Reflections of Fate
1003 Words
A fragile hush hung over the world as Elowen and Aric stepped beyond the crumbling city walls. The hush after a storm, pregnant with possibility, and fear. Even the night seemed to lean closer, straining to listen.
Their boots crunched on gravel and moss-choked paths, leading them through skeletal groves where ancient trees arched overhead. Moonlight filtered in pale slivers, turning silver where it caught on lichen and dew. Somewhere close, an owl trilled, a reminder that life thrived in shadow as well as light.
At last, they emerged into a secret glade. A ring of granite pillars surrounded a still pool so dark it swallowed the sky. Not a breath of wind stirred its surface: perfect glass framed by wildflowers and curling mist.
"The Lake of Mirrors," Aric whispered.
Elowen's heart stuttered. Stories told of this place as a dare, a myth. But here it was, more real than any dream.
She slid forward until she stood at the water's edge. The night air felt electric, charged by something older than memory. The lake's surface reflected her image so clearly she could've sworn she saw a person standing beneath the moon, herself, but older, shaped by power and pain neither of them had yet known.
She knelt, fingertips poised above the glass. Ripples formed, radiating out in delicate concentric rings. And in those ripples, the mundane world fractured.
First came shards of memory: the sun-warmed laughter of a childhood she barely remembered; her mother's lullaby fading into a dirge. Then echoes of prophecy: a blood-red moon hovering above a ruined city; lines of fire marching across barren plains; the collective cry of elemental guardians as they fell into slumber.
Aric crouched beside her, hands clenched on his knees. He did not speak; he simply watched the mirror awaken.
"Do you see yourself?" he asked finally.
Elowen swallowed hard. "More than I want to."
She drew back, a tremor in her spine, then forced herself to steady her gaze again. The lake shifted. No longer mere reflections, the water became windows into possible futures.
She saw herself standing atop a mountain of ash, amulet blazing, defying a tide of darkness. She saw Aric at her side, sword raised, face streaked with tears and triumph. She saw Nocturnis reborn, towering spires crowned with elemental statues, streets humming with balanced magic.
And, beneath it all, a second vision: gray ash choking the sky; magic unraveling like frayed thread; their names turned into curses whispered by widows and orphans.
She gasped, hand flying to her throat. The lake's whisper was at once promise and threat.
A wind stirred, lifting her hair, and the vision shattered.
"We can't stay here," Aric said, voice hoarse. "They'll find us."
Before she could answer, a new motion caught her eye: a flicker of movement behind one of the pillars.
A figure emerged, soaked and shivering, no older than sixteen, robes tattered, face pale with awe and dread. She carried no weapon, only a hood pulled low, and a trembling hand pressed to a silver crescent etched on her brow.
"I... I came," she stammered. "I had to see if the legends were true."
Elowen rose, cloak swirling around her. "And who are you?"
The girl's eyes darted between them. "Kaela. I'm... I was an acolyte." She drew in a shuddering breath. "Sentinels of the Bound Moon. They sent me. They said you'd be here."
Aric's hand dropped to his sword. "They're tracking you."
Kaela nodded, tears glinting in her eyes. "They believe the flame you bear will burn everything to ash. I was to... to stop you."
Elowen's pulse thundered. "Then why are you here?"
The girl looked at the glassy surface, her voice barely audible. "The lake spoke to me. It told me not to kill you, but to join you."
She took a hesitant step forward, water lapping around her boots.
"You heard it speak?" Elowen asked.
Kaela nodded, shaking. "It showed me my failures, and my chance to make things right. The elements... they demand balance, not blood."
A sudden gust sent mist tumbling across the water. The elemental guardians, shapes of flame, water, earth, and air, rose around the glade, silhouettes of living power. They circled Kaela, inspecting her as if determining her truth.
Elowen's amulet burned bright at her chest. It pulsed once, then twice, as though in greeting.
"She speaks their language," Elowen said softly. "Kaela, trust them. Trust yourself."
At that moment, the guardians shimmered and dissolved back into the mist. A voice, deep, resonant, layered, echoed through the trees:
"The pact falters. The spark must k****e. Choose your path, bearers of balance, or witness the world undone."
The words hung in the air, heavy as stone.
Aric stepped forward, hand extended to Kaela. "Come with us. We have much to learn, and little time."
She hesitated, then placed her hand in his. Her fingers were cold, but her grip was steady.
Elowen turned her gaze back to the lake. A final image shimmered on its surface: the four relics, her amulet, Aric's blade, Kaela's crescent mark, and something she did not yet recognize, gathered in a circle of light.
"The fourth," she whispered. "There's one more."
Kaela's eyes widened. "The Heart of Nocturnis."
Aric frowned. "A legend. A myth. They say it lies buried beneath the city's oldest foundations."
Elowen's lips pressed into a thin line. "Then that is where we must go next."
Above them, the first star emerged, pale and steadfast. The lake of obsidian glass shimmered beneath it, as if nodding.
Aric sheathed his sword. "We move at dawn."
Kaela looked between them, hope and fear mingling in her expression. "And if they come? The true Sentinels?"
Elowen squared her shoulders. "Then we stand our ground. Together."
The three of them turned away, boots sinking into moss and earth, hearts alight with purpose, and dread. Behind them, the Lake of Mirrors remained, guardian of truths seen and unseen, waiting patiently for the next time they'd dare to look again.
- Writer
