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‘Ooh, wait a minute,’ said Garovel. ‘What if this thing is a teleporter now like the Gate? Try sticking your hand through it. Watch it pass through the mirror like an open window.’

“You really think that’ll happen?”

‘Well, of course. It was my idea, and I’m never wrong, so yes, I’m sure it will.’

Hector bobbed his head and decided not to retort. “Alright, then. Here goes.”

He pressed his gauntleted hand flatly against the reflection. And waited.

Nothing happened, still.

‘You’re obviously doing it wrong,’ said Garovel.

“Oh, am I? How so?”

‘Uh. Well. Your armor. You gotta use your bare hand, of course.’

“Okay, then.” He dematerialized one gauntlet and repeated the same action.

It made no difference.

‘Alright, it’s useless. You can break it now.’

“I’m not gonna break it!”

‘Oh, c’mon. It deserves it. Just look how smug it is. With its. Reflectiveness.’

“Even if it is useless, what would be the point in breaking it?”

‘To make me feel better?’

“Garovel.”

‘I’m kidding again. Relax.’

“Are you, though? You sure this isn’t one of those sarcastic confession-type things?”

‘Maybe a little. Maybe I think that mirror is being a real prick, right now.’

“Okay, Garovel.”

‘I don’t appreciate your tone, Hector.’

He decided to move on before the reaper dragged him down another conversational rabbit hole. “I wonder if whatever power the mirror had... got sucked out by the Gate ‘r something.”

‘That sounds possible. Hmm. Maybe even plausible.’

“But why would it only affect the mirror and not anything else? The Shifting Spear of Logante had power in it, too, right? And it came through the Gate just fine. Not to mention the Scarf.”

‘Perhaps the nature of the mirror’s power was similar to that of the Gate. So they interacted with one another.’

“So... maybe it’s actually the opposite of what you were saying. Maybe it was a teleporter, but now it’s not?’

‘Maybe. And if so, then... man, that bites. Bad luck on our part.’

“I mean, at least we didn’t end up fused into the rock.”

‘I guess that’s true. Way to look on the bright side, Hector.’

“Hmm...”

‘Now what’re you thinking?’

“I’m trying to remember the last time that I actually saw this thing,’ said Hector. “Because I feel like... I didn’t even have it with me when we went through the portal. Not that I knew we were going through a portal, at the time.”