The Mirror Maze of Veridith
Episode 5: The True Exit
Shaking and bruised, Julian gathered his tools, packed his leather case, and hurried toward the heavy oak exit doors of the manor, refusing to look into another reflective surface along the way. He shoved the doors open, stepping out into the bright, warm sunlight of the Veridith estate gardens, where municipal art inspectors and estate agents were waiting by their vehicles. The agents greeted him with polite smiles, asking if he had successfully completed his restoration assessment of the mirror maze. Julian nodded mutely, handing over his keys without a word, eager to put the cursed labyrinth behind him forever and return to the safety of the open world.
Looking Glass
Months later, in his metropolitan apartment miles away from Veridith Manor, Julian stood in his bathroom shaving before the sink mirror. He paused, staring closely at his reflection in the glass, noticing a faint, circular scar on his cheek where the silver polish had once rested. As he raised his razor, his reflection did not move; instead, the double in the mirror smiled with a twisted, malicious grin, reached out through the glass, and tapped twice on the surface from the other side. Julian dropped his razor as the mirror in front of him began to ripple like water, swallowing his reflection entirely and leaving behind a smooth, polished sheet of absolute, opaque silver.