The Voice In The Mirror

Mind Affinity: Deep Link

Her words echoed over and over in my head. I held my breath, bracing myself for what came next.

I felt Miss Fumiko's warm hands on both sides of my head. Slowly, everything else around me began to dissolve; the lights and warmth of the room, the scent of cinnamon and lavender…

Everything began to fade.

Suddenly, I was hit with a crushing headache. I opened my mouth to scream, but no sound came out. But just as quickly as the pain came, it disappeared.

Then, everything went completely dark.

The next thing I felt was the sensation of falling, quick and sudden. Soon afterwards, it stopped and all remained still.

I found myself standing in what looked like a dark void, similar to the one I had died in. But here, the floor beneath was a clear, reflective liquid.

Flashes of memories blinked in the reflections below. Vivid memories belonging to my past life as Belford, those belonging to Stormborn, and the memories I made after the reincarnation.

I tried to focus on them, but each one vanished as quickly as it came.

"Well done, Fumiko. I'm completely lost now."

My voice reverberated endlessly around me, yet I heard no reply.

"Where… is this?" I muttered again, glancing around.

"You're intruding," a voice replied from behind me.

I quickly spun around to see who it was.

It was a boy, same height, same clothes, maybe the same age, but somehow he looked younger than I. His eyes were a dim shade of purple, and a full crop of silver hair rested on his head.

And then I realised: I was staring right at myself.

But it wasn't me. It was Aldrin Stormborn.

He stared at me with no expression on his face. His eyes bore deeply into me, like I was the ghost, not him.

"My… apologies," I said.

"For taking my body?" he asked, tilting his head slightly to the left. "I think we're way past that."

"This wasn't my doing," I replied. "I didn't ask to be put in here."

"And I didn't ask to be thrown out," he said, with a calm demeanor. "But here we are."

The last thing I wanted was to bicker, so I moved on.

"I have a feeling you know why I'm here."

"I know," he replied. "I've seen everything. I've felt everything, just like you have."

He began to walk around me, eyes locked onto my face.

"You've been trying too hard," he began. "Ancient artifacts? The Ring of Borain? It almost seems like you're desperate to get your magic back."

"I am desperate," I replied. "I need it."

"And why is that?"

His question took me off guard.

"You've seen everything, right? You know why I need it."

"No, I don't."

I couldn't tell if he was serious, or just messing with me.

"You've seen my memories. You've seen what happens to the world in the future. I need to stop that."

"Is that all?"

I narrowed my eyes. "No, that's not all. I'm fighting in a tournament with bullies who hate me, and there's an assassin trying to kill me!"

He stopped. "And you think magic will solve it all?"

"Of course!"

Aldrin let out a short, dry chuckle.

"What's funny?" I asked.

"You sound just like her."

"Her?"

He turned around and walked away in the opposite direction. I quickly followed after him.

"How do I get my magic back?" I asked.

"That's the question you keep asking," Aldrin replied, "But the real question is, why did you lose it in the first place?"

"I don't have time for riddles," I snapped.

"The answer is actually quite obvious."

He suddenly stopped and stared me dead in the eye.

"Your priorities are misplaced."

"What?"

He smiled briefly and continued walking.

"Miss Fumiko was right about the conflict. But she got one little detail wrong."

"What's that?" I asked.

He stopped again. "I'm not the one suppressing your energy. I never did. You're the one suppressing mine."

I stared at him, completely lost in confusion.

"My magic has always been yours to command. But the only way to use it is to understand and accept why you truly need it. Until then… you'll keep failing."

I had long grown tired of the parables.

"Just tell me what I need to do," I insisted.

Aldrin smiled again. "You have my body, my heart, my mind. Yet, you still can't see the obvious picture."

"So, show me then."

He shook his head. "You're the Grand Mage. You'll figure it out."

Aldrin stepped back and walked away again, but this time, he began to fade into a million particles.

"Wait!" I called out, "What if I don't?"

"The answer is in your heart. Just listen to it."

Moments later, he vanished completely.

For the next few seconds I remained alone in the void, trying to decipher the conversation.

Then, everything disappeared.

*****

I woke up with a start, gasping loudly for air. My entire body felt exhausted, and my head throbbed with a slight headache.

I took a brief glance at my surroundings. I was still in Fumiko's house, but I was no longer seated at the table. Instead, I lay in her bed, tucked beneath soft, white sheets.

Soon, I heard footsteps approaching, and Miss Fumiko appeared at the door.

"Welcome back," she said with a slight grin. "How was your trip?"

I sat up on the bed and pulled my right arm forward.

"Inferno," I whispered, raising my palm skyward, but nothing happened.

Fumiko's grin slowly disappeared.

"I'm sorry," she said. "Well, it was just a theory. We can try something else."

"No," I grunted. "Your theory was right, but there's something else missing."

"Missing?"

"Apparently, it's in my heart, whatever it is."

She tilted her head. "An emotion, maybe?"

"Maybe."

Slowly, I stood up from the bed, bearing the weight of my own body. My throat felt parched and my lips were severely dry. My limbs felt stiff, and I stretched them out one by one.

"Is there any way I can withdraw from the tournament?" I asked.

"Unless you're sick or injured before the tournament. But if you withdraw now, the school is going to investigate why."

I sighed.

"In that case, I guess I have to train tthem"

"Train?"

"Yeah. Better make the most out of the two days left."

I quickly noticed the negative change in Miss Fumiko's expression.

"What is it?" I asked.

She hesitated for a bit before she spoke.

"Rin… you've been asleep for two days."

My heart skipped a beat.

"What?" I exclaimed, my eyes widening.

Miss Fumiko simply nodded.

"The tournament... It starts tomorrow."