LOGINFINN'S POVThe man didn't answer immediately. His eyes remained fixed on the inscription beneath the third pillar, and the fear I had seen in his expression slowly disappeared as he turned towards me.“You have no idea what you're looking at.”“Then explain it.”He laughed quietly. “Your father should have made certain you never returned here.”“My father is dead.”“Your father is the reason I'm standing here.”I looked at the inscription again. The anchor must never return to the side from which he came. If the man standing before us was the anchor, then he had already broken the most important rule of the experiment.But why had he returned?Ryan moved closer to me, keeping his sword raised.“Whatever you're trying to accomplish, it ends here.”The man glanced at him. “You sound exactly like Drake. Always believing a sword can solve a problem that was created long before you were born.”Ryan didn't respond. Instead, he looked towards the glowing pillar.“Evelyn, get away from it.”I
FINN'S POV“Evelyn, he's not the one who came back with you!”My mother's scream was followed by a loud cracking sound, and the mirror went completely dark.I turned towards Adrian, who was still standing a few feet away from us. He hadn't moved, but the smile on his face had disappeared.“What did she mean?” I demanded.He looked at me without answering.“There are two of you,” I continued. “The man behind my mother has your face, but she says you're not the one who came back with me. Who is he?”Adrian slowly adjusted his coat.“Your mother has always had a talent for making things more complicated than they need to be.”Ryan raised his sword. “Answer her.”Adrian glanced at him. “You should be more concerned about your brother, Your Majesty. You have spent years trying to understand why your father favoured him, but you have never asked yourself why he erased his memories.”Dylan stepped forward.“Stop talking about me and tell us what happened.”Adrian smiled faintly. “You really
FINN'S POV“Mom!”I took a step towards the mirror, but Ryan immediately caught my arm and pulled me back.“Don't move closer.”I struggled against his grip. “That's my mother!”“I know, but we don't know what he's doing.”The man with the scar chuckled as he watched us. He seemed completely unconcerned about the soldiers surrounding him, and the way he stood in front of the mirror made it clear that he had been expecting us.“Still as impatient as ever, Elara,” he said. “I suppose eleven years haven't changed everything.”“Let her go,” my mother suddenly said from behind the mirror.My entire body went still.Her voice was exactly as I remembered it. I had spent so many nights wondering whether I would ever hear it again, and now that she was standing in front of me, I could barely believe what I was seeing.“Mom, what happened to you?”She pressed her hands against the mirror.“Evelyn, listen to me. You need to leave this place.”The man laughed.“That's not what you told her eleven
FINN'S POV“Then who is he coming for?” Ryan asked.The girl behind the iron door looked at Liora.“The guardian.”Liora's fingers tightened around the pendant, and for a moment, she looked as though she wanted to deny it. However, she said nothing, which only made the situation more confusing.Ryan turned towards her. “You told us the girl inside was the guardian.”“I told you what I remembered.”“And now?”Liora glanced at the girl. “Now I know Varyn has found the first mirror.”Dylan stepped closer. “You're avoiding the question. If the girl is the guardian, why would Varyn be coming for you?”“Because there are two versions of the guardian's mark. One belongs to the child who entered the first crossing, and the other belongs to the child who remained outside it.”I looked between them. “Are you saying both of you are guardians?”“No,” Liora replied. “I'm saying the records were incomplete. The guardian was never meant to be a single person. One child carried the memory, while the
FINN'S POVI stared at Liora, trying to understand what she had just told me.“What do you mean she's not my sister?”Liora glanced towards the iron door again. “I mean exactly what I said. The girl inside that chamber is not the person you think she is.”“But she knows me. She called me Elara, and she remembers what happened eleven years ago.”“So do I.”I took a step towards her. “Then tell me what happened.”Ryan moved closer, his expression guarded. “You will explain everything, Liora. But first, tell us how you escaped.”“I didn't escape from anywhere.”“Your records say you died.”A faint smile crossed her face, although there was no amusement in it. “Your father's records say many things that aren't true.”Dylan folded his arms. “You were found near the northern river when you were six years old. You were brought into the palace, and your memories were sealed. Are you denying that?”“No. I'm saying that the person who brought me there knew exactly who I was.”“Who brought you?”
EVELYN'S POV“Don't let Liora tell you what happened.”I stared at the iron door, trying to understand why the girl behind it would say something like that. She had called me Elara as though she knew me, and the way she spoke made it clear that whatever happened between us was something she remembered very well.I turned towards Dylan. “You said Liora was inside this chamber. Is that the girl you're talking about?”Dylan shook his head slightly. “I didn't see her face. Varyn's men had locked me in another room, but I heard someone speaking to them. They kept asking her about the guardian and the key. She refused to answer.”“Then how do you know it was Liora?”“Because one of the soldiers called her by that name.”I looked back at the door. “But this girl is telling me not to trust her.”Ryan moved closer, studying the lock. “We shouldn't assume the person behind that door is telling us the truth. Varyn could have placed her here deliberately to make us doubt Liora.”“Why would he do







