Chapter Ten: The Dimension of Lost Reflections
The light was dim, flickering like a dying flame. The tunnel Rayan emerged from didn't lead to earth or sky—it opened into something resembling a gigantic mirror, fluid and shifting… but it didn't reflect his image. Instead, it rippled like a restless sea.
He stepped forward, and the liquid surface engulfed him. Yet, he did not drown; he didn't even feel suffocated. Instead, he found himself standing in a dimension that looked like an upside-down version of the world he knew.
The sky was black, but not dark. The ground was covered in broken mirrors that reflected nothing. Trees had no trunks, only floating leaves swaying in the air. And all around, a faint whisper echoed…
"Rayan… Rayan…"
The voice of the Gate Spirit resonated inside him:
"Welcome to the Dimension of Reflections, where you face not the world… but everything you try to deny within yourself."
Rayan glanced around. A strange unease crept through him. There were no monsters here, no visible enemies. Yet the entire dimension felt like a prison made of incomplete images.
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He moved cautiously.
With every step, the mirrors began to show scenes from his life—but distorted.
He saw himself smiling while abandoning his mother. He saw himself yelling at a friend who had never betrayed him. He saw himself turning his back on someone who needed him.
He shouted:
"That's not me!"
But the voice replied:
"It is you… the version you never wanted to admit."
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Suddenly, the ground split into two paths:
• One was dark, silent, but straight and clear.
• The other was winding, filled with enticing lights, welcoming voices, and familiar laughter.
He hesitated.
The Spirit said:
"The first path leads to truth, but it will strip away all your illusions.
The second offers comfort, but imprisons you in a lie."
He glanced at the second path—the glow was alluring, like memories of happiness. But deep down, he knew… no real progress was ever made on an easy road.
He chose the darkness.
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With each step, his vision blurred, but his hearing sharpened.
He heard voices from his past:
• His father yelling as he left home.
• His mother crying alone at night.
• His teacher saying, "You'll never be anything."
Each sound pierced his heart like a dagger.
Still, he kept walking.
Then… everything stopped.
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He found himself in a circular room. No windows, no doors. At its center stood a single mirror. But it was no ordinary mirror.
When he looked inside, he didn't see his reflection.
Instead, he saw a man who looked exactly like him—but with hollow eyes and no clear features.
The man spoke:
"I am you… without truth."
Rayan stepped closer and asked:
"If you don't carry my truth… then what are you?"
The man replied:
"I am everything you tried to bury—the shame, the fear, the guilt. I am what you left behind in every dimension… because I was too heavy to carry."
He reached out and struck Rayan's chest… and visions flooded his mind:
• The moment he lied to someone he loved.
• The moment he abandoned someone he had promised to protect.
• The moment he ignored a child crying from hunger.
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Rayan fell to his knees, breathless.
He cried: "I'm sorry… but I didn't know!"
The reflection answered:
"You know now. But knowing isn't enough… You must accept."
Rayan raised his head and stared straight into his own hollow eyes.
"I accept you… because you were a part of me. But you no longer decide my path."
He reached out to the mirror and touched his reflection.
Suddenly… it shattered.
The room vanished, and in front of him appeared a door made of light.
The Spirit's voice echoed:
"You have accepted yourself… and for that, you deserve to move forward."
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Rayan stood up, tears still clinging to his face… but his soul felt lighter. For the first time, he wasn't afraid of himself.
Before stepping through the door, he looked back.
He saw nothing.
And he whispered:
"What's behind me… no longer defines me."
He stepped into the light.
⸻
End