Éli stretched lazily, his eyes catching the glint of the morning sun bouncing off the mirror. He remembered the strange feeling he had the night before, as if the reflection in the mirror had lingered a moment too long after he had moved away. Dismissing it as a trick of the light, he swung his legs over the side of the bed, ready to face another ordinary day.
Éli paused, noticing something unusual. His reflection grinned back at him mischievously, even though his own lips remained still. He blinked hard, trying to shake the illusion, but the reflection's grin widened, and it waved at him before vanishing. [@ch_1]Éli[/@ch_1_d]"What on earth?"[/@ch_1_d] he muttered, a chill running down his spine.
Éli sat cross-legged on his bed, staring at the mirror. The reflection returned, this time stepping out of the glass, a doppelgänger with a mischievous glint in its eyes. "You can't just roam around causing trouble," Éli protested, his voice trembling. The reflection merely chuckled, its voice a haunting echo, "But I can, and I will."
Éli took a deep breath, steeling himself for what lay ahead. He reached out, his fingers brushing the cold, silvery surface before he was pulled through, into a world that mirrored his own but was tinged with strange colors and shifting shapes. Shadows flitted across his vision as he landed on a path lined with mirrors, each reflecting different moments of his life.
Éli found his reflection waiting for him, its expression now serious. "This is where it ends," Éli declared, determination in his voice. The reflection nodded, as if finally understanding the gravity of their situation. "Only one of us can return," it replied, its voice a somber echo.
Éli and his reflection circled each other, their movements mirrored perfectly. With a sudden burst of courage, Éli reached out, touching the reflection's hand. The world around them trembled, the mirrors shivering and cracking. "We can coexist," Éli whispered, and in that moment of unity, the mirrors shattered, and he found himself back in his bedroom, the mirror whole once more, and his reflection smiling back at him with newfound harmony.
