The wind howls across the mountain pass as they pause beneath a crumbling archway, the ruins glowing faintly behind them. The sky is bruised with twilight, and the path ahead is steep and shadowed. She stops, placing a hand on Christa’s arm. “Wait. Before we go any farther… you need to know.”

Christa turns, eyes sharp with concern. “What is it?” She takes a breath, the weight of revelation pressing against her ribs.

“I saw it. In the mirror. In the ruins. I thought I was just a ...