Chapter 3: The Fractured Memory

The next morning, Mina's thoughts were tangled in a haze. She barely managed to drag herself out of bed, her body heavy with exhaustion. It was hard to focus on anything other than the strange visions and the warning from the mysterious man.

Her mind kept replaying his words: You cannot change the past. The glasses are not a gift—they're a curse. You've been chosen, but not in the way you think.

The weight of it all was suffocating. Her fingers instinctively reached for the glasses again, but she stopped herself. The idea of seeing more of the past terrified her now. What if it was all a trap? What if she had made a terrible mistake by putting them on in the first place?

Mina sat at her desk, staring at the glasses that lay on the surface before her. Their presence in her room felt wrong, almost like they were calling to her, urging her to look deeper. She shook her head, trying to push the thought away.

"No more," she whispered, as if saying it out loud would make it true.

But the curiosity still burned within her. She had to know. What was all this about? Why had the glasses chosen her? And why did that strange man feel so familiar? There was something about him that she couldn't shake—something from the past, but not her past. It was like he was part of another life, another reality.

Her phone buzzed, interrupting her spiraling thoughts. It was a message from Lena.

Lena: You still alive? You okay? You weren't texting me back last night.

Mina quickly typed a reply: Yeah, just... tired. I'm okay.

Lena: Okay, well, if you need to talk, I'm here. I know you've been off lately.

Mina stared at the screen, her fingers hovering over the keys. She felt guilty, but she didn't know how to explain any of this to Lena. She couldn't even explain it to herself. How could she tell her best friend that she was seeing visions of the past and being warned by strangers in creepy mansions?

After a moment, she typed: I'm just figuring things out, that's all. I'll be fine.

---

The day passed in a blur. Mina found it impossible to concentrate on anything. Her thoughts kept drifting back to the glasses, to the strange, cold feeling she'd gotten when the man had spoken to her. Every little thing around her seemed to remind her of the world she had seen—the mansion, the portraits, the distant echo of footsteps.

The moment she stepped into her room that afternoon, her eyes were immediately drawn to the glasses. They lay on her desk like an ominous presence, their glass lenses gleaming in the soft light of the late afternoon.

She couldn't stop herself. Her hand reached for them, her fingers brushing the cool surface of the frame. The moment her skin made contact, she felt a shock run through her. A jolt of energy, followed by a deep sense of dread. The room began to fade.

"No," she whispered to herself, but the words barely registered before her surroundings were swallowed up by darkness. Her heart raced, the familiar pressure in her chest building again. She had to stop this. She had to pull away.

But it was too late.

The room dissolved into mist, and once again, she found herself standing in a place she didn't recognize. This time, the setting was darker, more oppressive. A dimly lit room with stone walls, the air thick with dust. The floor was cold beneath her bare feet, and the silence was suffocating.

She took a cautious step forward, her breath shallow. The room seemed to stretch on forever, the shadows in the corners growing darker the longer she stood still. She could feel something watching her, but when she looked around, there was no one there.

"Why am I here?" Mina whispered, her voice trembling. She felt small in the face of the darkness, vulnerable and exposed. The feeling of being watched only grew stronger as she stepped further into the room.

Then, she heard it.

A soft, faint whisper. So faint she wasn't sure she had actually heard it at first. But then it came again.

"Mina."

The voice was low, distant, but unmistakable. It was the same voice she had heard the other day, the one that had called her name when she had been in the mansion. Her heart skipped a beat. She turned, looking for the source of the voice, but there was nothing—no one—there.

"Mina," the voice said again, and this time, it was clearer. It was coming from behind her, deep in the shadows. She felt an overwhelming sense of dread. Her instincts screamed at her to run, but her legs wouldn't move.

A figure emerged from the shadows, and Mina gasped. It was a woman—tall, with long, flowing hair, dressed in an elegant gown that seemed to shimmer in the low light. Her features were obscured by a veil, but Mina could feel the woman's gaze on her, piercing and cold.

"You should not be here," the woman said, her voice smooth, almost hypnotic. "You are trespassing in a world that does not belong to you."

Mina took a step back. "What is this place?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

The woman tilted her head, studying her. "This is the place where all things begin and end," she replied cryptically. "The past and the future are connected here. The glasses you hold... they are a bridge."

