Escape into the Light

Edward stopped walking and pretended to listen.

"Our mother, Amy, was carrying twins back then.

But when I was born, I was a little... deformed.

Our father, Dr. Dan, who pursued perfection, saw me as a disgrace and abandoned me on the very night I was born."

Her tone was calm, as if she were telling a story that had nothing to do with her.

"I died, but my resentment kept me behind. I became a vengeful spirit trapped inside a mirror.

For many years, I could only watch my sister through mirrors, watching her live the life that should have been mine.

Watching her be harshly criticized by our father, bullied by her classmates, watching her become less and less like herself."

"Until one day, she saw me too.

She was terrified, but she didn't scream.

We began to communicate. I told her my story. She sympathized with me and even felt she owed me."

"So, the two of you made a deal?" Edward cut in.

"She was the one who suggested it." Alan's lips curled into a complicated smile, impossible to tell whether it was mocking or sorrowful. "She said she was tired and didn't want to face any of it anymore. She wanted me to live in her place, to fight back, to do everything she didn't dare do. And she could hide in the mirror and find peace."

After listening, Edward put on a perfectly timed expression of shock and drew in a sharp breath. "So that's how it was... No wonder you changed so much. You're her twin sister, Alan."

Alan stared at him for two seconds, then suddenly burst out laughing.

"Connor, you're not convincing at all." She mercilessly exposed him. "Your acting is worse than the male lead in the school drama club. From the very beginning, you thought there was something wrong with me, didn't you?"

Even after being exposed to his face, Edward wasn't embarrassed. He merely rubbed his nose. "Was I really that obvious?"

"Your gaze is too aggressive. You weren't looking at an ordinary classmate. You were more like someone observing an interesting prey." Alan hit the nail on the head.

Just then, an extreme chill swept over them from behind!

The mastermind that had been hiding in the shadows finally launched its sneak attack.

The shadow on the main mirror at the center of the hall suddenly swelled, transforming into a gigantic black ghost claw made from countless twisted faces. Soundlessly, it lunged for Alan's back!

It could sense that this girl's soul possessed a fatal attraction for it.

"Watch out!"

Edward reacted even faster. He didn't turn around; a sharp gleam merely flashed through his eyes.

"Telekinesis!"

An invisible and majestic force erupted in an instant. The menacing ghost claw came to an abrupt halt less than half a meter from Alan, as if it had struck an invisible wall and been pinned firmly in midair.

The mass of shadow struggled violently, releasing furious howls. The entire Mirror World trembled along with it.

"That's all you've got?" Edward turned around with a faintly contemptuous smile.

He raised his right hand toward the restrained shadow and spread his fingers.

"Purification."

Soft, pure Holy Light poured from his palm like a miniature sun. But to that mass of shadow, the light was the deadliest poison. The Holy Light transformed into countless chains of radiance, wrapping around the shadow before tightening.

"Aaaahhh—!"

A shriek so terrible it barely sounded human echoed throughout the entire space. Immobilized by Telekinesis, the shadow could only watch helplessly as its body was burned away and broken down bit by bit by the Holy Light. Black smoke continually rose from it, while the anguished faces forming its body dissolved one after another, releasing sighs of relief.

The demon roared and cursed, but it was useless.

Before absolute power, all struggle was futile.

Alan stood to the side and witnessed everything. Watching that man casually toy with a powerful demon capable of throwing the entire town into chaos with a mere lift of his hand shook her deeply.

At last, the screams stopped.

The massive shadow was completely purified, leaving behind not even a trace of resentment. In midair, only a fist-sized, crystalline diamond-shaped crystal remained, glowing faintly as it slowly fell.

Edward reached out and caught the crystal. It was ice-cold to the touch, with the texture of the purest crystal.

He weighed it in his hand, then looked at Alan and spread his hands. "All right, job done. Now the question is, how do we get out?"

But Alan's gaze was fixed tightly on the crystal in his hand. Her breathing grew slightly hurried, and an unprecedented longing flickered in her eyes.

"This thing..." she murmured.

She raised her head to look at Edward, unable to suppress the excitement and ambition in her eyes.

"Let me absorb it."

"Absorb it?"

"Yes!" Alan's tone became firm. "As long as I absorb it, we can get out. We might even... be able to enter and leave any mirror at will, no longer bound by anything!"

Edward looked at the fire burning in her eyes and understood what she meant. This wasn't merely the key to escaping; it was also an opportunity for her to completely transform.

Without the slightest hesitation, he tossed the crystal in his hand to her.

"Then what are you waiting for?"

Alan extended her hand and steadily caught the diamond-shaped crystal.

The crystal was icy cold in her palm, yet it seemed to pulse with life, glowing faintly against her skin. Her eyes burned with the look of someone who had seen the steps leading to a throne, filled with undisguised ambition and desire.

