The Hero’s Harem is Trying to Kill Him

Section 1 – The Edge of the Blade

Blood shimmered against the marble floor, painting streaks beneath Velis's knees. Her chest heaved, breaths shallow and ragged, the sharp sting of her wounds threatening to drag her under. Her reflection's blade hovered an inch from her throat, the steel vibrating with hunger, almost eager to pierce her skin.

The mirrored warrior moved with chilling elegance—each flick of the wrist a perfect echo of Velis's past triumphs, but polished, sharpened, made cruel. Even the tilt of her head was deliberate, like a puppeteer had stripped away Velis's flaws and left only a flawless predator.

Across the hall, Astra's flames sputtered, scattering embers into the smoke. Her mirrored twin stepped through the fire without pause, her golden eyes gleaming with arrogance. Lyra's bow hung slack at her side, its string frayed and useless. Her reflection smiled thinly, patient, like a cat waiting for the mouse to collapse.

Every bond, every strength, was unraveling. The reflections weren't just copying their movements anymore. They were adapting, predicting, learning the tiniest hesitations and exploiting them.

Velis tightened her grip on her broken sword, knuckles pale. Her lips curled back, teeth bared in a snarl. I will not be finished here. Not now. Not while he still needs me.

She lunged, muscles screaming. Steel clashed with steel, sparks showering the air. But her reflection moved faster—like it had already seen the attack before Velis thought of it. The impact nearly tore the weapon from her hands, and she staggered, eyes wide.

The mirror pressed forward, merciless.

Section 2 – Kai in the Void

Kai's eyes snapped open to darkness. A suffocating silence pressed in on him, thicker than smoke, heavier than stone. The battlefield was gone—no fire, no cries of pain—only an endless black void stretching into infinity.

And there—standing before him—was himself.

This version of Kai looked identical in every detail: the scar along his jaw, the tiredness in his shoulders. But his eyes glowed with silver light, cold and steady, unblinking. His stance was perfect, his blade steady, every flaw stripped away.

"You've always known this truth," the reflection spoke, voice even and sharp, like steel sliding from a sheath. "You hesitate. You fear mistakes. You doubt yourself. That's why they suffer. That's why they bleed."

Kai's throat tightened.

His reflection raised the blade with flawless poise. "But I am not weighed down by doubt. I am what you could be. Ruthless. Unshaken. Strong enough to protect them. Strong enough to save them."

The shadow stepped closer, each footfall echoing in the void.

"Why fight me, Kai? When you could rest? Let me carry the burden. Let me become the version they deserve."

Kai's hand trembled as he reached for his weapon. His heart pounded. Because deep down, he knew the reflection wasn't wrong. This version of him was stronger.

Section 3 – Astra's Desperation

Back on the battlefield, Astra screamed, golden flames spiraling out of her body like a living storm. The entire hall blazed, shadows shrinking under her fury. Plates melted, the ceiling blackened with smoke.

But her reflection walked through the inferno unharmed, every step calm and deliberate. Fire coiled lovingly around its body, as if recognizing a master more perfect than Astra herself.

"You burn so bright…" the mirror whispered, its voice a cruel echo that slithered into Astra's ears. "But your fire consumes only you. That is your curse."

Astra's eyes widened with rage. "Shut. Up."

Her arms swept forward, hurling a column of fire as wide as the hall itself. The blast howled like a dragon, heat cracking the marble tiles.

The reflection caught the inferno in its hands. For a heartbeat, Astra thought she had won—until her twin twisted the fire into a spear, spun it in her grip, and hurled it back.

The explosion swallowed Astra whole. She screamed as the heat licked her skin, burning her arm raw. The blast hurled her across the long banquet table, splintering wood, shattering dishes, spraying wine like blood.

She coughed smoke, trembling, her flames flickering weakly around her hands. Fear—real fear—clouded her golden eyes.

"Damn it…" she hissed, clutching her scorched arm. Her voice cracked. "Kai…"

Section 4 – Lyra's Last Arrow

Lyra's fingers slipped as she nocked her last arrow. Her reflection loomed across the hall, every movement graceful, the bowstring pulled with a predator's patience.

Each time Lyra fired, her double mirrored it—perfectly countering, perfectly intercepting. She felt like a child mimicking herself in a cruel game she could never win.

