traced her fingers over the ancient script, her breath shallow. The air was thick with the scent of parchment, ink, and secrets.

"They called it Xir'al-Rah," she murmured. "The Mirrored War. An entire dimension created as a reflection of our own—except everything is… corrupted."

Victor leaned over her shoulder. "Corrupted how?"

Nora glanced up. "Desires become obsessions. Justice becomes tyranny. And power… becomes madness."

Zuri, arms crossed in the corner, raised an eyebrow. "Sounds familiar."

Nora ignored the jab and continued. "This orb—the artifact we've been protecting—it was once used to breach the seal between worlds. The Harbinger wasn't born. He was molded in Xir'al-Rah."

Victor's jaw tightened. "That means if he's here… the seal may already be weakening."

Nora nodded grimly. "We have days at best."

---

Location: Dominion Stronghold – Central Tower

Commander Valen stood at the balcony overlooking a massive hangar. The Harbinger was suspended midair, surrounded by containment rings and arcane stabilizers. Scientists observed nervously as glyphs flickered across his armored limbs.

A voice came from behind her. "You're playing with a force we barely understand."

It was Elder Ghael, one of the last Dominion high councilors.

Valen didn't flinch. "I don't need to understand it. I only need it to obey."

Ghael stared at the Harbinger. "Obedience isn't in his nature. Neither is mercy. And you've just woken him in a world where Kane's bloodline is fully awakened."

Valen's lips curled. "Then let them burn each other. Whoever survives… we'll deal with."

---

Location: Safehouse – Hidden Base beneath Halem Reach

Zuri flipped her knife in one hand while scanning the maps Victor laid out.

"We can't fight him head-on," she muttered. "Not in this world. Not where he has the Dominion's full reach."

Victor tapped a marked point on the map. "Then we take the fight where he's weakest—where he was made. The mirrored world."

Nora looked alarmed. "You want to enter Xir'al-Rah?"

Victor's eyes didn't waver. "Yes. I need to understand what they turned him into… so I don't become him."

Zuri frowned. "Assuming we find a way in, how do we get back?"

Victor smirked, just faintly. "We improvise."

---

Later that Night: A Flicker Between Worlds

Victor stood alone, orb in hand. It pulsed with faint warmth, reacting to his presence more than ever before.

As he concentrated, shadows began to ripple in the air like a curtain in the wind. For a second, he glimpsed it—a mirror of Halem Reach, darker, more jagged. A place not built for life, but for conquest.

Then a voice spoke in his mind—not his, not familiar. Cold, mechanical, ancient.

> "You seek dominion over your fate. But in the mirror… only your true self rules."

Victor didn't flinch. "Then I'll face him too."