The silver surface rippled violently after the words left the mirror.

"Found you."

Every candle inside the relic vault dimmed instantly.

Cold pressure slammed across the corridor hard enough to make several soldiers collapse to their knees.

Mason felt his heartbeat spike painfully.

Oh this was bad, extremely bad.

The reflection inside the mirror continued smiling at him.

Brown hair and human eyes.

A face that absolutely did not belong inside this world.

Seraphine reacted first.

Her spear snapped upward immediately.

"What in the gods’ names..."

The mirror flashed.

Silver light exploded across the vault before she could finish.

Draca moved instantly.

One arm wrapped around Mason’s waist while his other hand drew him backward away from the mirror’s direct reflection.

The movement was so fast Mason barely processed it before his back hit Draca’s chest.

Protective instinct again.

Honestly becoming dangerously comforting.

"Mason," Draca said sharply near his ear.

"Do not look at it."

"Fantastic advice slightly too late!"

Athlian’s panic surged violently inside him now.

’It sees the fracture!’

"What does that mean?!" Mason demanded internally.

She didn’t answer immediately.

Which was horrifying.

The mirror pulsed again.

This time the silver surface distorted harder, like something beneath it was trying to push through.

The golden eyes inside the reflection widened slightly.

Zereth’s shadows darkened instantly across the chamber walls.

"That relic should not be active," he said coldly.

"No kidding," Mason snapped.

Assura stepped forward at last.

And for the first time since entering the vault...the ancient being no longer looked amused.

Crimson light spread slowly beneath his feet while the air itself distorted around him.

The mirror reacted immediately.

Its silver surface trembled.

Apparently even cursed truth mirrors feared Assura.

Good instincts honestly.

Seraphine looked between the reflection and Mason rapidly now.

Confusion sharpened across her expression.

"Why did it show..."

"It’s malfunctioning," Saleem interrupted instantly.

Nobody believed him.

Least of all himself.

The mirror suddenly laughed.

Athlian’s voice echoed through the vault again, softer this time.

"You are difficult to hide."

Mason’s stomach dropped.

Draca’s grip tightened slightly around him.

Athlian noticed immediately despite the panic.

’You relaxed.’

"I’m actively dying."

’Still relaxed.’

Wrong time for emotional commentary.

Assura raised one hand slowly toward the floating relic.

"Enough."

The word struck the chamber unnaturally hard.

The mirror cracked.

A thin silver fracture spread across its surface instantly.

The golden eyes narrowed.

Then the reflection changed again.

Athlian’s face returned briefly...before flickering violently back into Mason’s.

Seraphine saw it.

Zereth definitely saw it.

And Draca...he went very still behind him.

Oh no.

Mason forced himself to speak before anyone else could.

"Okay!" he announced loudly. "Absolutely terrible relic. We’re destroying it."

"The Mirror of Veyru cannot be destroyed," Zereth said quietly.

"Of course it can’t. Why would anything in this world die normally?"

Another pulse shook the vault.

This time everyone heard the whisper.

Not from the mirror.

From somewhere beyond it.

"He hears us."

The chamber temperature dropped instantly.

Athlian froze in terror.

Mason felt it slam through their bond hard enough to hurt.

"...Athlian."

Her voice came out barely above a whisper.

’The Tribunal.’

Assura’s expression darkened immediately.

"The mirror connected outward."

Saleem looked horrified. "Connected to what?!"

Nobody answered quickly enough.

Then suddenly...the silver light snapped violently outward across the floor.

Straight toward Mason.

Draca reacted without hesitation, He pulled him sideways while Seraphine slammed her spear downward directly into the spreading light.

Divine energy burst across the chamber.

The entire vault shook violently.

Several relic shelves shattered instantly.

Zereth’s shadows surged forward next, swallowing the mirror’s reflection in darkness for half a second.

Half a second was enough.

Assura moved as crimson symbols ignited across the air around the mirror itself.

The floating relic trembled hard before the silver surface abruptly sealed shut.

Silence crashed into the chamber afterward.

Heavy breathing filled the vault.

Nobody moved immediately.

Then Mason finally managed... "...I hate mirrors."

No one laughed this time because now everyone had seen it.

Not clearly but enough to know something was wrong.

Seraphine slowly lowered her spear.

Her eyes remained fixed on Mason now.

Suspicion sharpened visibly across her expression.

Zereth stayed silent beside the shattered doorway.

Far too silent.

Draca’s hand still rested firmly around Mason’s wrist, like he was anchoring him without realizing it.

Athlian noticed immediately. ’You calmed down.’

"I absolutely did not."

’Your heartbeat slowed when he touched you.’

