Renji stood frozen in front of the archive mirror, deep in the library's back corridor.
He hadn't meant to look.
But the moment he passed it, something pulled at his mind—a tug, subtle and familiar.
Now, he stared at his reflection.
And it stared back.
Smiling.
But Renji's face wasn't smiling. His real expression was tense, anxious.
> This isn't me.
---
The Warning
"Renji!" Aoi's voice echoed down the aisle.
But the reflection didn't break eye contact.
Instead, it moved its lips, speaking silently.
Renji leaned closer. The words didn't come as sound.
They formed in his mind.
> "You can't fight what you already are."
> "The spiral chose you."
> "Let go."
Renji backed away. "No."
The reflection's smile widened.
Behind it, the mirrored version of the library began to twist. Shelves bent unnaturally, books floated mid-air, and the floor spiraled inward like a vortex.
And then—cracks.
Thin black cracks webbed across the glass surface.
> Like something inside wanted out.
Aoi grabbed his arm. "Renji, what's wrong?"
He turned to her. "The mirror. It—"
But when he looked back…
The cracks were gone.
The smile gone.
Just his normal reflection, staring back.
---
The Fracture Grows
That night, back in their motel room near the university, Renji didn't speak much.
Kaito tried distracting him with a movie on the old TV. Aoi made tea. But Renji barely moved.
He sat on the bed, staring at the mirror across the room.
He'd covered it with a towel.
But still—he felt its presence.
The spiral mark on his palm pulsed faintly.
Aoi sat beside him. "You saw something again, didn't you?"
Renji nodded slowly. "It talked to me."
Kaito paused the TV. "What do you mean, it?"
Renji looked at both of them. His eyes were sunken, but burning with clarity.
"I think it's… me. Or something that used to be me. Maybe something that's trying to become me."
Aoi's face paled. "Like a mirror-self?"
"Yeah. But it's not just copying me." He opened his hand. The spiral was darker now. "It's trying to replace me."
---
A New Fear
Later that night, as they all slept uneasily, Renji dreamed.
He was back in Fujikawa.
But it was silent. Still.
He stood in the center of the old shrine. Spiral symbols glowed faintly on the walls.
And across from him—stood himself.
The mirrored Renji. Same face. Same eyes.
But hollow.
"Soon," the mirror-Renji whispered. "You'll come back to us."
He raised his hand—spirals carved deep into his skin.
Renji tried to run. Tried to scream.
But the spiral on his palm began to twist.
Flesh. Bone. Thought.
Unraveling.
---
He woke with a gasp, drenched in sweat.
And for the first time—he wasn't sure if he'd woken up as himself.
---
End of Chapter 39
---
To Be Continue