Novel & Cerita The Smoking Mirror Chapter 1

"Fine. You'll have your freedom, within reason. But you'll have a guard with you at all times, and you'll obey pack rules. Step out of line, and there will be consequences. Clear?" "Crystal." She stood her ground, glaring up at me. "And stop calling me 'little healer.' I have a name." "I know your name, Mirabelle." I let my voice drop low, enjoying the way her breath caught. "I just enjoy watching you squirm." Color flooded her cheeks, and she clenched her fists. "You're an ass." "And you're stuck with me." I reached out, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. My fingers lingered, brushing against her skin, and I felt her shiver. "Sweet dreams, little healer."

Christopher I gulped whiskey straight from the bottle, feeling the burn as it coursed through my veins. My reflection in the mirror before me appeared dull and disconnected. A ragged cough escaped my lips, and I took another swig, savoring the fire in my throat. At that moment, the door creaked open, and Mona slipped in, her eyes wide with anxiety. She approached tentatively, handing me the cigarette I had requested. I snatched it from her fingers and swiftly lit it, inhaling deeply.

CHAPTER 67 Room 313: Do Not Open the Mirror Li shoved the dorm room door open with her hip and announced, “Welcome to chaos, population: us.” The room was bigger than my entire old apartment. Two four-poster beds draped in black silk, a fireplace that already crackled with blue witchfire, and a window overlooking the courtyard where students were currently trying to set each other on fire (practice, apparently). Then I saw the mirror. Full-length, framed in blackened bone, hanging on the wall between our beds. The glass rippled like liquid mercury.

I scream and push him away. My head is bursting with pain and I rub my forehead, wanting the pain and the images to fade away. The images..... A boy...a boy with me, in the blunt images, laughing and smiling, my father talking and chatting with him, we eating dinner together, Emilia raising eyebrows at him..... And my fingers brushing his lips..... And suddenly I see his face, smiling.... I realize I'm not floating anymore. Then, everything goes black. I collapse. Lynn Vandestine

Just a faint heartbeat echoing somewhere ahead. I followed it. Each step louder than the last. At the end of the hallway stood a single mirror, unbroken this time. My reflection smiled. “You can’t silence what was born to speak.” The glass rippled, and a hand reached out from the other side—mine, but not mine—pulling me forward. Before I could scream, the mirror swallowed me whole.

Mira’s P.O.V There was no sound at first. Just a ringing—high, sharp, endless—like the world had shattered beside my ear and the pieces were still falling. Then came the pain. A low, crawling ache behind my eyes, spreading down my spine like cold fire. My eyelids felt heavy, glued shut by dust and smoke. It took everything in me to pry them open. Darkness. Not the comforting kind—this one was thick, suffocating, full of smoke that clawed its way into my lungs.

“Mira...” Mira looked up. Her laugh was sharp, broken,“Oh. You’re here?” Her eyes were bloodshot, rimmed red. “Of course you are. You always fucking are.” Scarlet’s chest tightened. “You shouldn’t be drinking like this. Or smoking. Or whatever the hell you’re trying to do to yourself.” Mira barked a laugh and staggered toward the desk, grabbing a cigarette. “You think I’m smoking?” She struck a lighter, flame flaring too close to her fingers. “Cute. I light them and shove them down my throat.”

My lips parted slightly. “Thank you,” I whispered. Mira smiled. “That is why I am here,” she said. I was about to respond when something strange brushed my nose. A smell. At first, faint. Then stronger. Then sharp. My eyes narrowed slightly. Mira paused too. Her smile faded. We both sniffed the air again. And suddenly—A thick, burning scent invaded the room like smoke. Mira’s eyes widened. “Oh my God!” she gasped. My heart jumped.

I catch her wrists and pull her close. For a heartbeat, we’re face to face. Her breath smells like my own fear. “I’m not your enemy,” I whisper. “I’m your consequence.” The reflection freezes. Her expression softens into something almost pitying. Then she smiles. “Finally.” She dissolves into smoke, sinking back into me. The air ripples. The other shadows follow suit, folding into glass again. The mirrors hum once, then fall silent. When it’s over, the hall looks empty. Too empty.

"And she’s going to use it to kill us. If we don't find, she will use him to take your throne." Ricardo stared at me for a long time. The silence in the room was heavy. Finally, he nodded. "Fine," he whispered. "But once I tell you, there’s no going back. You’ll be part of the secret forever." "I’m already part of it," I said, thinking of the red laser dot on Maria’s chest and the golden eyes in the woods. "I’ve been part of it since the day I stepped into this mirror." I sat on the bed, my heart ready for the truth. I knew that the next few hours would change everything. The "Mirror of Malice" was about to show us a face we never expected to see.