Episode 74: Sanctum of Balance

The air inside the Sanctum felt unlike anything they had ever experienced, neither warm nor cold, neither heavy nor light. It was simply balanced. Perfectly still and neutral. The moment the trio stepped through the molten gate, the weight of the outside world disappeared. Silence replaced it, so absolute that it pressed against their bones.

Their reflections walked beside them on the marble floor—not reflections, but echoes. Perfectly mirrored versions of themselves paced in rhythm. Their faces were expressionless, and their eyes hollow.

Elira's frostfire lit up the vast chamber. The blue glow caught on crystalline pillars that stretched to infinity. Each pillar shimmered with suspended light. Every movement sent ripples through the air like water disturbed by breath.

Akira muttered, breaking the eerie stillness. "You sure this is the right place?"

Elira nodded slowly, scanning the endless expanse. "It matches the description in the archives. The Sanctum is supposed to test harmony—the balance between will, emotion, and truth."

"Sounds exhausting," he said dryly. "What happens if we fail?"

Kuro's voice was quiet. "You break."

The sound of his words drifted strangely, echoing and folding back on itself. You break, you break, you break.

The third echo laughed. None of them had.

Elira tightened her grip on her staff. "The Sanctum reacts to emotion. Don't let your mind wander too far."

Akira scoffed, stepping forward. "Easier said than—"

THUUUM!

The ground shimmered beneath him. For a moment, the marble became liquid, and a second Akira emerged from it—identical, except for his eyes, which glowed faintly green. The copy smirked and raised both swords.

"What the—" Akira cursed, blocking a sudden strike—SLAAANG! Blades clashed with a flash of light. Sparks showered, scattering like molten snow. "It's me?!"

Elira called out, "Your emotions made him! It's the Sanctum's test!"

"My what?!"

"Your frustration!" she yelled, forming a frost barrier—SHRRRHHH! Shockwaves rippled from their fight. "He's born from what you're holding back!"

Akira grit his teeth and shoved his mirror self backward—THUND! The clone laughed, voice dripping with contempt. "Always second-best. Always the sidekick."

"Shut up!" Akira roared, slicing through the illusion. The copy dissolved into green flame, leaving behind only mocking laughter.

The silence that followed was worse.

Kuro stepped forward, scanning the space warily. The dark fire within him stirred faintly, whispering at the edge of his hearing. Balance is a lie. Power decides truth.

He clenched his fists. "We need to move fast. The longer we stay, the worse it gets."

Elira caught his arm. "Wait. We need to stabilize our resonance first."

He turned toward her. For a brief instant, her reflection smirked behind her, out of sync with her movements. His stomach twisted. "Elira, your echo—"

She turned sharply, and the reflection froze, smiling wider than it should have.

Then it lunged.

CRRRAAASH!

A shockwave of ice and fire collided midair as Elira's frostfire shield slammed into her double. The mirror-Elira's voice rang through the Sanctum, overlapping with hers. "You think you can purify him? You're not balance—you're obsession."

Elira's eyes widened as the words hit deeper than any strike could. Her double raised its hands, frostfire glowing dark blue, mirroring her exactly. FSSHHHH! Twin torrents of flame and ice met, filling the chamber with mist and light.

Kuro leapt forward, slicing through the energy wave—SHRRRANG! The black-red blaze of his sword tore a hole through the illusion. The reflection screamed, shattering into glass-like shards that floated in the air before dissolving.

Elira stood frozen, breathing hard, staring at the spot where her double vanished. The words still echoed inside her mind. Not balance. Obsession.

Kuro's hand brushed her shoulder. "It wasn't real."

She didn't look at him. "Maybe not. But it wasn't wrong, either."

He frowned, sensing the ripple of emotion in her mana. The Sanctum's balance pulsed again, stronger this time, feeding on their instability. The pillars of light began to hum, the chamber vibrating with unseen resonance.

Akira kicked at a fragment of broken marble. "This place feels like it's peeling our souls apart."

Elira straightened, regaining her composure. "That's what it's designed to do. We need to reach the central sigil before it decides we're unworthy."

