Chapter 27 - Chapter 27 – The Third Seal: Shatterglass Labyrinth

The sky outside the dungeon was gray. Not cloudy—just wrong. Like someone had copied the sky from a picture and pasted it on the ceiling of the world. Harvie stared up at it as the cold wind touched his skin. It felt real. Too real. But something in his bones told him… it wasn't.Edna stood beside him, her eyes tired. She had barely spoken since the last dungeon.He couldn't blame her. The last rewind didn't reset things properly. She remembered things she shouldn't.And her dream? It matched exactly how he died.Harvie looked down at his hand. It was shaking. Not from fear—but from a strange buzzing sensation, like static under his skin.The System hadn't said anything since the last warning:> [UNLAMENTED USAGE EXCEEDED STABILITY RANGE. ANOMALY BREACHED.]That wasn't good. Not at all.Ahead of them stood the entrance to the Third Seal dungeon. The name floated above the door in glowing text:> [Shatterglass Labyrinth – Mirror Trial Activated.]Harvie exhaled slowly. "Let's go."The moment they stepped in, glass cracked beneath their feet.Literally.The floor was made of glass—no, not glass—mirror. And in every direction, they saw themselves walking.But something was off.Edna's reflection looked older. Harvie's… was smiling. A cold, cruel smile."This place is dangerous," Edna whispered. "I don't like this."The deeper they went, the more twisted the reflections became.One Harvie had golden armor and eyes that glowed with arrogance. Another one had no face at all—just a blank mirror mask.But the worst came in the heart of the labyrinth.A large circular room.One mirror.One opponent.Harvie stood face to face with… himself.But not just any version.This Harvie wore a long black cloak, his eyes silver and lifeless."You should have chosen immortality," Mirror-Harvie said. "You had the power. The knowledge. Why keep suffering?"Harvie gritted his teeth. "Because I'm not a god. I'm still human.""No," the mirror self said calmly. "You were human. Now you're just a glitch pretending to be a person."They clashed.Blades met in the air—mirror shards flying around them like rain. Every movement was fast. Too fast. It was like fighting himself—but one that had thrown away all empathy.Harvie was losing. Badly.Then—he saw an opening.He stepped back and whispered:"[Copy Skill: Echo Bind.]"> [New Skill Acquired: Echo Bind – Lock one moment in time. Gain 5 seconds of invulnerability. Usable once per day.]The world froze.Just for five seconds.Harvie moved through the frozen air, slashing at Mirror-Harvie with everything he had.When time returned, the reflection screamed and shattered into pieces.Glass rained down.Edna rushed in. "Are you okay?!"Harvie didn't answer right away. He looked down at his hands.Still shaking.But for now, he was alive."We're not done," he said quietly. "This place is breaking us… slowly."Edna nodded.And in the corner of her eye, she saw something.Another mirror.Her reflection… was crying.And holding Harvie's body in flames.Edna stepped back, breath catching.Harvie turned toward her. "Edna?"But she said nothing.Not yet.The next trial was coming.And the dungeon… was far from finished.