The chamber fell into a silence so complete that Adrian could hear the slow rhythm of his own breathing.
Across the polished stone floor stood the man who shared his face.
Not a reflection.
Not another operative from the Mirror Initiative.
His brother.
The overhead lights cast identical shadows beneath them, emphasizing similarities neither of them had chosen. The same height. The same dark hair. The same sharp jawline was inherited from Damian Kingston.
Only their eyes told different stories.
Adrian’s carried years of restraint.
Elias’s carried years of survival.
The mechanical voice echoed once more through the circular room.
“Phase One of the succession trial has begun.”
Neither brother acknowledged it.
For a long moment, they looked only at each other.
“You knew,” Adrian s
