Away from the furthest edge, beneath shadowy skies, Mason and friends were walking, gripped by cold winds, the east and south winds once carried songs of the little birds, and now everything stood broken. A new thing had turned up in John's family vault, a hidden library underneath his estate. Only four had gone there.Mason, Aurora, Norra, and John. Elara had stayed behind at the academy to keep watch. The vault smelled ancient. Dust motes floated in thin shafts of light. Books were lined along very tall shelves. Scrolls lay scattered on the floor.John closed the door softly. His expression was slightly nervous. “This library… it is special. A library that my family built. It contains some secrets concerning our bloodline and also about the veil between worlds.”Mason nodded. He held Severing Blade like a crutch. It had no power now, but the weight still rested in his palms. "Anything that talks about soul anchors, the mirrors, or governing lines needs to be found."Aurora stepped

The desert wind was cold when Mason stepped off the dune‑steed. The sky was pale silver. No sun. No storm. Just emptiness, and the echo of wind against broken stone.He stood at the edge of Redreach Fortress, a ruined tower half buried in sand. Once strong and proud, now only a few walls and archways remained. Still, it felt alive. The air whispered through cracks in the rock. Mason took a deep breath. He felt the prophecy’s weight.The missing third anchor haunted him. It was gone. Someone had taken it. He must chase. Behind him, Aurora, Norra, and John dismounted quietly. Elara remained at the gate, holding the prophecy book open. She whispered, “The anchor’s tether was here. But it pulled away. They fled north.”Mason nodded. “Then we follow.”They crossed sand dunes at midday, the wind like ice. Their clothes loosened. Their steps slow. They reached the fortress as the sky dimmed.They entered the fortress carefully. Sand drifted through every doorway. Statues of warriors stood

The vault lights dimmed slowly. The soft glow that had filled the room began to fade. Mason stood still, hand resting on the cold floor where the Severing Blade had vanished. He listened. Silence. But not the peaceful kind. The silence now had breath. It pulsed, like a slow heartbeat. Faint. Strange. Like something watching him through the dark.Aurora sat nearby, her hand still gripping his sleeve. Her fingers were cold. "You okay?" she asked softly.He nodded. But he wasn’t sure. His chest felt heavy. His mind buzzed with echoes, not voices, not thoughts, just...watching. Like a thousand eyes blinking just behind his shadow.He looked at the others in the vault. Norra was quiet, leaning against a stone wall, breathing hard. Her eyes were alert. Elara checked over the wounded students. John stood near the doorway, staring at the rune circle.Mason moved to him. John didn’t look away. “That wasn’t just power,” he said. “It was something else.”Mason didn’t speak. John turned to him

The cold inside the mirror realm was deeper now. Mason’s breath came out in small clouds that hung in the air, drifting upward as if the rules of the world had been turned upside down. His boots scraped against the glass floor. Each step left a faint glow that faded too quickly, like the realm itself was swallowing his presence.The First Watcher walked beside him in silence, her mask glinting faintly in the silver light from above. Her bare feet made no sound. She seemed to know exactly where she was going, though Mason could see no path.“You haven’t told me everything,” Mason said, breaking the silence.She didn’t look at him. “If I told you everything, you would not believe me.”“I’m already walking on glass under a sky made of eyes,” Mason muttered. “Try me.”Finally, she stopped and turned toward him. The mask covered the upper half of her face, but he could see her mouth curve slightly in what might have been a sad smile.“Your reflection isn’t just an enemy,” she said. “It’s

The vault light burned like a second sun. Its white glow poured into the hall, washing every shadow from the walls. The air was hot now, heavy with the sound of the creature’s screaming and the crack of its shifting limbs.Aurora was trapped in the silver-eyed Mason’s grip, his arm like iron around her throat. His eyes blazed brighter with each passing second, and the watchers’ chains pulled tighter around the creature.“Mason!” Aurora’s voice cut through the noise. “Don’t shut it!”Her real Mason stood beyond the vault, trapped in the mirror realm but visible through the shifting glass. His hand pressed hard against the barrier, every muscle in his arm shaking.His heart pounded so loud it drowned out the watchers’ whispers. Seal the vault, and she would vanish with Vazquez. Leave it open, and the creature could escape fully.The silver-eyed Mason tightened his hold on Aurora. “One choice, Keeper,” Vazquez said through him, his voice smooth as poison. “Your girl or your school.”No