2 2. First Scenario

"Mirror Mirror on the wall, who is the ugliest of them all? This phrase refers to the person's soul rather than their appearance." Shun mused. He glanced at the time of his watch and frowned.

Soon after receiving the mission, he had gone all over the haunted house in search of this mirror but the only mirrors he found were relatively normal aside from their unique frames. He was running out of time but he had no idea where the mirror could be.

"Perhaps I overlooked a place. Considering this is a haunted house and all, there's bound to be some hidden compartments or rooms around, right?"

Shun was standing in the hallway downstairs amidst the paintings. Without much hope, he decided to poke around in random places to see if his luck would play a part in discovering this mysterious mirror. To his surprise, it did.

Back in his bedroom, in the corner where the wardrobe was, there lay a hidden compartment which wouldn't be spotted by someone passing by unless they looked closely. Half of the compartment was blocked by the wardrobe so Shun pushed it aside and felt around for the opening.

*Click*

~ Shun ~ a strange voice called out after the wall opened.

Hearing this, Shun remembered what the hint of the mission was and quickly closed his eyes ignoring the sound.

~ Shun ~

~ Shun ~

The voice was strange but it also felt incredibly familiar to the young man who resisted the urge to take a peek. Instead, he shoved his hands inside the wall and felt around for the mirror he was sure was buried there. The air inside the wall was cold and the sides felt like ice when touched making Shun unconsciously shiver.

Soon though, his hand knocked against something metal-like and he quickly realised it was the mirror. The moment both his hands touched it, a sudden smell assaulted his nose and he unintentionally breathed in a sigh of content.

'What was this wonderful smell? It smells so familiar, like something from my childhood. Is it...my mother's cooking?'

~ Shun ~

"Mom?" Shun opened his mouth and called out.

~ Yes my darling... ~

Shun's eyelids trembled as he did his best to refocus his mind. The voice....the smell....this temptation to see what he was looking for - whatever it is. He really wanted to open his eyes and look into the mirror because it was as if something was telling him he would see what his heart wanted to see.

[Ding! Mission 'Find the mirror' has been successfully completed]

The sudden alert from the system jolted Shun from his daze and he opened his eyes to see a very normal looking mirror in front of him. The voice and smell were long gone as if it had all been his hallucination.

He dragged the mirror out and lay it on the floor before wiping a bead of sweat that dripped down his face. "Shit. What on earth was that?"

[Completion rate: 100 % ....

Calculating rewards.....

4 EXP and new scenario 'Mirror, Mirror' ]

Shun was happy with the rewards but he was curious about the mirror which he felt was something really bad.

[The mirror was first created in the late 1800s by a Countess who used it to admire her beauty everyday. However, it was only her looks that were beautiful as her heart was rotten and shrivelled. Filled with hatred, arrogance, pride and envy, the Countess angered and ruined the lives of many and whoever crossed her. At the time, she didn't think there would be retaliation as her husband was a great influence in the region and a man no one would willingly anger. It was because of this that the Countess felt invincible and did what ever she wanted.

Her end was brought about when she tortured and murdered her handmaiden's youngest daughter because she felt the child was more beautiful than her. As a result, the handmaiden, in a rage, violently killed the Countess in front of this very mirror trapping her soul in it forever. That's why, whenever someone looks in the mirror, it will show their darkest selves and slowly consume their souls.]

"Bloody hell," Shun muttered and looked at the system interface incredulously, "And you're saying I should use this in my haunted house for visitors?"

[The system will not be using that mirror as a prop. That mirror belongs to the host]

"Mine?" Shun stood up from the ground and dusted his pants before picking up the mirror and looking into it. "Isn't something supposed to happen?"

[Host has passed the mirror's test so it can no longer be used against host.]

Shun's eyes brightened when he heard this and placed the mirror in a safe spot.

"Great! This mirror will be sure to come in handy some day."

After closing up the space and moving back the wardrobe, Shun decided to go and inspect the new scenario which opened up. After the system's renovation, the place looked much better than before yet it still managed to retain its creepiness and the style of the reception area was still the same but touched up. The desk held a proper computer and on the side was an erected ticket booth.

There was also numerous files and certificates for legal purposes and next to that was a stack of disclaimers visitors needed to sign before entering the place.

Reading them, Shun's face twitched in amusement.

'At least this is all official so it can't be shut down. I wonder how the system managed to get these documents.'

Once he finished his inspection of the desk, he made his way to the first scenario entrance and opened the door to step inside. The design of this place was for free exploration but the visitors must complete the task they're given in order to exit. For the 'Mirror, Mirror' scenario, their task was to find two golden framed mirrors and face them towards each other. From the description, it didn't sound like much but after entering the scenario, Shun understood how the visitors may find it difficult.

The scenario was filled with mirrors top to bottom, each having different frames yet all giving off an eerie feeling.

"It feels almost like I'm being watched..." Shun said as he walked through the mirrors. He looked around with narrowed eyes, "These mirrors....don't tell me they all hold souls,"

[That is correct]

~ Hiss.

Shun suddenly looked into one mirror and his eyes widened when he saw the face staring back at him.

It was smiling.

-*-*-*-*-

--> Author's notes: For the record, I've never written horror before nor am I an expert because I'm the biggest scaredy cat ever so I don't know why I'm doing this. Someone kill me.