The Story

The Shattered World

As the Maze of Mirrors crumbled around her, Faye stumbled backward, her breath coming in ragged gasps. The mirrors had shattered, the fragments dissolving into mist, but the sharp images of her reflections lingered in her mind—those warped versions of herself, of Kieran, of her worst fears. She felt drained, as though the magic it had taken to shatter the mirrors had left her hollow inside.

The ground beneath her shifted, rippling like water, and before she could catch her breath, the world dissolved again. Colours swirled around her—deep blues and purples, the faint shimmer of silver threads—and then, with a jarring snap, she was standing somewhere entirely new.

A kingdom stretched out before her, bathed in the pale, eerie glow of a dying sun. The air was thick with decay, the scent of rot lingering in the cold breeze that swept across the barren fields. In the distance, the jagged silhouette of a castle loomed, its once-grand towers now crumbling into ruin. Vines twisted around the stone walls, thick and thorny, pulsating with a faint, sickly glow.

Faye shivered as she took in her surroundings. This wasn't just any kingdom. She had read this story before—it was the tale of a princess cursed to sleep for a hundred years, trapped in an eternal slumber while her kingdom withered away around her. But this version of the story was darker, more twisted. The kingdom wasn't just asleep—it was dying.

"This... isn't right," Faye muttered to herself, her hands clenching at her sides. The stories were supposed to be familiar, but nothing here felt safe. The kingdom was like a forgotten nightmare, a place where hope had long since faded, and the curse had twisted beyond recognition.

A movement to her left caught her attention, and Faye spun around, her heart leaping into her throat. There, standing at the edge of the kingdom, was Kieran.

He stepped out of the shadows, his silver hair catching the faint light as he approached, his expression unreadable. The air between them seemed to hum with tension, a silent understanding that whatever happened next, it wouldn't be easy.

"Kieran," Faye said, her voice still shaky from the last trial. "What now?"

He didn't answer immediately. Instead, his eyes scanned the ruined kingdom before them, his expression darkening. "This is the second trial. The Cursed Kingdom."

Faye frowned. "Sleeping Beauty's kingdom...?"

"Not quite," Kieran said, his voice low. "This kingdom was cursed long before the princess fell into her eternal sleep. The curse is older, deeper, and far more dangerous than you think. And it's not just the princess who needs to wake."

Faye's heart pounded. "What do you mean?"

Kieran's gaze locked onto hers, his eyes gleaming with a dangerous light. "The curse here feeds off the magic of the players. And you... you're its next target."