The Reflection of Choice
Chapter 1: The Mirror’s Call The shop was unlike anything Zenya had ever seen—a labyrinth of forgotten treasures, with the scent of aged wood and mystery filling the air. Shelves bent under the weight of antique books, glittering trinkets, and objects whose purpose she could only guess. She wandered absently, her fingers grazing over the cool surface of an old globe, the worn leather of a satchel, and the polished edge of a brass candlestick. It was her escape. After another draining day at work, this place felt like a sanctuary, a space outside time where the demands of her life couldn’t reach her. She was about to leave when something caught her eye. In the shadowed corner of the shop stood a mirror, its ornate frame carved with patterns so intricate they seemed to shift as she looked at them—waves flowing into vines, then into stars. She froze, the world around her dimming, as though the mirror’s presence demanded all her attention. "You see not what is, but what you choose...