Darkness swallowed Lucas and Dalin like a tidal wave. The two seemed to be falling into an endless abyss, their bodies sinking continuously. The air around them was stuffy, oppressing their souls. Lucas held on to his consciousness with all his might. His palm tightly grasped Dalin's arm, fearing that if he let go, Dalin would disappear into the darkness.
"Dalin!" Lucas called out in a low voice, but his voice seemed to be swallowed by the darkness, leaving no echo.
After floating up and down for an unknown amount of time, a wisp of faint light emerged from below. It was like the dawn, yet it had a strange purple halo.
The two landed lightly on a hazy water surface. Their feet felt solid, but not a single ripple arose on the lake. It was as if they were just wandering spirits with no physical form.
Dalin looked around. Her voice trembled slightly. "Is this... still the world in the mirror?"
Lucas scanned the area ahead warily. "It doesn't seem so. We may have gone beyond the mirror realm."
The water and sky merged into one. It was completely silent all around. A pale - white palace floated quietly on the water surface in the distance. Tattered banners hung from the four corners of the palace. The banners fluttered in the wind, but they were covered with cracks, like a dream on the verge of dissipating.
"Let's go and check it out." Lucas pulled Dalin and walked towards the palace. However, after walking for a long time, the distance to the palace never seemed to shorten.
"Something's wrong." Dalin stopped and looked down at the lake.
The lake reflected the two of them. Suddenly, she realized— in the reflection, she was tightly holding a blood - stained dagger, pointing it straight at Lucas's heart!
Dalin's breath stopped instantly. Her face turned deathly pale.
She looked at Lucas's reflection again. His face was blurred and gradually transformed into that of a stranger, cold and lifeless.
"Lucas, look at the lake!" Dalin's voice trembled slightly.
Lucas looked down. The moment his eyes touched the lake surface, his expression froze suddenly.
"What is this?"
The reflections in the lake were not their current selves but a scene that seemed to be from the future.
— Dalin was kneeling on one knee, her eyes empty. Lucas was lying in front of her, blood gushing from his heart. A dagger was stuck right in the middle of his chest.
— The Dalin in the reflection slowly stood up, her expression so cold that she seemed like a completely different person.
The two stared at each other. The air seemed to freeze.
"Dalin, would you kill me?" Lucas asked in a low voice. His gaze was as calm as water, yet it held a hint of probing and unease.
Dalin opened her mouth and shook her head repeatedly. "No! Never!"
But she herself couldn't explain the terrifying scene in the reflection. Her fingers trembled involuntarily.
"This is just an illusion in the mirror. Don't take it too seriously." Lucas placed his hand on Dalin's shoulder. His tone was firm. "What truly determines our fate is ourselves."
Dalin nodded, but the unease in her heart lingered like a shadow.
"Let's go. No matter what lies ahead, we must keep going."
The two took steps again. This time, however, the palace gradually got closer.
Deep Inside the Palace
After entering the palace, they pushed open the huge stone door. The palace was extremely empty. In the center, there was a huge crystal coffin. A faint light emitted from the coffin, as if something was sealed inside.
Lucas walked closer to the coffin and stared at it. His gaze slowly moved down. Suddenly, his pupils constricted—Lying inside the coffin was "Lucas" himself!
Dalin held her breath, shocked. "How is this possible..."
The Lucas in the coffin had his eyes closed. A calm smile was on his face, as if he was just asleep.
But a silver short - blade was stuck in the position of his heart. Black air faintly seeped out from the wound. Clearly, he was dead.
Lucas stared at the "himself" in the coffin, his expression gloomy.
"Is this me in the future? Or some kind of hint?"
Just as the two were thinking, the crystal coffin slowly cracked. A wisp of black air drifted out from the crack and condensed into a blurred figure above the palace.
The figure was blurry. Its face was hidden in the shadows, but its eyes were exactly like Lucas's, cold and sharp.
"You've finally come." The black shadow spoke slowly. Its voice was so low that it seemed to come from the abyss. "I've been waiting for you."
"Who are you?" Lucas frowned and tightened his grip on the sword hilt.
The black shadow smiled slightly. "I'm the shadow in your heart that can't be erased, the condensation of all your pain, despair, and regret.
"I'm... the you in the darkness."
Dalin suddenly looked up, her heart jolting. "He's your inner demon!"
The black shadow slowly extended its hand, pointing at the Lucas in the crystal coffin. "Kill her."
Lucas was stunned. "What?"
"Kill Dalin, and you can completely break free from the shackles of fate and become a true powerhouse." The black shadow's voice seemed to be luring him. "She's your burden, the obstacle you can't overcome. Keeping her will only hold you back."
The air suddenly became extremely oppressive. Lucas's eyes gradually turned cold. His fingers gently brushed the short - blade at his waist, as if hesitating.
Dalin took a step back. Her heart was pounding violently. "Lucas, you won't believe what he said, right?"
Lucas said in a low voice, "Of course not."
But Dalin saw that Lucas's fingers holding the sword were trembling slightly.
The black shadow chuckled softly. "Eventually, you'll still have to make a choice."
After saying that, the black shadow slowly dissipated. The palace returned to silence, leaving only the cracked crystal coffin and the body of "Lucas" inside.
Lucas stood in front of the coffin, silent for a long time. Finally, he turned around. "Let's leave here, Dalin."
Dalin nodded slightly, but her eyes were fixed on Lucas. Complex emotions flickered in her eyes.
Outside the palace, the water rippled. The reflections of the two drifted further and further away.
However, deep beneath the lake where they couldn't see, the Lucas in the reflection slowly opened his eyes. A strange smile curled up at the corner of his mouth.