Echoes of you

Crossing the Threshold

The flame of the candle flickered softly, casting trembling shadows against the walls of Sophie's apartment. She sat cross-legged on the floor, her breath shallow, the weight of the moment pressing heavily on her chest.

The instructions Lia had given her were clear, but the ritual still felt impossible and surreal. Sophie's hands trembled slightly as she positioned the mirror in front of her, its reflective surface catching the faint glow of the candlelight. Next to it sat the notebook—her most personal possession. Her fingers hovered over the worn pages before gently placing them beside the mirror.

The apartment was quiet, but the air felt thick, charged with an energy Sophie couldn't explain. She could feel Riven's presence—stronger now than ever before. It was like he was right there, lingering just beyond the veil, waiting for her to reach out and pull him through.

She had to try.

Lia's instructions had been simple: light the candle, place something personal near the mirror, and focus on the connection she felt to Riven. The mirror was meant to act as a portal, a reflective surface that would amplify the bond between their worlds, and the personal object—the notebook—was meant to act as the tether.

Sophie took a deep breath, closing her eyes as she tried to calm the racing of her heart. The flicker of Riven's presence was constant now, a pulse in the back of her mind. He was waiting for her to begin.

Her voice was barely a whisper as she recited the words Lia had given her; the chant was soft and rhythmic, like the hum of a forgotten melody. The air around her seemed to shift, growing colder, the shadows in the room stretching out as though something unseen was moving through them.

"Between the veil of worlds, I call to you." Sophie's voice wavered as the words left her lips. "Through the mirror, through the flame, I open the path. Come to me."

For a long, breathless moment, nothing happened. Sophie's heart hammered in her chest as she opened her eyes, staring at the reflection in the mirror, half-expecting to see nothing but her own face staring back at her.

But it wasn't just her face.

The air in the room rippled, and in the mirror's reflection, she saw it—the faintest outline of a figure, barely more than a shadow at first, but growing stronger and more defined with each second that passed.

Riven.

His form flickered like static, his features blurring in and out of focus, but he was there. Sophie's breath caught in her throat as she leaned forward, her hand trembling as it hovered just above the surface of the mirror. She could feel his presence more acutely now, the heat of it pulsing through the room, pulling at her like a magnet.

"Sophie..." His voice was soft, barely more than a whisper, but it sent a shiver down her spine. He was so close—closer than he had ever been before.

She could see him clearly now—dark hair falling across his forehead, intense eyes that locked onto hers through the reflective surface of the mirror. There was something raw, desperate, in the way he looked at her, as if he were fighting to stay in this moment, fighting to hold on.

"I'm here." Sophie's voice was barely a breath, her fingers brushing against the edge of the mirror.

Riven's form flickered again, his image wavering, as if the connection between their worlds was struggling to hold. "I don't have much time." His voice was strained, filled with an urgency that made Sophie's heart race. "I'm fading faster now. You have to pull me through."

The words hit her like a shockwave. She could feel the weight of them, the pressure of what he was asking. He wasn't just waiting for her anymore. He needed her to act to save him.