A Collection of Short
Fantasy Stories
14、“The Prophecy Mirror”
1. The Revelation of the Bronze Mirror
Chen Wuhui was a young and exceptionally talented scholar who specialized in the study of philosophy and human nature. From childhood, he had possessed an endless thirst for truth, yet he had always been trapped between that pursuit and the desire for worldly recognition and fame.
One day, Chen Wuhui was strolling along an ancient street in the city when he happened to enter a dusty antique shop. The shop was filled with strange and unusual objects. The most eye-catching of them all was an intricately carved bronze mirror. Its frame was entwined with patterns of vines and flying birds that looked almost alive, and it gave off a cold, mysterious sheen.
The shopkeeper was an elderly woman with a low voice and a mysterious smile. She told Chen Wuhui that the bronze mirror was called the “Prophecy Mirror,” and legend had it that it could reflect the future of its owner. However, not everyone could see the true prophecy. Only those who possessed a powerful desire to know their destiny could glimpse the light and shadows of the future within the mirror.
Out of curiosity, Chen Wuhui purchased the bronze mirror and took it back to his study.
2. The Glory of the Future
Chen Wuhui placed the bronze mirror in the center of his study, lit a candle, and gazed at its surface. At first, the bronze mirror merely reflected his own image, blurred and unremarkable. But as time passed, a blue halo gradually spread across the mirror, and a scene unlike anything in reality emerged.
He saw himself standing on a lofty lecture platform, surrounded by countless scholars and listeners who gazed at him with admiration as they listened to his teachings. Books, medals, and honors filled his room, and his theories had become a source of wisdom that people everywhere eagerly praised and passed on.
The sight filled Chen Wuhui with excitement. He firmly believed that this was a prophecy of the future, and from then on, he threw himself into his research with even more intense enthusiasm, burying himself in books and manuscripts every day.
During this period, Chen Wuhui met several important people:
Shen Zhiyin: Chen Wuhui’s closest friend and colleague, who specialized in historical and documentary research. Loyal and wise, Shen Zhiyin often provided Chen Wuhui with constructive criticism and advice.
Liu Ruoshui: A young painter who loved exploring the deeper meanings of the human spirit and art. She met Chen Wuhui at an academic exhibition, and the two quickly became close friends, even developing a subtle and unspoken affection for each other.
Zheng Yuande: A prestigious member of an academic review council, known for being severe and highly demanding. Chen Wuhui once regarded him as the most difficult critic to please, yet he also longed to earn his approval.
3. The Shackles of Glory
Years later, Chen Wuhui’s theories finally gained widespread recognition. Fame and wealth came flooding in like a rising tide. Countless disciples sought his guidance, and endless praise poured into his ears.
However, these achievements gradually caused him to distance himself from his closest friends of the past. Shen Zhiyin believed that Chen Wuhui had become cold and arrogant, with no patience for opinions that differed from his own. Liu Ruoshui also gradually distanced herself from him because she discovered that Chen Wuhui’s creative work had become increasingly rigid and mechanical, losing the vitality and purity it once possessed.
One day, Chen Wuhui decided to gaze into the bronze mirror once again to confirm whether he was on the right path. But when he looked into the mirror, what he saw was an entirely different scene—
He was lying alone in a cold room, surrounded by scattered books and dust. No one came to visit him, and no one mourned his death. Although his theories had been carved into a stone monument, they were like an unread epitaph, forgotten in a desolate place.
Chen Wuhui felt a bone-chilling terror. He began to wonder whether he was heading toward the ending that the mirror had foretold.
4. The Trap of Escape
In an attempt to change his destiny, Chen Wuhui tried to reconcile with Shen Zhiyin and restore his friendship with Liu Ruoshui. However, they had already become completely disillusioned. Liu Ruoshui left the city and traveled to a distant place in search of the true meaning of art, while Shen Zhiyin withdrew to the countryside and refused to correspond with Chen Wuhui.
During those lonely days, Chen Wuhui happened to encounter a mysterious traveler—Luo Yifeng. This elderly and seemingly mad man claimed that he had once possessed the “Prophecy Mirror” and had tried to escape the curse it brought with it.
Luo Yifeng told Chen Wuhui that the true curse was not the bronze mirror itself, but the endless desire within the human heart. No matter how one struggled, what the Prophecy Mirror reflected was always the deepest obsession hidden within one’s heart.
Inspired by these words, Chen Wuhui decided to completely abandon his pursuit of fame and status. He dropped the bronze mirror from a high place, shattering it into hundreds of pieces. Afterward, he chose to live a simple and peaceful life, devoting himself to inner peace and the pursuit of wisdom.
However, the true secret was hidden within the fragments...
5. The Unexpected Truth
Many years later, Chen Wuhui, now an old man, happened to see a fragment of the bronze mirror in the hands of a young scholar. The young scholar claimed that he had purchased it from an antique collector and then told Chen Wuhui an astonishing secret.
The collector had discovered that the bronze mirror did not actually predict the future. Instead, it reflected the deepest fears and desires within the heart of its owner.
By the time Chen Wuhui learned the truth, he was already in the twilight of his life. He gave a bitter smile, realizing that his entire life had been controlled by the illusion projected by that bronze mirror.
In the end, he quietly passed away on a peaceful morning, a relieved smile on his face.
