Alexander slowly looked around while in Grani. He stood in a clearing of yellow stones that sparkled under the soft but unstable light source. Blue balls glowed in the sky, breaking through the clouds. The stones looked unreal, as if they were pulsating and changing color.
- It's still wonderful to be here. It was like a crazy artist was having fun.
Around them, in blurry spots in the distance, the outlines of light portals could be seen, each of which led back to the real world. These portals seemed weightless and impermanent, their luminous frames gently swayed in the air, creating a feeling of unsteadiness of reality.
Nearby, Roman was coming to his senses, slowly moving his head from side to side, trying to reconnect with the chaos around him. His voice sounded tired, but with notes of surprise:
- It seems they fired at us from a cannon. Think about it. Ha ha ha, okay. Well, what's the plan, Alex? Shall we come back while we still have time? Maybe we'll have time to escape?
Alexander, having established a mental connection, replied:
“I’m afraid that our bodies are already in the hands of the military.” I'm sorry I let you down. We died next to the president. I’m afraid there is practically no chance of your free return - despite the words, Roman smiled:
- It's okay, I'm glad we're here together. I promised help and it doesn’t matter what sacrifices you have to make. You remember, there at the factory. I wanted to die, and here you are. Furry ass. - after which the guy laughed. - Okay, that's all the lyrics, what's the plan? You have a plan, right?
Nodding in response, Alexander continued to examine his surroundings, muttering in his head, but Roman heard it clearly:
- And what is my plan? - Thoughts about the next steps were spinning in his head. Alexander, completely immersed in his thoughts, began to think about a plan to return his body. Memories of the Mirror Labyrinth and the necessary artifact - the Mirror of Shadows, which he could not find, as well as the Guardian of Illusions. If the Mirror of Shadows is returned to its creator, then his soul will be reforged and the connection with the destroyed body will be restored. And you can already do something about this. Although in essence, by his actions he will restore his body, he will most likely destroy Roman’s body, which the military will not leave alone.
- The plan is simple. To get my body back, I need to find the Mirror of Shadows, who was last in the Mirror Maze. - he broadcast his thoughts to Roman through a mental connection. Although Roman already heard all of Alexander’s reasoning, he didn’t show it. “I couldn’t find him when I came back for him, but I think with your help I’ll be able to find out at least something.”
- Okay, where is this place? Where to fly? - Roman asked, concerned about the possibilities and scale of the upcoming task. He has already turned to the souls, scooping them up for his fire technique.
- And the Map of the Edge and the souls that I took from Zeus will help us with this. - Alexander continued. At the mention of Zeus, he could not hide the surge of anger that immediately reflected in his voice. Cassandra's whisper not only helped to find out the unpleasant past, but also pulled a dozen strong souls into the guy's storage room. The anger passed, after which he pulled himself together and added: “I’ll restore the map, and we’ll fly along it.” How are your souls? Can you lift us up?
- Pf-f, Alex, I’ve already passed the third evolution of my gift, I have so much energy that I could blow up a city. I will do it in the best possible way. I'm already ready. - Roman answered confidently, demonstrating a spiritual glow in his fist.
“It’s too early, I need time to restore the map,” said Alexander and got to work. He concentrated his attention, turning his memories to the spiritual world. Using spiritual energy, he began to recharge the map, restoring the broken connections. Gradually, the artifact flared up in his soul again as a solid object. At his request, the image of Grani appeared before him. The slightly changing landscapes and creature marks of the Edge were in place.
Feeling satisfied that the map had been restored, Alexander animatedly turned to Roman.
- I was thinking that I don’t want to be your navigator. The map is like a navigator and it’s better for you to see it yourself. “You only hear me, but you don’t see anything,” he asked, smiling at the thought of a new opportunity. Roman shook his head. - well, it's time for experiments.
Roman, picking up the intrigue, but not yet fully understanding the plan, looked at him questioningly. In response, Alexander concentrated and began to fill the image of the card in his mind with spiritual energy. Then, having gathered enough power, he splashed this image into the outside world.
The card instantly appeared before the guy's gaze, a flickering image. Roman, a little surprised, frowned and said:
- So that’s what she is, but I only saw her for a couple of seconds, after which she disappeared.
- Great, that means we just need to practice the process, and we will be happy! - Alexander noted optimistically. His eyes shone with the possibilities that opened before them. This ability to instantly visually share information could dramatically change their interaction and search efficiency.
Alexander began experiments aimed at establishing a permanent communication channel. He methodically tried different approaches: changing the intensity of the energy, controlling the duration of the image, even varying his emotional state during the transmission to understand how this affected the result.
Each time, the picture became more and more stable and lingered longer in Roman’s perception, until finally they reached the moment when Roman was able to capture and feed the communication channel, taking on the responsibilities of maintaining the communication channel. Thus, he was able to hold the image long enough to examine it thoughtfully.
