Imagine A Happy Ending

The city outside my window seemed quieter than usual, its murmurs reduced to faint whispers carried on a nonexistent wind. Even the threads crisscrossing the streets appeared dimmer, their glow dulled as though the city itself held its breath.

But it wasn't the city that held my attention.

It was the mirror.

I had spent days avoiding its gaze, keeping my distance from the strange surface that now seemed more alive than any piece of glass had the right to be. I'd convinced myself it was just another anomaly in this strange place, something I could ignore until it went away.

But it hadn't gone away.

Now, as I stood before it, I realized it had been waiting for me.

---

The mirror's surface was no longer smooth. Cracks ran through it like veins, spiderwebbing across the glass and distorting my reflection. But it wasn't just cracks—it was something more. Beneath the fractured surface, I could see movement. Shadows shifted and swirled, forming shapes that flickered in and out of focus.

And then, the surface rippled, as though it were water rather than glass.

"Who are you?" I whispered, my voice barely audible.

The mirror didn't answer. But it didn't need to.

The shadows began to coalesce, taking on a form that sent a chill down my spine. It was me—almost. A version of myself that seemed older, harder. His face was marked with scars, his eyes cold and unyielding. He stared at me with an intensity that made me want to look away, but I couldn't.

"Is this my future?" I asked, my voice trembling.

The reflection didn't respond. Instead, it raised its hand, and I flinched as the glass rippled again.

---

Images flooded the surface, each one more vivid and horrifying than the last.

In one, I stood atop a crumbling tower, the city burning around me. My hands were stained with blood, and my expression was one of cold detachment. The threads of light that connected the city were frayed and broken, their glow extinguished.

In another, I was surrounded by people, their faces filled with adoration. I held the pocket watch aloft like a trophy, my voice ringing out as I declared a new order for the city. But there was something in my eyes—something hollow and desperate.

And then, the most disturbing image of all.

I stood alone in the void, the city nowhere to be seen. The threads of light were gone, replaced by darkness that stretched on forever. My face was a mask of despair, my body slumped as though the weight of the world had finally crushed me.

---

"No," I said, stepping back. "This isn't me. It can't be."

But the mirror didn't relent. The images continued to shift and change, each one showing a different version of my future. Some were hopeful, filled with triumph and redemption. Others were dark, steeped in violence and destruction.

The cracks in the glass seemed to pulse with an otherworldly energy, as though the mirror itself was alive. And then, for the first time, the reflection spoke.

"Who do you want to be?"

---

The question hung in the air, heavy and unrelenting.

"I don't know," I admitted, my voice barely above a whisper. "I don't know who I am."

The reflection's expression softened, but only slightly. "Then how can you know who you'll become?"

I opened my mouth to respond, but no words came.

The mirror's surface rippled again, and the reflection began to change. This time, it wasn't just one version of myself—it was many. Each one was different, their faces a kaleidoscope of possibilities. Some were kind, others cruel. Some were strong, others broken.

"Every choice you make shapes you," the reflection said. "Every step you take, every word you speak—it all matters. But the question remains: who are you?"

---

The room seemed to close in around me, the walls pressing against my chest as I struggled to breathe.

"I don't know," I repeated, my voice cracking. "I don't know!"

The mirror's cracks flared with light, and for a moment, I thought it would shatter completely. But instead, it grew still, the reflections fading until only my own face stared back at me.

But even that wasn't quite right.

My reflection looked... different. The scars were gone, the coldness in my eyes replaced with something softer. But there was still an edge to it, a hint of the darkness that lingered just beneath the surface.

"You have to choose," the reflection said, its voice quieter now. "The city is watching, Kael. It always has been."

---

I stepped closer to the mirror, my fingers brushing against the cracked surface. It felt warm, pulsing with a life of its own.

"What if I make the wrong choice?" I asked.

The reflection smiled, a sad, knowing smile. "There are no wrong choices. Only consequences."

---

The words stayed with me long after the mirror went still.

I sat on the edge of my bed, the weight of the conversation pressing down on me. Every decision I'd made since arriving in this city felt magnified, as though each one carried more weight than I'd realized.

And then there was the question of who I was. The merchant's words echoed in my mind, his offer to show me my past still tempting.

What had I forgotten? And why did it feel so important?

The mirror's message was clear: my future wasn't set in stone. But it was up to me to shape it.

---

As the night wore on, I found myself drawn back to the mirror. Its surface was still cracked, but the reflections were gone, leaving only the distorted image of my own face.

I reached out to touch it again, but this time, the glass remained cold and unyielding.

The city was quiet, the threads outside my window glowing faintly in the darkness.

And for the first time since I arrived, I felt truly alone.

The choices ahead of me were mine to make.

But the question remained: who did I want to be?

And what would I be willing to sacrifice to find out?