After hours spent breaking into what you’d assumed to be a treasure-filled chamber, your party finds a disappointingly empty room. Its sole furnishing is a tall standing mirror angled to face the wall. With some careful maneuvering, you are able to turn it and peer inside; reflected in its surface is the self you’ve always aspired to. What do you see?

✦•······················•✦•······················•✦

The encounter with The Skull…

Well, the research group would rather not mention it. Or whatever happened. What happened in that cult’s chamber, stays in that chamber.

Although the party fought greatly, the opponent turned out to be more powerful and skilled than they had assumed - although not skilled enough to crush the Coursers one by one like bugs, leaving them as splatters of crimson liquid across the chamber.

They were injured and wounded, R’yaženka having a bleeding wound staining her pristine coat with crimson right by her front leg, Hiraeth had a piece of her mane ripped out, leaving it uncomfortably short in the middle. Phainon had a sprained hind leg, but still fought with all their might, while Aelin had various cuts on her body, which seeped into her beautiful coat and the white patch of hair on her back.

But they came out alive, by a sliver of a miracle. They were fast enough to outrun The Skull after injuring it for a bit, making it confused as to where the Coursers were standing, unable to detect their life force. How it happened? The research group wasn’t sure themselves. What mattered the most was that they survived. They were alive. Injured, wounded, but alive.

They’ll have to take a longer break from research this time…

⋆⁺₊⋆ ━━━━⊱༒︎ • ༒︎⊰━━━━ ⋆⁺₊⋆

A few weeks passed before the party was ready to resume their adventures. For two weeks, Phainon returned to the Temple of The Cataclysm to inform their companions about the progress of what they have learned so far, recuperating from his injuries back home. 

R’yaženka got the needed help for her wound, with Hiraeth not leaving her side, fussing and worrying over her girlfriend all the time, even though she was injured herself (which made The Academy nurses have to drag her away by her tail to get her wounds cleaned and bandaged, because the piebald mare would just not leave her beloved’s side).

Aelin received medical attention from the other nurses at The Academy, visiting both R’yaženka and Hiraeth, smacking the latter in the head with her long tail once she saw the black and white mare not resting and letting her injuries heal.

With the experience in mind, the group couldn’t keep their hooves away from the dungeon for too long. It was in their blood to yearn for what was hidden beneath the surface.

They’ve spent hours walking, then another few breaking into a chamber they found on their way - thinking that if it was guarded this heavily, there had to be something of value hidden inside, right? Even if it wasn’t gold and treasure, even various scattered books had their value for the group of researchers.

But as they break in…

There aren’t even books there. Nothing.

Except for a tall, standing mirror, angled towards the wall.

“Are we…?” Phainon looked back at the rest of their party, tilting their head to the side.

“We should check it.” Aelin answered. “But be on your guard. It might be either valuable, or dangerous, being left as the only thing in this chamber.” The historian instructed. The party nodded their heads.

Slowly, they turned the mirror to face them, staring at it in quiet wonder.

“What’s so different about it? It’s just a simple mirro-” Hiraeth started, but her voice suddenly died down, brown eyes widening slightly. She fell uncharacteristically quiet, staring at the mirror. 

In the reflection she saw herself, no, a better version of her - with more muscles on her body, only the sharpest blades and weapons, every lady falling to their knees in awe as they sung their praises, about how brave and great she was… 

But close by her side was only R’yaženka, and Hiraeth felt her breath falter as she noticed the golden rings on both hers and her girlfriend’s, no, wife’s front leg, her heart skipping a beat. 

R’yaženka took a glance in the mirror, getting engrossed in the visions, too. Of her climbing on top of The Union of Silver Veil, as its leader and a successful researcher, books about various ancient languages laying around her, her knowledge of them significantly increased, showing her fluent in them… With Hiraeth nuzzling against her head, mumbling sweet nothings in their own language. 

Aelin was surrounded by various other researchers, asking her about her research, begging for the mare to be their teacher, to share her lengthy knowledge with them, as the smartest Courser amongst them all… Not only that, but the scenario also showed her discovering a long lost civilization, being praised for being the one to uncover it after thousands of years.

Phainon… Phainon looked in the mirror, their eyes narrowing. In it, they were a successful warrior of the Temple of The Cataclysm, able to help their companions, whether it required physical or mental strength. They were praised for their bravery, about how they helped their friend in discovering her true lineage and family, and how happy the whole Temple was…