"A bridge?" Mina echoed, her mind struggling to keep up with the strange woman's words.

The woman nodded slowly. "A bridge to memories long forgotten. To events that cannot be undone. You have seen the past, but you are not meant to alter it."

Mina's chest tightened. "Then why do I keep seeing it? Why am I being shown these things?"

The woman took a step closer, her voice dropping to a whisper. "Because you are not just seeing the past, Mina. You are living it."

Mina recoiled, the words sending a shiver down her spine. "What does that mean? Am I... am I stuck in the past? Am I dreaming?"

The woman didn't respond. Instead, she reached out and touched Mina's arm gently, her fingers cool against her skin.

"You will understand in time," she said softly. "But you must be careful. Some memories are not meant to be remembered. Some things are better left forgotten."

The woman's touch lingered for a moment before she withdrew. And then, without another word, she faded into the shadows, leaving Mina standing alone in the dark room, more confused than ever.

Mina gasped, pulling the glasses from her face. Her room returned to focus, but the cold feeling remained. She could still feel the woman's touch, still hear her voice echoing in her mind.

You are living it.

The words rattled around in her head, over and over again, until they became a mantra. What did that mean? How could she be living in the past? The idea didn't make sense.

Her hands shook as she set the glasses down on the desk, pushing them away like they were some dangerous object she couldn't trust. She sat on the edge of her bed, her thoughts spinning, her heart racing. The walls of her room suddenly felt too close, like the air was pressing in on her.

She needed to figure this out. She couldn't just keep going like this, trapped between two worlds. But what could she do? How could she fix it?

Her phone buzzed again, pulling her out of her spiraling thoughts. It was Lena.

Lena: Where are you? We were supposed to meet up. Everything okay?

Mina looked at the screen, her thumb hovering over the reply button. She didn't want to lie to Lena, but she didn't know how to explain any of this. How could she even begin to describe what was happening to her? The strange woman. The room that wasn't real. The glasses that seemed to open doors to other times.

But then again, she didn't have to explain everything. She just needed something to distract her, to take her mind off the chaos. She typed back: I'll meet you in 20 minutes. Got something on my mind, but I'll be there.

Mina stood up, taking a deep breath. She had to get out. She couldn't stay locked in her room, afraid of what the glasses would show her next. She had to keep moving forward, even if she didn't know where the path would lead.

---

Mina's head throbbed as she tried to gather her thoughts. She had barely moved from the spot on her bed where she had collapsed in shock after seeing the woman. Her breath was shallow, and she couldn't shake the unsettling feeling that something dark and far-reaching was unfolding before her.

The strange woman's words echoed in her mind: You are living it. What did that mean? Could she truly be living in the past, or was it all a figment of her imagination?

Her phone buzzed again. She glanced at it, but this time, it wasn't Lena's message. The notification was from an unknown number, its contents a cryptic message:

You shouldn't be using the glasses. You don't know what you're doing.

A chill ran down Mina's spine as she stared at the words. How could anyone know what she was doing with the glasses? She hadn't told anyone about them—not even Lena. The message had been sent with eerie precision, the sender anonymous and untraceable.

She quickly dismissed the message, trying to calm herself. It had to be some sort of prank, right? A coincidence? But deep down, she couldn't ignore the gnawing suspicion that there was something more sinister going on.

Her fingers hovered over the glasses once more, but this time, she hesitated. She knew she had to stop—at least for now. But something inside her refused to let go. The need to understand what was happening, to figure out the mystery, was too strong. With a deep breath, she picked them up, slipping them carefully onto her nose.

The world around her shifted instantly. The room, her sanctuary, faded into darkness once more. The familiar feeling of weightlessness returned, and before she knew it, she was standing in a different place again.

This time, there was no mist, no long corridors. She was outside. A sprawling garden stretched out before her, filled with towering trees and overgrown vines. The sun was low in the sky, casting long shadows over the grounds. The air was thick with the scent of earth and decay, and the wind whispered through the leaves.

It was almost peaceful, in a way. But something about the stillness felt wrong. There was an emptiness here that she couldn't ignore.

Mina took a cautious step forward, her heart pounding in her chest. Her senses felt heightened, every detail in the garden standing out to her. The rustle of leaves, the faint chirping of birds, the weight of her footsteps on the gravel path—it was all so real, so vivid.

