The room held its breath.
The figure standing before Violet wasn't just a reflection.
It was her.
But cold. Hollow. Eyes like cracked glass. Skin so smooth it didn't seem real.
The mirrored Violet tilted her head.
"I remember everything you've forgotten," it said.
Violet didn't flinch. She tightened her grip on the shard. Iris stepped beside her, wand drawn.
"That's not me," Violet said firmly.
"No," the copy agreed. "I'm what you buried."
---
The room shifted.
The mirrors rippled like water. Violet's memories spilled across them.
Her first spell at the academy.
Her parents holding her hands by a river.
The flames.
The screaming.
The monsters that tore everything apart.
Her heart ached.
But she didn't look away.
---
"What are you?" Violet asked.
The figure stepped down from the pedestal's platform.
"I am the voice you silenced when you put on the mask," it said. "The fear. The anger. The doubt."
"I didn't silence anything."
"You had to," it said calmly. "To survive."
It pointed to Iris.
"To forgive her."
To the shard.
"To chase hope."
It stepped closer.
"But the more you believe in light, the deeper your shadow becomes."
---
Iris stood protectively in front of Violet.
"She doesn't need you."
The echo smirked. "No. But I am her."
The orb hovered at Violet's side, buzzing with static. "Warning: unidentified mana construct. Composed of reflective soul fragments. Stability: low."
Violet steadied her breathing.
"I don't want to fight you," she said.
The reflection's smile faded. "You don't have a choice."
---
The fight began in silence.
No war cry.
No warning.
Just a pulse of mana—and Violet barely raised her wand in time.
The echo struck with mirrored spells, identical to Violet's own magic. Fire. Ice. Binding runes.
Iris leapt in to help, casting a shield spell as a shard of frost slammed toward Violet's chest.
"She's copying you!" Iris shouted. "Every spell you know!"
Violet narrowed her eyes.
"Then it's time to show her something new."
She reached for the mask.
Slid it on.
And the world changed.
The echo paused—confused. The shard in Violet's hand began to sing.
Not with notes, but with feeling.
She saw the mask echo's heart.
Empty.
Alone.
A creation of memory, trapped in a tower.
A voice that only wanted to be heard.
Violet lowered her wand.
"I see you now."
---
The echo faltered.
"You… what?"
"You're part of me," Violet said softly. "The pain. The fear. The silence."
She held out her hand.
"But I don't have to fight you. I can carry you. If you let me."
The echo stared at her hand.
Trembled.
Then—
The mirrors cracked.
---
One by one, they shattered, sending waves of color through the chamber.
The figure stepped back, holding its chest.
"I… I don't want to disappear."
"You don't have to."
Violet closed her eyes and placed her hand over the echo's.
The shard glowed.
And the echo dissolved into mist—into light—and slipped into Violet's mask.
The silence lifted.
The air warmed.
---
Violet collapsed to her knees.
Iris caught her.
"Are you okay?"
Violet nodded slowly.
"I think… I just forgave myself."
---
The second shard hovered above the pedestal.
Now glowing with soft purple light.
Violet reached out and touched it.
It slid gently into place beside the first.
And a symbol flared to life on her mask.
Two flames. Twisting like a ribbon.
The orb beeped.
"Second shard acquired. Signal strength doubled. Map expanding."
Iris let out a shaky breath. "That was intense."
Violet smiled. "Only six more to go."
---
But far beyond the tower, the cloaked figure stared at the new rune that lit up on his wall.
He clenched his fists.
"She's adapting faster than expected."
The voice in the dark whispered, "Shall I prepare the third?"
The man nodded.
"No more shadows. No more games. She wants to listen?"
He turned toward the map.
"Let her hear what she's not ready for."
---
They didn't speak much as they left the tower.
The City of Stained Light shimmered behind them, golden in the morning sun, but the weight in Violet's chest hadn't lifted completely.
She still felt the echo.
Not a threat anymore.
But a shadow walking quietly behind her thoughts.
---
Iris broke the silence first.
"You really think there are more of those… reflections?"
Violet nodded. "They're part of the path. The shards hold pieces of memory. And memory… remembers pain."
The orb beeped gently. "Updated shard map indicates next location: southern coast. Region name: Sea of Hollow Songs."
Violet glanced at Iris.
