—Narrated by Eli Whitmore
---
Ever since the Vault beneath Mirror Hall opened, things had felt... different. Not just around the Academy, but inside me. Like something ancient had slipped into my blood the moment that cursed seal broke. Something that didn't belong.
My dreams had changed. I no longer saw only distant memories or fleeting shadows. Now, I felt them. I woke up breathless, heart pounding, fingers aching with energy that shimmered too brightly to be normal. Like light was cracking inside me, and something darker was trying to wrap around it.
I knew I couldn't ignore it anymore.
---
It was early morning. The skies were fogged with low clouds, the academy still quiet. I met Thorne, Felix, Ryker, Luna, and Draven near the eastern edge of the Luminary Garden. The roses were glowing a faint blue, shifting slightly as if they sensed something unnatural in the air.
"You look pale," Thorne said, eyeing me with narrowed eyes. "Worse than usual."
"Thanks," I mumbled, rubbing my eyes. "Didn't sleep much."
Felix leaned against the edge of the stone path. "Is this about the dreams?"
"They're not just dreams anymore," I said. "I think… the Binder's Curse is trying to get into my mind. Maybe even more than that."
Ryker crossed his arms. "You think it's because of the gate? The way it reacted to you in the Vault?"
I nodded. "And the book. It said something… that only I could bear the truth. But what if I can't?"
---
We found the answers—or the start of them—in the Chamber of Unwritten Truths. Headmaster Alaric led us down there, though reluctantly.
"I shouldn't be doing this," he muttered. "But the High Council is divided, and the Lightshade believes your visions can't be coincidence anymore."
The Chamber was cold. Carved entirely from obsidian, its walls shimmered faintly with invisible runes. At the center, a pedestal held a large obsidian mirror surrounded by chains of silver.
Alaric stepped back. "This mirror belonged to the Binder—long before he became cursed. It shows your reflection not as you are… but as your soul truly stands."
I swallowed hard. "So… this is a soul test?"
"No," Headmaster said. "This is your trial."
---
I stood in front of the mirror.
The moment I looked into it, the world fell away.
It was just me. Alone.
Floating in a space of nothing. No sky. No floor. No gravity. Just me—and the reflection in the mirror.
Except… it wasn't a reflection.
It was another me.
His eyes glowed with pale blue fire. His robes were black and silver, crackling with chained light. His voice was mine, but deeper. He spoke without moving his lips:
"You're weak."
"I'm not," I whispered.
"You think you're chosen, but you're just a gate. A door for others to pass through. You don't matter. Only what you let in."
"No," I said, louder this time. "I choose what I let in. I control the gate."
"Then prove it."
---
The space around me twisted into flame. Shadows poured from every direction, swirling like a storm.
I fell to my knees. My chest burned. The light inside me flickered like a candle in wind.
"Eli!" I heard a voice—Thorne's. Distant. Echoed.
"You'll lose them all," the shadow-version of me said. "They'll die if you let the Binder's power in."
I shook my head, tears in my eyes. "I don't want the power. I just want to protect them."
"Then stand," the shadow whispered.
I stood.
The light inside me burst outward.
And the shadows… bowed.
---
I gasped, stumbling back into the Chamber of Unwritten Truths. Thorne caught me, gripping my shoulders.
"You're back," he said, his voice softer than usual. "What did you see?"
I looked up at him. "Myself. But broken. Scared. Full of doubt. But I think… I think I passed. I didn't give in."
Felix stepped forward. "The curse hasn't taken you yet?"
"No," I said. "But it wants to. And it's not done trying."
Thorne exchanged a look with Luna. "Then we need to find the next piece of the prophecy. Before it's too late."
I smiled faintly. "One step at a time. I'm not giving up."
---
As we walked back up into the morning light, I felt something change.
Not in the world.
In me.
I wasn't just the Gate Way Keeper anymore.
I was becoming something else.
Something stronger.
Something ready.
---
To be continued...