Chapter 4- The Broken Paradox

The thunderstorm kept raging on and Serah didn't move- she just stared at Lightning, who was still holding out the towel.

A few moments later she was able to think clearly again. Slowly Serah stumbled backwards not realising that her back was already pressed against the wall beneath the door after a few steps. She took a few breaths before she stuttered: „No… no thanks… I am… I need to go." Preoccupied Serah teared open the door again and ran. She didn't know where she went, she just wanted to get away from Lightning, she had a really bad feeling about her sister lately. She even had a terrible feeling about Snow! Was she getting insane?

Serah ran along the beach, she didn't care about the thunderstorm, she ignored lightning and thunder, rain and cold.

When she was feeling a little easier, Serah stopped and turned around. She could still see the NORA-house and the jetty from where she was standing. Suddenly the world around her blurred and it wasn't raining anymore. The small town was attacked. Portals opened and closed clearing the way for giant monsters. Serah remembered they were called Nektons. Gadot once told her, that they were easy to beat, but there were so many of them!

Serah wanted to go back, but her feet didn't move an inch, like she was frozen solid to the ground. Lightning stroke again and broke the vision. Confused Serah looked around, she was standing in the rain again, the monsters were all gone.

Her teeth were chattering and she was shivering. Her skin was cold and her clothes were sticking to her body.

Serah took a deep breath and then slowly started walking again. She didn't know where to go, but she didn't care.

It stopped raining, but the sky was still cloud-covered. The younger Farron saw a silhouette appearing on the horizon. It was a tall figure becoming bigger and bigger, it was coming toward her. When she heard the scream of a Chocobo she stopped pacing. Now she was able to see what the thing was. It was Snow, riding a Chocobo- clearly looking relieved when he saw his wife.

Snow smiled and stopped the animal by Serah's side: „Thank God, you are alright."

Serah just nodded: „Where… where are you coming from?" Snow held out his hand: „I went back to the house with the others, but your sister told me, you seemed to be mad at her or something like that. I was worried about you, so I started searching…"

One moment Serah hesitated, but then she took Snow's hand and he pulled the petite woman up on the bird's back.

Serah gently grabbed Snow's waist and the Chocobo started moving towards the NORA-house again. Snow didn't turn, when he asked Serah, what they should have for dinner. Serah didn't reply, she was in thoughts. She was not sure, if it was the right thing to do- to allow Snow to take her back. That elusive feeling in her stomach was still present and it didn't seem to go away.

Serah didn't remember what Lightning had prepared for dinner, she was lying in bed, thinking. Snow was already asleep by her side. Every now and then she could hear a soft snoring, but most of the time there was only silence.

Serah was feeling extremely tired, but she couldn't clear her mind. She stared at the ceiling, hoping to just fall asleep, but it didn't work. Minutes passed, maybe hours- sighing Serah sat up to eyeball the clock. It was seven minutes to midnight. Frustrated she let herself fall back in the pillows again, after a few minutes she couldn't stand the ceiling anymore. She changed her position and was now lying with her back turned to Snow.

In that moment she was about to close her eyes again, she saw a strange lilac glow emanated by the mirror. Distracted she heaved herself up. Hesitantly the young woman tiptoed out of bed and stopped in front of the speculum. Serah didn't dare touching it, still too scared of what had happened the last time. She rubbed her eyes and when she realised the glow was still there, she came another short step closer.

First she saw her reflection, but then the Serah in the mirror started to make her own moves. Almost carefully she raised one of her hands and pressed it against the glass, teardrops forming in her eyes. A single tear was already rolling over her cheek.

Serah swallowed. She was about to go back to sleep, but something hindered her. Like a robot she raised one hand and with one finger gingerly touched the mirror-girl's hand.

In that moment the glimmer lightened up and covered the mirror-girl completely. The light was dazzling Serah. Quickly she pulled away and covered her eyes with her arms. When the light faded, she looked in the mirror again, but what she saw, was even more confusing: There wasn't her reflection anymore, she saw the exact same bedroom she was standing in, but it was day in that scene and two people were standing in front of the speculum. She knew them, it was the boy with these strange blue clothes and the girl she saw in that dream, where she wandered around in Sunleth-Waterscape. Out of the mirror came an orange glimmer there and the boy was touching the glass.

He longed through it, like it wasn't there and pulled out something that looked like an orange jewel. His voice was soft and somehow it made Serah feel safe:„It's a twist in time, something that doesn't belong." The girl in the mirror nodded and gave back a quick ‚Yeah…' The boy went on talking: „I think this is an artefact!"

After he said that the scene disappeared and the mirror went black and then, winks later it went back to that little lilac glow. Serah froze, she couldn't move, she didn't know what to do.

A feeling overcame the girl: She shouldn't be here. She still hadn't finished something she started before she came back here.

Sighing Serah glaced at Snow one more time, then briefly shook her head. She touched the cold glass of the mirror again, but nothing happened. It was just the smooth surface. Dashed the woman let go of the speculum and looked around the room. There was a hammer leaning in the corner beneath the bathroom door. First Serah just stared at the tool, but then she encouraged herself to grab it. The hammer was a heavy weight in her hand.

Serah looked at the mirror and stopped a few steps away from it. She gathered all her courage, wound up the hammer and threw it directly at the mirror.

When she heard the glass crack, she instantly shut her eyes. The speculum seemed to shatter in millions and millions of tiny peaces splintering all across the floor.