Chapter 25 – The Boy in the Mirror
Ethan opened his eyes. The sun spilled gently through the curtains. The world smelled like coffee, paint, and a new beginning. Noel was curled beside him, chest rising and falling in peace—no longer haunted by broken glass or whispering shadows. His skin glowed warm in the morning light, not cold like the mirrors had once made him seem. They were home. Not Reverie. Not the mirror. Here. Earth. Reality. Present. But not the same. Ethan rolled onto his back, staring at the ceiling. It was the same cracked ceiling of his old bedroom—but something in him had shifted. Reverie hadn’t vanished; it lived inside him now. In the way the light bent slightly, in the way Noel smiled, in the whispers of the wind outside his window. There was no more curse. No more running. No more choosing bet
- Writer
