Chapter 6, continued: Through the Looking Flame

Kazuki awoke with a gasp.

Not in a bed. Not in his room.

But in a circular chamber made entirely of glass—walls, ceiling, even the floor beneath him. A single flame hovered at the center, suspended mid-air, flickering unnaturally without smoke or fuel.

He tried to stand, but his legs trembled.

> "What is this place…?"

The moment he spoke, the flame pulsed—then flared. From its center emerged a figure made of fire and shadow, humanoid in shape but constantly shifting.

> "You've seen your other selves," it said, voice echoing like distant thunder.

Kazuki staggered back. "Who—what are you?"

> "I am what lies between the mirror and the flame. The fire that tests the soul."

The walls around him shimmered, and suddenly, his past flickered across them like living memories. Scenes of childhood, loneliness, moments of joy, grief, rage—all painted in raw, unfiltered emotion.

Kazuki clenched his fists. "Why are you showing me this?"

> "Because truth isn't in what's real. It's in what burns and remains."

The flame-being stepped closer.

> "The one who created you… left behind something. Buried deep."

A panel of the floor opened beneath Kazuki's feet, revealing stairs descending into darkness.

> "Go. Face the origin. Or remain lost among the lies you call memories."

Kazuki hesitated.

But the ache in his chest—where the mirrored version had pointed—grew stronger. Sharper.

He descended.

Each step took him deeper into the dark… and closer to the truth his reflection had whispered.

At the bottom, a mirror awaited him. But this one didn't reflect him at all.

It showed someone else.

Someone who looked like him, but… older. Wiser. Sadder.

The figure in the mirror looked directly at him and whispered:

> "You weren't supposed to wake up."

And then—

The mirror shattered.