---
"You know," Lumi said as she stepped over a fallen tree with theatrical grace, "if we keep chasing shadows like this, I'm going to start charging Yuki a navigation fee."
"You mean like a tour guide?" Elira asked dryly.
"Exactly. 'For just one crystal a day, I will personally lead you into cryptic death forests and possibly survive.'"
Sieris, ahead of them, didn't turn around. "If you two are done flirting with mortality, we're almost there."
Lumi pouted. "See? She gets it."
The trio moved deeper into the shrouded glade, where the air was thick with mana and low-hanging mist hugged their boots. Strange petals drifted down from invisible trees above, each glowing faintly like will-o-wisps. The magical density made Elira's senses hum.
"This forest is unnatural," Elira said. "But it's not corrupted. It's... old. Older than anything we've seen."
Sieris finally stopped beside a moss-covered stone altar. Her cloak fluttered behind her as she turned, her crimson eyes catching the glint of ambient light.
"This is where I lost my sister."
The words dropped like stones.
Lumi blinked. "...Well, damn. That just killed the mood."
Elira shot her a look, but Lumi shrugged. "What? Someone had to say it."
Sieris ran her fingers along the edge of the altar. "She vanished while investigating this grove. We thought it was just another spirit nest. But no one returned. Not even the scouts."
Elira stepped closer. "And you think there's still something here?"
"I know there is." Sieris' voice was calm but sharp. "My instincts aren't wrong. They never have been."
**Sieris's Ability: Phantom Step**
* *Allows her to temporarily exist half in shadow, evading attacks and traversing terrain with impossible agility. She can remain untouchable for up to five seconds, resetting after a cooldown.*
**Sieris's Ability: Black Needle Arts**
* *A unique assassin technique that uses spectral blades conjured from soul-infused mana. Can paralyze, distort vision, or induce illusions depending on the strike point.*
Lumi leaned against a broken pillar. "That ability of yours still creeps me out. You vanish and pop out like a terrifying jack-in-the-box."
"Is that supposed to be a compliment?"
"Obviously. We love creepy teammates. Makes us all look more normal."
Elira knelt at the altar, her hand glowing with soft moonlight. She whispered something under her breath, invoking **Lunar Void**, and a ripple of magic pulsed outward.
The mist parted—briefly.
A faint shimmer, like a doorway made of glass, flickered in the air.
"Found it," Elira said.
Sieris stepped forward, the glint of her daggers barely visible beneath her cloak. Her usual cold demeanor flickered with something raw. Hope.
Yuki, watching from above cloaked in the canopy's magic, narrowed his eyes.
"She moves with grief. But it's focused. Dangerous." Sylvaeria floated beside him, her tone quiet.
"She seeks closure," Yuki murmured. "And power. I know the look. I wore it once."
"Will you help her?"
He hesitated. "I will watch. For now. This is her path."
Back below, Lumi nudged Elira. "If we go in there and get cursed, I'm blaming you."
"You blame me for everything."
"Yes, but this time I mean it with love."
Sieris didn't wait. She stepped through the flickering portal without hesitation.
Lumi and Elira exchanged a look.
"Well," Lumi said, drawing her sword. "Into the creepy mirror dimension we go. Hooray for tragic backstories."
And with that, they followed the assassin into the unknown.
---
*To be continued...*