The Mirror Warmaiden wasn't just any Abyssal creature—she was among the most fearsome and powerful entities born from the Rift's darkest nightmares. A being whose very presence could unravel sanity and civilisation alike. If such a creature ever slipped fully into their world, humanity's extinction wouldn't be a question—it'd be a certainty.
Hana's sharp mind raced as she pieced together the grim truth. The cracked mirror they'd seen earlier, the one with jagged fractures snaking across its surface, was no mere shard of glass. It was a portal—a passageway to the exit of this dreaded Tier.
But which mirror held the key? In this labyrinth of reflections and horrors, choosing wrong meant an encounter with the Warmaiden's gaze—and a death worse than any physical wound.
The maiden was so powerful that even after she vanished, her lingering presence haunted the mirrors themselves; choosing the wrong reflection could doom anyone to a death through the cold, merciless grasp of her residual curse.
The team's breaths hitched, and Jaemin's heart thundered as they faced the harrowing choice: trust their instincts and step through, or risk being consumed by the abyssal nightmare lurking just beyond the veil.
The dim, oppressive silence weighed heavily on the group as Hana finally broke it, her voice steady but grave.
"This Mirror Warmaiden... When she manifests, she doesn't just attack physically—her power lingers, infecting anything that reflects her image. That's why we can't break or touch the mirrors carelessly. Even a shard or a reflection can be deadly."
She let her words hang in the stale air, watching the team digest the weight of the revelation.
Jinhwan's hands clenched into fists, eyes shadowed with grief as he silently mourned their fallen comrades, those who'd been lost so brutally just moments before.
Jaemin's mind raced beneath the surface, analysing every detail with the quiet, determined intensity he often hid behind his calm exterior.
His gaze darted from mirror to mirror, then toward the puddle of water glistening faintly on the cracked stone floor—the water that had spilled when the crystal bottle shattered.
"I… I think I might have an idea."
Jaemin finally spoke, his voice cautious but gaining confidence as he pieced the puzzle together.
"If all the mirrors are her creation, all deadly and designed to kill, then the only safe thing would be something not of her making… something outside her influence."
The team turned to look at him, anticipation and desperation mingling in their expressions.
"See the water on the floor? It came from the crystal bottle—something we brought in from the outside. It's not hers. So, if we circle the mirrors near the water, we might find a way to distinguish the true exit from the cursed reflections."
Hana nodded slowly, brows furrowed.
"It makes sense. Her power is tied to the mirrors themselves, the reflections she controls. The water's natural, untainted by her abyssal energy."
Jaemin moved carefully, tracing a slow circle around the mirrors closest to the water with his foot, his heart pounding in sync with the tension in the room.
The water shimmered under the faint bioluminescent glow of the Rift, tiny ripples breaking the heavy silence.
Suddenly, the water began to gleam—an eerie, pale light spread across its surface.
The glow intensified, revealing a swirling abyssal energy within the puddle, expanding outward like a living thing seeking escape.
"It's working."
Jaemin whispered, barely daring to breathe.
The mirrors themselves began to shift, their reflections warping and distorting.
One mirror, the largest and most fractured among them, shimmered with a strange light. Ancient runes—etched in a forgotten language—glowed faintly on its surface, forming a seal unlike anything they had seen before.
Hana's eyes widened.
"An ancient seal… this must be a portal."
The air thickened, the space before the mirror rippling like disturbed water.
The team's breaths hitched, and Jaemin's heart thundered as they faced the harrowing choice: trust their instincts and step through, or risk being consumed by the abyssal nightmare lurking just beyond the veil.
The dim, oppressive silence weighed heavily on the group as Hana finally broke it, her voice steady but grave.
"This Mirror Warmaiden... When she manifests, she doesn't just attack physically—her power lingers, infecting anything that reflects her image. That's why we can't break or touch the mirrors carelessly. Even a shard or a reflection can be deadly."
She let her words hang in the stale air, watching the team digest the weight of the revelation.
Jinhwan's hands clenched into fists, eyes shadowed with grief as he silently mourned their fallen comrades, those who'd been lost so brutally just moments before.
Jaemin's mind raced beneath the surface, analysing every detail with the quiet, determined intensity he often hid behind his calm exterior.
His gaze darted from mirror to mirror, then toward the puddle of water glistening faintly on the cracked stone floor—the water that had spilled when the crystal bottle shattered.
"I… I think I might have an idea."
Jaemin finally spoke, his voice cautious but gaining confidence as he pieced the puzzle together.
"If all the mirrors are her creation, all deadly and designed to kill, then the only safe thing would be something not of her making… something outside her influence."
The team turned to look at him, anticipation and desperation mingling in their expressions.
"See the water on the floor? It came from the crystal bottle—something we brought in from the outside. It's not hers. So, if we circle the mirrors near the water, we might find a way to distinguish the true exit from the cursed reflections."
Hana nodded slowly, brows furrowed.
"It makes sense. Her power is tied to the mirrors themselves, the reflections she controls. The water's natural, untainted by her abyssal energy."
Jaemin moved carefully, tracing a slow circle around the mirrors closest to the water with his foot, his heart pounding in sync with the tension in the room.
The water shimmered under the faint bioluminescent glow of the Rift, tiny ripples breaking the heavy silence.
Suddenly, the water began to gleam—an eerie, pale light spread across its surface.
The glow intensified, revealing a swirling abyssal energy within the puddle, expanding outward like a living thing seeking escape.
"It's working."
Jaemin whispered, barely daring to breathe.
The mirrors themselves began to shift, their reflections warping and distorting.
One mirror, the largest and most fractured among them, shimmered with a strange light. Ancient runes—etched in a forgotten language—glowed faintly on its surface, forming a seal unlike anything they had seen before.
Hana's eyes widened.
"An ancient seal… this must be a portal."
The air thickened, the space before the mirror rippling like disturbed water.
The team exchanged anxious glances as the portal opened slowly, revealing a swirling void beyond. The endless blackness seemed to pulse, beckoning them onward yet warning of unseen dangers lurking in the darkness.
Jinhwan's voice broke the moment, quiet but resolute.
"This is our way out… but nothing here comes without a cost."
Minjae swallowed hard, gripping his weapon tightly, while Hana moved to the portal's edge, steadying herself against the creeping dread.
Jaemin's palms were sweaty, his mind racing to prepare for whatever awaited beyond this ancient threshold.
Taking a deep breath, Jaemin stepped forward first, the others close behind. As they fell into the void, the portal sealed behind them, leaving only silence—and the echo of the Mirror Warmaiden's curse lingering faintly in the mirrors they left behind.
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