As she walked, her eyes caught sight of something strange. A figure stood near the far end of the garden, its back turned toward her. The figure seemed to be gazing at something in the distance, unmoving, as if it hadn't noticed her presence.

Mina's breath caught in her throat. The figure... was it a person? Or something else?

"Hello?" she called out, her voice carrying in the stillness. But the figure didn't respond. It remained frozen in place.

Curiosity gnawed at her, pushing her forward. She couldn't just leave it like this. She had to know.

Taking another step, she drew closer to the figure. The closer she got, the more she felt an overwhelming sense of déjà vu. Something about this place, this person—it felt familiar, yet distant, like a dream half-remembered.

When she was only a few feet away, the figure finally moved. It turned slowly, as if it had been waiting for her to approach.

Mina gasped.

The person standing before her was someone she recognized. It was her mother, but... not quite the same. She looked younger, dressed in a flowing gown, her dark hair cascading around her shoulders. Her eyes were wide with a mixture of surprise and something else—something Mina couldn't place.

"Mina?" her mother asked, her voice trembling, as though she hadn't seen her in years. "What are you doing here?"

Mina opened her mouth to speak, but the words caught in her throat. She was paralyzed. Her mother had never looked like this—had never been this young, this vulnerable. What was happening? How could this be real?

Her mother's eyes searched hers, but there was a sadness in them, a sadness that seemed so out of place for the woman she knew. "You shouldn't have come here," she whispered, stepping back slightly. "It's not safe."

Before Mina could respond, the world around her shifted again. The garden, her mother, the feeling of being in another time—it all melted away in an instant. The darkness swallowed her whole, and the next thing she knew, she was back in her room, her heart racing and her hands shaking.

Mina ripped the glasses off her face and tossed them aside, breathing heavily. The room was spinning, the weight of the past threatening to pull her under. She felt like she had just crossed a line, like something had been revealed to her that she wasn't ready to face.

"What the hell is going on?" she muttered, wiping the sweat from her forehead. The vision felt so real—too real. Had she really seen her mother, or had it just been another illusion? Another fragment of the past?

It was clear to her now—whatever these glasses were, whatever this power was—it was pulling her deeper into something she couldn't fully understand. The more she used them, the more she felt herself slipping away from the present, from the world she knew.

---

Mina sat on her bed, staring at the glasses from a distance. She knew she had to stop. The visions, the strange encounters, they were beginning to take their toll on her. But there was one thing she couldn't ignore—the warning from her mother. "It's not safe." Those words echoed in her mind, and she couldn't help but wonder: what did they mean? Why was she being shown these glimpses of the past? And what was the significance of the glass—of the power they held?

The more she thought about it, the more she realized that she couldn't ignore this. She needed answers. She had to understand what was happening to her, and why.

Her phone buzzed again, and this time, it was Lena.

Lena: Mina, are you okay? You haven't been answering me. What's going on?

Mina sighed, running a hand through her hair. She wanted to tell Lena everything, to explain what she was going through, but the words felt stuck. How could she explain this? How could she make Lena understand?

Instead, she typed: I'll explain everything soon. I'm just... trying to figure things out. I need some space right now.

Lena: Okay... just don't shut me out, okay? I'm here if you need me.

Mina read the message and felt a pang of guilt. She didn't want to push Lena away, but she couldn't bring herself to share the truth—not yet. She had to figure it all out first.

With a deep breath, she picked up the glasses once more. This time, she had to be prepared. She had to find the answers.

---

Mina set the glasses down in front of her, her fingers trembling as she studied them. They looked ordinary, yet she knew they were far from it. They had shown her so much already—things she didn't understand, things she wasn't ready to face. But the more she thought about it, the more she realized that the glasses held the key to everything.

She had seen her mother, but not the mother she knew. It had been someone from another time, someone who had warned her. It's not safe. The words repeated over and over in her mind.

But why had she seen her mother in that place? Why had the glasses pulled her back to that moment? And why did it feel like the past was so real? The scent of the garden, the weight of the air—everything had felt so tangible, as if she had been there herself.

Mina closed her eyes, willing herself to stay calm. She had to think. She had to figure this out. There had to be a reason behind all of it. And she had to know the truth.

