A Moment of Reflection

The room at the end of the hall was short in terms of its width but at least a story tall. Each wall was covered in a mirror, reflecting the room back at itself into infinity. In the centre of the room was a platform upon which a square mirror roughly the size of a single car garage door sat. It stood upright without any visible stand or strings, making it seem very precarious. There were no windows so most of the light came from braziers evenly spaced out on the floor surrounding the platform.

Brother Lysander stood on the platform just beside this mirror, hands clasped in prayer. When he looked at me, I couldn’t tell what he was thinking or feeling. He might not have been feeling anything at all. I couldn’t help but admire his control.

“You have undergone the purification and are now fit to present yourself to the Omnivoyance.” Brother Lysander gestured to the mirror as he spoke.

I stepped onto the platform. Seeing myself was odd, my outfit utterly foreign, my face more haggard than it had ever been. There was something in my eyes I didn’t like, some edge that hadn’t been there before. I supposed being kidnapped would do that to you.

“What happens now?” I asked.

“The Omnivoyance will select a Seer it feels would be the most helpful to you,” he said.

I managed to keep my face smooth even as I clenched my fists. Yet again, my agency was removed. Everything was drip fed to me without me having any say on what I was told or when. Honestly, I should be used to it by now despite how short a time I’d been here.

A blur began to materialize next to me in the reflection. I glanced to my right to see if anything was actually forming in the air. Nothing changed outside the mirror.

Brother Lysander started to walk away. His steps were slow enough that I wondered if he’d injured himself. It wouldn't do to give him the impression that I cared about his wellbeing, so I didn’t inquire.

The blur in the mirror had taken the shape of a person. He was older than me, probably in his forties, dark brown skin, kind eyes, a shaved head, and broad shoulders.

“Greetings, fellow Seer. I am Gareth.” the man said. His voice was low and sonorous, giving it a soothing quality. Unlike everyone in Wosurei, he had an accent distinct from mine. He sounded like he was from somewhere in the United Kingdom, though I lacked the ear to pinpoint where.

“Hello,” I said. I waved, then reflexively reached out next to me, to the space where Gareth would have been standing if he were truly next to me, to see what might happen. I didn’t feel a change on my hand but in the reflection, my hand plunged into the man’s body as if he was a hologram.

He laughed. “I’m not beside you in your world. My mind has been called up by the Omnivoyance to speak to you.”

I jerked my hand back. “You’re a ghost?”

“Not exactly. I am dead, but my soul is firmly in the Hereafter, which is the main term for the after life in Wosurei. The Omnivoyance is able to bring back a piece of myself for you to speak to. I take it you’re having a hard time adjusting?”

“You could say that. I–” Out of the corner of my eyes, I saw that Brother Lysander was still in the room. He hadn’t gone that far from the platform with his achingly slow steps.

“Do you need assistance, Brother Lysander?” I called.

Brother Lysander stumbled a bit before recovering. “That will not be required.” His steps were noticeably faster. I waited until he was nearly out of the adjoining hallway before tuning back to Gareth.

“Right. So, I don’t want to be here. I want to go home.” I kept it short and to the point. Who knew how long this shadow of a man would talk to me?

His eyebrows shot up. “I see. How long have you been in Wosurei?”

“About two days, I think.” I’d slept twice at any rate.

He nodded. “I felt similarly when I got here. It was all so different from back home, and a lot of pressure.”

I folded my arms. I didn’t like where this was going, because it felt as if he was on the cusp of saying “but then I accepted my fate and just saved everyone and made peace with the fact that I would never see anyone I loved ever again”. Time to change tactics.

“And where are you from? Where’s home for you?” I asked.

“Cardiff, in Wales. It would have been–” He paused, his brow furrowing. “Right. I came over in 2007. It was 215 in Wosurei when I got there.”

I reared back in surprise. He’d arrived in Wosurei two centuries ago despite being taken from Earth only about two decades ago. Once I got home, this could mean there was a chance not much time had passed. My heart lightened at the thought.

“Wow, that’s while ago. It’s 503 now,” I offered. “Anyway, what happened to you?”

Gareth blinked a few times when I mentioned the current year, but answered my question. “I railed against the administration, as you did. Until I saw what was at stake. Hundreds of thousands of lives would be lost if I didn’t do something. A destiny like that is a heavy burden, I won’t deny it. It can be difficult to see beyond yourself, that you are just one life used to save the many. I promise you, the sacrifice is worth it.”

He smiled, and the worst part was it seemed genuine.

“You’re a better person than me,” I admitted. “I can’t just forgive the people who ripped me from my home without warning and forced the role of hero on me. No one seems to know what’s going on and I’m supposed to just fall in line, like a good little soldier.”

Gareth’s smile wilted. “I understand, but–”

“Do you?” I countered. “Explain to me why no one in Wosurei is good enough for the gods to speak to? They've been doing this for hundreds of years, how long does this have to go on? Why does this keep happening?”

Gareth shrugged helplessly. “I don’t know.”

The urge to shatter this damned mirror rose in my like a rogue wave. I sucked in a breath, then let it hiss out between gritted teeth. “Fine, tell me what you do know. Did you go to the mountain? Talk to the gods, save the day, all that?”

“I did,” he said. “Though, each time the End of Days is set to appear, the solution is different.”

Of course it is.

“Great. And afterwards, what happened to you?”

“I’m sorry?” he asked.

“After you saved the day, did they ask you if you wanted to go home?”

“They offered me the chance to return home,” Gareth said. “I declined it.”

“Why?” I was incredulous. Magic, I had to admit, was cool, but at the cost of everything you’d ever known? It wasn’t even close to a fair deal.

His gaze dropped to the floor. “Being in a world where you’re the most important person is hard to walk away from,” he admitted.

I rubbed my face. He was so different from me. In a way I was glad he’d found some sort of satisfaction here, but that did nothing to help me.

“Thank you for speaking to me. I think that’s enough,” I said wearily.

Gareth vanished from the reflection without a trace.