Edward folded his arms and watched her leisurely, as though enjoying a good show about to begin. He neither urged nor questioned her. That complete trust was more encouraging than any words could have been.

"Aren't you afraid I'll lose control?" Alan lifted her head, her burning gaze fixed on him.

"Afraid?" Edward smiled. "I'm only afraid things won't be interesting enough. Besides, even if you lose control..." He raised a finger and pointed at Alan's brow from a distance. "I'll pull you back."

Alan's heart suddenly skipped a beat. It was the feeling of falling for someone.

She said no more. Her gaze sharpened, and the five fingers clutching the crystal suddenly tightened.

"Crack—"

A crisp shattering sound rang out. The hard crystal broke apart in her hand, turning into countless sparkling motes of light. Rather than scattering away, those motes seemed drawn by some fatal attraction, transforming into a dazzling river of light that surged madly into Alan's body.

"Mm..."

Alan let out a muffled groan, her body trembling uncontrollably. An unimaginably immense power of the Origin of Mirrors rampaged through her body, trying to tear apart her soul. She clenched her teeth, and her eyes instantly turned completely black, like two bottomless Abysses.

At the same time, the entire Mirror World began to shake violently. Layers of Decay peeled from the walls, deep chasms split open across the floor, and the ghost flames on the ceiling flickered madly as though they could go out at any moment. This false world built from a demon's resentment was heading toward collapse after losing its core.

Edward remained where he was, immovable as a mountain. Invisible Telekinesis formed a barrier around him, keeping every falling fragment at bay. He watched Alan undergo her transformation, a hint of approval flashing in his eyes.

This girl's willpower was far stronger than he had imagined.

That violent energy would have been enough to burst any ordinary vengeful spirit apart, but Alan endured it by sheer force. Her body rose into the air, her slightly curled long hair stirring without wind, while the aura around her swung wildly between the extremes of madness and calm.

Finally, all the light withdrew into her body.

The world fell silent.

Alan slowly descended back to the ground. When she opened her eyes, an entire magnificent world made of countless mirrors was reflected in those black pupils. She raised her hand, looked at her pale palm, and gently clenched it.

"Snap."

With a soft sound, a full-length mirror beside her shattered into powder without warning.

She had succeeded. She was no longer a vengeful spirit dependent on a single mirror. She had become the queen of all mirrors.

"How does it feel?" Edward asked.

"Better than ever." Alan's lips curved into a confident smile. She turned to Edward, a trace of mischief in her eyes. "But this place is about to collapse. We need to leave. Hold on to me."

Before her words had even faded, she grabbed Edward's arm and pulled him toward the depths of the void.

The scenery around them changed rapidly. Countless shattered mirror fragments streaked past them like meteors. Edward let her pull him along, taking keen interest in the strange experience of traveling through space.

"Where are we going?"

"Home," Alan's voice came clearly.

Before her appeared a mirror emitting a soft glow. On the other side was a warm, tidy teenage girl's bedroom.

This was it.

Without slowing down in the slightest, Alan pulled Edward with her and plunged straight in.

Passing through the mirror felt strange, like going through a cool curtain of water. The next second, the world spun, and the two of them fell from midair, landing heavily on a soft carpet.

It was a typical rich girl's room, with pink walls, a white dressing table, and cute stuffed toys piled on the bed. Sunlight streamed through the blinds, casting streaks of light through the air. Everything was so peaceful and lovely, utterly unlike the gloomy, terrifying Mirror World they had just left.

Because of the momentum, Edward ended up beneath Alan, while Alan braced both hands on either side of his chest to steady herself.

The two were tangled together in an extremely suggestive position.

Edward could even smell the cold aura of the Mirror World lingering in her hair, mixed with her own unique scent, like a black rose. He could feel the softness and warmth of her body, as well as the rapid beating of her heart.

Alan froze as well.

Lowering her head, she met Edward's smiling eyes. Those eyes were like a deep starry sky, making panic rise in her heart as an uncontrollable blush crept onto her cheeks. It was the first time she had ever been so close to a man—close enough to see each distinct eyelash.

For a moment, the atmosphere became somewhat delicate.

Then, in that silence, so quiet they could almost hear each other's heartbeats, a timid and disbelieving voice sounded from the full-length mirror they had just emerged from.

"What... are you doing?"

The voice was soft, but it exploded beside them like thunder.

Edward and Alan both stiffened at once, their movements stopping as if someone had pressed pause on the scene.

Slowly and stiffly, they turned their heads toward the huge full-length mirror.

In the mirror, Maria's pale, delicate face appeared clearly. Her eyes were wide, filled with shock, confusion, and a hint of barely concealed... hurt.

She silently watched her own "sister" lying atop Edward, watched the tiny distance between them. Her lips trembled slightly, but she couldn't say another word.

"Uh..."

Even Edward, thick-skinned as he was, felt his scalp go numb.

This scene was far more thrilling than fighting a demon just now.