Chapter 34: The Mirror Queen
"To reclaim your future, you must first confront the man you were."
🌫️ Previously
Jemil unlocked the Gate of Judgment by reuniting with his eighth wife, Zhera, the assassin of lost vows. Now, the Tower leads him not forward… but inward.
On Floor 11, he must confront the wife he abandoned not by war or power — but by silence.
🪞 Floor 11 – The Hall of Reflections
The corridor shimmered like water — every surface mirrored Jemil and his companions.
Kaelara stepped cautiously. "This place… it's wrong."
Their reflections moved independently. Jemil's mirror-self frowned, eyes glowing faintly.
Suddenly, the mirrors rippled — and one of them stepped out.
A woman.
Skin like starlight, eyes swirling with galaxies. Her dress flowed like ink, cut daringly high, revealing not just beauty, but power.
She wore a silver crown made of broken glass.
"So," she said, voice cool and echoing. "You finally looked in the mirror."
"You're one of them," Jemil said. "One of the thirteen."
She tilted her head.
"I was the first to know you were broken. And the last to be chosen again."
👑 The Mirror Queen – Elavira
Jemil's memories surged.
Elavira, the queen of illusions. Mistress of memory, truth, and perception.
She was never meant to fight. She was meant to see.
And when the world fell apart, he locked her in this hall.
"You feared what I saw in you," she said. "So you shut the door. Left me with echoes of a man too afraid to face himself."
Jemil stepped forward. "Then let's open it together."
She raised a hand.
FLASH.
🕯️ The Mirror Trial
Suddenly, Jemil stood in a burning throne room. He saw himself — standing above his wives, cold, commanding, drunk on Tower power.
One by one, they walked away.
"You built this prison," Elavira whispered in his ear. "To keep us from leaving. From reminding you who you were."
"I tried to fix it," Jemil growled. "I climbed to find you."
"You climbed to escape your guilt."
The illusions shifted. Now he saw Kaelara crying, Zhera wounded, Mira screaming his name. Jemil reached out—
But they vanished.
Only Elavira remained.
"If you want to lead us again… show me you can face the man you were."
⚔️ The Duel of Mirrors
Suddenly, Elavira split into seven, each form a twisted version of his wives — crying, angry, wounded, seductive, disappointed.
They attacked.
Jemil didn't raise his sword.
Instead, he walked through each illusion. Whispered names. Told them the truths they deserved to hear.
"Mira — I was weak, and I let you burn for me."
"Kaelara — I led you into battle, but I never told you I loved you."
"Zhera — I forgot you, and worse, I accepted forgetting you."
"Elavira — I feared you because you knew the real me."
The illusions shattered.
Only Elavira remained.
Tears streaked down her cheeks.
"You finally looked."
🗝️ Awakening
She stepped forward, placed a hand on his chest.
"I always saw the cracks. But now, I see the light coming through them."
Their kiss wasn't passionate — it was healing. Slow. Quiet. Honest.
The mirrors around them shimmered… then faded.
The hall cracked, revealing a staircase.
💡 Aftermath
As the group climbed, Kaelara stepped beside Jemil.
"She scares me," she admitted. "But she also… steadies you."
"Elavira was always my conscience," Jemil said. "And now she's my compass."
📣 Call to Action
🪞Which illusion would you have struggled to face?
💔 Drop a power stone if Elavira's honesty hit deep
👁️ The Tower remembers. But will it forgive?