Furna darted past Pip and into the next room. Snatching up the stack of red-framed mirrors, she pointed at the two buttons set into the wall.

“I’ll do the red puzzle. You take the green.”

Pip gave a slight nod and picked up his stack of mirrors.

Minutes ticked by as they worked silently, carefully aligning mirrors and fine-tuning angles, each lost in their own thoughts.

“Done,” Furna whispered in celebration. She leapt with excitement and sprinted towards the button.

With a press, the room darkened then…

A loud smash, followed by a weary shriek, echoed through the room. The ray of light had pierced Pip’s hand, sending his mirror crashing to the floor in a shower of shards.

He clutched his hand tightly, and although he didn’t make a sound, the tears welling up in his eyes spoke volumes.

“Pip!” Furna gasped, rushing to kill the laser. “I’m so sorry. Let me cool it—”

“Don’t touch it.” His voice cut like ice as he recoiled from her outstretched hands.

She froze, guilt tightening her chest.

Without another word, Pip summoned a stream of water and gently wrapped it around his scorched skin. Steam hissed in the silence. Then he rummaged through his bag, pulling out a roll of bandages. With careful movements, he secured it around his hand.

 “I really am sorry,” Furna said, her voice small.

Pip paid her no mind and looked solemnly at the broken mirror. “What are we going to do about that?”

Furna followed his gaze. The mirror had hit the ground pretty hard. An impressive mess of assorted shards lay scattered across the floor, and the once-smooth, reflective surface was now damaged with deep cracks that exposed its wooden backing.

Her lips pressed into a tight line. There were no spare mirrors. What could they do now? She looked up at the unlit torch. Couldn’t she light it herself? A flicker of heat danced at her fingertips—tempting. But no… that would be cheating.

Her eyes returned to the puzzle, to the angles and empty spaces. Slowly, an idea began to take shape.

"I think there's a solution that requires fewer mirrors," she finally said, carefully removing one from its place. "But we’ll need to start over."

Pip examined the room and extended his uninjured hand towards her.

“And we’ll do it working together,” Furna added, placing the mirror in his palm.

Pip shrugged. “Okay.”

Side by side, they dismantled what was left of the puzzle and began again.