Queen Eliyon: Legend of the Dreaming — Deathmatch in the Arena of Lost Souls
The mist in Xanadu didn't smell like salt; it smelled of ancient incense and damp stone.
Sakura Avalon stood at the edge of the sacred river Styx, watching the water churn as it disappeared into caverns so deep they defied human measurement. Beside her, the group was a strange patchwork of worlds: Will Vandom clutching the Heart of Kandrakar, Prince Phobos looking regal and suspiciously bored, Yusuke Urameshi cracking his knuckles, and Haru Glory resting his hand on the hilt of the Ten Commandments.
The Riddle of the Dome
The "stately treasure dome" above them pulsed with a rhythmic, golden light. Sakura looked at the shifting shapes on the cavern walls.
"It’s mimicking us," Sakura whispered, her eyes tracking a shape that moved just a second too slow to be a natural reflection. "I thought it was the Shadow because of how it follows our every move like a twin. Then I thought Water, because of the Styx... or maybe Illusion, because this whole 'Xanadu' feels like a dream."
She shook her head, her Clow Wand humming in her hand. "But shadows don't have color, and water doesn't think. This thing is reflecting our very souls."
"It’s the Mirror Card," Sakura declared, her voice echoing off the incense-bearing trees.
The Girl Named 3173
From the center of the river, a figure rose. She wore the face of a girl Sakura knew—or thought she knew.
"So, you figured it out," the figure said. Her voice was like a chime. "But which one am I? Xigheart? 3173? Or Ellie?"
Yusuke stepped forward, a Spirit Blast flickering at his fingertips. "Look, lady, we’re in the first year of the Symphonian Calendar, we're lost in a poem, and you look exactly like our friend here. What’s the angle? Are you a twin, a clone, or just a bad memory?"
The girl—Ellie, or 3173—tilted her head. The resemblance to Sakura was uncanny, down to the way she tucked a stray hair behind her ear.
"In the Symphonian records, names are just numbers to hide the truth," she said cryptically. "We look identical because we are two sides of the same decree. You are the dream of the dome, Sakura; I am the reality of the caverns."
The Connection
Will Vandom stepped up, the Heart of Kandrakar glowing pink. "The Mirror Card doesn't just copy. It reveals. If she looks like you, Sakura, it’s because your destinies are tangled in this timeline. You aren't just connected by your faces—you're connected by the source of your power."
The group stood at a crossroads:
- The Mirror Card: Held the key to escaping the dome.
- The Identity: 3173 represented a past (or future) Sakura hadn't lived yet.
- The River: Led to the sunlit sea, but only if they could prove which Sakura was the "real" one.
"We aren't just twins," Sakura said softly, stepping toward her double. "We're the same song played in two different keys."
The Mirror Card shivered, its surface cracking to reveal the pink-clad spirit within. The illusion of Xanadu began to fade, replaced by the harsh light of the Symphonian sun.
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