Shadow Slave

Sunny and Effie rushed down the long spiral staircase, jumping over several stone steps with each stride. The great tower shook around them as Mordret, Morgan, and Saint clashed on its roof. Sunny did not know who would win in that fight or for how long the two women would be able to hold the Prince of Nothing back, so there was no time to waste.

Effie seemed to understand that, as well.

”I just have one question!”

She failed to make a tight enough turn and slammed into a wall, using it to direct her momentum.

”How the hell are we supposed to find the Castellan?!”

Sunny was cursing the height of the great tower and the length of the stairs when he heard the question. His muscles had already been burning because of the climb up, and now, he had to descend the same way in a rush.

’Where to find the Castellan, indeed...’

At the moment, he was going over everything that Mordret had told him and trying to understand which of his words were true, and which were a lie.

Mordret was a frighteningly skilled manipulator, and he knew how to masterfully mix truth and deceit to control his targets. In hindsight, he had to be - humans naturally rejected anyone who was not like them, and so, he would have had to read their thoughts and emotions flawlessly if he wanted to fit in. Even before that, he would have become adept at reading emotions while growing up next to Anvil and Asterion.

That said, Sunny did not think that Mordret had lied about countless things here in Mirage City - just about the most important things. That was because he had needed Sunny and Effie to know the true state and function of the Palace of Imagination in order to use them as proxy agents against the Castellan. He had definitely exaggerated how dangerous the Castellan was to anyone who wasn’t him, somewhat, while at the same time understating how rough a form the Castellan was in.

The flood that destroyed Mirage City... was most likely a manifestation of that ancient reflection failing to endure the pressure of having to incorporate conflicting desires into its grand illusion without the guidance of the Castle Master.

The Castellan was breaking down, just like the northern dam had, and the illusion of Mirage City was breaking down with it.

So... where would Sunny find the Castellan? Most of Mirage City was gone, now. Only the tallest buildings remained above the water... and the Castle, of course. There was a slim chance that the Castellan was in one of the remaining buildings, but Sunny doubted that. No, the ancient reflection would be somewhere here, in the stronghold of its former master.

But where?

It was not the throne room or the roof of the great tower. It was not the courtyard, either. The Castle was vast, and there were plenty of halls in it...

Sunny glanced at Effie.

”You know the layout of Bastion pretty well, right? This replica of the Castle seems smaller, but there should be some similarity. How similar are they?”

By then, they had almost reached the throne room.

”Pretty similar!”

Sunny nodded.

”So, how would one get to the Great Mirror?”

Effie almost stumbled.

”The Great Mirror?”

There was the true Great Mirror, standing in the middle of the Hall of Imagination in True Bastion. But there was also the false Great Mirror, hidden deep inside the mountain under the illusory Bastion - that one, the rulers of Clan Valor and later Effie had used to control the Component of the great Citadel that allowed it to travel between reality and illusions.

The false Great Mirror led to True Bastion, while the real Great Mirror led to the Palace of Imagination...

But there was a Castle in Mirage City, as well.

So, wouldn’t it be natural to assume that there would be a third version of the Great Mirror here, as well?

’Just how deep does this infinity mirror go...’

Effie remained motionless for a moment, looking around with a bewildered expression, then nodded resolutely.

”Follow me!”

They rushed to an alcove behind the throne, where another door was hidden behind a tapestry. The Castle itself was a labyrinth, but Effie was able to navigate it with at least some level of confidence - she had been ruling Bastion for more than a year, after all, so this was a replica of her seat of power. ꭆ𝐚ℕöꞖЕŝ

”Where is it, where is it...”

Soon, they stopped near an unassuming wall. Looking around, Effie pulled on a metal torch holder fastened to the wall, then turned it slightly.

A section of the wall suddenly receded and then slid sideways, revealing a dark passage.

Effie smiled faintly.

”Still works”

However, in the next moment, both of them froze.

”What... what is this?”

As soon as the secret passage opened, a peculiar sound reached their ears.

It was quiet and subtle, as if coming from a great distance, but also impossible to ignore due to how out of place it seemed.

Sunny was pretty sure that what they heard... was music.

It was a clear sound of strings being plucked to sing a haunting, melancholic melody. They glanced at each other, not knowing how to react.

”Let’s... proceed.”

Effie nodded, just as bewildered and disturbed as Sunny.

They entered the secret passage, traversed a maze of dusty stone corridors, and reached a deep well leading to the depths of the mountain. A narrow staircase was clinging to its wall - they descended it without wasting any time, knowing that somewhere far above, Morgan and Saint were fighting Mordret with their lives on the line.

The deeper into the depths of the mountain they descended, the clearer and louder the forlorn melody became.

Until it filled their ears completely, making them both feel like they were lost in it.

Soon enough, they reached the bottom of the well and found themselves standing in front of towering gates.

Sunny held his breath for a moment, then took a step forward and pushed the gates open.

Out there behind them stood a vast underground chamber... much too vast for the scale of the mountain, clearly greater than the space it was supposed to take up. An immense mirror was standing in its heart, towering at least a hundred metres in height. It was covered by a sheet of thin black fabric, which moved slightly in a ghostly wind.

And in front of the Mirror, sitting on the stone floor with his back to them...

Sunny and Effie finally beheld the Castellan.