My vision went completely dark as the mist swallowed me from all directions. It felt as though a powerful wind tore past me, whipping my clothes and hair in every direction as I was engulfed.
The silence that followed felt deeply unsettling, and when I turned my head, my heart froze as I took in the sight of the girl.
She stood by the mirror, but half of her body was almost inside the mirror.
Her head reached outward, trying to grasp something, but that something didn’t exist as the mirror sucked her in.
I could almost imagine her desperate screams as she tried to free herself from the mirror, but there was no one to help her. For a moment, I hesitated. However, taking a step forward, I moved towards the girl and tried to reach for her hand.
But...
’As expected, I don’t exist. This isn’t the past.’
My hand phased right past hers.
In the end, as both hands clung to the side of the mirror, she was eventually sucked in as the mirror rattled for several seconds before settling.
’Is this how the mirror came to be? But why am I being shown this? What is the purpose...?’
My gaze continued to linger over the mirror for several seconds until I eventually looked away, and moved towards the window again, taking a look at the surroundings. The scenery was now a familiar one.
While the house had yet to wear down, the silence was exactly like Point Z. However, unlike Point Z, there was still a sign of life outside.
I could see the lingering shadows of several figures running around in panic.
My eyes squinted.
’From what I remember, everyone disappeared in Point Z. I assumed that it was because of the mirror, and I still think that’s the case. Then...?’
I subconsciously turned my head to look at the mirror.
After which, I heard the sound of someone entering from below.
One that was followed by a familiar sound.
Trrr! Trrr—!
The next sequence of events was just as I knew. Someway or another, the people downstairs were forced to make it to the second floor, and the moment they reached this room, they’d be sucked into the mirror.
I suddenly thought back to the sudden disappearances with the flare back in Point Z, and I had a sudden epiphany.
’What if instead of dragging them to hell, the mirror is actually making them disappear by making them enter the house? That’s why we were never able to spot them. But that doesn’t explain the ’impostors’. Could that also be the mirror’s work? As a way to trick people into entering the house?’
I had all sorts of hypotheses in my mind.
The hypothesis lingered in the back of my mind for several seconds until I turned my attention back to the mirror. That was also the moment I found my own reflection staring back.
’Hm?’
My heart squeezed for a moment.
However, I soon realized what was going on.
"Have you shown me what you wanted to show me?"
The reflection didn’t move as I did.
Its lips remain closed despite what I said.
I knew then that what was staring back at me wasn’t really my own reflection.
Eventually—
"Protect... I protect..."
I understood instantly.
’I’m still confused about how she turned into an anomaly, but based on what I saw, I can deduce that her behavior is tied to her final thoughts before she transformed. She draws people in to "protect" them from the mist, leading them to the second floor as a reflection of her mother’s words before she changed.’
The disappearances started to make sense.
However, what exactly happened to them? She said protect, but was she really protecting them? I doubted this.
Sure enough...
When I looked at the mirror again, I could see several other figures staring back at me. Some I recognized. They were people who had come to the Congress with me. However, their faces were completely white, and they seemed to lack any soul.
In a way, they almost felt like ghosts.
Were they ghosts?
However, as I observed them more, I had a sudden realization.
"...I see."
I closed my eyes in understanding, turning my head to the right, where a figure appeared.
"Are you going to start explaining to me?"
"You caught quite the peculiar anomaly."
Leaning against the side of the wall, the Conductor chuckled.
"I don’t mind explaining, though. We already had a good talk with the anomaly."
"...I know."
The Realmw... meatshield’s behavior made sense to me. The reason why it had pushed me was that they were already aware that the mirror wanted to show me this.
I still wasn’t going to forgive that meatshield, though.
In fact, I planned on making its life a lot harder in the future. No, I planned on having a good talk with everyone. Not just the meatshield.
This couldn’t go on.
’Traitors. They’re all traitors.’
"I think you understood what it was trying to show you, how it came to be, and what drives its behavior."
As the Conductor’s voice drifted in the air, I raised my head and nodded.
"Yes."
I understood this much.
"The mirror’s ability doesn’t just lie in the fact that it can create illusions. From the moment it absorbs a person, it can copy their memories and way of speaking. It can essentially become them. That’s how it blends seamlessly into groups without anyone noticing."
My eyes widened slightly.
This ability...
It was a little broken, no?
The Conductor chuckled.
"But that’s not all. It can also blend seamlessly into a group and make them forget its existence. As you’ve probably guessed, the mirror is of the [Illusionist] Decree."
"Mhm."
My eyes drifted to the mirror.
The more I looked at it, the more tempted I felt.
If I managed to acquire such skills, the possibilities for me were endless.
But there were a couple of things that I was curious about.
"How is it able to bring people to hell? Does it have a connection with hell?"
"Ah, that..."
All of a sudden, the Conductor’s lips twisted.
They twisted in such a way that I started to feel the hair at the back of my neck rise as it chuckled.
"That’s the funny thing."
The Conductor’s soft voice drifted across the room.
"That wasn’t the mirror’s doing."
My breath caught.
"In fact, it wasn’t even there at the start, following you guys. That was something else entirely. Something that..."
The Conductor paused, extending its long and slender hand as it pointed at me.
"...Is closely tied to you."
All of a sudden, I was reminded of something.
Something that I hadn’t thought about in a bit.
[You have been haunted]
Could it be...?