…
He really needed a break.
Not the metaphorical kind. Like, an actual full-body shutdown where his brain could reset to factory settings and maybe uninstall the whole "chosen one with memory glitches and an ever-expanding chaos-harem" software update.
Instead, Dae was currently standing in front of a mirror.
One that didn't show his reflection.
It showed… someone else.
Tall. Same face. Same eyes.
But older. Cracks of white near the temple. Scar under the jaw.
And rage—like bottled lightning behind those eyes.
"What the hell…" Dae muttered, reaching toward the surface.
The glass shimmered, then rippled, and the reflection smirked.
"I was wondering when you'd look."
Then it spoke.
"You're late."
…
Backtrack. A few hours earlier.
The day had started innocently enough — if you called Faye attempting to cook breakfast using only hexfire and bubblegum innocent.
There were shrieks, a minor explosion, and Kio falling out of his bunk screaming "the pancakes are sentient!" before tripping over Elira's floating silence orb.
Dae groaned, pulling his hood over his head like it might stop reality from happening.
Rea was already dressed, sipping something dangerous and hot-looking, watching the chaos unfold like it was a nature documentary.
Lyra leaned on the kitchen counter. "Ten bucks says the fire alarm triggers in five."
"I'm not betting against magic gum," Mira muttered, half-asleep and sharpening her dagger with far too much focus.
And then, as if the universe wanted to mess with Dae specifically, the mirror in their living room hallway started glowing.
Just… humming. Soft at first.
Then louder.
He'd passed it a hundred times. But now, the frame was lined with glowing runes. Not standard academy safety glyphs.
No. These were older.
Familiar.
From the Book.
When he got closer, the hum turned into a whisper.
And when he stared into it—he didn't see himself.
He saw him.
The other him.
…
"I'm your future, dumbass," the reflection said.
"Cool," Dae replied, crossing his arms. "You seem emotionally stable."
"Funny. Still deflecting with sarcasm, huh?"
The reflection stepped forward. The mirror warped but didn't break.
"I came to warn you. Caladra's fragments are waking up. The ring won't obey you forever. And the book… is starting to rewrite you."
"I'm aware," Dae said flatly. "Been a weird week."
Future-Dae tilted his head. "Then stop flirting with the chaos. The vaults are waking. The girls you've met—they're not just fragments. They're keys. Each one linked to a sealed memory. To your real past."
Dae's breath caught.
"Wait… are you saying—?"
"Yes," Future-Dae interrupted. "You had a life before this. Before Blackridge. Before the academy wiped you."
"…So did An," Dae whispered.
The mirror cracked.
And the image shimmered.
Future-Dae's eyes narrowed.
"Find the mirror gate. The real one. This was just a glimpse. You'll know it when you see it. And when you do… don't hesitate."
The crack spread across the glass.
The hum spiked.
Then—he was alone again.
Just his own face. Tired. Pale.
Unchanged.
But everything had changed.
…
"Let me get this straight," Zane said later, sitting cross-legged on the dorm table, spinning a fork between his fingers. "You looked into a haunted mirror and saw you… but older… and angrier?"
"I know it sounds crazy," Dae muttered.
"Bro. Last week a shadow-beast tried to eat my soul and Rea shot a gravity bullet through its face. This doesn't even crack top ten."
Rea shrugged. "Sounds legit."
Faye chimed in, twirling in midair. "Ooh! Mirror versions! Maybe he's your dark side. Or your future self. Or like… your trauma with a beard!"
"He didn't have a beard," Dae mumbled.
"That's worse," Lyra said. "You get older but not hotter?"
"Tragic," Mira added.
Elira looked thoughtful. "If he warned you about Caladra… then she's far more dangerous than we thought."
"She's a being of memory and code," Dae murmured. "She's not bound by time. She's… leaking into everything."
Faye poked his cheek. "So are you."
"Thanks, I hate that," Dae replied.
…
Later that night, he wandered.
The academy grounds were quieter now, but somehow more alive. Arcane lights shimmered on the hedges. The watchtowers glowed with layered glyphs. You could still see faint scorch marks on the stones from the last attack… but the campus had begun adapting.
Like the architecture itself was learning.
The eastern garden path—usually filled with harmless flora—now sported defense brambles that hissed when approached. The central lecture halls had auto-sealing doors. Even the statues blinked once in a while.
And at the farthest wing, just before the cliffside… a new building had appeared.
Small. Round. Obsidan walls. No windows.
No door.
Until Dae stepped closer.
Then—just like that—a shimmer.
A slit of light… a keyhole.
And on his finger, the ring pulsed.
Once.
Twice.
The symbol from the Book appeared across the door.
And the door… opened.
…
Inside was nothing.
Or it looked like nothing at first.
But the second Dae stepped in, the walls flickered.
And the floor turned to glass.
Beneath it—
Mirrors.
Hundreds.
Thousands.
Layered. Endless.
Each one showing a different version of him.
Different timelines.
Different paths.
Some wore armor. Others cloaks. One had black wings. One sat on a throne of crystal. One… lay broken in chains.
"You're not ready," a voice whispered.
He turned sharply.
Elira stepped inside behind him, calm as dusk.
She glanced down. "Multiversal reflection chamber. Didn't expect to see one here."
"You followed me?"
"No. I was called."
Dae frowned. "By who?"
Faye appeared from the other side of the room, spinning like a ballerina of chaos. "Me too! I thought this was the bathroom."
Dae sighed. "Of course."
"I think the ring led us here," Elira said, examining the floating lights that pulsed with memory-code.
Each flicker a glimpse.
Each glow… a potential past.
Then she whispered, "This is a test."
"What kind?"
"The kind you either survive… or split apart from."
…
The mirrors trembled.
One lit up behind Dae—revealing a scene.
Him. Kneeling. Crying.
A sword broken in his hands.
Rea standing behind him, hands bloodied, eyes cold.
Mira lying motionless.
A name scrawled on the floor.
Kaelion.
Dae stumbled back.
Another mirror lit up.
This time—An.
Alive.
Laughing.
But Dae wasn't there.
Another version of him had vanished.
Replaced.
Memory twisted.
Another flicker.
Another future.
In every one… a different choice.
And then the mirrors began to shatter.
One by one.
Until only one remained.
It showed Dae.
Now.
Holding the book.
Surrounded by everyone he'd met.
Even the ones he'd forgotten.
Even the ones he hadn't met yet.
And it said only one thing.
"Decide."
…
The glass burst.
The room went dark.
And Dae opened his eyes… back in bed.
Breathing hard.
The ring was glowing faintly.
So was the book.
Someone knocked on his door.
It opened.
An instructor he didn't recognize walked in.
Tall. Robotic eye. Quiet steps.
"We're late for your advanced protocol trial," she said.
Dae blinked.
"I didn't enroll in any—"
She interrupted, tossing him a folded slip of paper.
Inside was a single line:
Welcome to Mirror Vault 03: Glitch Archive.
And scribbled underneath, in familiar, messy handwriting:
"If you find me here, don't be afraid. You already loved me once."
—An
…
To Be Continued in Chapter 31 – Glitch Archive