The Mirror of Hidden Aspects, like most cursed items, originally served a practical purpose. Created by the ancient Court of Magic, all visitors were required to pass before it so any hidden intentions of murder or ill will could be revealed, preventing political assassinations. But over time, the Mirror grew weary and began to delve deeper. It started revealing subconscious thoughts and desires, sometimes unknown even to the individuals themselves.
Then it began to hunger for them. It found these hidden aspects and feasted on them, removing them from the person entirely. Stand in front of the Mirror too long, and you'd find yourself unable to function—a husk whose body performed only its most basic functions until someone took pity upon you, and even that would eventually cease.
So when this was explained to the Princes, it didn't make convincing them any easier.
"Has it already consumed parts of me as we stood here?!" Lysander asked, his concern rising. "You could just be an illusion forcing us to stay until we're drained! How do I know Cal isn't just wetting himself because he lost control, not because he's scared?!"
Calenor punched his brother hard in the arm, causing him to wince and laugh as he rubbed the bruised spot.
Thaexor sighed and shook his head, keeping his eyes lowered.
"I've been keeping the Mirror dormant while we spoke. Currently, it's in a sort of hibernation. But once I awaken it, that's exactly what it will do—and what we need it to do," he explained, his tone exasperated. "It'll start by showing you your thoughts, then dig down to what's truly hidden. Once it reaches that next level, when it wants to consume you, that's when the gateway will open, and I can escape."
"And what happens to the one of us being consumed during this?" Calenor asked calmly. "I want to help you, but not at the expense of ending up brain-dead."
"We're making a contract, Your Grace. I promise I'll keep you and your brother safe from the Mirror's effects," Thaexor said reassuringly. "That being said, the Mirror is drawn to you specifically, so I believe you'd be the perfect bait."
"Absolutely not," Lysander interjected protectively, a growl forming deep in his throat. "If it wants him that badly, we can't use him as bait. We need it to let go when the time comes, and that won't happen if whatever secrets he's hiding get drawn out—"
Another punch from Calenor, this time to Lysander's chest, caused him to cough and catch his breath. Calenor moved to punch again when Lysander raised his hands in surrender, the joke already made.
"Maybe he's right," Thaexor said thoughtfully. He looked at Calenor, then back at Lysander. "Let's see if we can't solve this first with you. Let's hope you have more hidden than just chasing your own tail."
"I haven't even shifted into a wolf," Lysander muttered under his breath as he hopped around, trying to build up his adrenaline.
They went over the plan one more time: Thaexor would awaken the Mirror with Lysander in front of it, and as the Mirror began to open and feed, Calenor would use his magic to force open the portal and pull Thaexor out. Once freed, the three of them would combine their magic to lock the Mirror back into a dormant state, placing a glamour on it to make it appear as though it was still imprisoning Thaexor.
Once all were in agreement, they took their places: Lysander stood before the Mirror, Calenor to the side, and Thaexor holding onto the Mirror's frame from within. Lysander nodded and took a deep breath, closing his eyes as the fiend swirled out of view. Like a bear waking from hibernation, the glass of the Mirror came to life, reflecting the Moon Prince. All was quiet and still until Lysander opened his eyes.
Everything was dark except for the Mirror in front of him, now showing his reflection. He felt the cool night air fill his nostrils as wind began rushing around him. The ground beneath his feet vanished, and he was flying above the rolling hills of the Moon Realm. He swooped down like a crow and flew alongside a pack of wolves. Lunara was at its head, and she jumped up to play with Lysander. He shifted into a wolf and landed mid-run, joining the pack on its hunt.
After a long day, they returned to their den and went to sleep. A cool breeze brushed against his fur, and suddenly Calenor was standing there, clutching the Mace of Many Faces. Lysander moved to defend himself when he realized there was blood dripping—Calenor's blood. It seeped from under his brother's robes as tears ran down Calenor's face.
"Where... where were you?" Calenor said, his voice wavering as he stepped forward. Lysander was alone now, lying bare on a stone floor. He felt the cold against his skin and couldn't move. "I waited. I tried to hold them back without you, but... I couldn't. I needed you."
Calenor collapsed, reaching for Lysander as the light left his eyes. Lysander scrambled forward, but his brother's body turned to dust before he could reach him. Footsteps approached from behind, and hands grabbed Lysander's shoulders, pulling him to his feet. He was turned around to face the Moon King, his father's face twisted with scars and wounds, his eyes black as new moons against a starry sky.
"You think you could rule?" the King sneered, spitting in Lysander's face. He was frozen, forced to stand still as his tears mixed with his father's contempt. "You are nothing compared to your brother. A joke. I should have tossed you to the wolves the minute you were born."
Just as Lysander was about to respond, he felt an otherworldly tug pulling him from the vision. Calenor was dragging him back. Like waking from a deep sleep, Lysander felt cold air fill his lungs as he realized his arm was now through the glass of the Mirror as if it were water. Calenor was grabbing his shirt, trying desperately to pull him out, while Thaexor held his hand but was trying to push him out.
"Wake up, Lys!" Calenor screamed. "Now is not the time!"
"Snap out of it! The Mirror was hungrier than I thought!" the fiend exclaimed, trying to slow Lysander's entry into the Mirror. When he noticed Lysander come to, he smiled and gripped his hand. "Now, push!"
