The night air bit at Rui's cheeks as they walked back to Ye's SUV, the fragment in her palm throbbing like a second heartbeat. She'd replayed her mother's vision in her head a dozen times— the blue dress, the desperate press of hands against glass, the cut-off warning about Chen. It wasn't just a memory. It was a message. And Chen, the SPU agent who'd smiled at her at the Mirror House, who'd asked "concerned" questions about Javier's death, was holding the key to unlocking it.
"He's not just a mole," Rui said, sliding into the passenger seat. Her fingers brushed the blue-enameled earring in her pocket, its metal still warm from being close to her skin. "He's after the fragments. After me. Because of my mom."
Ye started the SUV, his jaw tight. "We'll go to SPU. But we don't walk in blind—Dao Feng, call Mike. Tell him to meet us in the back alley, off the record. If Chen's working for Zhou Xuan, we can't trust anyone else there."
Dao Feng pulled out his phone, his hands shaking slightly. He'd known Chen for months—trained with him, shared coffee after cases. The betrayal stung. "Mike owes me a favor," he mumbled. "Helped him with that poltergeist in Queens. He'll meet us."
The drive to the SPU's downtown office was silent, broken only by the hum of the engine and the faint glow of the fragment. Outside, Manhattan's skyline loomed— skyscrapers lit up like giant mirrors, each one a potential prison for souls. Rui stared at them, her Yin Sight prickling at the back of her eyes. She could almost see the trapped spirits, faint and translucent, pressing against the glass.
When they pulled into the alley behind the SPU building, Mike was already there, leaning against his unmarked car, a coffee in one hand and a gun in the other. His face was grim when he saw them. "Dao Feng said Chen's dirty. How bad?"
"Night Shuhui," Ye said, holding up the fragment. "He's working for Zhou Xuan. Has another shard. Trapped Lila and Javier in mirrors—maybe more."
Mike's coffee cup clattered to the ground. "Night Shuhui? I thought they were a myth. Chen's been with SPU for two years—we ran a background check. Clean."
"Zhou Xuan's good at faking clean," Lao Guo had said, and Rui found herself repeating it now. "He's been collecting souls, feeding them to the Pivot. Chen's helping him. And he's after me—because of my mom."
Mike nodded, his hand tightening around his gun. "Let's go. Chen's in his office—third floor. I'll distract the front desk. You three take the service stairs. If he tries to run, my team's got the exits."
The service stairs reeked of mildew and burnt rubber. Rui's Guan Yin pendant grew hotter with each step, and the fragment in her hand pulsed faster— syncing with something nearby. Chen was close.
On the third floor, the hallway was quiet. Most agents had gone home, but Chen's office light was on, its door slightly ajar. Ye held up a finger, signaling them to stop. He pulled his peachwood sword, its blade glowing gold, and kicked the door open.
The office was empty.
But the mirrors weren't.
Every surface— the window, the bathroom mirror, even the screen of Chen's computer—was fogged. And in each fogged surface, a reflection stared back: not Chen's, but the paper doll's. Its blank face turned toward Rui, and its black nails scratched the glass.
"Trap," Dao Feng said, raising the Xuanqing Whisk. The whisk's silver bristles flared, pushing back a wave of cold Yin energy that rolled out of the mirrors. "He knew we were coming."
Rui's Yin Sight triggered without warning. The room blurred, and suddenly she was seeing double— the real office, and a ghostly version of it, where Chen stood in the corner, holding a second fragment. His mouth was moving, chanting in Chinese, and the mirrors began to ripple.
"Behind the desk!" Rui yelled, pointing. "He's there—using a cloaking spell!"
Ye swung his sword, slicing through the air where Rui had pointed. The spell broke with a shriek, and Chen stumbled forward, the second fragment flying from his hand. It clattered to the floor, glowing black, and instantly began to pull toward Rui's fragment— magnetic, hungry.
"Give it back!" Chen yelled, diving for the fragment. But Dao Feng stepped in, swinging the Xuanqing Whisk. Silver light wrapped around Chen's legs, pinning him to the ground.
