— Chapter 61: The Mirror That Remembers Your Name

Hiragi stood in front of his house.

It looked the same.

Same cracked steps. Same rusted gate.

But the air refused to move. Time curled inward like a wounded animal.

And through the window, he saw himself.

Not a reflection.

Another Hiragi, sitting at the table, sipping tea.

"Ichigami..." he muttered. "Is this one of the Dream Children?"

Ishigami, speaking through the comm-crystal: "No. That's something deeper. Go in. Carefully."

Inside the House

It smelled of old paper and cherry blossoms.

The other Hiragi looked up as he entered.

Same face. Same scar.

But the eyes... warm. Almost human.

"You made it," the double said.

"What are you?" Hiragi asked.

"A version of you who stayed. Who never touched the Void. Who lived a quiet life."

He gestured to the kitchen.

"She's waiting."

Hiragi stepped forward.

In the next room, he saw her.

His mother.

Alive. Smiling. Cooking like nothing had ever gone wrong.

"Dinner's almost ready," she said gently. "Are you hungry?"

His breath hitched.

This wasn't just illusion. This was memory weaponized.

"You're not her," he said flatly.

"I could be," she replied. "If you stay. If you forget the blood. The gods. The missions."

Behind her, the mirror on the wall began to ripple.

Hiragi walked toward it.

The Mirror

It showed not his reflection—but every version of himself that had died in other dreams:

One hung from a tree. One lay broken in a hospital bed. One bled out on Ishigami's shoulder. One vanished into the Void, screaming.

And behind all of them…

A single eye opened.

A child's eye. Red.

"So this is your anchor," Hiragi muttered.

The mirror spoke.

"I am the dream that keeps you gentle. The wound that keeps you soft. I am the reason you never truly lose yourself."

"You're the first one, aren't you? The First Lantern."

Silence.

Then:

"Yes."

Hiragi drew his blade.

"I'm sorry, Mom," he whispered.

The dream fractured.

The kitchen exploded in petals. The mirror shattered into static.

The warm version of himself screamed as it burned.

And when it ended—only the lantern remained, flickering weakly.

Ishigami (via comm): "One down. Five to go."

But Hiragi didn't answer.

He was staring at the fragment left behind in the ruins:

A photo.

Of him, his mother... and a girl whose face had been scratched out.

He pocketed it.

End of Chapter 61