The reflection tilted its head, its voice like silk and venom. "You're not aiming at me. You've never aimed at your enemies. Your bow… your hands… they exist only for him. Without Kai, you are nothing."

The words stabbed deeper than any blade.

Her chest tightened. Her fingers shook. Still, she lifted her bow. Still, she fired.

The arrow split the air.

Her reflection's shot loosed at the same instant. The two shafts collided mid-flight. Lyra's arrow shattered, fragments spinning to the floor. But the mirror's arrow kept going, unstoppable.

Straight for Lyra's heart.

Her eyes widened. She didn't even have time to breathe.

Section 5 – Kai's Choice

In the void, Kai's reflection advanced, blade glowing faintly, its steps unhurried, inevitable.

"Let me take your place," it said, calm as death.

Kai's grip on his sword wavered. The weight of his wives' suffering bled into him through invisible threads—Velis's failing strength, Astra's fading fire, Lyra's arrow racing toward her chest. Each sensation carved into his bones.

He almost wanted to let go. To drop the sword. To let this perfect version shoulder everything.

But then—his heart clenched. He saw Velis's bloodied snarl, refusing to bow. He heard Astra's furious scream, still burning even when broken. He felt Lyra's fear, yet still aiming to protect him until her last breath.

They weren't perfect. Neither was he.

"No," Kai whispered, voice shaking at first. Then louder. "No!"

His grip steadied. His shoulders squared. His chest thundered with defiance.

"They don't need a flawless copy of me," he snarled. "They need me. Weakness and all."

His reflection's eyes narrowed as it struck.

Steel rang. The blow tore sparks from Kai's blade, nearly forcing him to his knees. Pain jolted through his arms, but he held. He held.

Light burst from his sword, splitting the darkness. The void shuddered.

Kai roared, his voice ripping the silence apart.

Section 6 – Cliffhanger

Back in the banquet hall, time lurched.

Velis's blade cracked apart in her hands. Astra's flames dimmed to embers. Lyra's arrow spiraled toward her chest.

And then—like thunder tearing open the heavens—Kai's voice boomed across the chamber.

"GET AWAY FROM THEM!"

The marble floor fractured, cracks racing outward like lightning. Shadows rippled and recoiled. Every reflection froze, mid-strike, mid-breath, weapons trembling in the air.

The real Kai stepped back into the world, silver light blazing from his eyes. His reflection was gone… or perhaps it had sunk inside him, buried in his veins, fused with his soul.

Velis gasped in relief, Astra's flames surged back to life, Lyra's fatal arrow splintered to dust before it could reach her.

Hope surged.

And then—laughter.

The Queen's voice curled down from her throne like smoke. Cold, amused, merciless.

"You broke my mirrors," she purred. "How marvelous. Now… let us see what crawls from the shards."

From the shattered glass scattered across the banquet hall, the shards began to quiver. Slowly, horrifically, they rose, twisting and reshaping. New shapes, new horrors, crawling out of fractured reflections.

Kai lifted his blade. His wives braced themselves, trembling but unbroken.

The next nightmare had only just begun.

🌑 Next Chapter Preview – Chapter 93: Shards of the Queen

The banquet hall is no longer filled with simple reflections—it has become a battlefield of living shards, each one jagged and unpredictable, fragments of every fear Kai and his wives have ever carried. Velis must fight without her blade, Astra must rekindle her flames from the edge of despair, and Lyra must take aim even when her heart trembles.

But the Queen's laughter still echoes from her throne, and her presence presses down like an invisible hand, suffocating and cold. For every shard that falls, two more rise, fueled not by perfection—but by doubt, guilt, and pain.

And at the center of it all, Kai must decide: has he truly conquered his reflection… or has he invited it into his very soul?

The answer will decide whether the fractured hearts of his wives can be mended… or shattered forever.

⚔️ Call to Action

If you felt the tension of Kai's choice, the pain of Velis's defiance, Astra's desperate flames, and Lyra's trembling arrow, then now's the moment to show support! 💖 Drop a comment with your favorite moment, leave a power stone, and share your theories about what the Queen is planning next. Every bit of support helps this story shine brighter and keeps the fire burning! 🌌🔥