Rui knelt to pick up the second fragment. When her fingers touched it, a vision exploded in her head— not her mother this time, but Zhou Xuan. He stood in a dark room, surrounded by mirrors, holding three fragments. A woman with blue earrings— Rui's mom—was tied to a chair, her eyes wide with fear. "Find the balance," Zhou Xuan said, his voice cold. "Find the girl. The Pivot needs her blood."
The vision cut off. Rui gasped, dropping the fragment. It clinked against the first one, and both began to glow— bright enough to make her squint.
"What did you see?" Ye asked, helping her stand. His hand was warm on her arm, grounding her.
"Zhou Xuan," she said, her voice shaking. "He has my mom. He needs… my blood. To power the Pivot."
Chen laughed, a bitter, hollow sound. "You think you can stop him? He's been planning this for ten years. Your mom tried to stop him once—stole a fragment, ran to New York. But he found her. And now he'll find you."
Dao Feng kicked Chen's gun away, his face hard. "Where is he? Where's the next fragment?"
Chen's smile faded. He glanced at the mirrors, where the paper doll's reflection was now joined by others— Lila, Javier, a dozen more trapped souls. "The next shard's in the Queens Library," he said, his voice low. "In the ancient books section. Zhou Xuan's already there. Waiting for you."
Before anyone could say more, the mirrors shattered. The paper doll burst through, its body now made of hundreds of crumpled paper sheets, its face a mess of black ink. It lunged at Chen, and he screamed— a sound cut short as the doll wrapped around him, dissolving into black smoke. When the smoke cleared, Chen was gone. Only a single note remained, scrawled in his handwriting:
The library waits. Come alone, or the souls die.
Mike burst into the office, his gun drawn. "What happened? We heard a scream."
"Chen's gone," Ye said, picking up the note. "Zhou Xuan's at Queens Library. Has the next fragment. And he's using the trapped souls as leverage."
Rui picked up both fragments, their glow dimming now that they were apart. She tucked them into her blazer pocket, next to her mother's earring. The earring was warm, almost hot, and she could hear a faint whisper— her mom's voice, soft and urgent.
"The library's mirror. It's the oldest. Don't let him open it."
Ye put his arm around her, his eyes steady. "We're not going alone. Mike, get your team to the library—surround the building. Dao Feng, you'll come with us. We'll find the fragment, free the souls, and get your mom back."
Rui nodded, taking a deep breath. The fear was still there— sharp and cold—but it was overshadowed by something else: resolve. For ten years, she'd hidden from her medium powers, from the whispers, from the truth about her mom. Not anymore.
They walked out of the SPU office, the night air now crisp with purpose. Mike's team was already gathering, radios crackling, as they headed to Queens. Ye's SUV pulled onto the highway, and Rui stared at the fragments in her palm. They pulsed in time with her heartbeat, as if they were part of her.
"Zhou Xuan thinks he can use me," she said, more to herself than to the others. "He's wrong."
Ye glanced at her, a small smile on his face. "He is. Because you're not alone. We're with you."
Dao Feng nodded, flipping through Master Qingyunzi's notebook. "And we have this. Master wrote about the Queens Library—said it was built on an old Yin Nest. The mirror there isn't just a portal. It's a key. To the Pivot."
Rui touched her mother's earring, the whisper now faint but clear. "I'm here, Rui. Don't give up."
She closed her eyes, focusing on the sound. When she opened them, the fragments in her hand were glowing— pointing toward Queens, toward the library, toward the mirror that held her mother.
They were getting closer.
As the SUV merged onto the highway, Rui glanced in the rearview mirror. Behind them, the SPU building's windows glowed— but in one window, she saw a reflection. Not hers, not Ye's, but Zhou Xuan's. He stood there, holding a third fragment, and smiled.
The whisper in her ear turned to a scream.
"He's not at the library. It's a trap."
Rui's heart dropped. They'd walked right into it.
But it was too late to turn back. The SUV was already heading toward Queens, toward the library, toward whatever Zhou Xuan had planned.
And somewhere, in a dark room surrounded by mirrors, her mother was waiting.