Chapter 8: Whispers in the Mirror Hall
—Narrated by Eli Whitmore.
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Early Evening – Arcane Institute of Mystical Sciences
The sky outside Ravenwing Hall was painted in fading gold and deep blue. Students had already finished their classes for the day. Some gathered in the courtyards, laughing and trading spells. Others returned to their rooms, heads buried in books or snacks in hand.
But I wasn't laughing. I was watching the shadows stretch longer on the ground.
Something felt wrong.
Since joining The Lightshade, things had changed. Not just my understanding of the magical world—but the way the world seemed to see me.
Or watch me.
I looked at the ring on my finger. It hadn't burned since the night of the oath. But it felt heavier somehow. Like it knew something was coming.
I wasn't the only one feeling it.
Felix was quieter lately. He didn't say much, but I caught him staring at empty corners, as if listening to something I couldn't hear. Luna had grown restless—she kept wandering the halls, whispering to the shadows. Even Thorne, usually so calm, had a cold edge in his eyes these past few days.
And tonight… something would break the silence.
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Mirror Hall – 9:00 PM
I didn't mean to go back to the Mirror Hall. Not really.
But my feet led me there.
Maybe it was curiosity. Maybe the whisper I heard as I passed the courtyard: a voice that didn't belong to any living student.
The doors of the Mirror Hall stood half open.
Inside, the reflections were still and cold. No shimmering illusions. No echo of memory.
Just glass.
And silence.
I stepped forward.
My own reflection watched me—calm, ordinary. But then something moved.
Not me.
A shape behind me.
Dark. Flickering. Silent.
I turned quickly.
No one there.
My heart beat faster.
Then the temperature dropped. My breath fogged in the air.
A whisper.
"Eli…"
I froze.
That wasn't a memory. That wasn't the Lightshade.
That was something else.
---
A Sudden Visitor
Footsteps echoed—sharp and quick.
"Eli!" Thorne's voice broke through the silence like a sword cutting glass.
He rushed in, shadows rising around his hands like smoke.
I turned to him, voice shaking. "Thorne… someone just said my name. I heard it."
His eyes narrowed. "You weren't supposed to come here alone."
"I didn't mean to. I—"
Before I could finish, the mirrors flickered again.
But this time, the shape didn't hide.
It stepped out.
A spirit.
Twisted. Pale. Its eyes were black voids. Its hands dragged along the ground, leaving no sound, only frost.
It let out a low, cold hiss.
Thorne stepped in front of me. "Back. Don't engage it."
"What is that?" I whispered.
"Something trapped. Something that's been waiting too long."
---
Facing the Spirit
The spirit lunged—fast, like it had no weight at all.
But Thorne moved quicker.
He raised a hand, shadows whipping from his palm and striking the spirit midair. It shrieked and scattered like mist—but not for long. It reformed, snarling.
"Why is it here?" I asked. "Is it part of the academy's magic?"
Thorne growled under his breath. "No. This is older. Deeper. It's not part of the trials."
The spirit lunged again.
Thorne shouted, "Stay behind me!"
But I didn't.
I felt something stir in me. A familiar pull—like the energy I used when I helped the girl from the lost soul in the greenhouse.
Only now, it was stronger.
I reached out. "Wait."
The spirit froze mid-charge.
It looked at me.
And spoke.
"You… see me…"
Thorne tensed. "What are you doing?!"
"I don't know," I whispered. "But it's not just attacking… it's in pain."
I stepped forward, slowly. "You're stuck here, aren't you?"
The spirit's face twisted with confusion, then sorrow.
"I was… left behind…"
I saw flashes in my mind. A memory that wasn't mine.
A girl. Fire. Screams. A broken spell. And silence.
She had died in the Hall… and no one ever helped her move on.
Tears filled my eyes. "You were never seen. You were just forgotten."
I raised my hand. My ring burned hot.
"I see you now."
The spirit shuddered—and slowly, light surrounded it. It let out a soft cry, no longer angry.
Then it was gone.
Peacefully.
---
After the Spirit
The room felt warmer.
The mirrors stilled.
Thorne stared at me, his eyes unreadable.
"You shouldn't have done that," he said.
"I didn't know I could," I answered. "But it felt right."
He was quiet for a moment. Then he stepped closer.
"You're more than a Gate Keeper," he said. "You… help them find peace. Even the ones that don't deserve it."
I looked down. "Is that wrong?"
Thorne gently lifted my chin. "No. It's just dangerous."
---
Elsewhere – Felix and Ryker
Meanwhile, in the library tower, Felix and Ryker sat under a candlelit archway.
Felix was fidgeting again, trying to study—but his eyes kept flicking toward Ryker.
"Are you gonna keep staring at that fire rune?" Ryker asked with a crooked grin. "Or at me?"
Felix flushed. "I-I wasn't staring."
"Yes, you were," Ryker teased, stretching. "Not that I mind."
Felix looked away. "I don't get you."
Ryker leaned in slightly. "Then let me help you figure me out."
For a moment, neither of them spoke. Just the soft crackle of flame and the thudding of nervous hearts.
Ryker brushed a strand of Felix's hair back. "You're always trying to protect everyone else. Who protects you, Felix?"
Felix blinked, surprised. "I… I don't know."
"Maybe let it be me."
Felix didn't answer right away. But then he smiled—a real one.
"Okay."
---
Later That Night – Ravenwing Hall
Back in our room, I sat on my bed, hands still slightly trembling.
Felix entered, his smile fading when he saw my face.
"Bad night?"
"There was a spirit in the Mirror Hall," I said softly.
Felix sat beside me quickly. "What? Are you okay?"
"Yeah. I think I helped her. She was trapped… from a long time ago."
Thorne was outside, standing under the moonlight.
Watching the stars. Watching me.
Felix nudged me. "You look different. Like… older."
I laughed weakly. "I feel older."
---
The academy held more than magic lessons and duels.
It held stories.
Forgotten souls.
Secrets whispering in the dark.
And somehow… I was meant to uncover them.
Whether I was ready or not.
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To be continued…