Short and to the point. It's an objective representation of the past, but one devoid of emotion and depth. It couldn't capture the way Nikki tried to calm me down even as he was bleeding and freaking out himself. It couldn't replay the kind words he whispered in my ear or the warmth of his embrace as he held on to me.

He was the one who got hurt, but I was the one comforted. How was that fair?

A sob lodges in my throat as my own memory of the event surfaces in my mind.

Bar the nuances that the mirror could not capture, everything else is accurate.

And that is my proof that the mirror works. It is not biased either. It only shows what happened, not how, or why. It's as if someone filmed the incident but omitted the script.

Now that I know it can be trusted, I need only to formulate my second question.

I close my eyes, inhaling and exhaling as I speak my next question.

"Show me what happened when Nikki died," I murmur. My voice doesn't feel like my own. Hell, my own body doesn't feel like my own.

It's almost as if I'm in a bad dream that I can't wake up from.

My limbs tremble as I hold the mirror close, silently begging it to show me something different than what Anami suggested.

Ze couldn't have possibly had anything to do with Nikki's death. He didn't know me then—he didn't know us. Why would a powerful god get involved with humans? More than anything, is he even allowed to harm humans? From what I remember, he can only kill with express consent from the Supremes.

I stop short as I realize how many excuses I'm making for him. Yet just entertaining the thought that he could have hurt Nikki makes me lightheaded, a vise squeezing my heart in my chest and making it bleed.

I care about him. He's my friend. He cares about me too. He's shown it numerous times.

God! Why am I even doubting him? I got to know him well over the last few months, and I don't believe he'd be capable of this. Anami was just trying to mess with my mind. The mere fact that I'm interrogating the mirror about that seems like a betrayal of trust.

Yet just as I'm about to throw the mirror away, the image shifts.

There's a fire burning in the background as two young people embrace each other on the pavement.

Me and Nikki.

The car had already exploded, one part of it hitting me in the back of my head and causing me to pass out. Even with no agency, my body is next to Nikki's, holding on to him and shielding him as best as I can. There's charred debris all around us, surrounding us like a cocoon, but one that seeks to harm not protect.