Help! My Moms Are Overpowered Tyrants, and I'm Stuck as Their Baby!-Chapter 174: Reflections Rewritten

POV Velka

The corridor was dark, still carrying whispers from the past, each step I took echoing quietly against the stone walls. Torchlight flickered, painting restless shadows across my path. No one came here willingly, especially not alone, but tonight I had questions questions only the echoes of this place could answer.

Or so I hoped.

My fingers tightened around the small silver key I'd swiped from the librarian's private study. Stealing wasn't exactly my usual method of research, but desperate times demanded desperate measures and apparently minor thievery. I could almost hear Elyzara's amused reprimand in my head: Since when did you turn into Riven?

I smiled despite myself, shaking off the thought, and pushed open the hidden door to the ruined chamber where we'd shattered that cursed mirror. The room lay cloaked in heavy silence, the air cool, heavy with dust, magic, and memory.

Fragments of the broken mirror glistened faintly on the floor, still whispering secrets. Carefully, I stepped around the shards, heart beating a little faster as my gaze caught a faint outline behind a tapestry-covered wall, almost invisible in the dimness.

Drawing a slow breath, I lifted the tapestry aside, revealing another mirror concealed behind it. Smaller, framed in dark obsidian carved with ancient vampiric runes. As I stared, the runes pulsed dimly, a soft red glow that seemed both inviting and sinister.

I reached out hesitantly, pressing my fingertips to the cold surface. Immediately, something inside the mirror stirred, rippling gently beneath my touch. I withdrew my hand sharply, then cursed softly at my own fear.

"Get a grip," I muttered to myself. "You're a vampire princess , vampire princesses don't panic."

Well, usually.

I tried again, steeling myself. Magic tingled across my skin, cool and sharp as starlight. The mirror's surface shifted, becoming fluid, silver swirling like mercury. My breath hitched as images began to form, flickering through like pages of a book written in magic.

First, came glimpses of the past familiar but distant. I saw Elyzara and myself, again and again, always together. We stood side-by-side, facing countless dangers. Sometimes we fought. Sometimes we laughed. Once, we danced under starlight, dressed in regal finery, our smiles radiant and carefree. It was strange, achingly familiar, and entirely confusing.

But then the images darkened, twisting into something far less comforting. Flames danced in the reflection, roaring hungrily, devouring a throne room I somehow knew intimately.

At the center of it stood Elyzara.

She was older, her dark hair tangled and streaked with soot, her armor scorched, bloodied and torn. Pain etched deeply into her beautiful face, her eyes fierce but hollow. Behind her lay the throne broken, splintered like a fallen empire. Elyzara stood alone amidst the ruins, her breath shallow, eyes vacant with loss.

My heart clenched painfully. "No," I whispered sharply, as if somehow my denial could rewrite what I saw. "That can't be right. Elyzara… she doesn't lose."

Yet the mirror showed me nothing else, just Elyzara's silhouette in the smoky ruin, alone, proud, but utterly defeated.

"Show me something else!" I demanded harshly, pressing my palm harder against the surface. "This isn't her fate. It can't be."

The mirror rippled again, hesitating. Then another image appeared another Elyzara, different this time. Strong, calm, sitting on an intact throne, eyes burning fiercely. She wasn't alone I stood beside her, composed, protective, powerful.

The mirror whispered a single phrase, echoing softly through the chamber, my own voice blending with Elyzara's.

"Together."

I withdrew my hand slowly, heart pounding fiercely.

My eyes closed, the weight of my vision heavy, responsibility curling tightly in my chest. The future wasn't certain that much the mirror had shown me. Paths diverged sharply; choices mattered deeply.

"I won't let it happen," I murmured softly, eyes blazing open again, fixed fiercely on the mirror's lingering images. "Whatever the cost, I won't let her face this alone."

Behind me, footsteps echoed suddenly, startling me. I spun sharply, heart nearly escaping my chest only to find Aria standing awkwardly at the threshold, looking distinctly guilty and entirely unapologetic.

"Again?" I snapped, exasperation battling with relief. "Do you ever stop spying?"

Aria tilted her head slightly, eyes shimmering oddly under the flickering torchlight. Her usual playful grin seemed tighter, more controlled. It was as if a shadow had slipped behind her eyes, something I hadn't noticed before.

"Spying?" she echoed softly, voice strangely flat. "Velka, you should know by now. It's my favorite hobby."

I laughed hesitantly, unsure whether she was joking or not. "Well, maybe find a new one?"

Aria smiled again—but the expression sent a prickle of unease crawling up my spine. Her smile held no warmth; it was the precise imitation of cheerfulness, flawless yet utterly empty.

