The glass boy took another step toward Mira. Its sharp, clear fingers reached out.
"I will take her face," it said. The voice was wet and heavy. It sounded like the bottom of the lake.
Lina could not breathe. Tears blinded her. Her heart felt like it was tearing in half. She loved him. She had fought so hard to save him. But she had to protect her friends.
She raised the heavy brass candlestick high above her head.
"I am sorry," she sobbed.
She swung it down as hard as she could.
The heavy brass hit the glass chest. A loud, terrible crack filled the room. It did not just sound like breaking glass. It sounded like a scream.
The glass boy froze. Its empty eyes went wide.
Then, it exploded.
Sharp pieces flew everywhere. Lina threw her arms over her face to protect her eyes. The pieces hit the walls and the floor with a rain of sharp clicks.
When she opened her eyes, the glass boy was gone.
Only a pile of clear shards lay on the red rug. They were already melting, turning into dark, black water.
Lina dropped the candlestick. She fell to her knees. She let out a raw, broken scream. She had broken him. He was gone. There was nothing left to save. She covered her face with her hands, crying so hard her chest hurt.
But then, the black water stopped spreading.
Lina peeked through her fingers. In the very center of the dark puddle, something was glowing.
It was not glass. It was a small, bright golden stone. It was no bigger than a marble, but it shone with a warm, steady light.
Lina wiped her tears and reached out. Her shaking fingers picked up the warm stone.
The moment her skin touched it, a voice spoke inside her head.
It was not the wet, heavy voice of the lake. It was Kai. His real, warm, human voice.
"Lina," he whispered. "You found it."
Lina gasped. The stone pulsed with light against her palm. Suddenly, she understood.
Kai had not just been hiding in the mirror. He had hidden his true name inside his own soul. The mirror could copy his face. It could turn his body to glass. But it could not digest his true name.
The golden stone was his true name. It was the real key to the cage. He had swallowed it, hiding it deep inside his chest so the Quill and the mirror could never steal it.
He was not gone. His soul was right here in her hand.
"Lina!" Mira yelled, her voice full of panic.
Lina looked up.
The heavy wooden door of the Founder's room bowed inward. The black water from the flooded chapel had finally broken through the floor below.
With a loud crash, the thick wood splintered and broke. A massive wave of freezing, dark water poured into the room. It hit Lina and knocked her backward.
The water rose instantly. It covered the red rug. It swallowed the heavy wooden desk. The old papers floated away in the dark tide.
Lina scrambled to her feet, clutching the warm golden stone tightly to her chest. Kai was alive. His name was safe.
But the room was filling with dark water, the door was blocked, and there was nowhere left to run.
To be Continued
© Kishtika., 2026
All rights reserved.
Thanks for joining me on this journey today! If you liked this chapter, please consider dropping a Power Stone or leaving a review. It really helps the novel grow, and I appreciate every bit of your support. Happy reading!
Next Chapter Summary for Chapter 133: Trapped in the flooding Founder's room, Lina uses the power of Kai's true name to find a hidden escape, but the False Kai is waiting for them in the rising dark.