Land of Origin, the place that started it all, stood tall and strong in word only. The stone streets couldn’t stretch far before they turned to gravel; rubble; a mere whisper of the promises that crumbled long ago. The cities were full of hope for those too immature to understand otherwise. The strongest buildings held more secrets than people, and most turned a blind eye to things they couldn’t explain.

The mirrored land, one created in a fantastical space to escape the dark decent of the original, flourished with lavish buildings, flurries of hope, and promises well kept. Young children were encouraged rather than locked away, and a strong leadership transformed the small ambitious copy into a strong force able to withstand anything. They took those struggling inside Origin under their wing to increase their ranks, reinforcing a sense of duty and strength into the people of the new land.

They shared similar looking streets, lakes, beaches, and forests, one filled with despair, one with determination. One built on lies, the other on dreams.

The Mirror quickly became it’s own, a far cry from the land it was founded upon. Origin refused to admit defeat or acknowledge the success of those that came after them. Their jealousy grew with each passing year, their population was dwindling further and further, but they doubled down. They tripled their defenses, concealed all of their lies behind closed doors, and threw more promises to keep the naive happy.

The Mirror, built on the hope of those from Origin, began forgetting the motivations that led them into such a success. What had been created to bring hope to the hopeless was slowly morphing into it’s selfish roots. They had no reason to bother Origin if they’d built a foundation strong enough to stand on their own. No need to bring the suffering to the side of peace.

Those inhabiting Origin, the land of lost hope, fell further into the depths that drove them under. Meanwhile, The Mirror, in a similar fantastical space, sat complicit, unwilling to bring others the hope they’d founded themselves upon.