Chapter 9 Reflections of Her

The girl on the floor-the real Elira-stood slowly, her bare feet making no sound on the glassy surface. Her eyes shimmered like molten gold, soft yet unreadable.

Elira stared, frozen. "I... I don't understand. How are you me?"

The other Elira tilted her head. "You're asking the wrong question."

A flicker rippled through the mirrors around them-each reflection shifted. In one, Elira had blood on her hands. In another, she wore a crown of thorns. In one, she was screaming.

"Elira... what is this place?" she whispered.

"This is the Between," the girl replied. "Where souls come when they're broken, lost... or stolen."

The word *stolen* hit like a punch.

"You mean I wasn't just put in your body?" Elira asked.

"You weren't supposed to wake up at all," the real Elira said, voice flat. "But something went wrong."

Flashes returned-sirens, shattered glass, a scream she now realized was her own. And someone whispering, *Do you want to forget?*

The mirrors began to tremble.

"You took my life," the real Elira said, stepping forward. "But not because you wanted to. Because someone *made* you. They made you forget. They gave you my memories."

Elira backed up. "No... that's not true."

"You're not the villain," the real Elira said, softer now. "But you were the key. I needed out. Someone wanted me gone forever. And they used *you* to do it."

"Who? Who did this to us?"

Before she could answer, the mirrors all shattered at once.

The ground buckled. A scream tore through the air.

And suddenly, Elira was falling-through darkness, wind, *time*-until she slammed into her body again, gasping awake.

Kian was beside her, gripping her shoulders. "You were gone. For too long. I thought-"

She sat up. "It was her. The real Elira. I saw her. She's trapped."

Kian's face darkened. "Then we're running out of time."

He helped her up, and handed her the silver coin again. "You have a choice. We keep hiding. Or you let me take you to *her*."

"Who?" she asked, heart pounding.

He looked over his shoulder, eyes sharp. "The Seer. The one who switched your souls. The only one who can put it right... or destroy you both."

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