The mirrors multiply.
One second they're standing at the carnival entrance. Next second mirrors surround them. Hundreds. Thousands. Reflecting. Distorting. Showing things that shouldn't exist.
Arden sees herself in every direction. But wrong. Different. Twisted.
One reflection shows her older. Gray hair. Wrinkles. Alone. Survived everything but lost everyone.
Another shows her younger. Twelve. Standing at the dock. Still counting. Still frozen. Never screamed. Lira drowned. Dead. Gone.
Another shows her successful. Famous. Rich. But hollow. Empty inside. Sold her soul for fame.
"Don't look at them," Arden says. "They're lies. Manipulations. Revel's feeding us false possibilities."
"Are they false?" Olli stares at his reflection. In it he's laughing. Happy. But covered in blood. "Or are they real? Other timelines. Other versions of us."
