Chapter 26: The Mirror of Aether

The valley was a graveyard of whispers.

Ivy clutched the reins tighter as her horse trudged forward, hooves crunching on bones long buried beneath ash. The fog thickened with every step, the landscape more sinister than she’d imagined. Lilith rode beside her in silence, eyes sharp, blade within reach.

The Silent Vale didn’t just feel cursed.

It felt aware.

“I don’t like this place,” Lilith muttered. “The air reeks of old blood.”

“It’s not the air,” Ivy whispered. “It’s the memories.”

She could feel them—echoes in the mist. Screams that hadn’t touched the wind in centuries. They passed the twisted remains of a forgotten watchtower, its stones blackened by flame.

Then Ivy’s breath caught.

There, etched onto the crumbled wall, was her name.

“IVY.”

Fresh.

As if carved only moments ago.

She dismounted slowly and reached out to touch it. The stone sizzled under her fingertips, glowing faintly.

Lilith drew her sword. “We’re not alone.”

Somewhere Deeper – Within the Vale

The hooded figure from the Cradle of Embers walked the twisted halls of a ruined fortress, flames flickering unnaturally around them. Behind them hovered the child in the crystal coffin, now breathing softly.

“She enters the Vale,” the figure whispered. “And soon… the mirror will reveal everything.”

The child’s eyes fluttered open.

This time, they were no longer black.

One eye was violet.

The other, golden.

Back in the Vale

Ivy and Lilith moved cautiously through the haze. Hours had passed. The air thickened, turning colder, heavier. The path twisted unnaturally, almost as if the land itself tried to mislead them.

“This place is shifting,” Lilith warned.

“It’s testing us,” Ivy replied. “Trying to break our minds.”

They finally reached the heart of the valley—a clearing encircled by broken statues, each with their faces erased. And there, in the center, hovered the Mirror of Aether.

It wasn’t glass.

It was liquid light, framed in obsidian wings, floating inches above the ground. Its surface rippled like disturbed water, reflecting nothing.

Not even them.

Lilith approached first, blade ready. “Looks… safe?”

“No,” Ivy said. “It’s not.”

Because the mirror was humming. A low, eerie sound that resonated in her bones.

Then the light shifted.

And the mirror changed.

Ivy’s Vision

She stood in a throne room of fire and ash.

Atop the throne sat a woman—radiant, terrifying, crowned in shadows and flame.

Isla.

At her feet knelt two children.

One with Ivy’s golden eyes.

The other with Killian’s haunting gray.

“Choose,” Isla hissed. “One to live. One to die.”

Ivy screamed and ran forward—but her feet wouldn’t move.

The Isla in the vision stood, walking slowly toward her. “You cannot split what was made as one. There will always be war inside them. Unless…”

She held out a dagger.

“Unless you end it first.”

Lilith’s Voice Pulled Her Back

“Ivy!”

Ivy gasped, stumbling away from the mirror. Blood dripped from her nose.

“What happened?” Lilith rushed to her.

“I saw them,” Ivy choked. “Our child… Isla… She’s inside. Waiting.”

Lilith frowned. “Then what do we do?”

“We find a way to seal Isla permanently. Separate her essence before she fully awakens in the child.”

Ivy turned back to the mirror. “But there’s a problem.”

“What?”

“The mirror showed me something else… Something I haven’t told anyone.”

Flashback – The Night Ivy Discovered the Truth

Months ago, in the early days of her pregnancy, Ivy had gone to the Oracle of Tethers seeking clarity.

The Oracle, blind and ancient, had spoken a single sentence before falling into a seizure:

“Your child will choose the fate of two fathers… but only one will survive.”

Ivy had convinced herself it was metaphorical.

Now, she wasn’t so sure.

Back to the Present

Lilith stiffened. “You think… Aiden or Killian might die?”

Ivy didn’t answer.

She didn’t have to.

Suddenly – An Attack

The ground trembled beneath them.

Then the statues moved.

Stone cracked and limbs groaned as ancient guardians awakened. Their eyes burned with violet fire.

Lilith slashed the first one before it fully stood, blade flashing. Ivy reached for her magic—but the air resisted.

“The Vale is suppressing my power!”

“Then we run!” Lilith yelled.

They turned and bolted as the stone giants pursued. Ivy snatched the Mirror of Aether mid-run—its weight somehow light despite its power.

Behind them, the guardians gave chase, hurling chunks of broken earth and fire. One nearly struck Lilith, but she spun aside, blood splashing her cheek.

“We’re not going to make it—!” Lilith shouted.

Then the mist parted.

And a figure stepped into view.

Aiden.

Flanked by Mira and a group of warriors.

“MOVE!” he roared, throwing a sigil-stone to the ground.

A shield exploded upward between Ivy and the giants.

She collapsed into Aiden’s arms, clutching the mirror.

“You followed me,” she whispered.

“Of course I did.”

“But how did you—?”

“No time,” he said, eyes darting to the mirror. “We need to get that thing out of here. Now.”

Back at the Temple – That Night

The Mirror of Aether lay in a sealed chamber, surrounded by sacred wards. Ivy stood outside the chamber, staring through the glass at the swirling surface.

Seraphine joined her. “You’ve brought back a powerful relic. But using it won’t be simple.”

“I don’t care if it costs me everything,” Ivy murmured. “If it means saving my child… I’ll do it.”

Seraphine laid a hand on her shoulder. “Then be ready. The mirror may show truths you don’t want to face.”

Later that night, alone in her room, Ivy sat by candlelight with the Mirror’s essence still pulsing in her chest.

Then a knock came at the door.

When she opened it, a hooded figure stood there.

“Ivy Hale,” the voice rasped. “You must come with me. Now.”

“Who are you?”

The figure pulled back their hood.

It wasn’t a stranger.

It was Killian.

Alive.

Breathing.

And bleeding from the eyes.

“I remembered everything,” he said. “And you’re not the only one carrying a child.”