Lysander dug his heels into the ground and began moving backward, pulling himself out of the Mirror with Thaexor in tow. The frame of the Mirror strained and groaned as they slowly extracted themselves inch by inch. Once Thaexor's second arm was free, he swung it out and gripped Lysander by his brown hair, causing him to yelp in pain. Calenor grabbed the fiend's robes with one hand and Lysander's shoulder with the other. After a few more moments, they all tumbled to the floor.
They sat there, panting. Lysander fell onto his back, allowing himself a moment to process the haunting visions he'd just endured. Thaexor dug his fingers into the ground, eyes closed, savoring the sensation of freedom after ages of imprisonment. Calenor caught his breath, brushing sweat-soaked strands of dark hair from his face.
A chill crept up Calenor's spine. He glanced at the Mirror and froze. His reflection stood there, but something was terribly wrong. The eyes staring back were not his own—they were yellow, with horizontal black slits instead of pupils. The reflection's grin stretched unnaturally wide, nearly splitting its face. From beneath its hair, two horns spiraled upward, casting twisted shadows on the glass. Its knees snapped backward with a grotesque crack as its feet morphed into cloven hooves.
"Ah, zis is very interesting... you are not all vat you seem, leetle Prince," the reflection hissed, its voice echoing unnaturally around them. "A mind so broken... so many pieces. Lady Luck... a Soldier... a Performer... and more. Hidden avay, yes..."
Calenor scrambled to his feet, his heart pounding like a war drum. Thaexor and Lysander exchanged alarmed glances before hastily standing up.
"Prince Calenor, do not—" Thaexor began, but before he could finish, thorned vines erupted from the ground. The brambles lashed out, ensnaring his throat and hoisting him into the air. He clawed desperately at the constricting tendrils, his face turning pale.
"Zis is not your concern, devil," the reflection sneered, waving a dismissive hand. It pressed itself against the inside of the glass, its fingers elongating into razor-sharp claws that scraped against the surface, leaving deep gouges. It licked its lips, a forked tongue flickering out. "So much hidden. I could feast for a thousand years."
The atmosphere grew oppressive; shadows twisted and danced along the walls, and the temperature plummeted. Whispered voices filled the air, unintelligible but dripping with malice. The Mirror's frame warped and contorted, dark tendrils slithering out and creeping across the floor toward Calenor.
Lysander's eyes widened as he saw the encroaching darkness. "Cal! Snap out of it!" he shouted, grabbing his brother's arm. But Calenor stood rooted to the spot, transfixed by his distorted reflection.
The reflection's grin widened impossibly further. "Do you fear vat lies beneath your own mask?" it taunted. "Let me show you true self."
Suddenly, Calenor's mind was assaulted by a torrent of images: fragmented memories, hidden desires, faces he didn't recognize yet felt intimately familiar. A cacophony of voices echoed in his head, each vying for dominance.
"Get out of my head!" Calenor cried, clutching his temples as pain seared through his mind.
Thaexor struggled against the brambles choking him. "Lysander! We must act now!" he gasped, his voice strained.
Lysander nodded, determination hardening his features. He began to chant in Sylvan, the ancient language of the Feywild. His hands moved in intricate patterns, tracing glowing sigils in the air.
"Lunara's light, veil this shadow! Tel' silme en' templa, vanya tuluva!"
The words resonated with the very essence of the Feywild, invoking lunar magic to bind the malevolent force within the Mirror.
The brambles around Thaexor loosened slightly, and he seized the moment to wrench himself free, dropping to the ground and gasping for air.
"We need to seal the Mirror before it consumes him!"
Calenor fell to his knees, sweat pouring down his face as the assault intensified. The tendrils from the Mirror were inches away, pulsating with dark energy.
Summoning every ounce of strength, Thaexor joined Lysander, adding his own incantation in a guttural, arcane tongue. Their voices intertwined, harmonizing into a powerful spell.
The Mirror shuddered violently, its surface rippling like disturbed water.
The reflection let out a guttural scream, its features contorting into a grotesque visage of rage. "You cannot hide from me forever!" it shrieked. "I vill find you!"
A blinding light erupted from the Mirror, and the tendrils recoiled, retreating back into the frame. The oppressive atmosphere lifted, the shadows receding into nothingness.
Calenor collapsed onto the ground, breathing heavily. Lysander rushed to his side. "Cal! Are you alright?"
He nodded weakly, his eyes unfocused. "I... I think so."
Thaexor approached cautiously, casting a wary glance at the now-silent Mirror.
"It seems we've succeeded, for now," he said thoughtfully.
Calenor looked up at him, a flicker of fear still in his eyes. "What was that? What did it mean?"
Thaexor sighed deeply, turning his head to look at the shaken Prince. "The Mirror feeds on hidden aspects of the soul. It must have sensed something deeply buried within you. Or, by the sounds of it, something missing."
"Whatever it is, we'll face it together," Lysander said as he helped Calenor to his feet.
Thaexor nodded.
"But we must leave this place immediately. The Mirror may not remain dormant for long."
As they turned to depart, Calenor cast one last glance at the Mirror. For a fleeting moment, his distorted reflection reappeared, its sinister eyes gleaming.
An icy dread settled in Calenor's stomach. He tore his gaze away and hurried after Lysander and Thaexor, leaving the cursed Mirror behind in the shadows of the Umbral Veil.