DISCLAIMER: The author's imagination and passion are the only sources of inspiration for this novel, which is a work of dedication. Parallels between these pages and the past or present may be apparent to some readers, but they are completely coincidental. You are free to interpret this art anyway you see fit, and it is meant for your enjoyment.
The brightness of summer had given way to an unnatural, scorching autumn in the Empire. Giywon and Dyierrean vanished under a magical shroud, while the "Original" Reinn spent her days methodically demolishing the Academy and demanding the execution of the "commoner" personnel.
The "Editor's" unseen influence was keeping a tight eye on the Emperor's troops, so they were unable to see the Imperial Scholars. Rather, they rode south, beyond the boundaries of civilization, to an area where the maps merely ceased in a gray ink blur.
Giywon said, "Are you sure about this, Dyierrean?" as his horse-huffed breath turned into white mist. "The Sage of the Sunken Archive hasn't been seen since the Great Purge. Some say he isn't even human anymore, but a living record."
"He is the only one who remembers the world before the script was written," Dyierrean said, looking off into the distance. "If Samantha is a 'glitch' in the story, he's the one who knows how to make the glitch permanent."
They arrived at what appeared to be a lake of liquid lead. There was a tower in the middle that seemed to be dissolving into the ocean. This was the Sunken Archive, which contained all of history's "deleted" scenes and forgotten characters.
The smell of moist stone and ancient parchment filled the air as they stepped into the tower. There were only shelves of books that floated like schools of fish; there were no steps.
A man who seemed to be composed of translucent paper sat in the middle of the room. His eyes were two ink-blots that never blinked, and his skin was covered in shifting calligraphy.
The Sage rasped, "The Dragon and the Wolf," sounding like pages turning. "You shouldn't be here. You are currently in 'Chapter One' of the Reclamation. Your roles are to be heartbroken and then eventually... submissive to the True Queen."
Giywon said, "We aren't here for the script, Old Man," as his golden aura illuminated the dimly lit space. "We're here for the woman who was erased. Samantha. She's in the mirrors."
With swirling ink-blot eyes, the Sage paused. "Samantha... Ah, the anomaly. The girl who used a trowel instead of a dagger. She was a beautiful error, wasn't she? But the Editor does not like errors. He has restored the 'Correct' Reinn."
The floating volumes shook as Dyierrean moved forward, his violet magic rushing. "Tell us how to bridge the gap. How do we pull a soul through the silver?"
With a sigh, the Sage let forth a cloud of dust. "To pull her out, you must provide a 'Soul Anchor'—an object that exists in both worlds simultaneously. But be warned: the Mirror World is a vacuum. If you open a door, the 'Original' soul will try to pull you in to replace her. One must go in to pull one out."
Both men answered, "I'll go," right away.
For a moment, the old animosity flared between them as they scowled at one another, but the Sage's chuckle was dry and paper-thin.
"It is not that simple. You cannot just walk in. You need the Silver Key of the First Author, which was shattered into two pieces. One piece is held by the Original Reinn—she wears it as a pendant, though she thinks it's just a diamond. The other..." The Sage turned to Giywon. "Is hidden in the Imperial Vault, disguised as your father's seal."
With his pulse pounding, Giywon questioned, "And once we have the Key?"
The Sage responded, "You have to do the ritual during the Lunar Eclipse. You will need to confront the Original Reinn. You must force her to look into the Key while Samantha pushes from the other side. But remember: the Original Reinn has the Editor on her side. She can rewrite your movements. She can make your swords turn to glass or your hearts stop beating."
Dyierrean's face became cold. "Let her try. I've lived my whole life in the shadows. I'm not afraid of a little ink."
The Sage crinkled his paper-skin as he leaned forward. "There is one more thing. Samantha is fading. Every hour she spends in the Mirror World, she loses a piece of her 'real' world memory. First, she'll forget her old life. Then, she'll forget her name. Finally... she'll forget the two of you. If she forgets you, the Anchor will snap, and she will become part of the silver forever."
A chilly hand squeezed Giywon's heart. "How long do we have?"
"The eclipse is in three days," the Sage declared. "If you fail, the 'Happy Ending' you built will be erased from the memories of everyone in the empire. You will wake up, and you will believe you always loved the Villainess. Samantha will be a name that never existed."
It was a hectic and quiet ride back to the capital. They had three days to break into the Imperial Vault and take a pendant from a woman who was growing more and more magically strong and insane.
Samantha could already sense the "fading" inside the Mirror World.
As she stood in the Gray Manor library, she struggled to recall the name of her favorite modern coffee shop. It had vanished. She attempted to recall her mother's features. It was hazy.
"No," she whispered, her hands shaking. "Giywon. Dyierrean. Flowers. The Academy. Focus on the on the Academy."
The Original Reinn was reflected in the Mirror-Library, she noticed. Right now, the Villainess's face was contorted into a mask of absolute hatred as she screamed at a group of scared maidservants.
Samantha determined, "I won't let you have them," as a sudden, bright light filled her translucent body. "If I'm an anomaly, it doesn't bother me. The person they choose is me.
She saw Dyierrean and Giywon enter the manor through the front gates. Searching for her, they raised their gaze to the windows. Even though they couldn't see her, Samantha's spirit let out a wordless war cry as she placed her hand to the glass.
It was almost time for her soul to be seized.