The dark doorway loomed ahead, black veins glowing faintly like pulsing wounds.Alex, Leo, Sophie, and Evelyn stepped closer, each heartbeat synchronized to the thrum of the Heart itself.
The air thickened. It pressed against their skin, filled their lungs. Every breath tasted like iron and smoke.
Suddenly, the mirrors all along the hall exploded inward, shards flying toward them—but instead of cutting, they merged into new shadow-forms, humanoid yet impossible. Faces they knew, faces they feared, faces they had tried to forget, all screaming silently.
Sophie froze. "It… it's everything we've lost… everything we've failed…"
Evelyn's voice rang out, sharp and steady. "No. We define what we face. Not the Heart!"
A massive pulse ran through the floor. The hall bent upward, stretching into impossible angles.From the dark doorway, the first of the Heart's true minions emerged—black tendrils fused with broken reflections, moving like liquid shadows, feeding on their fear.
Alex swung forward, fists cutting through one tendril, only to have three more snake toward him immediately.Leo analyzed the attack. "It's reactive! Every strike we make… it's learning!"
The Heart's whisper echoed inside their minds:"Every memory, every regret, every fear… it belongs to me."
Evelyn steadied herself. Lantern blazing, she projected calm into the flame, forcing a small zone of clarity around the group. The shadow-tendrils shrieked, recoiling slightly.
Sophie grabbed Evelyn's hand. "It's… too strong. How do we beat it?"
Evelyn's eyes narrowed. "We don't fight alone. Together."
Step by step, they advanced toward the dark doorway, pushing back against the Heart's grasp. Each step was agony—visions of failure, memories of loss, and twisted versions of themselves lunged at them from all sides.
Alex's doppelganger appeared in front of him, smirking.Sophie's twisted reflection reached for her, whispering everything she feared most.Leo saw himself trapped behind endless doors, screaming silently.Evelyn's own shadow reached for her, whispering words of despair she had buried long ago.
She gritted her teeth. "We don't run. We move forward. Together."
The four of them gripped hands. The lantern blazed brighter than ever.The shadows hissed and shrieked, but the Heart pulsed violently, almost afraid—feeling their defiance.
And as they stepped through the doorway, the hall seemed to shudder violently.The Heart's grip tightened—but for the first time, the group pushed back.
They didn't know if they could win.They didn't know what lay beyond.
But for the first time, they knew this:
The Heart had underestimated them.