It all took several hours of hard work and experimentation, Alexander finally achieved the desired result - a stable channel between his consciousness and Roman. This allowed Roman to observe the map of the Edge, and the impression of what he saw turned out to be so strong that Roman could not hide his admiration.
- This is incredible! This is the place I understand! What detail! - he exclaimed, studying every corner and every line on the map that now hung before his eyes.
Alexander, hearing such a reaction, could not help but laugh. With effortless ease, he manipulated the power of the soul, enlarging the map to a size that allowed Roman to see every detail of the selected area as if it were a miniature of the real landscape.
“Incredible...” Roman repeated, asking Alexander every few minutes to show him different functions and capabilities of the card. The guy happily complied with his friend’s requests, rejoicing that his efforts were not in vain and now they had a powerful tool for further travel along the Edge.
- This thing can also build a route and become a minimap. - Roman’s eyes widened in surprise.
They spent about fifteen more minutes studying the map, switching between different regions and scales, discussing routes and markers that might come their way.
- I think we can fly? This is the Mirror Maze, isn't it? - the guys were now looking at the valley in which a gray dot displayed the mark of the spatial transition to the hall of mirrors.
Roman took the bunny in his arms and burst into a cocoon of flame, inside which Alexander did not feel the heat. Roman took off like a comet and quickly flew to where the map pointed him. They reached a lonely valley hidden by mountains after an hour of travel. Roman had drops of sweat on his face.
After a long flight through the winding landscapes of Grani, Roman and Alexander reached their goal - a lonely valley shrouded in silence. Yellow flowers covered every inch of the ground, creating a bright spot among the harsh mountain peaks. In the distance, portals were visible, like flickering windows to other worlds, and around them wandered the Dead - the souls of the dead that had recently been revived by the Sisters.
At the edge of the clearing stood an ancient mirror, about two meters high, with exquisite wooden carvings on the frame. This was the very mirror that Alexander was looking for - the Mirror Labyrinth.
Roman, already exhausted from the flight, carefully lowered the hare to the ground next to the mirror. He wiped the sweat from his brow.
- We'll do it, Alex. Together we can get through this. Just let me know what needs to be done and I will help. - he said softly, ready for further action.
- I know, friend. Thank you. Let's go to. - Alexander walked up to the mirror, touching its cool, smooth surface, and then simply jumped straight into the mirror, which seemed to be stroked by a surface of water. Roman followed and they found themselves in a hall full of mirrors.
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The mirrors created an infinity effect, reflecting Alexander and Roman over and over again. The mirror maze was a place of challenge and discovery, where every corner could hide something unexpected. But that was a long time ago, now it is just a lifeless spatial pocket without an owner.
Alexander, confidently moving forward, conveyed through mental speech:
- I had to fight with my copies here and get to know myself. I managed and remembered what had been erased. And right there, we entered into an agreement with the owner of this place. He gives me a copy of the artifact instead of destroying it. And after that, I can come and pick up the artifact for myself at any time. But as you can see, it's empty here. They are the Guardian, nor the Mirror. Empty.
Roman, listening to Alexander's words, paused for a moment, trying to comprehend the scale of what they had discovered. He wanted to say something, but before the words formed on his lips, Alexander had already jumped further to the next mirror.
Alexander approached him and turned him around, going to the side. This was a further passage consisting of stone tunnels, which led Roman into a wide hall, his gaze slid over every corner and shadow. A stone bridge hanging over a deep chasm gave the place a sense of mystery and antiquity. He carefully walked along the hall towards the bridge, looking under it and around it, examining every stone and every crevice.
- Maybe I’m missing something? Missed something? - muttered the young man.
“Will you let me look?” Roman turned to Alexander, who nodded affirmatively in response. With the care of an explorer, Roman combed the hall, feeling the walls, lifting every stone that could hide something underneath, and looking into every dark corner. However, his efforts did not bring the desired result - the artifact remained undiscovered.
After a long and unsuccessful search, Roman stopped and looked at Alexander:
- I’ll destroy here a little, maybe there are secret passages or niches here...
Without waiting for objections, Roman got to work. He concentrated fiery energy in his hands, and soon powerful flashes of fire began to hit the stone walls and floor of the hall. Each blow was powerful and directed, causing cracks and crumbling of stones. Roman's fire, like a dancing dragon, covered more and more space, turning solid stone into hot fragments.
However, even after a series of devastating explosions, fire whirlwinds and shattered walls, the item was never found. Roman, exhausted and disappointed, looked at Alexander, whose face reflected similar feelings.
- I didn’t find anything, let’s get out of here before everything collapses on us. - he said, taking the hare in his arms. Roman flared up again like a fiery cocoon, protecting them both from falling stones and hot drops of magma, and quickly rose into the air. They flew out of the collapsing Mirror Maze, leaving only dust and destruction behind.
