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Mirror Phantom
墨書 Inktalez
I stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling mirror in the old house, gazing at my reflection. The frame was intricately carved with twisting vines, yet the surface was remarkably clear, revealing every pore on my face in sharp detail.
Suddenly, my reflection blinked.
I stumbled back, hitting the wall behind me. The figure in the mirror remained motionless, a strange smile slowly curling at the corners of its mouth. That wasn’t me; it was definitely not me. I had never worn such an expression—cold, mocking, with an indescribable hint of malice.
"Finally, we meet," the figure in the mirror spoke, its voice identical to mine but laced with a chilling undertone. "I've waited a long time for this day."
I turned to flee but found my feet rooted to the ground. The figure reached out a hand, its pale fingers piercing through the mirror's surface as if it were water. A wave of cold crept up my spine, and I felt my blood freeze.
"Don't be afraid," it said. "I just want to play a game with you." Its finger lightly touched my forehead, and an icy sensation spread throughout my body. "From today on, we will take turns using this body. You have it during the day; I take over at night."
I wanted to scream, but no sound came out. The figure's form began to blur, and I felt my consciousness slipping away. The last image I saw was that eerie smile on its face.
When I regained consciousness, it was already the next morning. Sunlight streamed through the curtains as I lay in bed, feeling as if everything from last night had been a nightmare. But when I looked at the mirror again, I noticed that the vine patterns on the frame seemed even more lush than before, with dark red tips faintly glowing.
Trembling, I reached out to touch the mirror's surface. Just then, my phone rang—it was my colleague Xiao Wang from the police station.
"Old Chen, something's happened!" Xiao Wang's voice was frantic. "Another body was found last night, just like the previous cases—the victim was wrapped in vines and all their blood has been drained..."
I glanced at the mirror; my reflection wore that strange smile again. It wasn't mine.
I knew that from today onward, every night would no longer belong to me. And this city was about to face an unprecedented serial killer.
---
I stood in the coroner's office at the police station, staring at the body entwined in vines before me. The coroner stated that the time of death was between eleven PM and one AM last night—exactly when I lost consciousness.
"The victim was a well-known entrepreneur in this city," Xiao Wang flipped through the files. "This is already the third case this month. The killer's methods are identical; there are no fingerprints or DNA left at the scene, and even the surveillance cameras mysteriously malfunctioned."
I focused on the vines wrapped around the victim's neck; those dark red patterns reminded me of the designs on the mirror frame. Suddenly, a wave of dizziness hit me, and I leaned against the autopsy table as whispers echoed in my ears: "Do you like my work?"
"Captain Chen? Are you okay?" Xiao Wang asked with concern.
I shook my head, forcing down my rising fear. The voice from the mirror faded away, but I knew it lurked within me, waiting for nightfall.
Back in my office, I pulled up files on the previous three cases. The first victim was a university professor; the second was a bank executive; and the third was last night's entrepreneur. They seemed unrelated—except for one detail... I zoomed in on crime scene photos and noticed a tiny puncture mark on each victim's wrist.
Suddenly, a notification pinged on my computer—a new anonymous email appeared with the subject: "Do you want to know the truth?" An attachment contained an encrypted file with a password hint: "The date you first met me."
My hands trembled as I typed in last night's date—the file unlocked. Inside was a list of twelve names; the first three were victims of this serial killing spree. At the bottom of that list was my name.
"The game has only just begun," echoed the voice from within me. "You think you're hunting for a killer? No—you’re chasing your own fate."
I rushed to the restroom and splashed cold water on my face. Looking up into the mirror, I saw myself with vacant eyes and that familiar eerie smile curling at my lips. In a fit of rage, I punched the mirror; glass shattered everywhere as blood trickled down my knuckles. Yet that laughter from within grew clearer.
"Useless," it said. "We are one and the same. They all deserve to die—they participated in that experiment that turned us into what we are now. Do you remember? That mirror, that laboratory, those people in white coats..."
Fragments of broken memories surged into my mind: blinding white light, cold examination tables, and that massive mirror... It all came rushing back—I remembered everything. We were test subjects implanted with some ancient plant genes; that mirror connected our two consciousnesses.
"Tonight," said the figure within me, "we will visit number four on our list. It’s time for the truth to be revealed."
I stared at my shattered reflection and suddenly realized a terrifying truth: perhaps I was truly the monster here while that figure merely represented my suppressed conscience.
---
As night fell, I stood outside the villa of our fourth target—a retired judge living in a standalone house on the outskirts of town. I could feel that presence within me stirring restlessly; its consciousness was gradually taking control.
"Remember," he whispered in my mind, "we're not killing; we're executing justice. These people, including you and me, are all participants in that illegal human experiment. They used that mirror to split our consciousness in two..."
My vision began to blur, and my body was no longer under my control. The person in the mirror took over this body, and I could feel his excitement. He effortlessly climbed over the wall like an elegant cheetah. The villa's security system was nothing to him; he easily evaded all the cameras.
The Old Judge was in his study, oblivious to the arrival of death. The figure from the mirror emerged from the shadows, vines growing from his fingertips and wrapping around the judge's neck. Just then, the study door was suddenly burst open, and a team of Special Police rushed in.
"Don't move!" shouted the lead officer, aiming his gun at me. "Captain Chen, drop your weapon!"
I froze. The consciousness of the person in the mirror wavered slightly, and I seized the opportunity to regain some control. Looking down, I saw that I had somehow acquired a bloodied scalpel.
"What... is happening?" I murmured to myself.
"Don't you understand?" The figure in the mirror sneered in my mind. "Every time 'I' kill someone, it's you who acts in reality. Those vines, those supernatural phenomena—they're all your illusions. You've always thought of yourself as a just police officer; in reality, you're the serial killer!"
Memories surged like a tide. I remembered everything. It wasn't some human experiment; it was a mental hospital. I was a patient there, suffering from severe schizophrenia. The mirror therapy had failed and instead created a second personality within me. I escaped from the hospital and forged a police identity...
Bang! A gunshot rang out. I felt a sharp pain in my chest and looked down to see blood staining my uniform. In the final moment before consciousness faded, I glanced at the floor-to-ceiling mirror in the study. In the reflection, I and the figure from the mirror finally merged into one, revealing a smile of relief.
Three months later, Xiao Wang came to visit me at the mental hospital.
"Captain Chen," he said through the bulletproof glass, "the case has been cleared up. That mirror indeed had issues; it was used by an illegal organization for consciousness control experiments. All the deceased were participants back then..."
I listened with a smile as he spoke, gently stroking the vine tattoo on my wrist. The patterns seemed to writhe slowly, but I knew it was just my illusion. After all, the figure from the mirror had vanished—gone forever.
Had it really disappeared?
As I turned to leave, my reflection appeared on the bulletproof glass. That reflection seemed to lag behind my movements slightly and... was smiling at me.
I spun around suddenly; the visitation room behind the glass was empty. Xiao Wang had left, and distant footsteps echoed down the corridor. Slowly turning back around, I saw that my reflection had returned to normal as if the earlier anomaly had merely been my imagination.
But I knew it wasn't.
That night, I lay on my bed in the ward, listening to the howling wind outside. Moonlight streamed through the iron bars, casting mottled shadows on the floor. Those shadows seemed to writhe like creeping vines.
"You're still there, aren't you?" I whispered into the air.
There was no response—only moonlight casting swaying tree shadows on the wall. I closed my eyes but heard a faint rustling sound as if something were crawling on the floor. I forced myself not to open my eyes, but that sound grew closer until it stopped at my bedside.
"You think you can get rid of me?" The voice of the figure from the mirror echoed in my ear, a cold breath brushing against my cheek. "We are one; we always will be."
I sat up abruptly and turned on the bedside lamp. The ward was empty, but on the floor beside my bed lay several dark red vine leaves. Trembling, I reached out to touch them, but they turned to ash at my fingertips.
The next day, my attending physician came for rounds.
"Officer Chen," he said while flipping through my medical records, "your condition is stable; we'll observe you for another two weeks before you can be discharged."
I stared at his white coat buttons and suddenly realized they weren't buttons but tiny shards of mirrors. Each fragment reflected my face—but those reflections were all smiling at me.
"Doctor," I struggled to keep my voice steady, "what did you do with that mirror?"
The doctor looked at me with confusion. "What mirror?"
"That..." My words faltered halfway through. In one of those mirrored shards on his chest, reflections suddenly reached out and grabbed his neck. I stepped back in terror, but he remained oblivious as he continued writing notes.
"Oh," he suddenly said, "a new patient is coming today; they'll be staying next door. I've heard he's an antique dealer who specializes in collecting mirrors..."
My heart skipped a beat. After the doctor left, I heard the sound of heavy objects being moved in the next room, accompanied by the sharp clinking of glass. Pressing myself against the wall, I caught an old voice humming a strange nursery rhyme:
"Mirror man, mirror ghost, come out at midnight to drink blood..."
Suddenly, all sounds ceased. A chill seeped through the wall, forming frost flowers that crystallized on its surface. Those frost flowers shaped into a face—the very visage of the mirror man.
"The game continues," he said, "this time, we play a bigger one."
I glanced toward the corner of the room, where a full-length mirror had appeared without my noticing. Dark red vines twisted around its frame, and the surface shimmered with an eerie green light. In the mirror, I saw myself in a police uniform, holding a bloodied scalpel.
Behind me, the entire city burned in flames.
I rushed toward the mirror, intent on shattering it. But the mirror man's laughter echoed in the room; the mirror rippled like water, and my fist passed right through it.
"Useless," he said. "This mirror is merely a projection; the real mirror is..."
His words were interrupted by a blaring alarm. Chaotic footsteps and screams filled the hallway outside, and red warning lights shone through the glass door, casting blood-like shadows on the wall.
I dashed to the door and peered through the glass to see chaos unfolding in the corridor. Medical staff were running about while patients huddled in corners, trembling in fear. The air was thick with a sickly sweet scent of blood that made me nauseous.
"What happened?" I grabbed a passing nurse.
Her face was pale, trembling all over. "The patient next door..."
I bolted into the adjacent room and froze at what I saw. The antique dealer lay in a pool of blood, his body pierced by writhing vines that seemed alive. Even more horrifying was that the room was filled with various mirrors, each reflecting different scenes:
Some showed a burning city; others displayed mountains of corpses; and some… showed me—different versions of me: me in a police uniform, me in a patient gown, even me in a white coat. All the "mes" stared back at me from within the mirrors, wearing eerie smiles.
"Welcome to the real world," came the mirror man's voice from all directions. I turned to flee but found that the corridor had vanished, replaced by an abyss of darkness. Only those mirrors floated in midair like windows to hell.
Suddenly, a pale hand reached out from one of the mirrors and grasped my wrist. I felt myself spinning as I was pulled into this mirrored world.
When I opened my eyes again, I found myself standing in an unfamiliar city. The sky was blood-red, and shards of broken mirrors littered the streets. Each fragment reflected different memories: my childhood, my time at police academy, my case-solving experiences… but these memories were not as I remembered them.
In my police academy memory, I saw myself sneaking into a laboratory late at night; in my case-solving memory, I saw myself secretly tampering with evidence; and in my earliest childhood memory, I stood before an ancient mirror with vines reaching out to ensnare me...
"Now do you understand?" The mirror man's voice echoed again. "You always thought you were a just police officer; in reality, you are the greatest criminal of all. You altered your own memories to disguise yourself as a victim..."
I fell to my knees, my head pounding with pain as memories flooded back: it wasn't an illegal experiment but an ancient curse. That mirror was the vessel of the curse, and I had chosen to accept it willingly for eternal life and power.
"But at what cost?" I murmured to myself.
"The cost is," said the mirror man, "you will be forever trapped in this mirrored world, watching yourself commit crimes in reality. This is the price of immortality—eternal torment."
I looked around; every mirror reflected my sins. I saw myself killing innocents, creating chaos—saw myself slowly becoming the mirror man.
"No!" I screamed as I smashed my fist against a mirror again, but this time it did not shatter. My hand passed through its surface but could not return. I felt myself being pulled into it, merging with the mirror man.
In that final moment, I glimpsed reality again—the hospital room where doctors were trying to save a patient. That patient was me but not quite me. The "me" opened his eyes and revealed an eerie smile.
The game was over.
Or rather, a new game had just begun.
I wandered through the mirrored world, watching as "I" continued living in reality. That "me" was discharged from the hospital and donned his police uniform once more before returning to the precinct. His colleagues warmly welcomed his return; no one noticed that this body housed a different soul now.
"Is this the result you wanted?" I asked the figure in the mirror. Now we shared a consciousness, just as we once shared a body.
"This is the inevitable outcome," the figure replied. "You think you are being forced, but every step has been your own choice. From the moment you accepted the curse, this ending was destined."
I floated in the void of the mirrored world, watching my reflection in the real world working on a case. It was a new serial murder case, with methods identical to those before. But this time, the killer had left clear evidence—surveillance footage clearly captured my face.
"Why are you doing this?" I questioned the figure in the mirror.
"This is not my doing," the figure said, a hint of confusion in its voice. "It is his own choice."
I stared in shock at the scene in the mirror. The "me" in the real world stood in an interrogation room, facing Xiao Wang's astonished gaze, revealing that familiar eerie smile.
"You will never catch the real killer," he said, "because you cannot even distinguish between reality and illusion."
At that moment, I noticed a detail. In the corner of the interrogation room was a mirror, and the reflection of "me" did not match my actions in reality. The mirrored "me" was shaking its head, struggling, silently screaming.
"Is that... the real me?" I was stunned.
The figure in the mirror fell silent. I felt its consciousness wavering; our shared memories began to crack. Those tampered memory fragments reassembled to reveal the truth: it was not me who had accepted the curse all those years ago, but the figure in the mirror. He was the one who craved immortality, while I was merely an innocent police officer chosen by him as a host during my investigation. He had altered my memories to make me believe I was the criminal, all to conceal his own existence.
"You deceived me," I said angrily. "From start to finish, it has been you controlling everything!"
The figure's consciousness began to collapse; cracks appeared in the mirrored world. Seizing this opportunity, I rushed toward the mirror that reflected my true self. This time, my hand did not pass through the surface but touched the cold glass.
The "me" in the real world suddenly stopped speaking and looked up at the mirror in the interrogation room. Xiao Wang and other officers followed his gaze and saw that the reflection was frantically pounding against the glass.
"Quick... break that mirror!" I shouted desperately, but my voice couldn't escape.
The "me" in reality showed a look of terror; he wanted to stop it, but it was too late. Xiao Wang lifted a chair and smashed it against the mirror in the interrogation room.
In that instant of shattering glass, I felt myself being pulled into a vortex. In my hazy consciousness, I heard the figure's final wail: "No! This can't be! I am..."
When I opened my eyes again, I found myself sitting in the interrogation room with handcuffs on my wrists. Xiao Wang and other officers looked at me in shock; shards of glass lay scattered on the floor.
"Captain Chen..." Xiao Wang stammered. "What just happened? Your face..."
I looked at my reflection in the one-way glass of the interrogation room; I finally appeared normal again. But I knew this wasn't over. Although the figure's consciousness had been sealed away, it had not completely vanished. Those cursed mirrors still existed, waiting for their next host.
I turned to Xiao Wang and offered a weary yet genuine smile. "Prepare a report about a curse that has lasted for a hundred years regarding mirrors. This time, we will put an end to it once and for all."
Yet deep within me, a small voice whispered: Are you really sure that you are now in control of this body?
The shards of glass on the floor trembled slightly, reflecting countless broken images. Each reflection smiled; each smile was subtly different.
Is this game truly over?
I sat in the Special Investigation Team's office, surrounded by files about the mirror curse. Since the last incident, our department had formed a special team to investigate this bizarre case that had persisted for over a century.
"Captain Chen," Xiao Wang entered with urgency. "The antique shop you asked us to investigate has some leads. The owner said that mirror came from a place called Jing Zhai."
I jumped up abruptly; my chair screeched against the floor. "Jing Zhai"—the name stirred ripples in my memory. That was where I first encountered this case and where I first met the figure in the mirror.
"Prepare a vehicle," I commanded. "We are going to Jing Zhai."
Jing Zhai, located on the outskirts of the old city, was a dilapidated building from the Ming and Qing dynasties. Pushing open the creaking wooden door, dust danced in the sunlight. The air was thick with a musty odor, mingled with an indescribable sweetness.
"This place feels... strange," Xiao Wang said, frowning.
I felt the same way. Despite it being broad daylight, a chilling cold permeated Jing Zhai. Sunlight streamed through the broken window panes, casting mottled shadows on the floor that resembled distorted human faces.
In a room filled with ancient mirrors, we found the mirror the shopkeeper had mentioned. It was a Bronze Mirror, intricately carved with complex runes, yet its surface was remarkably clear. As I leaned closer, ripples suddenly appeared in the mirror, revealing a blurry figure.
"You've finally come," the figure said.
Xiao Wang gasped and stepped back, but I remained rooted in place. This time, I clearly saw the true face of the figure in the mirror—a man dressed in ancient official robes, his complexion pale and his gaze sinister.
"You are not me," I said. "You never were."
The figure smiled. "That's right; I am not you. I am a county magistrate from the Ming Dynasty who accepted this curse for immortality. For centuries, I have switched hosts countless times until I found you..."
"Why choose me?"
"Because you are unique," the figure replied. "You are the only host who almost turned against me. Your will is too strong—strong enough to frighten me."
A wave of dizziness washed over me as memories flooded back. I recalled everything: how I had investigated this case, how I discovered Jing Zhai, how I was chosen by the figure in the mirror... and how I had deliberately made him believe he controlled me while waiting for my chance to strike back.
"Now," I said to the mirror, "it's time to end this."
I pulled out an Azure Bronze Box from my bag, which I had found in the Evidence Room at the police station. It was said to be the artifact used to seal this mirror long ago. For the first time, panic crossed the figure's face.
"You... how did you know..."
"Because I've researched everything about you," I opened the box, "from county records of the Ming Dynasty to archives from the Republic era and modern criminal cases. You thought you hid well, but you left too many clues."
The figure began to scream as his image twisted in the mirror. I raised the Azure Bronze Box towards it. Just then, I heard Xiao Wang's terrified shout:
"Captain Chen! Watch out!"
I turned around to see countless mirrors flying toward us from all directions, pale hands reaching out from within them to stop me. But it was too late; the Azure Bronze Box emitted a blinding light that pulled the figure into it.
When the light faded, Jing Zhai returned to calmness. All of the ancient mirrors lost their luster and became ordinary reflections. Only that Bronze Mirror remained standing, now empty.
"Is it over?" Xiao Wang asked cautiously.
I shook my head. "This is just the beginning. Although the figure has been sealed away, his curse remains. Those he influenced and those cursed mirrors..."
I stood in the Special Investigation Team's office, where walls were plastered with photos and clues related to cases. Since the Jing Zhai incident, several bizarre cases involving mirrors had emerged in the city. Each case seemed like a riddle left by the figure in the mirror, leading us toward some unknown truth.
"Captain Chen," Xiao Wang entered with a serious expression, "the forensic team found this inside the latest victim."
He handed me a sealed evidence bag containing an ancient Bronze Mirror Fragment. Strange runes were etched on it, glowing eerily green under sunlight.
As soon as I took hold of it, a wave of dizziness hit me. The voice of the figure echoed in my ears: "You think you've sealed me away; in reality, you've only fragmented me into countless pieces. Each fragment carries my consciousness, waiting for the day we reunite..."
"Captain Chen? Are you okay?" Xiao Wang looked at me with concern.
I shook my head and suppressed my unease. But deep down, I knew his words were true. These cases were not mere imitations of crime; they were manifestations of his scattered consciousness.
That night, I stayed alone in my office studying that Bronze Mirror Fragment. Moonlight streamed through the window onto it, casting strange shadows that gradually coalesced into a blurry map.
I opened my computer and compared the city map, discovering that the light and shadow pointed to an abandoned factory on the outskirts of the city. What shocked me even more was that the factory's location perfectly connected all the previous crime scenes, forming a perfect Pentagram pattern.
"This is... a Sealing Array?" I murmured to myself.
Suddenly, the lights in the office went out. The moonlight was obscured by dark clouds, plunging the entire room into darkness. I heard the sound of shattering glass, countless shards flying through the air, each reflecting a distorted face from the mirror.
"You've finally discovered it," his voice echoed from all directions, "but it's too late. The last node of the Pentagram is about to be completed. When the moon reaches its zenith, all my fragments will reunite..."
I glanced at my watch; there were three hours left until midnight. There was no time to wait for backup; I had to go to that factory alone.
The abandoned factory was filled with various mirrors, from ancient Bronze Mirrors to modern glass ones, each emitting a faint green glow. In the center of the factory, I saw a complete Bronze Mirror, its frame inscribed with runes that glimmered softly.
"You've come," the figure in the mirror appeared clearer than ever before.
I remained silent and took out the Azure Bronze Box. But this time, it showed no reaction.
"Useless," the figure laughed, "the sealing artifact only works during a Lunar Eclipse. And tonight..."
Before he could finish his sentence, all the mirrors in the factory suddenly lit up simultaneously. Countless reflections of figures stepped out from the mirrors, closing in on me. I felt my consciousness beginning to blur, memories retreating like a tide.
Just then, a Police Siren blared outside. Xiao Wang burst in with the Special Police Team, their Strong Flashlights illuminating the entire space.
"Captain Chen! We found out!" Xiao Wang shouted, "The Lunar Eclipse isn't tonight; it's tomorrow night! He's lying to you!"
I jolted awake, and cracks appeared in the figure's image in the mirror. Seizing this opportunity, I raised the Azure Bronze Box. Moonlight suddenly pierced through the clouds, shining directly on the box.
"No!" The figure screamed as his image began to twist and shatter. All the mirrors exploded simultaneously, countless shards flying through the air before being sucked into the Azure Bronze Box.
When everything settled down, only shattered glass remained on the factory floor. The Bronze Mirror stood quietly there, empty inside.
"Is it over?" Xiao Wang asked cautiously.
I shook my head and looked at the Azure Bronze Box in my hands. The box was slightly warm to the touch, as if something inside was struggling.
"This is only temporary," I said. "As long as there are mirrors in this world, he could return."
I looked up at the night sky; half of the moon was obscured by clouds. On a distant glass facade, I seemed to see countless blurry reflections watching me, waiting for their next opportunity.
I locked the Azure Bronze Box in a specially designed Safe deep within the police station's Evidence Room. This Safe was constructed from three layers of Titanium Alloy and lined with Lead Plate, theoretically capable of blocking all energy. Yet even so, I could still feel a faint vibration emanating from within it, as if something restless was stirring inside.
"Captain Chen," Xiao Wang handed me a report. "This is the historical data you requested about 'Jing Zhai.' We found some... unsettling things."
I opened the report and my pupils constricted sharply. The data indicated that Jing Zhai's history could be traced back to the Ming Dynasty; strangely enough, every thirty years or so, Jing Zhai would mysteriously 'relocate.' Each relocation coincided perfectly with dates of some unsolved historical cases.
What was even more disturbing was that among Jing Zhai's previous owners, I found a familiar name—my grandfather's name.
"This can't be..." I murmured. Memories surged back; I recalled that ancient mirror in my grandfather's study during my childhood, his strange smile before he passed away, and his words: "Remember, the world in the mirror is real..."
Suddenly, lights in the Evidence Room began to flicker. The Safe emitted a piercing metallic scraping sound as if something inside was struggling. I felt dizzy as whispers from within echoed around me:
"You think you're uncovering the truth? No, you're merely completing a ritual. Each host is carefully chosen—your grandfather, your father... and you..."
