Night cloaked the Academy as I made my way to the Mirror Chamber—a hidden hall of polished obsidian walls. Seraphina, Yuria, and Valmira joined me at the entrance.
"The mirrors reflect your true self," Valmira said, voice hushed. "Prepare for what you might see."
I braced myself and stepped inside. The walls rippled like dark water. My reflection wavered—first confident, then gaunt with doubt. A phantom voice whispered failures past: mistakes in Tokyo, misfires in battle, every moment I'd feared unworthiness.
I clenched my fists. "Not today," I muttered.
Yuria's lightning flared in a swirling shield at my side. "You're stronger than your doubt, human."
Seraphina raised an ice sigil. "Believe in yourself."
Together, they marched forward, breaking the hall's illusions. Each shattered reflection released a burst of warm light, healing the walls' cracks.