---

The phone buzzed again. This time, it was a notification. A message from an unknown number. Mina's heart skipped a beat. Was it another cryptic warning? She hesitated, staring at the screen, but then her curiosity got the best of her.

You've seen too much. They're coming for you.

Her breath caught in her throat. Who was sending these messages? How did they know what was happening? And who were "they"?

Before she could process the message, the room seemed to close in around her. Her vision blurred, and once again, she felt the world shift beneath her. Her body froze as a familiar sensation overwhelmed her—the same sensation she had felt each time the glasses had taken her into the past.

In an instant, she was no longer in her room. The air felt different, colder somehow, and the sounds around her were muted. She could hear the crunch of gravel beneath her shoes as she walked down a narrow, dimly lit corridor.

There was no mist. No swirling dark forces. This time, everything was different. The walls were covered in peeling wallpaper, the floor covered in dust and debris. She could smell the musty scent of age and neglect. Her breath fogged the air, and she instinctively pulled her jacket tighter around her.

She looked around, trying to make sense of her surroundings. Where was she? The place looked abandoned, as if it had been left to rot for years. Yet, there was something unsettling about it. The silence was too complete, too all-encompassing.

Mina's heart raced as she realized something. She wasn't alone. She could feel eyes on her, though she couldn't see anyone. The weight of the moment pressed down on her, and for the first time since she had started using the glasses, she felt afraid. Not just afraid of what she might see—but afraid of what was watching her.

Who's there?

The words slipped out before she could stop them, her voice barely a whisper in the suffocating silence. She stood still, waiting for a response. But nothing came. No footsteps. No sounds of movement. Only the sound of her own heartbeat pounding in her ears.

Then, from the corner of her vision, she saw a shadow move.

It was fleeting, just a flicker at the edge of her sight, but it was enough to make her blood run cold. She wasn't imagining things. Someone—or something—was there with her.

She quickly spun around, her pulse racing. But the hallway was empty, the shadows long and stretched across the floor. There was no sign of anyone.

She felt a shiver crawl down her spine, and instinctively, she backed away. The corridor seemed to stretch on forever, the walls closing in as she moved toward the only exit she could see—a door at the far end.

Her footsteps echoed in the silence as she approached the door, her hand reaching out toward the handle. It was cold to the touch, the metal slick and unyielding beneath her fingers. With a quick twist, she pulled the door open, revealing the outside.

The garden was the same as before, yet something was different. The air was heavier now, more oppressive. The sky above her was thick with clouds, swirling in unnatural patterns. The once-vibrant flowers in the garden now appeared withered, their petals curling and dying. The trees seemed to sway despite the lack of wind, their branches twisting into grotesque shapes.

Mina stepped forward, her heart pounding in her chest. She couldn't explain it, but she felt like she was in the presence of something ancient—something that had been waiting for her.

She took another step, and that's when she saw them.

Figures moved through the garden, their forms shrouded in mist. They appeared to be walking in a trance, their faces hidden beneath cloaks. They didn't speak, but the tension in the air was palpable. Mina could feel their presence as if they were closing in on her, surrounding her.

One of the figures turned toward her, its face hidden beneath the hood. It took a step forward, and the others followed suit. Mina's breath caught in her throat, and for the first time, she felt a deep, bone-chilling fear. She wanted to run, but her legs wouldn't move. It was as if the very earth beneath her feet had frozen her in place.

The figure raised a hand, and the others stopped moving. For a moment, there was a heavy silence.

Then the figure spoke, its voice low and gravelly. "You shouldn't be here. You've seen too much."

Mina's pulse raced. They know. How could they know?

Before she could respond, the figure lowered its hand, and the garden began to distort around her. The trees bent and swayed unnaturally, the flowers withering even further. The air grew thick and suffocating, and a sense of dread washed over her.

"Leave this place," the figure said again, its voice echoing in her mind. "Before it's too late."

Mina's vision blurred once more, the world around her shifting into a swirl of colors and shapes. The figures faded, and the garden disappeared as if it had never existed.

She was back in her room, gasping for air. The weight of what she had seen—what she had been shown—pressed down on her. She could feel the cold sweat on her skin, the lingering sense of something ominous. The warning echoed in her mind: Leave this place... before it's too late.