The land had changed.
Not in the way weather changes, or time erodes. This was more subtle—and more wrong. Aiden noticed it an hour after leaving the ridge where the Herald had fallen.
Birdcalls had stopped.
His shadow stretched slightly behind him no matter where the sun hung.
And Torran's voice echoed twice—once in the air, and once in his own head.
> [Environmental Shift Detected: Mirrorfield Zone]
Origin: Echo Residue / Herald Collapse Aftershock
Caution: Perception and memory may desynchronize
---
They didn't turn back.
Couldn't.
Because every step away from the Mirrorfield was a step toward another kind of trap—a loop, slowly forming in the thread behind them.
This path was dangerous.
But forward was still possible.
---
Midday – Fragmented Meadow
The trees bled reflections.
Aiden saw hundreds of himself as they walked—some real, most illusions. He started filtering them out. Tracing the line between perception and instinct.
Until one of them blinked.
Torran froze beside him. "Tell me you saw that."
Aiden didn't answer.
Because the reflection was watching him now.
Not mimicking.
Waiting.
---
> [Mirrorfield Anomaly Engaged – Identity Sync Checkpoint]
Echo Detected: "The One Who Stood Aside"
Threadline: 006-A
Role: Passive | Alignment: Non-Hostile
Dialogue Possible
---
The reflected Aiden stepped closer to the edge of the water.
"I remember Kaldrith," it said. "I remember not opening the gate. Not facing him. Letting the Hollow fall."
"And then?" Aiden asked.
"I lived," the echo said. "But I've forgotten why."
Aiden nodded slowly.
"Then you're not me."
---
The reflection stepped back into the water.
And was gone.
---
> [Sync +1%]
Fracture Memory Gained: "The Cost of Safety"
Total Sync: 30%
New Milestone Reached – System Evolution Pending…
---
That Night – Campfire Silence
The Mirrorfield faded behind them by dusk, but its presence lingered. Even the flames felt uncertain, flickering in strange directions.
Torran sharpened his blade in silence.
Then asked, "Do you think we're being shaped?"
Aiden looked up. "By what?"
"The System. The fragments. The battles. The versions of us we keep killing or sparing."
Aiden didn't answer right away.
"I think we're not being shaped," he said.
"I think we're being filtered."