Chapter 92: The Shadow in the Glass

The monster moved like me. Same height. Same stride. Same tilt of the head. But everything else was wrong—its grin too wide, its nails too sharp, its golden eyes burning with something feral.

When it stepped out of the shattered mirror, the sound wasn’t glass breaking—it was bones snapping. The air rippled, heavy and sour, and for a moment, I swore the entire hall leaned sideways.

I forced my hands to steady on my blades, though my palms were slick. “You’re not me,” I whispered.

The monster tilted its head, mocking me. “But I am.” Its voice was my own, only twisted, darker, dripping with malice. “I’m the part you keep burying. The blood. The hunger. The truth.”

I swallowed hard, taking a step back. “I’m not like Gregory. I’m not like Ravenna. I make my own choices.”

It smirked. “Do you?”

Before I could answer, it lunged.

\---

Outside the chamber, the air itself seemed to shiver.

Aidan jerked his head toward the estate as the walls groaned like they were alive. “That’s her,” he said sharply. “Something’s happening to her in there.”

Elena pushed off the rock she’d been sitting on, knives already in hand. “Well, what are we supposed to do? Storm in there and yell ‘surprise’? She’s fighting a ghost-mirror-demon version of herself, Aidan. That’s not really in the handbook.”

Ethan didn’t look up from his laptop, wires tangled around his wrist. His eyes were fixed on a screen full of static. “No… but the interference is spiking. Whatever she’s facing, it’s bleeding into our reality. If the barrier cracks too far, it won’t just be Roxanne fighting it. It’ll come for all of us.”

Callum scowled, arms folded. “Then we get ready. We’ve fought worse.”

Echo shook her head firmly. “No. We’ve never fought this. Because we’ve never fought her.”

Aidan froze, his eyes flicking to Echo. “Don’t say that.”

“I’m not saying she’ll lose,” Echo said softly. “I’m saying if she does, we’ll have to face what comes out of there. And it won’t be Roxanne.”

The silence that followed was thick enough to choke on.

Rhea finally spoke, clutching the old journal to her chest. “Then we have to believe she won’t lose.” Her voice was steady, too steady for someone her age. “Because if she does… the rest of us don’t stand a chance.”

\---

Inside the hall of mirrors, I hit the floor hard, the air punched out of my lungs. The monster’s claws had barely missed my throat, carving a scar into the stone instead.

I scrambled to my feet, heart hammering. “You’re nothing but a shadow,” I spat. “You don’t get to control me.”

The monster laughed—a horrible, cracked sound that echoed off the walls. “Control you? No, Roxanne. I am you. I’m the truth you refuse to see. The strength you refuse to use. You could end all of this, right now, if you just stopped pretending to be human.”

I raised my blades, forcing the tremor out of my hands. “Being human is the only thing keeping me sane.”

“Wrong.” It slashed again, faster this time, and I barely ducked. Sparks flew as its claws scraped against my blade. “Being human is what makes you weak.”

“I’d rather be weak than a monster.”

The monster grinned wider, golden eyes flashing. “And that’s why you’ll lose.”

It shoved me back with inhuman strength. My body slammed against a mirror, and for a second, I wasn’t looking at the monster anymore. I was looking at myself—bloody, broken, standing over the bodies of people I loved. Aidan. Elena. Ethan. Echo. All dead at my feet. And me smiling.

I staggered back, shaking my head violently. “No. That’s not me.”

But the monster’s grin only widened. “It will be.”

\---

Back outside, Aidan had his ear pressed against the sealed doors of the chamber. “I can hear her,” he muttered, his voice tight. “She’s fighting. She’s struggling.”

Elena crossed her arms. “Then why are we just standing here? Open it!”

“We can’t,” Ethan snapped, his fingers flying across the keyboard. “If we interfere, we could tear the pocket dimension apart. If that happens, we lose her. Completely.”

Elena threw her hands up. “So what, we just twiddle our thumbs while she plays chess with her evil twin in a funhouse?”

Echo’s voice was low but sharp. “We trust her.”

“Trust her?!” Elena exploded. “What if she can’t handle it? What if she—”

“She can,” Aidan cut in, his tone final. His fists clenched at his sides. “Because she has to.”

The conviction in his voice silenced them all.

But the truth was, none of them knew if he was right.

\---

The monster circled me like a wolf with prey. “Do you know why Ravenna brought you here?” it asked. “It wasn’t to test you. It was to break you. To show you what you really are.”

“I know what I am,” I growled, though my chest burned, my lungs aching.

“Do you?” Its smile widened, impossibly cruel. “Then why do you still dream of blood? Why do you still wake in the night, your heart racing, your claws out, your teeth aching? Why do you crave the fight? Because it’s who you are. You’re not Roxanne the survivor. You’re not Roxanne the Luna. You’re Roxanne the Harbinger. Death is in your blood. It always has been.”

“No,” I hissed, slashing at it. My blade connected with its side, and it staggered back—but instead of bleeding, it only laughed, golden ichor dripping like fire.

“You can’t kill me,” it purred. “Because killing me is killing yourself.”

I stood panting, blades shaking in my grip, staring into eyes that were too much like mine. For the first time, I wondered if it was right.

\---

Back outside, the ground trembled. Cracks spidered through the dirt, glowing faintly with golden light.

Ethan swore loudly, slamming his laptop shut. “She’s losing control. The barrier’s breaking down.”

“Meaning what?” Callum barked.

“Meaning if she doesn’t beat it soon,” Ethan said grimly, “we’re all about to meet Roxanne’s darker half.”

Elena twirled her knives, forcing a grin that didn’t quite reach her eyes. “Well, guess I always wanted to fight a boss-level version of our girl. Should be fun.”

Aidan turned on her, his voice sharp. “Don’t you dare joke about this. If she comes out of there broken, if she comes out of there as something else—”

“Then we save her,” Elena interrupted, suddenly serious. She sheathed one knife and held the other firm in her hand. “Even if it means saving her from herself.”

For once, Aidan had no answer.

\---

Inside, the monster lunged again, claws slicing the air. This time, I didn’t dodge.

I let it come.

At the last second, I dropped my blades and caught its wrists, slamming it back against the mirror. Golden cracks splintered across the glass, light pouring out like fire. The monster snarled in my face, its teeth inches from my throat.

“You can’t bury me,” it hissed. “I am you.”

I forced my voice to steady, even as sweat stung my eyes. “No. You’re not me. You’re just the part of me that forgot why I fight.”

Its eyes widened.

And then, with every ounce of strength I had left, I shoved it into the mirror. The glass shattered, swallowing the monster whole.

The hall went dark.

The silence was deafening.

And then I was alone again.