The void was no longer silent.
The mirrored walls trembled like water under a storm, bending and reshaping until the air itself seed alive. Each reflection of Kai’s wives stepped forward with weapons drawn, their eyes glowing faint silver, their mouths curved into cruel, knowing smirks.
The ground beneath Kai’s boots cracked like black glass under pressure, every fissure glowing faintly with the sa sinister light that pulsed from the floating crown at the chamber’s center.
A thousand unseen whispers slithered through the air, their tones soft, almost caressing, yet sharp enough to cut. Each whisper carried his na, drawn out and stretched until it no longer sounded like him.
Kai’s grip on his sword faltered—not from weakness, but from the sheer weight of choice pressing down on him.
The crown hovered just ahead, perfectly still, its jagged silver edges dripping with oily shadows. Every heartbeat dragged him closer.
Velis’s Trial
"Don’t," Velis hissed, her sword ringing out as she clashed with her own reflection. Sparks rained across the black floor as steel t steel, each strike more vicious than the last.
Her double fought with the sa exacting precision she had trained her whole life for—but twisted, sharper, crueler. It spoke with her voice, low and steady, dripping with venom.
"You failed him once. You’ll fail again."
Velis’s jaw clenched. The words cut deeper than the blade, because she rembered the mont of hesitation, that instant of doubt that had once cost Kai his life before the tower reset their fate.
She spat blood, forcing her blade harder against her reflection’s. "I won’t let you take him from . Not again."
But her double smiled, perfect and mocking. "You say that every ti. And every ti, you falter."
Velis’s strikes grew faster, less refined. Rage burned away discipline, and with it, control.
Astra’s Trial
On the opposite side of the chamber, Astra laughed—but there was a jagged crack in her voice. Flas danced across her hands, exploding into the air with wild abandon. Fireballs collided midair with those of her reflection, every clash shattering into bursts of heat and light that made the walls quake.
Her mirror-self grinned with Astra’s own chaotic smile—but where Astra burned with playful fire, this version of her was cold, deliberate. Controlled chaos.
"You think you’re freedom?" her reflection taunted, weaving flas with mathematical precision. "You’re just noise. He deserves better than your ss."
For once, Astra’s wild confidence faltered. The grin wavered. Her fire, so often unpredictable, sputtered under the steady onslaught of soone who fought like her but without her recklessness.
"Shut up," Astra hissed, flas surging again, bigger this ti, desperate to drown out the words. But her hands shook ever so slightly, betraying the truth.
Lyra’s Trial
Lyra’s battle was quieter, but more terrifying.
Her bow sang, every arrow loosed without hesitation. Yet each shot was mirrored perfectly, her reflection’s arrows intercepting hers in midair. Dozens of shafts hung suspended in the void, vibrating as though strung across an invisible harp.
The mirrored Lyra’s voice was calm, rciless. "You hesitate. You’re afraid. That fear will kill him."
And the arrow in her hand trembled. Because it was true—she was afraid. Afraid of missing. Afraid of failing. Afraid that her love for him made her weak.
Her chest tightened as she looked at Kai, even for a heartbeat. That flicker of attention was all her reflection needed.
The mirrored arrow was loosed. It sliced across her cheek, drawing blood.
Lyra’s breath hitched, her grip faltering.
Her reflection smirked. "Pathetic."
Kai’s Trial
Kai’s chest burned as if fire was spreading through his ribs, climbing up into his throat, choking him. He wanted to run to them—to tear apart the illusions tornting his wives—but the crown’s whisper slithered deeper into his skull.
They are distractions. They will betray you. Only I am true.
He clenched his teeth, forcing the words out. "Shut up."
But the whisper didn’t stop.
It twisted into familiar tones—Velis’s low command, Astra’s manic laughter, Lyra’s quiet whisper. Each voice warped to say what he feared most:
He doesn’t belong to you.
He never trusted you.
He will leave you behind.
Kai’s vision blurred. His reflection stepped forward from the mirrored wall, boots echoing with perfect precision.
It wasn’t scarred or weary like him. It wasn’t tired or uncertain. It was flawless. Its eyes glowed silver, crowned already, its posture calm, assured.
"You’re wasting ti," his reflection said, voice steady where Kai’s shook. "They’ll fall. They’ll fail. But you can win. Take it. Be who you were ant to be."
The crown pulsed, shadows stretching toward him.
Velis cried out, her blade nearly torn from her hand. Astra stumbled back as her fire flickered. Lyra’s bowstring quivered with hesitation.
"Kai!" Velis shouted, panic breaking her disciplined tone.
The ground cracked beneath him as he stepped forward—
And the chamber froze.
Every reflection, every fireball and arrow, every clash of steel—suspended in stillness.
The Queen’s laughter rang from nowhere and everywhere at once, dripping with hunger.
"Show , little king. Will you take what I offer... or will you break?"
The crown blazed with light, shadows coiling outward, swallowing the chamber whole—
And the Chapter ends here.
🌑 Preview – Chapter 96: Shattered Crowns
The Queen’s laughter doesn’t fade—it deepens. The chamber of mirrors begins to collapse, shattering into shards that orbit Kai like blades. Each fragnt holds a different future: one where he wears the crown, one where his wives lie broken, one where he stands alone in a throne of glass.
Kai’s reflection moves first, faster and stronger than him, wielding both his power and his doubts. Velis, Astra, and Lyra fight desperately against their twisted selves, but with each strike, the illusions grow sharper—as if feeding on their pain.
And in the center of it all, the crown hovers, its pull undeniable. The Queen is forcing Kai to choose: seize the crown’s dark promise... or watch the won he loves be consud.
But what if the real trap isn’t the crown at all—what if it’s the choice itself?
⚔️ Call to Action
Things are unraveling fast—Kai’s wives are on the edge, his reflection is stronger, and the Queen’s ga is reaching its breaking point. Will Kai find a way to resist her temptation, or will the crown sink its claws into him at last?
👉 Keep reading to witness betrayal, sacrifice, and a decision that could change everything. The next Chapter will decide whether Kai remains himself... or becos sothing far more dangerous.
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