Chapter 5: The Discovery

They see that John's own world is duller and darker, quieter and calmer, simpler and slower than the mirror world.

They see that the people are less beautiful and attractive, less friendly and playful, less lush and colorful, less shiny and sparkly, less exotic and exciting.

They see that everything is less alive and dynamic, less fun and joyful, less surprising and unpredictable, less magical and wonderful.

They see a world that is like a dream gone wrong.

But they also see a world that is more real and authentic, more peaceful and balanced, more meaningful and deeper than the mirror world.

They see that the people are more human and genuine, more diverse and complex, more flawed and imperfect, more honest and sincere, more brave and compassionate.

They see that everything is more natural and organic, more challenging and rewarding, more logical and consistent, more beautiful and sublime.

They see a world that is like a nightmare turned right.

They realize that they have entered a different dimension, where everything is possible.

They realize that they have met themselves in a different way, where everything is different.

They realize that they have changed something in a different world, where everything matters.

They realize that they have escaped from a different reality, where everything counts.

They become neither friends nor enemies, but something in between.

They become rivals and partners, competitors and collaborators, opposites and equals.

They become reflections and contrasts, mirrors and windows, shadows and lights.

They become two sides of the same coin, two halves of the same whole, two parts of the same puzzle.

They become John and John, but also more than John and less than John.

They become themselves and each other, but also more than themselves and less than each other.

They become something new and old, something familiar and strange, something simple and complex.

They become something that is hard to define and easy to understand, something that is hard to accept and easy to reject, something that is hard to love and easy to hate.

They become something that is human.