Episode 70: The Abyss of Reflection

The descent began in silence.

The newly revealed staircase of bone and crystal spiraled downward into unearthly violet mist. The Cradle of Origin faded behind them, its heartbeat quieting until it was just a whisper in the dark.

Kuro led the group, his emberblade resting on his shoulder, the crown on his head glowing faintly. Elira walked beside him, her frostfire aura softened, wings furled but trembling as if still recovering. Behind them, Akira and Reina staggered with cautious looks, blood drying on their armor and skin.

For the first time since their arrival in this realm, there was no immediate roar of beasts, no storm of metal jaws or phantom blades. Only the soft tap of boots against bone and the hiss of mist rising from below.

Reina broke the silence first, twirling a dagger to ease the tension. "Anyone else feel like we're walking into a mirror's stomach?"

Akira snorted, though his hand gripped his katana tightly. "You and your metaphors. But… yeah. Something's wrong here."

Elira's eyes flicked toward the violet fog below. Her voice was quiet, serious. "This place… it reflects. Not just images, but souls."

Kuro frowned. "Reflections, huh?"

The stairs ended. They stepped onto a platform of black glass, so polished it shimmered like still water. Every step echoed louder than it should.

Then—they saw themselves.

The abyssal mist cleared, revealing countless mirrors suspended in the dark, some cracked, some pristine. Each reflected their group from impossible angles—front, back, side, overhead—but in every reflection, the faces wore different expressions.

Kuro saw himself smiling coldly, eyes burning with black flame. Elira's reflection wept tears of blood. Akira's wore a wolfish grin, blood dripping from his blade. Reina's—her mirror image was already dead, a dagger in her throat.

The air thickened.

A whisper, neither male nor female, slithered across the glass.

"…Strike here, and strike yourself. Wound here, and bleed there. The Abyss shows truth by cutting lies."

The platform shook. THUUUUUND!

One of the mirrors rippled like water—then something stepped out.

It was Kuro. Or rather… a version of him. Black crown, emberblade dripping shadows, eyes hollow. His smirk was sharper than any blade.

"Finally," the doppelgänger said, voice identical but crueler. "I've waited to cut you down."

From other mirrors spilled more forms—Elira cloaked in black frost, Akira with fangs bared like a beast, Reina's corpse twisted into an assassin's grin.

The Abyss of Reflection had given them enemies they could not ignore—enemies that were themselves.

---

The battle began instantly.

CLAAAANG-SLAAAASH-KRRRSHHH!

Akira's blade met his double's with a loud crash. Sparks and blood-red flames erupted. "Tch! Damn mirror-me fights dirtier than I do!"

Reina ducked under a slash, her twin's daggers crashing against hers. SL-SHK-SL-SHK! Steel screeched. "Great. She even knows my tricks!"

Kuro's double lunged forward, emberblade cleaving. THUUND-SHHRRRRAK! Kuro blocked, but the force rattled his bones. His crown flickered, struggling as shadow met flame.

"You can't win," the reflection hissed. "Because I am you—without chains."

Kuro snarled. "I already rejected those chains!" He shoved forward, blade blazing. BOOOOOM!

Their clash sent shockwaves rippling through the mirrored chamber. KRRRSHHH! THUUMMMM! Glass shattered overhead, raining shards that hung in the air like frozen stars.

---

Elira gasped as her reflection appeared—her twin stepping gracefully onto the battlefield, wings of black frost spreading wide. Her voice was hauntingly beautiful, dripping venom.

"Poor Elira. Always clinging, always begging. Without him, you're nothing."

Elira flinched, heart pounding. Her frostfire flickered as doubt crept in.

The double smirked. "Look at you. Even now—you fear losing him more than death itself."

"Shut up!" Elira shouted, launching frostfire. FWOOSH-KAAAAASH! The blast scorched across the battlefield, but her reflection mirrored the attack, violet frost crashing back. SLAAAASH-BOOOOM!

The collision sent both of them skidding backward, flames scattering across the platform.

Kuro turned sharply, eyes locking on her. "Elira! Stay with me!"

She clenched her fists, forcing her breath steady. "I'm here, Kuro! I won't break!"

Her wings spread wide, frostfire flaring brighter as the reflection snarled in response.

---

The battle descended into chaos.

CLAAAANG! SLAAASH! THUUD! KRRRSHHH!

Every strike they landed was matched, every skill mirrored. Sweat dripped, lungs burned, weapons clashed time and again until the chamber shook like thunder.

Akira roared, slamming his blade into the ground. BOOOOM! A wave of energy surged out, knocking his double back. "Don't think you're better than me just because you wear my damn face!"

Reina flipped over her twin, slashing down. SL-SHK! Blood sprayed—but her wound opened at the same time, crimson staining her lips. She staggered, realizing the curse.

"They're tied to us," she gasped. "Hurt them—and we bleed too!"

Elira's eyes widened. "Then how—"

But Kuro's voice cut through, low and firm. "It's not about cutting them down. It's about cutting what they represent."

His double lunged again. SLAAAASH! Their blades clashed, shadows and emberfire colliding. Sparks rained, glass cracked.

Kuro's eyes burned brighter. "You're not me. You're everything I left behind."

He roared, crown blazing, and his blade ignited with monarch fire. FWOOSH-KAAAASHHH-BOOOOM!

The reflection staggered, emberblade cracking down the middle.

For the first time, the Abyss double bled—not him, only it.

Kuro smirked. "Looks like I found the way."

---

The others caught on.

Akira snarled at his mirror-self. "You're not my hunger—you're my fear of it." He struck true, cutting not the body, but the aura. His reflection screamed, splitting apart.

Reina's daggers gleamed. "You're not my death—you're my guilt." She pierced her twin's chest, the corpse collapsing into shards of glass.

Elira faced her double one last time. Frostfire wings flared, violet fire burning purer. "I'm not weak for loving him. That's my strength!"

She slashed upward, frostfire engulfing her reflection. KRRRSHHH-BOOOOOM! The double shattered into mist, leaving only her own reflection in the glass again—this time smiling back.

---

At last, the battlefield fell silent. The shattered doubles dissolved into smoke, mirrors cracking and fading into the abyss.

The platform steadied. The whispers stopped. Only the echo of their breaths remained.

Kuro exhaled, lowering his sword. Elira rushed to his side, throwing her arms around him. For a long moment, neither said anything. Just heartbeats and trembling breaths.

Finally, Kuro spoke softly, pressing his forehead against hers. "Thank you. You saved me again."

She smiled faintly, tears glimmering. "Always. You'll never fight yourself alone."

Behind them, Akira sat down hard, wiping sweat. "Hah. Next trial better not be another damn therapy session."

Reina chuckled weakly, collapsing beside him. "Oh, you'd cry in therapy, admit it."

The group laughed—strained but real. For the first time since entering the Abyss, there was warmth.

But the abyss wasn't finished.

At the far end of the platform, a gate rose—its frame forged of polished obsidian, its center rippling like liquid silver. The next descent awaited.

Kuro lifted his sword, his crown glowing once more. "We move. Together."

---

[ To Be Continued... ]

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.