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Also, here is an amazing picture of Juline, drawn by EstelElfstone  please follow her if you like it and feel free to comment! Thank you EstelElfstone  for drawing it for me! 😘 😘

Starting, I look up into the face of an old man. Two old men, actually. Their faces resemble each other's perfectly, and their actions, at least all I can see, are mirrors of the other's. As my vision comes into focus, the two kindly faces move in a circular motion, swimming before me before merging into the face of a single old man, now smiling. I must have been asleep for a long time.

Shaking my head, I realise that instead of huge piles of blinding snow, I am surrounded by blankets and furs, such as I have never seen, rich and soft and warm. Sitting, I push back the pain suddenly hitting my temples. I have more important things to deal with.

"Where am I? Who are you? Why am I here? How did I get here? Why are you looking after me? Are you? Am I safe? Who are you? Did I already ask that?"

I manage to stop the rising tide of questions after those tumble from my mouth. I am immediately embarrassed at how ridiculous I must sound. Lost, confused, scared. Well, I am all of those things, I suppose.
But the old man just smiled and speaks in a calm voice, which seems not just the voice of one man, but of many, in perfect unison and yet echoing as of in a huge cave.

"Safe. The Protectors of the Mirror. You almost died. Because we feel obliged to. Yes. Yes again. The Protectors of the Mirror. Yes."

"Sorry, what?"

The sigh that escapes those old lips is like a breath of wind through an ancient forest, and I think I can here the old trees creaking and shifting, as if awakening from a long slumber.

"The answers to your questions! You are safe. We are the Protectors of the Mirror. You are here because you almost died. We are looking after you because we feel obliged to. Yes, we are looking after you. Yes, you are safe. We are the Protectors of the Mirror. Yes, you already asked who we were. Is that better?"

"Yes, and thank you."

"Oh, it's nothing! Our memory stretches back a lot further that your questions. To the depth of time, I should think."

"Not just that. For looking after me. I owe you my life!"

"Well, we found you lying in the snow so we brought you back here, and well, here you are!"

He beams. His talk reminds me of another question I meant to ask.

"You said 'we' when you were talking, but I only see one of you. And your voice, well, it sounded like lots of people talking at once, not just you. How many of you are there?"

"Oh, well. We are all one in mind and spirit, but we are also many. How could just one of us protect the Mirror? But our minds are all connected. Our very souls, you see, are one. Now do you see? We are one in mind, many in body. We protect the Mirror since the Fire. Well, actually, well before that, but now it is more serious. We could not stop Necros and his armies. Next time, we will. Now, you need sleep!"

"Who is Necros?"

"Hush. You have much to learn... as have we. But that can wait for tomorrow. Tonight, you rest."

And so I lie down beneath the furs, soft and warm, and begin to feel the drowsiness of sleep taking over me.

"Wait - what was your name?"

But he has already left.

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