"Traitor."

Nobody spoke for several long seconds after that.

The sealed Mirror of Veyru floated silently above the fractured pedestal while silver light pulsed faintly beneath its surface.

Like it was still listening.

Seraphine finally broke the silence.

"...Explain."

Mason immediately pointed toward Assura.

"Yes. Him. An ancient nightmare diplomat caused this emotional catastrophe, so he can fix it."

Assura looked entirely unbothered. "The relic reacted to instability."

"That sentence explains nothing."

"It explains enough," Zereth said quietly.

His silver eyes remained fixed on the mirror. "The reflection was divided."

Wonderful, cryptic immortal commentary.

Exactly what Mason needed tonight.

Seraphine frowned sharply. "Divided how?"

Nobody answered immediately, because nobody wanted to answer that question.

Athlian’s emotions twisted uneasily inside him, like something heavier than fear and guilt

Mason felt it all.

Unfortunately, Assura finally spoke.

"The merge is becoming harder to conceal."

Mason stared at him tiredly. "...I would appreciate significantly less horrifying sentences."

"No."

"Fantastic."

Saleem looked moments away from collapse. "My Goddess... if the High Temple learns a sealed relic activated..."

"They won’t," Draca interrupted calmly.

Everyone looked toward him.

The commander’s expression remained controlled despite the tension surrounding them.

"We contain the incident now."

Mason hated how much that helped.

Seraphine folded her arms tightly. "You speak as though containment is still possible."

"It must be."

"The mirror already reacted."

"And panicking solves nothing."

Honestly fair.

Zereth stepped closer toward the floating relic slowly.

His shadows curled faintly along the fractured floor beneath him.

"The mirror sensed something specific," he murmured.

Mason instantly disliked that sentence.

Athlian noticed too. ’He’s thinking too carefully.’

"Yes," Mason replied internally. "Because my suffering is apparently educational."

The sealed mirror suddenly pulsed again.

Everyone tensed immediately.

A faint silver ripple crossed its surface, then stopped.

Assura’s expression darkened slightly.

"We leave now."

Nobody argued.

Honestly refreshing character development.

The group moved quickly from the ruined vault while soldiers secured the surrounding corridors behind them.

Temple alarms echoed faintly through the palace now.

Not loud enough for full panic.

Mason walked beside Draca in tense silence while Seraphine argued quietly with Saleem several steps ahead.

Zereth remained behind them.

Watching everything and observing everyone.

Emotionally exhausting immortal.

Athlian stirred softly inside Mason.

’He suspects you.’

"Wonderful."

’Not fully.’

"Less wonderful but still terrible."

Draca glanced toward him briefly. "You’re talking to yourself again."

"Internal emotional support."

"That sounds unhealthy."

"You live in a kingdom where mirrors contact Heaven."

"...Fair point."

Mason almost smiled.

Athlian immediately noticed. ’You do that around him often now.’

"I smile around plenty of people."

’Not like that.’

Absolutely refusing to unpack that emotionally tonight.

The palace corridors gradually grew quieter the deeper they moved into the inner sanctum.

Most servants had already been evacuated from the central halls.

Only guards remained now.

Nervous guards...several immediately lowered their eyes when Mason passed.

Which is right because Heaven had literally descended earlier.

Honestly understandable.

Seraphine suddenly slowed beside Assura.

"What exactly was the mirror trying to contact?"

Assura’s gaze remained forward. "The Tribunal listens through sacred resonance."

"That does not answer my question."

"It answers enough."

Seraphine looked deeply annoyed by that response.

Reasonable honestly.

Mason pointed weakly toward Assura.

"You see why I keep calling him emotionally exhausting?"

"I heard that."

"You were meant to."

To Mason’s surprise, Draca quietly hid amusement again.

Tiny amusement, that is barely visible...but still counted.

Athlian practically glowed internally.

’You like making him laugh.’

"I like surviving emotionally unstable situations."

’Same thing.’

Absolutely not.

The group finally entered the war chamber again.

Heavy doors sealed behind them immediately.

For the first time all night, the room felt almost quiet.

Mason dropped into the nearest chair dramatically.

"I would like to formally resign from divine responsibility."

’You are a divine responsibility,’ Athlian replied inwardly.

"Cruel."

Saleem immediately spread several scrolls across the central table.

"The outer sanctums report increased celestial pressure again."

Seraphine frowned. "Another descent?"

"Not yet," Saleem answered nervously.

"But the fractures above the northern districts are widening."

Mason stared blankly. "...I hate every word in that sentence."

Assura moved toward the chamber windows slowly.

Crimson light flickered faintly beneath his sleeves again.

