Rens misty form had barely reached the edge of the royal wing when he suddenly felt himself pulled sideways, as if the air itself had opened a door. He stumbled forward and found himself standing in a vast, ancient ritual chamber that was not where he had just been.
The room was huge and ancient.
The floor was a perfect, seamless mirror — a single, unbroken sheet of polished obsidian that reflected every detail with eerie clarity. It stretched across the entire chamber like a still lake of darkness. The walls were lined with tall, cracked pillars of black marble. Massive golden braziers burned with cold, violet flames that cast long, dancing shadows. In the very center rose a colossal, intricately carved obsidian circle that glowed with faint, pulsing crimson light.
Rens eyes widened as he realized the truth.
The floor was a mirror.
When he looked down, he saw not the ritual chamber he stood in, but the real palace on the other side.
