The air in the room felt dense, pressing against Vivian's skin like unseen hands. The figure in the mirror—her shadowed reflection—stood just beyond the glass, its form shifting, distorting, as if it were caught between two realities. The voice that had whispered her name moments ago still echoed in her ears.
You're mine now.
Sebastian was frozen, his eyes locked onto the reflection, his body stiff as if held by an unseen force. He tried to move, his lips parted in a silent protest, but whatever presence lurked within the mirror had taken hold of him.
Vivian's breath came in ragged gasps. She willed herself to look away, to break the spell, but something about the reflection held her in place. It wasn't just a shadow of herself anymore—it was becoming her.
Then, the figure stepped forward.
Not in the way a reflection should. Not in perfect sync with her movements. It stepped out of time, out of rhythm, independent of her, and the glass rippled like water as its foot breached the barrier.
Vivian stumbled backward, her body screaming at her to run, but she was rooted to the spot. The thing in the mirror—her—tilted its head, its face almost hers but just… wrong. The eyes were darker, too deep, too hollow.
It smiled.
A twisted, knowing smile.
And then it spoke.
"You don't belong here anymore."
The voice was her own, yet layered, distorted. Like an echo bouncing through empty corridors.
Vivian's heart slammed against her ribs. "What do you mean?" she whispered, though she wasn't sure she wanted the answer.
The reflection—her other—stepped fully out of the mirror now, its form solid, its presence undeniable. The air around it crackled with energy, a silent pulse that sent shivers down her spine.
"You thought destroying the mirror would free you," it continued, taking another step closer. "But you were never trapped inside it. You were created by it."
The words hit Vivian like a physical blow.
No… no, that's not possible.
She shook her head, backing away. "You're lying."
The reflection smiled again. "Am I?"
Vivian turned to Sebastian, desperation clawing at her throat. "Sebastian—tell me this isn't real. Tell me I'm real."
Sebastian struggled against the unseen force holding him in place, his eyes wild with fear. "Vivian," he choked out, "you are you. Don't listen to it."
But the reflection just laughed—a soft, cruel sound. "He doesn't know the truth. You don't even know the truth."
Vivian clenched her fists. "Then tell me."
The figure's gaze darkened. "I don't need to tell you."
It reached out suddenly, grabbing Vivian's wrist with an iron grip. A shock of cold shot up her arm, paralyzing her. Her vision blurred as images flooded her mind—memories she didn't recognize. A life she had never lived.
She saw herself standing in the greenhouse, staring at the mirror, but she wasn't alone. Another version of her, identical yet somehow different, stood on the other side of the glass.
And then… she saw it.
The moment the glass had cracked. The moment something had shifted.
The moment she had stepped through.
Vivian gasped, yanking her hand away as reality snapped back into focus. The room spun around her, but the truth settled like ice in her veins.
She hadn't found the mirror.
She had come from it.
Her body trembled as she whispered the words aloud. "I'm not real."
The reflection—her true self—smiled one last time. "Now you understand."
The room around them darkened, shadows stretching like fingers toward her. The walls seemed to close in, the air turning suffocating.
Sebastian broke free from whatever held him and grabbed her arm, pulling her away. "Vivian, don't listen to it! You're real! You're here, with me!"
But she couldn't move, couldn't think. The truth clung to her like a second skin.
If she wasn't real…
Then who—what—was she?
The reflection stepped closer, its voice a soft whisper against her ear.
"It's time to go back."
And then, the world shattered.
To be continued...