The night was pitch - black. The stars in the vast sky twinkled restlessly, as if they might fall from the sky at any moment and swallow up the entire earth. Lucas and Dalin woke up from that blood - colored illusion. All around them was still the dead and desolate palace.
However, this time, there was no longer the slightest glimmer of light in the palace. Only cold mist drifted among the broken walls and ruins. Darkness wrapped around them like a tidal wave. Under the moonlight, Lucas vaguely saw shadows moving in the distance. It seemed that someone was lurking in the dark, spying on them.
"Someone's watching us." Lucas said in a low voice. His fingers tightened slightly, and a faint, icy light appeared at his fingertips.
Dalin looked in the direction he was staring at. All she saw were surging black shadows. In an instant, those shadows wriggled like living things and transformed into indistinct human shapes.
She took a deep breath and quietly moved closer to Lucas. Her voice was barely audible: "This place is haunted. We need to leave quickly."
Lucas nodded. The two of them stepped on the broken flagstones and walked out cautiously. However, with every step they took, the black shadows behind them followed suit, like their shadows. It seemed that they were separated from the shadows by only a thin veil. One false move and they would be dragged into the abyss.
"Who... are you?"
Finally, Lucas couldn't help but speak. His voice echoed in the empty palace, carrying a hint of coldness.
The black shadows stopped suddenly, as if responding to Lucas' question. After a moment, a deep and indistinct voice sounded from all directions: "Us? We're you."
The moment the words fell, the ground beneath Lucas and Dalin suddenly split open. Two clear reflections emerged. In the reflections were none other than themselves! Strangely, these reflections were not simple mirror images. Instead, they showed two distorted faces, filled with resentment and sorrow.
Dalin's face paled instantly. The reflection of herself was wearing a strange smile, with a gloomy look in its eyes. It seemed that it would break free from the ground and seize her soul in the next second.
"This is an illusion. Don't believe it." Lucas noticed her unease. He reached out and pulled her, leading her a few steps away from the reflection.
But Dalin stared fixedly at the reflection, her expression becoming more and more solemn: "This isn't an illusion."
Lucas frowned. Just as he was about to say something more, he suddenly heard the reflection of himself slowly opening its mouth. Cold words reached his ears: "You can't escape. Fate has already inscribed you in the cycle. Resistance is futile."
Dalin gritted her teeth and violently shook off Lucas' hand. She stared directly at the reflection at her feet: "Fate? Ridiculous." She said in a low voice. "Since I'm standing here, I won't let fate push
me around."
She raised her hand. A faint blue glow appeared in her palm, and she hurled it at the reflection. However, as soon as the glow touched the reflection, it disappeared without a trace, like a clay ox entering the sea.
In the reflection, the distorted face still wore a strange smile. It said: "If you continue forward, you will surely be destroyed."
At this moment, Lucas noticed that the black shadow seemed to be moving forward slowly, gradually revealing its specific outline. It was... Dalin's mother!
"Mother!" Dalin exclaimed, almost losing her ability to think. She wanted to rush forward, but Lucas held her back firmly.
"Stay calm! That's not your mother." Lucas stared intently at the figure, his eyes full of vigilance.
"But..." Dalin's voice trembled, and tears welled up in her eyes.
The person in front of them was indistinguishable from Dalin's mother in terms of demeanor, mannerisms, and even the way the corners of her clothes fluttered.
"Dalin..." The figure suddenly called her name softly, in an extremely gentle voice, as if filled with endless compassion and reluctance.
Dalin froze in place, on the verge of bursting into tears.
"Come back, child." The black shadow reached out its hand, its tone like that of someone coaxing a fledgling about to leave the nest.
Lucas sensed something was wrong. Without hesitation, he pulled Dalin behind him: "That's not your mother."
"But she is..." Dalin murmured painfully, her voice filled with a heart - rending struggle.
Lucas stared into the eyes of the black shadow and slowly said: "If you're really her mother, why won't you come closer?"
The black shadow was slightly taken aback. After a moment of silence, it suddenly laughed: "You're calmer than I thought."
The moment the words fell, the black shadow suddenly twisted and dissipated in the night wind, turning into a shower of black butterflies. The butterflies fluttered around the two of them and finally drifted away.
Dalin slumped to the ground, her face pale. She gasped for breath, her hands tightly clenched, and her fingertips turning slightly white from excessive force.
Lucas squatted down and comforted her softly: "That wasn't your mother. No matter how similar it was, it was just an illusion."
"But..." Dalin lowered her eyes and sobbed. "I miss her so much..."
Lucas was silent for a moment. He gently hugged her, allowing her tears to soak his clothes.
Under the night sky, the wind blew with a cold breath. The palace remained silent. But behind them, on the split ground, the reflections slowly closed, as if nothing had ever happened.
However, both of them knew deep in their hearts that this nightmare was far from over. The real darkness had just begun.