Book One – Chapter 2

His most valued possession was the witch mother crystal half ball that was rumored to grant wizards from the Transcender spectrum the rare ability to peer into other dimensions and glimpse at the shadowy forms and otherworldly beings that traversed these realms. It was this very crystal half ball, infused with the power of the arcane and rendered even more potent by the intricate arrangement of shards that constructed Yves’ ethereal mirrors, that had served as his conduit into the realm of mirrors. Without the crystal half ball, his two mirrors allowed him to travel between them, from one mirror’s location to the other’s. With the crystal half ball inserted, the mirrors transformed into gateways between his reality and the world of shards. The crystal half ball’s role was pivotal, a tether between the tangible and the ethereal, an instrument that bridged the chasm between planes with a mere insertion.

It was the witch mother herself who had first imparted to him the knowledge of ethereal mirrors. They were artefacts that eluded him — a lattice of portals weaving an intricate network of reflective surfaces that crisscrossed the world of magic. With these mirrors, a wizard could unravel the veils concealing the unseen and travel between dimensions. Yet, they held more than mere curiosity for Yves, they were a demand placed upon him by the witch mother, a mandate that set his course.
At Emery Thurm, the academy where he had studied and developed his Lightshifter dispositions, Yves had embarked upon a covert odyssey to obtain access to the banned Tome of the Ethereal Plaine, a repository of cryptic truths sought by the witch mother. It had been a challenging feat, as much orchestrated coincidence as it had been accidented fate. The academy’s fortifications were formidable, safeguarding its hidden knowledge within labyrinthine chambers ensconced deep below its venerable grounds. These chambers were sealed with ancient runes, shrouded in illusions, and ensnared with cunning traps, individual sections often only accessible to wizards of specific dispositions. Despite that, Yves and two other students had found and unlocked one of myriad concealed and seemingly forsaken chambers during his second year. Within the enigmatic confines of this chamber, they had encountered a runed portal pulsating with latent power. It had read: