The Mirror of Aeons
The chamber Cael entered pulsed with an energy unlike anything he had encountered before. The moment his boots crossed the ancient threshold of the Cradle Vault, symbols glowed to life along the walls. Arcane script in a spiraling weave told tales of civilizations erased from time—each one bearing traces of the Echelon code.
Behind him, Elira stepped quietly, her daggers sheathed but her senses alert. Astra and Kaelen followed, their eyes wide at the eerie blue fog that curled from beneath the tiles.
In the center of the chamber stood a tall, obsidian mirror.
The Mirror of Aeons.
"That's it," murmured Astra, her voice barely audible. "Said to show your truest self—or the timeline where your origin fractured."
Cael stepped closer. The mirror shimmered like water on glass. It didn't reflect his appearance. Instead, it showed him...
Another version of himself.
A tyrant cloaked in golden armor, surrounded by worlds aflame.
Another flash—Cael as a dying warrior, impaled by a throne forged of god-metal.
More images: a Cael who never received the system, a scholar crushed by fate; a Cael whose power had become legend and whose enemies kneeled in worship.
Every possibility. Every path.
He reached out—and the mirror pulsed. His hand was pulled into the glass, and the world turned inside out.
---
The Mirrorworld
Cael awoke on a dais in a realm of shifting light. Above him floated strange glyphs, rearranging with every breath. This place was not real—but it wasn't illusion either.
A presence loomed.
"You are the Variable," the voice intoned. It came from everywhere and nowhere.
A being descended from the swirling energy. Cloaked in tattered space, its face was Cael's—but older, far more divine.
"You unlocked the Mirror of Aeons. I am the Echo Architect. I exist in all outcomes that should never be."
Cael's mind spun. "Why bring me here?"
"To test your conviction."
The Echo raised a hand—and three portals formed. Through each portal, Cael saw a future:
1. The Emperor — A version of himself ruling as a galactic god, cold and ruthless.
2. The Martyr — Himself giving up his system to save a collapsing timeline.
3. The Anomaly — Himself hunted by gods and entities beyond the cosmos, wielding forbidden versions of the Echelon.
"One path will align your origin. The others? Endless fragmentation."
Cael hesitated. His system buzzed.
> [Echelon Update: Core Divergence Protocol Enabled.] [Select a Prime Anchor: Empire / Sacrifice / Forbidden.]
He stepped toward the third path. The Echo Architect smiled faintly.
"Interesting. So you choose rebellion."
The portal surged forward, enveloping him.
---
Return
Cael slammed back into reality. The mirror cracked.
Elira was at his side, panic on her face. "You were gone for minutes. The mirror nearly consumed you."
He stood slowly, power humming under his skin. His eyes now glowed with glyphs—symbols from the Mirrorworld etched in his soul.
Astra stared at him. "You brought something back, didn't you?"
He nodded. "Not something. A directive. We're going after the Shattered Divinities."
Kaelen frowned. "That's suicide."
"Only if we follow rules."
Cael turned. The Cradle Vault cracked open further, revealing a staircase into starlit void.
Behind it, an ancient voice whispered:
"He who bears the Mirror's Mark cannot escape the cycle."
Cael smirked.
"I don't plan to escape. I plan to rewrite it."