Chapter 14: Reflections of War
The girl who emerged from the veil looked exactly like Lyra—same flowing silver hair, same haunting violet eyes. But her expression was different. Colder. Calculating. The warmth that defined Kazuki's daughter was absent.
Kael instinctively stepped in front of his sister. "Who are you?"
The doppelgänger tilted her head. "I'm Lyra. But not the one you know."
The real Lyra narrowed her eyes. "You're from the Fractured World."
"Correct," she said. "The world that should have been. Where power mattered more than love. Where we did what was necessary."
Zeren's face paled. "She's the Warden of the Null Void… The one who destroyed the Obsidian Council."
Aria whispered, "Another one of our children…"
Kazuki clenched his fists. "You're twisted by your world. This isn't who you are."
The alternate Lyra laughed. "Spare me your sentiment. I came to offer a deal. Surrender the Echo Throne to me… or I take it."
"You can't," Lyra said. "The Throne only responds to memory born of love, not domination."
Her twin smiled wickedly. "That's where you're wrong. You believe that because your father gave you peace. Mine gave me war."
She raised her hand, and with it, a dozen silhouettes emerged from the shadows—alternate versions of key figures, including a warped Kael, a cruel version of Aria, and even a corrupted Zeren.
"Meet the Broken Lineage," she declared. "A family forged by blood and betrayal."
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Twisted Mirrors
Kazuki's heart thundered. Facing himself had been hard enough—but seeing twisted reflections of everyone he loved was worse.
"Stand down," Kazuki said. "I don't want to fight you."
The dark Kael stepped forward. "That's your problem. You never want to fight until it's too late."
He launched at Kael, blades clashing in midair.
The two sons battled—a mirrored reflection of techniques, dodges, and fury.
Meanwhile, Aria stood frozen as her doppelgänger approached.
"You always tried to sing the world into peace," the dark Aria whispered. "But sometimes, screams are louder than songs."
Aria's hands lit with magic. "I don't care. I'll never stop singing for them."
Their clash echoed through the Citadel, harmonics of light and shadow dancing in chaotic symphony.
Zeren stepped toward his alternate self. "You manipulated the Council into oblivion."
"And yet, I stood at the top," the corrupted Zeren replied. "What good is wisdom if it doesn't bend the world?"
"You've forgotten the first lesson: to serve," Zeren said—and cast a chain of ancient light around his darker self.
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Kazuki's Decision
Kazuki faced the alternate Lyra alone.
She studied him like a predator. "Your existence is a paradox. You defied fate, yes. But that won't save you now."
"I won't fight you," he said.
"Then you'll die."
She rushed him—but at the last second, Kazuki activated a hidden technique: Chrono Reversal, a move that allowed him to displace time by seconds.
He appeared behind her, hand glowing with restrained energy.
"I see it now," he murmured. "You're afraid. Not of me—but of what you could've had."
She faltered—just slightly.
In that moment, Lyra tackled her, their bodies colliding in a cascade of light.
---
Revelation
As they struggled, visions flashed—memories from both Lyras flooding the Citadel.
In one, Kazuki held the dark Lyra as a child, weeping in the ruins of a city.
In another, Aria sang to her as the stars died around them.
"You were loved," Lyra whispered, tears in her eyes. "You just forgot."
But the dark Lyra screamed, breaking free. "No! I don't want your pity—I want power!"
She summoned the Origin's essence—but the Echo Throne rejected her.
It pulsed, defending Kazuki and his family.
"You cannot rule what you refuse to understand," it echoed.
The dark Lyra fell to her knees.
Kazuki walked up beside her, offering a hand. "You don't have to disappear. You can still choose."
She looked up at him, eyes trembling. "Why would you forgive me?"
"Because you're my daughter… in every timeline."
---
The Calm Before the Storm
The battle-scarred Citadel fell into silence. Members of the Broken Lineage either retreated or vanished into light, unable to withstand the Throne's rejection.
Kael, bruised but triumphant, leaned against a pillar. "That was too close."
Aria approached Kazuki and embraced him from behind. "You still see the best in everyone… even in the worst versions of us."
"I have to," he said. "It's what keeps us whole."
Lyra sat beside her alternate self, who now remained quiet, her face hidden beneath her hair.
"You're not a monster," she said softly. "You're just tired."
The alternate Lyra said nothing. But she didn't disappear.
Zeren studied the Throne, now pulsing a shade of golden blue. "It's evolving. Responding to growth."
Suddenly, a warning light shimmered in the sky. The Citadel's spires quivered. A storm was coming—but not of wind or lightning.
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Cliffhanger
A new presence stepped from the rift—cloaked in obsidian armor, face hidden by a shifting mask.
Kazuki stepped back, recognizing the energy.
"That's… impossible."
Zeren fell to one knee. "It's him. The First Memory."
The figure spoke with a thousand voices.
"I am the memory that birthed the Origin… the first spark. And I have come to end this cycle."
A rift opened behind the figure, and through it came a burning world—a glimpse of what awaited if the First Memory succeeded.
The skies wept black flame.
The ground fractured beneath ethereal chains.
And at the center of it all was a throne—twisted and cold—waiting for its new ruler.
Kazuki stared into the fire and whispered, "This war isn't just for our world anymore. It's for all of them."
To be continued in Chapter 15: The First Memory's Judgement