"This is it." The lead guard said flatly.

He should not have bothered. It could never be mistaken for anything else. The door is a dark glossy mirror that shows no reflection. This one instead drank in any color that was close to it.

"What is this," Thaedric whispered. As the Sicon, he had seen some of the best-enchanted objects out there and even some heirlooms. His hammer was even one of them.

But what he was looking at was like none he ever saw before. ’How did Orso Ometra get his hand into something like this? It’s not something that should be here

"It’s not an enchanted object...it looks like..."

"Heirloom." Malak finished. His face was serious now as he also looked at the face of the mirror in awe. "There is a rumor that this mirror was borrowed from the Iridessa. And that it was made by the first of the Iridessa clan that followed the Blood Emperor."

The Iridessa Clan is the greatest in the art of enchanting objects. It was said that they were so powerful they could bind the souls of mighty Rashakas into the enchanted tools they made.

They were so powerful in the time of the Blood Emperor that he had them swear their eternal service to his clan forever, now they only work for the clan of the God Emperor. And their most powerful Heirlooms were locked away.

In terms of power. Heirlooms are the most powerful of enchanted tools.

"That’s impossible." Thaedric laughed. This thing must be a very powerful enchanted tool. Even the Hydraeus Great Clan has only a handful of Heirlooms. "It might be the story that was made up just for the sake of duping Orso."

Malak shrugged and pointed. "Either way, that thing works."

"I guess that’s the important thing," Thaedric muttered. The mirror was tall, taller than a normal door. "So only one person can use it at once?"

"Only one."

Thaedric eyed Malak. If the dark room accepted more than one then he was thinking of pushing the man in with him. He sighed. ’That won’t work anyway. Not when Malak can crush my bones without even trying

"So this thing is made just for raising the tier? That’s imp...."

"Ah! You’re stalling for time aren’t you?" Malak smirked. "I can see the way you lean back from the mirror. The way your body moves back. The fear...I can see it all. And maybe it wasn’t only for raising tier?"

He gave him a look that might be interpreted as anything.

Thaedric stiffened. ’Yes, I’m delaying. Why shouldn’t I? Who will be eager to enter a place where only one person ever survived?’

"Here." Malak was suddenly beside the lead guard’s side, his hand going to the weapon by his side. The small dagger. He ripped it from his waist before the guard even started moving and was beside Thaedric. "Take this with you. I was also with a small dagger."

"That’s not allowed! No dagger! Nothing!" The guard drew his sword and started walking towards Thaedric. But Malak glared, it carried a a mana attack because the guard froze like a statue.

Malak scratched his head. "It’s not allowed? Then who’s going to stop me from giving it to him?"

Only silence met his words, the guard was struggling to speak and Thaedric collected the dagger, feeling the weight in his hand. "So it wasn’t entirely due to luck."

Malak snorted. "Don’t fool yourself. You’ll die but maybe the dagger will provide you with a light shining up at you from the bottom of a poisonous lake. It’ll give you hope that’ll be brutally crushed."

"It’ll make you all the more sweet."

Thaedric resisted a shudder. "How long do you think I’ll take?" He didn’t wait for an answer, he raised his dagger in a mock salute to the guard without looking at Malak and his eyes. He entered into the mirror door of the dark room.

The mirror swallowed him whole, pulling him in with no resistance. And then for a moment, he hung between voids, reality twisted around him like a glitching computer, colors and light bleeding into each other.

And then just like that everything snapped into place and he was standing on solid ground. "Where is this place?"

He was standing in an open place, stunted trees surrounded him for miles, and and the sun was hot above him. "Is this a cheap shot at a desert?" He said aloud. And that was exactly how it was to him, the beginning of a desert.

Something crunched behind him and he whipped back and down, slashing his dagger blindly. He bit into something and heard a shrill cry and something scraping back on dry soil.

He looked up and saw the abomination of a thing trailing blood the color of used oil. It was a beast, not more than the size of an average dog but instead of flesh, this one was made of both flesh and black stone.

"What the...." The thing snared and flashed rolls of black sharpened fangs of stone. It stood on its five legs and began to circle him.

Thaedric moved with it, walking with the toes of his feet, keeping it in his sight. He knew when the beast wanted to jump him because he saw it tense all its muscles, even the ones that were stones.

So he was already moving before the thing could get a jump on him. The dagger came down straight at the beast’s skull, punching through with little resistance. He targeted the fleshy part.

"What the fuck!" Thaedric was breathing hard, his heart was beating fast. "That was no beast! An abomination of flesh and stone!"

Thaedric had never seen anything like that before. Not on earth and especially not on this world. He bent down to examine it and remove his dagger.

The fleshy part was pink and grey, while the stone was solid glossy like a gem. Then suddenly the creature’s white eyes flew open, making Thaedric flinched back with a curse.

Its eyes were solid white and when he looked at Thaedric, it was as if thousands of it were doing so. Then it turned lifeless.