The mirror flashes once, too bright, then pulses like a heartbeat.
The snake lets out a sharp hiss. The hum in my chest spikes, and the mirror surface bursts outward like water splashing in reverse.
I stumble forward, trying to stop myself, but the creatures surge with me—the fox and raven dissolve into light, the snake coils tighter, dragging me through.
I scream as everything turns inside out—
—and then I’m falling.
I slam into the ground hard, gasping, choking on air that tastes real.
Dust. Stone. Magic.
Everything’s too loud. Too bright.
I touch the floor beneath me, whispering, “This… isn’t the Void.”
The words sound strange out loud. Foreign.
The hum in my chest is quieter now but still there. The snake is still wrapped around my wrist, faintly glowing.
I push myself up slowly, legs shaking. The chamber breathes around me—alive with magic I can feel resonating through the walls, humming at the same frequency as the connection in my chest.
The mirror I just came through shimmers once, then goes still.
Footsteps echo.
Urgent.
I turn, and a figure appears at the edge of the chamber.
Tall. Pale. Elegant in a way that feels dangerous.
He stops dead when he sees me. Goes completely still.
Then his face drains of color.
“No.” The word comes out like he’s been punched. “No, you’re—”
“Who are you?” I ask, voice rough from disuse.
He doesn’t answer. Just stares at me like I’m something impossible.
“Seth.” He breathes the name in recognition.
Another pause.
“How do you know my name?” I press.
That breaks through his shock. His eyes sharpen, dangerous now.
“Because I watched you die.” His voice is cold, controlled. “I watched Bree’s Ether tear through you. Watched you burn away to nothing when Phil—” He cuts himself off.
“I don’t know who Phil is.” My stomach drops. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’ve been trapped in the Void. I don’t know how long. Years. Maybe decades.” I press my hand to my chest, trying to ground myself. “Time doesn’t work there.”
Something shifts in his expression. Understanding, maybe. Or horror.
“You came from the Void,” he says carefully. “Were you alone?”