As they left the labyrinth, debris and stones continued to fall, echoing loudly into the chasms behind them. The sound of the mirrors was deafening. It seemed that Roman's intervention broke the construct of the spatial pocket.
They both lay on the soft grass, staring at the bluish sky, on which islands of earth floated like slowly moving ships in an ocean of light. This vision was both beautiful and somewhat disturbing.
- Well, what's the plan next? - Roman asked, his voice was tired.
Alexander froze for a moment, peering at the world around him, looking for answers in the endless bluish sky.
- I should think. - he said slowly, and then his gaze settled on the wandering Departed - the souls whose bodies were raised by the Sisters. - Cassandra! She showed me the past of Zeus, the past close to us. There are a lot of Dead People right there, you can try to see through them who was there!
Alexander was excited by the new idea, already imagining how he could use these wandering souls to restore lost knowledge.
- Hmm, do you need those goons? - Roman pointed to people in clothes from different eras who wandered aimlessly around the valley. Having received an affirmative answer, Roma energetically waved his hands, and walls of fire instantly surrounded each of the Dead, not causing them any tangible harm, but limiting their movement.
“Well, let’s go, since you need them,” Roman said, taking the hare in his hand and heading towards the nearest fiery wall.
Inside the circle of fire stood a man dressed in tattered clothes, approximately of Italian origin from three hundred years ago. He was thin and pale, like a ghost from the past, with long, graying hair falling over his narrow shoulders. His clothes, although tattered and faded with age, still retained traces of their former splendor: exquisite embroidery and remnants of rich jewelry that now looked sad on his emaciated body.
When the man tried to attack the Fireball that emerged from the wall of fire, the latter instinctively reacted by sending a ball of flame at the attacker, which hit him straight in the chest. The force of the blow was not very great, but it was enough for the man to fall yellow flowers, no longer able to get up.
- Come on, Alex, it's your turn. - Roman said, watching what was happening.
Alexander jumped up to the man and looked into his eyes. At that moment, his consciousness plunged into the man's past, where he saw the moment of his death. These memories were dark and filled with pain. Returning back, the man’s soul was absorbed by Alexander, but he only shook his head:
- I'm doing something wrong. I need memories from the Edge, not from my past life. We need another test subject.
“Easy, there are dozens of them here,” Roman answered, ready to continue the search.
They stood up and walked towards the next wall of fire. Behind them, the body of the Italian man gradually dissolved into dust, leaving behind only the memory of a short meeting, which was immediately blown away by the wind.
As they approached the next Dead One, Roman again used his fire powers to immobilize the man. A bunch of flame was thrown as accurately and accurately as before, and the man fell to the ground, unable to resist.
Alexander carefully approached the defeated man, but this time he paused, taking his time to use his Cassandra Whisper ability. Instead, he focused, turning inward:
- Cassandra, help me, I don’t need the story of his death, I want to find out what he saw most recently. It is very important.
Alexander did not expect her to answer, but suddenly Cassandra’s Whisper sounded in his mind:
- Stupid, you don't need my help, just don't let him go when you find out his death story. Hold it and don't let go.
Having thought and understood the meaning of Cassandra’s words, Alexander nodded, as if in agreement with the invisible mentor. He prepared to use his ability, carefully peering into the face of the Deceased One. As his eyes met the man's, he was immersed in a flood of memories that began to open before him.
When Alexander looked into those eyes, he saw the story of the man's death. It was a cold, rainy day, and a man was wandering through the dark, narrow streets of an ancient city. Suddenly, two cloaked figures emerged from the shadows and attacked him without warning. They quickly and silently approached him from behind, one of them covered his mouth to stifle his screams, while the other drew a short dagger and mercilessly pierced his heart. The stone slabs of the street quickly absorbed his blood, leaving only a dark stain in the rain.
When Alexander's consciousness began to return to reality, he began to resist, not wanting to let go of what he saw. Seizing on the creation of man, he focused all his efforts on seeing something more significant, his true past, that could help in their search.
Alexander, immersed in the stream of memories of the Deceased, spent hours holding his soul and watching as the scenes of his stay in the Border flashed one after another at breakneck speed. These were aimless wanderings and attempts to kill the Forsaken. He grabbed onto one memory, and time around him slowed down, allowing him to examine the key moment in detail.
He saw himself in human form, participating in a battle with Dusk, his enemy, who covered his field of vision with fog. Alexander remembered that the battle was cruel and merciless. As a result of this collision, he died, and his soul was locked in the body of a hare. The scene changed, and he noticed Charon, an old man in a black cloak, who slowly walked out of the scene and disappeared into the whirlpool of time and space.