"I rather enjoy this one," she said lightly. "Besides, how else am I supposed to keep an eye on you? You're far more interesting than the others, Velka."

"Interesting?" I echoed slowly, feeling a chill spread through me. Something wasn't right this wasn't the Aria I knew. "Aria, what's going on?"

"Nothing you need to worry about," she said with gentle finality, stepping gracefully toward me. The air shifted subtly, magic crackling faintly at the edges of her fingertips. Her expression darkened, shadows dancing beneath her skin.

"Aria?" I took a step backward, heart thudding sharply. "Seriously, you're acting weird even for you."

"I suppose I've grown tired of pretending," she murmured, her voice now edged with quiet menace. "I didn't anticipate you catching on this quickly, though. Quite troublesome."

I glanced quickly toward the door, instincts screaming at me to run but before I could move, Aria lifted her hand. Dark magic erupted from her fingertips, seizing me violently in its grasp, binding my limbs painfully tight.

"Aria—!" I gasped, struggling frantically against the bindings. "What are you doing? This isn't funny!"

Her laughter was soft, cold, unsettling. "Oh, it's not meant to be funny, Velka. In fact, it's quite serious. You and Elyzara you've become far too aware of certain truths. Dangerous truths. Truths you were never meant to uncover."

My heart raced, panic surging fiercely. "Who are you really? Because you're definitely not Aria."

She smirked faintly. "Very perceptive. Aria was useful, but ultimately limited. And limitations, Velka, bore me terribly."

She stepped closer, voice lowering to a deadly whisper. "I am what stands beyond those limitations. I am the one who truly sees and controls the threads of destiny."

I stared at her, dread pooling icily in my stomach. "You're insane." freeweɓnovēl.coɱ

She chuckled, her laughter rippling softly through the dim chamber. "Insanity is simply a different perspective. And soon enough, you'll see things my way."

With a flick of her wrist, darkness enveloped us, magic tearing through reality itself. My body twisted painfully, space and time rippling violently as we were transported. The disorienting sensation ended abruptly, and I fell hard onto cold stone.

When I opened my eyes again, I found myself imprisoned inside a glassy cage, shimmering with dark runes, their power humming ominously. Aria stood calmly on the other side, studying me thoughtfully.

"Welcome home, Velka," she said lightly, eyes glittering with amusement. "Or rather your temporary home."

I pounded desperately against the barrier, but it barely rippled beneath my fists. My magic was trapped, sealed by a force older and far stronger than anything I'd ever encountered.

"What are you planning?" I demanded, voice shaking with anger and fear. "Where am I?"

"Somewhere you'll never be found," she replied, almost gently. "Somewhere quiet enough for contemplation."

"Contemplation of what?" I spat, struggling futilely. "How I'm going to escape and kill you?"

She laughed again, cold and dismissive. "I admire your spirit. But it won't help you. Not here."

Aria turned slightly, raising her palm toward the shadows behind her. Magic twisted outward, coalescing rapidly into a shape that left me speechless. My own reflection stood there exact in every detail, from my raven-black hair to my pale skin, even my posture.

"What is this?" I whispered, horrified.

"A perfect replica," Aria murmured softly, circling the clone, assessing her creation. "She'll take your place, Velka, guiding Elyzara right where I need her."

"You stay away from her!" I shouted desperately, hammering against the barrier again, pain shooting through my wrists.

Aria's expression softened mockingly. "Oh, don't worry. Elyzara will be perfectly safe so long as she cooperates."

The clone's eyes opened, glowing briefly red before settling into my familiar hue. It turned, smiling faintly at me, mirroring my own mannerisms perfectly. "Hello, Velka," the clone greeted gently, voice identical to mine. "Don't worry. I'll take good care of her."

Rage boiled fiercely through my veins. "You touch her, and I swear—"

The clone laughed softly, tilting her head exactly as I would have done. "You'll do nothing. Because you'll still be here, helpless and forgotten."

"Excellent," Aria praised, clearly pleased. "Now, go."

The clone inclined her head obediently, turning gracefully toward the exit. Just before stepping through, she glanced back, smiling cruelly. "Enjoy your solitude, original."

Then she vanished, leaving me trapped in darkness, heart pounding furiously, mind reeling from betrayal.

Aria turned, regarding me thoughtfully. "It's nothing personal, Velka. But you two are simply too dangerous together. Destiny needs…adjustments."

"You'll regret this," I snarled, voice shaking with barely restrained fury.

She smiled faintly, cold and calm. "I doubt that."

Then she vanished into shadow, leaving me utterly alone.

The cage hummed softly around me, runes glowing steadily, sealing me away from everything and everyone I cared about. I sank slowly to the floor, breathing ragged, frustration and despair clawing mercilessly at my chest.