Reality distortion...always concerning.

"The Tribunal searches more aggressively now," he said calmly.

Draca’s posture stiffened slightly.

"Because of the relic?"

"Yes."

Seraphine looked sharply toward Assura.

"Then the mirror confirmed something."

Silence followed.

Athlian immediately went tense again.

The commander looked toward Mason briefly before speaking carefully.

"What exactly did the mirror see?"

An extremely dangerous question.

Mason answered immediately. "An absolutely exhausted goddess having a terrible evening."

"Nobody believes that," Zereth said quietly from the opposite side of the chamber.

The immortal man folded his arms slowly.

"The mirror reflected contradiction."

Mason pointed instantly. "See? That sentence also means nothing."

"It means," Zereth continued calmly, "something within you does not align properly."

Athlian froze.

Tiny reaction, but almost invisible.

Unfortunately several immortals occupied this room.

Invisible reactions were apparently impossible here.

Seraphine narrowed her eyes slowly. "You all keep speaking around something."

"Correct," Mason answered automatically.

Her expression flattened immediately. "You admit that openly?"

"I’m exhausted."

Fair reasoning honestly.

Assura finally turned away from the window.

"Heaven detected an irregular resonance."

Mason stared at him. "That somehow sounds worse."

"It is worse."

"Wonderful."

Draca stepped closer toward the war table.

Calm and focused again.

"The capital cannot survive another celestial descent," he said. "If panic spreads through the temple districts while the Coalition army remains stationed outside the walls..."

"Political collapse follows," Seraphine finished grimly.

Saleem looked ready to faint again.

Mason genuinely worried the man might spiritually evaporate before sunrise.

Athlian sounded quieter now. ’The fractures are reacting faster than before.’

"Why?"

She hesitated.

Then she responded softly...

’Because Heaven is listening now.’

Mason immediately hated that answer.

Before he could respond internally, Zereth spoke again.

"The relic reacted specifically when it reflected Athlian."

Silence slammed into the room instantly.

Mason forced a weak smile immediately.

"Counterpoint. Mirrors are dramatic."

"That was your face," Zereth said quietly.

"...Athlian’s current face."

"No." Mason objected.

The single word landed heavily.

Athlian’s emotions tightened sharply inside him.

Zereth stepped forward slowly.

His silver eyes never leaving Mason now.

"The reflection changed."

The chamber felt smaller suddenly.

Mason’s survival instincts began screaming again.

Athlian noticed immediately. ’Careful.’

"Oh trust me," he replied internally, "I’m having the most careful panic attack of my life."

Seraphine’s voice lowered cautiously.

"What exactly are you implying?"

Zereth remained silent for a moment as he

connected dangerous little patterns internally.

Then Assura interrupted smoothly before he could speak.

"The details are irrelevant."

Zereth looked toward him sharply.

"They are not irrelevant if Heaven tears open the capital searching for answers."

Correct statement honestly.

The chamber trembled suddenly.

Pulse.

Pulse.

A low vibration rolled through the palace floor hard enough to shake several candles across the table.

Everyone froze.

Another stronger pulse followed immediately afterward.

Athlian’s fear surged violently. ’No.’

Mason stood instantly. "What now?!"

A deafening crack split the night outside.

Several chamber windows shattered at once.

Cold silver light flooded across the room.

Guards shouted somewhere beyond the corridor.

Draca drew his sword immediately.

Seraphine grabbed her spear.

Zereth’s shadows exploded across the walls.

Assura looked genuinely unsettled, which

immediately terrified Mason.

The ancient being moved toward the balcony doors slowly. "Stay behind me."

Mason blinked rapidly. "You saying that is deeply concerning."

Nobody listened.

The entire group moved quickly onto the massive stone balcony overlooking the capital.

And the moment Mason stepped outside...he felt chills.

The sky above the city had split open.

A massive silver fracture stretched across the heavens directly above the capital now, twisting slowly through reality itself like shattered glass.

Temple bells rang wildly throughout the city below.

People screamed in distant streets.

The fracture pulsed once.

Then something moved inside it.

Mason narrowed his eyes upward slowly.

"...That looks catastrophically illegal."

Nobody laughed because the shape emerging from the fracture was humanoid and massive.

Wrapped entirely in pale broken chains

Shattered pieces dragged behind the figure as it forced itself slowly through the opening in the sky.

Athlian’s fear exploded inside him instantly. ’Impossible.’

Mason’s pulse spiked hard. "What is that?!"

The chained figure slowly lifted its head toward the capital.

Toward him and smiled.

A horrible, unnatural smile.

Assura’s voice lowered dangerously beside him.

"...Run."