Gone. Her family was gone, replaced with faces of people she had never known. And staring at her just now, those faces did not look friendly.
Noble took a step back and blinked. Instantly, the strangers turned their backs to her, resuming the happy scene like nothing had ever happened.
But it had happened, hadn't it? She looked around. No one else seed disturbed by what they were seeing. They all were experiencing the euphoria of joyous monts. When Noble looked back, Seb was gone, replaced by a grey-haired man that she assud was ant to be Julius.
That at least made more sense. The family was gathered around a sturdy sofa, listening intently to Noble tell of her adventure.
Or at least so version of it. The way the family leaned in and hung over every word was heartwarming, but Noble's enjoynt of the scene had faded.
Turning to get the attention of Syrce, Noble noticed that the Saint was the only one without a scene in front of her. In her hands was the hand mirror they had retrieved. Sohow, in all the fighting, the delicate piece had remained intact, tucked sowhere inside Syrce's peach robes.
Now it was out facing the great mirror, its beautiful carvings seeming to glow in the reflected light. Syrce was whispering sothing.
As Noble listened to the words, the only thing she could tell was that she did not understand them. They sounded like sorcery, but beyond that, she could not discern their exact purpose.
This whole place was a bit of a mystery. Why was it built? Noble thought back to the woman in the woods. The Daemon of Imagination had been lonely and had made colorful trees simply to entertain herself.
Is that what this was? A form of entertainnt? Or was it so she would be less lonely?
If it were the latter, why could she not just have communed with the humans at the base of the palace? Was there sothing preventing her from that?
The questions without answers overwheld Noble, so she focused on the present.
Syrce's voice beca clearer, but her words did not. Sothing stirred deep within Noble's soul, as if sothing ancient was being rekindled.
She watched in wonder as the Saint worked. At first, nothing seed to happen.
Then Syrce's fingers began to glow with energy. That energy intensified as her strange speech continued. Then her hands glowed, then her whole body. The sight reminded her of the strange reflections produced by the source of power that they had seen inside the dam of Northgate.
Was Syrce becoming one of the reflections? Noble didn't think so. The energy she was making was almost imdiately being absorbed into the mirror. The relic was thirsty.
Then Noble seed to understand. Just like the reflections had fueled the dam, the Transcendent was now powering the mirror. Small streams of essence like dust began to flow from the images of her and her companion.
The streams spun around each other before being pulled into the looking glass.
The Great Mirror poured out more and more of itself into the hand mirror. Wrapped around the ivory fra, Syrce's fingers looked like molten light as the energy channeled into the relic.
Noble held her breath. Was it working? She wasn't sure, but she did know that she wanted it to be over and get out of this maze.
Before her, the happy scene continued. Fort had brought them food, and they were eating it greedily. The mirror was doing more than reflecting her thoughts. She had wanted her whole family with her, but had not imagined Seb.
It was like the mirror had tried to anticipate what she wanted and unintentionally caused a disconnect. It had tried to manifest her happiness and done so imperfectly. With that in mind, Noble was less unnerved.
She cald herself, not wishing to know what unhappy thoughts might do to Syrce's magical incantation.
The Saint's words reached a fever pitch, and the particles coming from the mirror increased to a river of light.
No, a river of reflection.
The amulet around Syrce's neck responded to the ethereal water. The jewel floated from her chest. The Saint ignored it all, focusing solely on the Great Mirror with a gaze that bordered on a trance.
Syrce's words suddenly stopped. Noble held her breath as the world around them froze. The other Masters looked away from their scenes to look at the Transcendent. She held the mirror steadily, waiting.
'What was that?' Noble saw a flicker of an image in the mirror. A form appeared in the space where Syrce's reflection should be, but Noble was certain it did not belong to the Saint.
The blip occurred for barely a blink, but Noble could not forget the man's unseeing eyes. She shivered.
The movent set off a vibration in the air. The room ca alive, causing the Great Mirror to ripple. Then, the energy that had been stored in the hand mirror was finally released.
A shockwave passed through Noble's body, throwing her backward. The other Masters were knocked from their feet by the percussive force.
The Great Mirror flashed with an otherworldly light, erasing the happy images from its face as the last of the reflections were pushed into the hand mirror.
All that was left on the surface of the pristine mirror was a single hairline crack where the blind figure had once been.
Getting up, the cohort straightened their armor and looked around in a daze. Other than the lack of reflections, the room looked the sa.
Aether blinked. "Did it work?"
Syrce lowered her arms, clutching the hand mirror against her gown. A smile blood on her delicate features.
"It worked."
"That is wonderful," Noble moved closer to the mirror, "but should we be concerned with... that?"
Looking at the small crack, Syrce shook her head. "It is a result of my actions, but it should heal on its own."
"That's good," Noble didn't like the idea of the crack remaining. The sight of it on the surface was unsettling beyond what she could explain.
"I am glad it worked, but what exactly did you do, My Lady?" Roan had not seen everything that had occurred, but he had witnessed the final pulse.
"The Great Mirror is too big to take with us, so I found a way to borrow its essence. With the little relic, all of our dreams can co true." Syrce stood a little straighter.
Her confidence was compelling, and they followed her lead.
Everyone, that is, except Flint.
"I hate to be the voice of reason, but how are we going to get out of here? Our entrance was effectively lted, and even if we get past it, I have a feeling that the Prince will be waiting to give us a not-so-welco party."
"Ah, that little problem..." Syrce laughed. "I think I have a solution to that."
She touched her necklace with her free hand, remaining silent for a long ti.
Helie coughed lightly. "Is the solution sothing you can tell us?"
The Saint shook her head. "No, but it is sothing I can show you. Now be quiet and hold on tight!"
"Hold on? To What?" Noble barely got the words out before the world began to shake.
She blinked, and everything changed.
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