"That doesn't sound very inviting."
Iris smiled faintly. "It's not."
---
They followed the mana trail south.
Fields turned to cliffs. Cliffs gave way to black sand beaches. The sea stretched wide and silver, humming with soft, eerie echoes.
"Why is it called that?" Violet asked.
Iris didn't answer right away.
Then she whispered, "Because every time the wind passes over the ruins… it sounds like someone singing. Or crying. Or both."
---
The ruins were half-sunken in the sea.
Old stone arches jutted out from the waves like broken bones. Moss and salt coated everything.
And down below, hidden beneath the tide, something shimmered faintly.
Another shard.
But this one pulsed differently.
Slower.
Like a heartbeat beneath the water.
---
"We'll need to dive," Violet said.
Iris looked unsure. "You've used underwater spells before?"
"Nope."
"Breathing charms?"
Violet laughed. "Double nope."
Iris raised a brow. "You're really not worried about this, are you?"
"I'm terrified," Violet said. "But we don't really have time to wait for courage, do we?"
---
They prepared a simple breathing barrier using old academy scrolls Violet still remembered. It wouldn't last long—but maybe long enough.
With a deep breath, they plunged into the cold sea.
---
Beneath the surface, the world changed.
Light bent strangely.
Sound faded.
Shapes danced in the dark.
They swam through broken towers and twisted bridges, following the shard's pulse deeper and deeper.
And then—
They found it.
Floating in the center of a giant hollow dome, resting just above an ancient altar.
The third shard.
Dark blue.
Singing without sound.
---
But as Violet reached toward it, a voice rang out—not from her, not from Iris.
From everywhere.
"She left us."
The water shimmered.
And figures rose from the ocean floor.
Dozens of them.
Wearing tattered robes and cracked masks.
Eyes glowing faintly.
Violet's breath caught.
"They're… memories."
"Not just memories," Iris whispered. "They're regrets."
---
The sea spirits surrounded them.
Each one spoke in broken whispers.
"We trusted you…"
"You promised to return…"
"Why did you stop listening?"
Violet felt her heart pound.
They were talking to her.
But not her.
The shard pulsed—and a flash of memory shot through her mind.
She saw the sea temple. Long ago. Full of life. Full of seekers.
And one girl—a golden-haired girl with power, leading them.
Her.
Or someone like her.
---
"I was here before," Violet said aloud.
Iris's eyes widened. "What?"
Violet touched her mask.
"I don't remember it, but… I was one of them. A leader. I think I made a promise."
The spirits drew closer.
"You said you'd stop the flood."
"You said you'd return with the last shard."
"You lied."
Violet's voice trembled. "I didn't lie. I forgot."
---
The shard flared with light.
One of the spirits raised its hand—and the water twisted into sharp blades.
Iris raised a barrier just in time.
"They're attacking!" she shouted.
Violet held up the shard. "No. They're asking me to remember."
---
She swam to the altar and placed both hands on the shard.
Images poured through her.
Storms.
A shipwreck.
A battle beneath the waves.
And a girl—her past self—falling into the darkness, shard clutched to her chest.
The promise was never broken.
It was lost.
---
"I'm here now," Violet said.
The shard glowed brighter.
The spirits stilled.
The voices softened.
And the sea sang again—this time, not with sorrow.
But with peace.
---
One by one, the spirits faded.
The ruins dimmed.
And the shard sank gently into Violet's hands.
A third symbol lit up on her mask: a drop of water inside a ring.
The orb chirped. "Third shard acquired. Map expanding. New route unlocked: the Obsidian Hollows."
Iris grinned. "That sounds even worse than this place."
Violet laughed. "Can't wait."
---
Back on the shore, they sat beside a small fire.
Violet stared at the sea, thoughtful.
"I didn't know I'd made a promise."
"You didn't," Iris said. "But she did. The you from before."
Violet nodded slowly.
"Then I guess it's my job to finish what she started."
---
Far across the sea, in a quiet stone room, the masked man stared into a pool of black glass.
"She remembers the sea," he murmured.
The figure beside him hissed, "Shall we drown her in the past?"
He shook his head.
"No. Let her come to the Obsidian Hollows. Let her see what remains of her faith."
He touched the edge of the mirror.
"And then… we break her."