"And where exactly is that?" Akira asked, glancing around at the seemingly endless corridors.

Before she could answer, Kuro pointed upward. The ceiling had dissolved into open sky—a swirling storm of light and shadow. At its center hung a massive symbol, slowly rotating like a celestial clock. Half of it glowed white; half black.

"The Purification Sigil," Elira breathed. "It's linked to the Sanctum's core."

Kuro took a step forward, but the floor fractured beneath his boot—CRRRAAACK! The marble shattered into floating shards. Reality itself split into mirrored fragments, each reflecting a distorted version of the chamber.

Elira gasped as her reflection duplicated—dozens of her frozen mid-motion. Akira's image fractured too, until the room filled with infinite versions of the three of them, each distorted and twisted.

And in every reflection, Kuro's eyes glowed red.

The whisper came again, curling through the air like smoke.

Balance cannot purify corruption. It only delays it.

"Kuro…" Elira said cautiously. "Don't listen to it."

He didn't respond. His flame flickered black for just a second, and every reflection flared in response. Countless mirrored Kuros turned crimson.

Akira stepped back, drawing his blades. "I'm not liking this, man."

"Neither am I," Kuro murmured. The whispers grew louder, overlapping—his voice, Nihil's, echoes of both. Why resist? They'll leave you behind. They'll fear you. Just like before.

He squeezed his eyes shut, gripping his head. "Stop—"

Elira reached out. "Kuro, focus on my voice—"

THUUM!

A pulse of dark fire erupted from him, sending both of them flying back. The reflections shattered like glass, raining shards of light. In their place, something new rose—an outline shaped like Kuro, but made entirely of shadow and ember. The Echo of Nihil.

It smiled.

Elira froze. "That's—"

"Don't say it," Kuro whispered, eyes wide.

The echo tilted its head. When it spoke, its voice was perfectly calm, perfectly balanced between his and Nihil's. "Why run from what you are?"

The entity stepped forward, its every motion a mockery of grace. Flames rippled beneath its feet—silent and colorless. "You burn to protect. But you burn because you fear. You fear being powerless again."

Kuro drew his blade—SHRRRING! The sound cut through the heavy silence. "You're not real."

The echo smiled wider. "Neither are you."

Then it attacked.

The clash was instant—THUND! CRRSHH! Dark and red flames collided in blinding flashes. The chamber bent under the force, walls fracturing like cracked mirrors. Kuro parried blow after blow—SLAAANG! THUND! But every strike felt like hitting himself, every movement anticipated.

Akira jumped in, slashing at the echo's side—SHHRK! But the blade passed straight through it like smoke. The echo's shadowy hand closed around his throat, lifting him effortlessly.

"Kuro!" Elira screamed.

Kuro roared, slamming his sword into the ground—BOOOOM! A wave of pure monarch flame burst outward. The echo released Akira, dissolving into vapor. For a second, everything was still.

Then slowly, the vapor began to reform—its shape reconstructing from the shadows, smiling once again.

"You can't destroy me," it whispered. "I'm your reflection."

The last light in the chamber flickered. Kuro's flame dimmed, wavering between crimson and gold. His hand trembled on the hilt.

Elira rushed to his side, placing her hand over his. "You're not him. You're more."

He turned his gaze to her, and for a heartbeat, he believed it. But the echo's eyes—his own—glimmered in the distance like two red suns.

The Sanctum's voice filled the air again, calm and cold. "The Balance is broken. Correction required."

The floor gave way beneath them—THUUMMMMM! The trio plunged into a vortex of shattered mirrors and howling wind. Kuro reached for Elira's hand, barely catching it as their reflections spun around them, endless and screaming.

Somewhere in the chaos, Nihil's laughter returned—faint, distant, but unmistakable.

And this time, it wasn't only Kuro who heard it.

Elira's eyes widened in terror as the voice whispered in her ear too.

"One by one, balance will fall."

The vortex swallowed them whole, and the Sanctum went silent.

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[To Be Continue...]

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