The Mirror Test was a tradition whispered about in every shadowed corner of Otherworld Academy. A trial unlike any other — it didn’t test magic or strength. It tested your soul.

Liora stood before the colossal mirror in the Hall of Reflections, its surface shimmering like liquid silver. The air was thick with ancient enchantments, and the walls seemed to hum with the memories of every student who had faced their truth here.

Her reflection blurred, then sharpened — but it wasn’t her own face staring back. Instead, the mirror twisted her image, showing her deepest fear: isolation, a darkness closing in, a hollow where her heart should be.

A voice echoed inside her mind — not Kael’s, not the Headmistress’s, but something old, wise, and haunting:

“To walk this path, you must embrace what you hide, or be consumed by what you fear.”

Her heart thundered, and the rune on her wrist flared faintly. She reached out, fingertips grazing the cool surface. The reflection shifted, showing flashes of a past she didn’t remember — a girl lost, a family torn apart, a choice made in silence.

Tears blurred her vision, but she held steady.

She was more than the mark. More than a chosen pawn.

The mirror cracked — not breaking, but revealing a new path, a hidden door opening in the Otherworld beyond.

Liora knew the test was just beginning.