"Shut up!" I shouted angrily, but my voice felt powerless in the empty Evidence Room.
Xiao Wang looked at me in terror: "Captain Chen, are you okay? Your eyes..."
I rushed to the mirror on the wall and saw my pupils had turned into a strange silver, reflecting light like a mirror. Even more terrifying was that my reflection did not mimic my movements; instead, it wore that familiar eerie smile.
"The ritual is about to be completed," the figure in the mirror said. "When the moon is full once more, the boundaries between the two worlds will be completely shattered. And you will become the king of the new world..."
I smashed the mirror, but countless shards floated in the air, each reflecting my distorted face. I felt my consciousness beginning to blur, memories retreating like a tide. Just then, I noticed a yellowed photograph falling out from a compartment in the last page of a report.
In the photo were my grandfather and a group of people, standing in front of a massive Bronze Mirror. I recognized several of them—they were victims from recent cases.
So that's it... I murmured to myself, "They are not victims; they are participants. This ritual requires the souls of seven people..."
I counted the individuals in the photo—exactly seven. Aside from my grandfather, the other six had already "died." Now, the figure in the mirror needed one last soul to complete the ritual—that was me.
The temperature in the Evidence Room plummeted, tiny ice crystals forming in the air. The Safe let out its final wail before exploding with a deafening roar. The Azure Bronze Box floated in mid-air, its lid slowly opening, releasing a beam of silver light that formed a massive mirror in the air.
In that mirror, I saw another world—a realm made entirely of mirrors, where countless versions of "me" moved about. Some wore ancient attire while others donned modern clothing, but all shared those same silver pupils.
"Welcome home," said the figure in the mirror. This time, his voice did not echo in my mind but came directly from the mirror itself. I looked closer and realized that it was speaking as me—or rather, as a collective of countless "me."
I felt an overwhelming pull as my body began to move toward the mirror. At that moment, Xiao Wang lunged forward and grabbed me.
"Captain Chen! Hold on!" he shouted, pulling out a strange device. It was a replica made by the research department based on the principles of the Azure Bronze Box.
The device emitted a blinding light, causing the mirror to warp. The figure in the mirror roared with anger as countless versions of "me" reached out to grab hold of me.
"It's useless!" he bellowed. "The ritual is complete; the boundaries between our worlds have been broken!"
I felt my consciousness starting to split apart, as if countless "me" were vying for control over this body. Just then, I recalled my grandfather's last words: "Remember, the world within the mirror is real..."
Perhaps he didn't mean it literally. Perhaps what he truly meant was...
I willingly released Xiao Wang's hand and allowed myself to be drawn into the mirror. In that instant of crossing through its surface, I saw the truth: there was no mirror world at all; everything was an illusion created by the figure within. He exploited people's fear of the unknown to craft a perfect deception.
When I opened my eyes again, I found myself lying on the floor of the Evidence Room. The Azure Bronze Box lay quietly beside me with its lid tightly closed. The shards of glass were scattered everywhere, each reflecting my normal face.
"Captain Chen!" Xiao Wang rushed over to help me up. "Are you okay?"
I shook my head and glanced at the clock on the wall. There were only ten minutes left until midnight.
"Hurry," I struggled to stand up. "We have one last chance."
But I knew this game was far from over. Though the figure had been sealed away again, his consciousness had already dispersed among countless mirrors. As long as there were mirrors in this world, he could return.
And this time, I understood clearly: The true battlefield was neither in reality nor in that mirrored world but within each person's heart. For fear was indeed his greatest source of power.
I looked out at the window; the moon was nearly full. In the distance on a glass facade, I seemed to see countless blurry reflections watching me, waiting for their next opportunity.
"Let's go," I said to Xiao Wang. "We have much work to do."
But just as I turned around, I thought I heard a soft laugh emanating from within the mirror—a sound so faint it could almost be mistaken for an illusion.
Yet I knew for certain: it was no illusion.
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