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| Kanji | 鏡の迷宮 決死の火炎!! |
| Rōmaji | Kagami no meikyū kesshi no kaen!! |
| English Title | The Maze of Mirror and the Determined Flame |
| Air Date | 16 August 1997 |
"The Maze of Mirror and the Determined Flame" is the fourth episode of the Flame of Recca anime series.
Plot[]
Yanagi runs towards a badly wounded Recca and asks Tokiya why he was so cruel. Tokiya tells her that since the demise of his sister, nothing really bothers him. He tells Recca that he's lucky Yanagi intervened, but that he will soon expose his true colours (believing him to be associated with the party responsible for murdering Mifuyu). He then leaves and Yanagi then heals Recca.
Recca's morale takes a hard blow from the defeat and humiliation he suffered at Tokiya's hands. He begins losing his senses, which starts to worry his friends.
Recca tells Yanagi that he is unworthy to be her Ninja, since she's the one who is always protecting him. To cheer him up, Yanagi decides that all 4 of them should go to the amusement park nearby.
At the amusement park, Tokiya, who seems to have been stalking them all along, sneaks up behind Yanagi and takes her to a maze-like room filled with mirrors. Recca suddenly begins to sense that something is wrong and heads towards Yanagi. Fuko and Domon follow along.
When Recca arrives, Tokiya asks him once again to reveal the truth and the two begin battling.
After a hard-fought, bruising battle, which nearly kills Recca, Tokiya is finally defeated, but Recca decides to spare his life. Tokiya acknowledges his defeat, but tells Recca that trouble follows him wherever he does and that because of this, Yanagi will never be safe with her. Recca says that no matter who confronts him, he'll always protect his Princess and that if he fails he'll commit Seppuku (a Japanese ritual suicide). Tokiya laughs and says that if that does indeed happen, he won't need to kill himself, because he himself will kill Recca. Recca agrees to this and the two part.
After Tokiya leaves, Yanagi cuts a part of her arm and joins it with a severe cut that Recca suffered from Tokiya. When Fuko and Domon asks what she is doing, she says that despite her having healing power, she cannot replace lost blood and so needs to give Recca some of her own blood.
In the background, a mysterious man has observes what has taken place and quickly leaves.
Kagero, who appeared sometime earlier, tells them all that Recca is not the only flame bearer. She says that another flame bearer will soon confront them, one who has a cursed flame and whose powers far exceed those of any of Recca and his friends.
At the end of the episode, she calls Recca her "beloved son" in her mind.