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Chapter 9 - The silence in the mirror

"If you don't remember who you are…

then you're not human.

You are the Silence."

🕯️ Dawn of the Day – The Broken Reflection

Kael woke up in the infirmary of the Temporal Academy , under cold lights that flickered as if they too were afraid.

Mira was no longer beside him.

On the wall in front of him, a broken mirror showed fragments of his reflection. But something was wrong.

One of the pieces didn't show him.

It showed someone else.

A different Kael. Taller. With completely white eyes. The Reality Dagger in his right hand. And behind him, a crack open like a hungry mouth.

— Another vision? Mira asked, entering with firm steps.

— No, Kael replied, not looking away from the mirror.

— That was me.

Mira approached slowly.

— What did you see?

— Myself. But I didn't recognize me.

There was a heavy silence between them.

— Then we don't have much time left, Mira said, handing him an old folder.

— This was found last night, before Lyra disappeared.

Kael opened the folder.

It was a medical report.

With his name on it.

And one word written at the end:

"Project: Silence"

💬 Intense Dialogue – Between Fear and Necessity

— How long have they known about us? Kael asked, flipping through the pages.

— Forever, Mira replied.

— They programmed us, Kael. We're part of the system.

— I'm not an experiment.

— You were. Until you started remembering.

— And what happens when I remember too much?

Mira lowered her voice.

— They erase you. Or turn you into one of them.

— Into what?

— Into the Void.

Kael clenched his fists.

— I won't let that happen.

— And what if it already has?

He looked at her sharply.

— Do you think I'm not me anymore?

— I think you're not just you anymore.

🏛️ Cracks in the Past – Erased Histories

Determined to learn more about Project: Silence , Kael and Mira infiltrated Area Zero of the Academy — a forbidden zone even for the teachers.

There, they found hidden files, camera recordings that had been offline for years… and a room full of mirrors.

Mirrors that didn't show normal reflections.

They showed moments from the past. Of people who had vanished.

Ryn. Jenno. Lyra. Even others they couldn't remember meeting.

— What is this place? Kael asked.

— A broken memory, Mira answered.

— An archive of what no longer exists.

In one of the mirrors, Aria appeared.

It wasn't a recording. She was real.

She was inside the mirror.

— Aria! Kael shouted, running toward her.

— Don't touch it, she warned from the other side.

— Or you'll be trapped too.

— How do we get out of here? Mira asked, frightened.

— The mirrors are changing.

Kael looked around.

The images moved. Shattered. Rewrote themselves.

— They're not just memories, he said.

— They're possibilities.

— Of who we could have been.

🔥 Key Moment – The Fire That Doesn't Burn

A crack appeared in the center of the room.

But this time, it didn't absorb anyone.

It burned.

It released black flames that didn't destroy… they erased.

A figure emerged from it.

A man wearing the Academy's uniform, but with completely empty eyes.

— You shouldn't be here, he said, with a voice that seemed to come from everywhere.

— Who are you? Kael asked.

— I'm who remains of you… if you keep searching for answers.

— What does that mean?

— It means you can't remember everything, the figure replied.

— Because some things were erased for a reason.

Mira stepped back.

— Kael… that man is you.

The figure smiled.

— Only an improved version.

🪞 Inner Conflict – Two Selves

Kael faced his double.

There were no punches. No weapons.

Only words.

— Why are you here? Kael asked.

— Because you refuse to accept it, the other replied.

— That you're not human. Never were.

— Liar.

— How many memories have you lost? How many names can't you remember?

— It doesn't mean they weren't real.

— But you can't prove they were.

Kael felt a pain in his chest. Not physical. Existential.

— Then what am I?

— You are the Silence, the figure said.

— The first mistake of the system. The only one that cannot be erased.

— And what happens if I keep remembering?

— You break the world.

🧩 Final Discovery – The Origin of the System

After defeating his reflection (without harming it), Kael and Mira managed to escape the mirror room.

They found a new map. It had only two locations marked:

Zone 09 – Original Refuge

Dark Zone – Heart of the System

Under the map, there was a handwritten note:

"The Silence was born as a defense."

"Now, it threatens to consume us all."

Mira looked at him.

— Are we going?

— Yes, Kael replied.

— This time, it's not just to find Aria.

— Then why?

Kael tucked the note into his pocket.

— To understand why I'm here. And why I can't stop remembering.

🌌 Final Fragment – Future Vision

That night, Kael dreamed.

He saw a distant future.

A city in ruins.

A blonde woman standing before a giant mirror.

And a familiar voice calling her:

"Aria… where is Kael?"

She didn't answer.

She only pointed at the mirror.

Inside, a body fell endlessly.

His eyes were white.

His hand held the Reality Dagger .

And behind him, a crack opened wide.

Like the beginning…

and the end.

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