{Asai.}

I nearly jumped from my bed, surprised at hearing my old name. I had already gotten so used to being called Javier and it was like a splash of water to hear it. 

{Follow my voice, Asai.}

Isn't this the voice I heard when I was summoned? I slowly slid out of my bed, shivering slightly in the cold air. One glance out my window confirmed my earlier forecast to be correct and snow drifted silently by my window. I didn't really have anything like a jacket, so I picked up the cloak from my outfit and wrapped it around my shoulders. 

Slowly, I opened the door to my room, glancing around the dark halls of the palace. As expected, there was no one about and I slowly stepped out of my room. 

{Good, follow my voice} 

“I'm only doing this because you brought me here,” I mumbled, following the way it sounded like the voice was coming from. I wasn't keen on wandering the palace, especially alone, but there was a strong feeling in my chest that I needed to listen to the voice. It didn't take long for me to recognize where I was going and I frowned as I stood in front of the hidden hallway again.

{Allow me.} 

I watched as the wall slid open without me touching anything and I hesitantly stepped into the dark passage. As far as I knew, this was a straight halfway that led to the room holding the mirror, but then again Empress Nisha had come down here with a stranger. It was possible there were more hidden hallways that branched from this one, as long as you knew where to look. 

“Should I really be following a strange voice in the middle of the night?” I wondered out loud, dragging my hand along the cold, damp wall. 

{It's a bit too late for thoughts like that, Asai Webb.}

“Why are you using my old name, anyway? I'm Javier now.”

{You will see.}

I rolled my eyes with the voice’s answer, noticing that I was indeed being led to the room with the magical mirror. My heart started to race with the idea of Valerian being present, but I quickly shook my head. I doubted the voice would be bringing me here if someone else would be present. 

{Good.}

“Yeah, well I'm here, so what do you want?” I crossed my arms as I stepped into the room, not bothering to close the door. I wasn't sure what to expect, but I knew I would feel better if I could leave quickly and I didn't want a door to be the reason I died again. 

{I brought you here for the mirror.}

“What about it?”

{Touch the mirror, and receive the memories of those who came before.}

“Came before?” I repeated, glancing at the mirror. It seemed a little more repaired than before but it still looked very broken. “What does that mean?”

{You are not the first I brought to this world. There have been others.}

“How many?” My heart pounded with my words, as I stepped closer to the mirror, my hand hovering over its surface.

{Two others, summoned from worlds different than yours. Both failed to stop the destruction of this world.}

My breath caught in my throat at the weight of those words, my hand cover l hovering over the glass. Two others, like me, brought here to save a world unfamiliar to them, only to fail and die in a foreign place. The gravity of the situation settled heavily upon me as I realized the enormity of the task before me. How could I succeed where two others had already failed?

{This is the last chance to save this world. I do not have the power to reset the world again.}

I felt a chill run down my spine at the finality of the voice's statement. That almost sounded desperate, as if the voice was afraid I would fail as well. 

“Who are you?”

{I am the one they call The Goddess.}

I frowned at the voice's answer. The voice wasn't feminine or masculine, but almost like multiple people talking at one, a different voice speaking each word. It was true I hadn't been taught much about the religious beliefs of this world, but I also had no way to confirm what the voice was saying. 

“Let's say I believe you, how is me getting their memories going to help me?” I asked the empty room, staring as I saw my broken reflection in the mirror. Had the previous summoned looked like me? Had their names been Javier as well? “They failed and shouldn't the future change if I make different choices anyway? That tends to be how these things work.”

{You must understand their mistakes so you do not repeat them. I did not share memories with the second, and they followed the footsteps of the first, even though they did not make the same choices.} 

“You make it sound like the future is set.

{If I believed that, I would not have summoned you. Fate will always take its due, but I believe the future can be saved. I simply do not have the power to change it.}

“Why?” I demanded, looking up toward the ceiling. The room remained silent for a moment, as if the voice was hesitating before answering me. When it did finally answer, I felt my heart drop into my chest. 

{Because my death and rebirth is the end of this world.}

“D-death?”

{I will die and be reborn into this world’s calamity. In the past, I was able to preserve a piece of myself to reset time if the summoned failed, but I do not have enough magic to do so again. When I die, all that is left of me will die.}

The silence was deafening as the voice finished speaking, leaving me to process the gravity of the situation. Kozani had already told me that I was the only hope to save the world, but learning that I was the third one to try… and this was the last chance. Did anyone else remember the world resetting?

{You have a choice, Asai Webb. You can accept the memories of those who came before you and use them to forge a different path, or you can turn away and accept the inevitable fate of this world as your own as well.}

“So either try to save this world or wait to die again,” I scoffed, staring at my reflection in the broken mirror, feeling the weight of the decision pressing down on me. I didn't particularly want to die again, but I wasn't sure I could stand up to fate. Could I really make a difference where others had failed? What if this world was doomed no matter what?

As I stood there, grappling with the enormity of the decision before me, the voice remained silent, allowing the weight of its words to settle in. The cold silence of the room seemed to press against my skin, urging me to make a choice.

But as I stared into the fractured mirror, reflecting on my own doubts and fears, a stubborn resolve began to blossom within me. There was a chance I would fail no matter what I did, but it’s not like it would hurt me to at least try to succeed. I didn’t remember being in pain when I died, but considering the weight of my responsibility, it was unlikely it would be painless this time around.

With a determined exhale, I reached out my hand, fingers trembling slightly as they made contact with the cool surface of the mirror. Instantly, a rush of images flooded my mind, and I grunted with the pain. The memories of my predecessors filled my thoughts: I saw their struggles, their failures, their moments of fleeting hope and crushing defeat.

{I leave this world in your hands. I pray for your success.}

I heard the voice’s words but I had no chance to respond, my mind was too overwhelmed. I could no longer see the mirror in front of me with the visions swarming my mind and for a moment, I worried that I might die in that moment. 

“Javier! Javier!” A hand grabbed my arm and I was yanked from the mirror. The moment my hand left the glass, the half-repaired mirror exploded, glass flying straight for my face. I flinched, closing my eyes as I waited for pain that never came. As I opened my eyes, I found myself staring at Valerian, his eyes glowing with an intense golden light as he stood in front of me, shielding me from the explosion with a shimmering barrier. My heart raced at the sight, awestruck by the display of his magic. It was as if time had frozen, and all I could focus on was the incredible power radiating from him.

As the remaining shards fell uselessly to the floor, I released a breath I didn’t know I was holding. My head still pounded from the memories my mind had been flooded with, but when I turned to look at Valerian, he didn’t seem relieved. 

He looked upset.