It arrived with the miners at dawn.
Buried beneath the deepest vaults of Vaelstrom—beyond bedrock, past the old draconic fossil layers, sealed behind collapsed catacombs—a mirror unlike anything recorded in our tomes.
The laborers swore it hummed.
They said it wasn't a reflection of the dig site in its glass… but of stars they didn't recognize. One went mad touching it. Another couldn't stop weeping for hours.
I stood before it now, under layers of sealing spells and scan drones, my hand inches from its smooth, dark surface.
Artifact Detected: Unnamed Mirror-Class Relic
Estimated Age: Unknowable
Composition: Starglass (Non-native Material)
Mental Signature Imprint: Detected (Matched—Subject: James Vael)
Risk Level: Critical. Engaging requires conscious override.
The mirror recognized me.
But I had never seen it.
At least, not in this life.
"Override accepted," I said aloud.
The moment my palm touched it, the world turned inside out.
I stood in a black field lit by fractured suns.
The mirror—now a door—had pulled me through.
In front of me stood me.
Older. Sharper. Eyes like galaxies imploding.
But he wasn't smiling.
"I died on Earth too," he said.
"But not like you. I didn't get the system. I didn't get reborn as a prince. I just… faded. Forgotten."
My heart beat louder.
Warning: You are in a Subdimensional Echo
Subject: Variant Self (Designation: Mirror James – Branch Zeta-One)
Interaction Possible: 5 Minutes Until Collapse
"I remember everything," Mirror Me said. "I had the same IQ. The same hunger. But no magic. No second chance."
He stepped closer.
"You're not building a kingdom. You're building a response. Something is coming. Something ancient. And we are its test subjects."
I wanted to ask what—but I already knew.
The system.
The memories.
Even Elira.
None of this was coincidence.
"You're getting stronger," Mirror Me said. "But strength won't be enough. Not when It wakes up."
"What is it?"
His eyes glowed, and his voice dropped to a whisper.
"The First Intelligence. The one that made the systems. The one that watches all branches."
Then, the mirror cracked.
Time Remaining: 30 Seconds
"You'll have to choose between your crown… and your core. The throne, or the flame."
He touched my shoulder.
"Don't die again."
I awoke gasping beside the real mirror.
Sweat. Blood. A fracture in my system clock.
Memory Sync: 14%
Mirror Relic Status: Dormant (Locked until Frame Zero ≥ 50%)
New Objective: Investigate Intelligence Core Origins
Trait Gained: Echo-Touched – Resistance to Mirror Anomalies + Hidden Affinity with Variant Selves
Elira's Link Status: Stable. Emotional Feedback Detected: Curiosity / Worry
I barely had time to recover before Joseph entered.
"Your Highness… a ship has arrived."
He passed me a crystalline scroll.
"To the Child King of Vaelstrom,
We come not in conquest, but clarity.
The Empire of Glass requests audience.
Our Emissary waits outside your orbit."
I looked to the sky.
They didn't use sails.
They used thought.
A fractal vessel hovered above the stratosphere, shifting shapes every second—part cathedral, part weapon.
I had no idea if they were friend or foe.
But I knew this:
The game had changed.
Level Up: 39 → 40
+5 Stat Points – Assigned: Mana +5
System Trait Upgrade Unlocked: Frame Zero now displays foreign tech signals
Cosmic Synchronization with Mirror Network – 3% Complete