Page 46 of Reine's Salvation

Chapter Twenty

Reine gasped as he walked into the room. Nausea caused him to retch drily. No. Not again.

“What is this place?” someone asked.

They walked further inside, weapons at the ready. A dim reddish light flickered on and off, disguising the Inferums and giving off an eerie glow as they walked past the rows of mirrors.

“A storage area?” another man suggested.

“This isn’t storage,” Reine said, finding his voice.

Max glanced at him.

“What is it?” he asked.

“It’s a trap,” Reine said.

“How?” Max asked.

“They project our fears, those which makes us bitter and angry.”

“Then we must get out,” someone said.

“Hush,” Max ordered. “We can’t leave this place until we can confirm there is no other exit. If this room continues further ahead, we must investigate. We cannot let Wrath and his servants go by unpunished. The mirrors are harmless if we do not look at them and we do not allow our fears to take hold of us.”

They plunged ahead, keeping their heads down, carefully avoiding the glass.

“Are you okay?” Max whispered.

Reine nodded. If he didn’t lie, he could potentially place everyone in danger. Fear clawed at his throat. His head throbbed. With every step they took, his vision blurred and the buzzing sound in his mind increased.

Look at yourself, Guardian. You’re trembling so badly you’re going to drop your sword. Useless coward.

Reine tightened his hold on his weapon until his knuckles turned white.

You should try holding it with both hands. Oops, that’s right, you only have one.

Reine’s pulse raced. His phantom arm began to ache.

“There doesn’t seem to be an exit,” Max declared. “Let’s get out of here.”

Reine took in a ragged breath of relief. Everything would be okay.

Stop deceiving yourself, there is no such thing as okay.

The room went dark. Whispered curses echoed through the room. Reine groaned. His head was going to burst. Static noise filled his ears, obliterating the sounds around him. He thought he heard Max shouting orders, but he couldn’t be sure.

A flickering red light brought the chamber to life again. His sword dropped to the floor with a loud clang. Reine threw his arm over his head, partially covering his ears with his bicep and his hand. He squeezed his eyes shut. Panic threatened to consume him. He was alone.

“Hello, Reine. Have you missed me?”

Reine blinked repeatedly and focused his gaze. He stood before a large mirror with a blood red frame. Within it, stood Leslie. Tears filled his eyes. She had not changed.

“Leslie. You are not real,” Reine said.

“No? Then why can you see me?”

“You’re a trick. You’re dead.”

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