Temporary Alliance

Leaving behind the children who escaped from the mansion, I prayed for their souls.

This is a cruel world. There are terrifying things ahead of them besides Ella.

I didn't want the original story to be twisted, so I'll just watch.

Besides, according to the original story, everyone except for the main character would die.

Would wishing for fate not to be twisted become wishing for those young children to die?

Am I feeling guilty now? ...Indeed I am.

It's really embarrassing to scare kids as an adult, even though I'm in a little girl's body.

I'm a coward. The original is the the original, and I am me.

I stretched. The road won't open even if I'm depressed. Let's walk, if we walk, the road will open. Let's forge my own path.

Anyway, I have to find a way to leave the mansion and return home.

Besides, there's no guarantee that they won't die even if I help them with my body trapped in the mirror. I made that excuse.

The silence of the mansion is more painful today.

I picked up a small hand mirror. If it has a lot of mass, it will break easily when thrown out.

I wrapped the hand mirror in the quilt of the bedroom. It was sewn with thread to form a roughly circular shape. I've never used thread before, so it took me a long time... But the finish isn't bad. This won't break.

If I toss this outside to go down the mountain, I'll need to use Mirror Shift. I cut the blanket with a knife and let it come out the mirror. The blankets are limited and the number of hand mirrors is small, so I have to be careful. I'll need to throw it.

I took the duvet with the hand mirror in it and moved to the mirror near the window.

I opened the window with telekinesis and looked for a good spot to throw. I chose a place with few trees.

I threw it with all my might. I didn't hear any cracking. Instead, I could see the blanket rolling away. I hope it doesn't get blocked by trees.

After a while.

Slowly, the blanket should have reached the bottom. And...

At this point, the children will be at the bottom of the mountain, right? I hope you went down safely

Squeak-

That thought was shattered. I can feel the footsteps of four people at the front door. Why are these guys back?

Could it be that you fell in love with this body? No, no. Was Ella's unique narcissism passed on? First of all, I saw that the appearance of them entering was cautious.

It seems like you don't want to be heard. I can't figure out what's going on, or was the "warning" lacking?

I moved to the mirror in the room where the children were, thinking that if they returned without a sense of danger and for an absurd reason, I would be very angry.

POV Switch - 3rd Person (A while back)

The [Mystery Investigation Club] succeeded in running away from the crazy girl, Ella. The children, out of breath from running frantically out of the mansion, came to their senses only when their lungs reached their limit.

"Hah... Hah... Everyone... Huh... Calm down. If you run like this and fall, you will roll down and die."

Kyeong-min said as he wiped his glasses that were damp with sweat. Eveyone stopped as if they agreed, even though no one could answer because they were out of breath, except for Suho.

"That's right, whoa.. Eun-jeong seems to be at her limit. Meeting a real ghost, What the hell is going on here?"

When Suho said that, Ha-rim was downhearted and apologized.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know it was such a dangerous place. Just because I asked you to come... Because of me..."

Kyeong-min shook his head.

"Originally, we all decided to go. You can't put the blame on only one person."

After taking a breath, Eun-jeong patted Ha-rim on the back.

"That's right. And thanks to Kyeong-min, everyone survived. Thank you, Kyeong-min."

"Why are you saying such embarrassing things..."

The sight of everyone caring for each other even in midst of hardships made Ha-rim forget her fears and her heart was touched. She couldn't even imagine parting with them, because their friendship is just that precious.

Let's go down and call the police. Even ghosts can't defeat those who have been mobilized with public power. Let's go slowly now.

"Wait a minute, was the mountain always foggy like this...?"

When Suho said that, Ha-rim looked around. The fog, which wasn't there when she came up, is obstructing her view. Could it be that Ella did it? It became a credible hypothesis because it was not unusual for anything to happen as long as one suffered a supernatural phenomenon.

"Maybe we're not completely safe yet. Rather than rushing down, let's find a place with few trees and turn off the flashlight."

The members swallowed their saliva at Ha-rim's words, but their eyes continued to search. Kyeong-min, who has good eyesight, quickly found a spot.

"This is a place with fewer trees. There is a slope, but there are fewer stones, so you won't be seriously injured if you fall."

They went down slowly, while being wary of our surroundings. But it's weird. The air is getting colder and Ha-rim can't erase the uneasy feeling. The senses are ringing the alarm. Is she the only one feeling this?

"Wait a minute, everyone. Look around carefully."

Hearing Ha-rim's words, they start to look around. Then Suho found something. From very far away a man dressed in black was standing there. Could he be a human?

Suho tapped Kyeong-min's shoulder. He just had his new glasses fitted, so he could see much better.

Kyeong-min opened his eyes and looked at the man, his complexion turning blue. His reaction was unusual, so Suho whispered as low as possible.

"What do you see?"

"There is a thin and tall man. He's wearing a suit, but his skin is pale. Not only pale. He is so white he can be seen even in the night...!"

After hesitating, Kyeong-min added a few words.

"And if my eyes weren't wrong, he didn't have a face."

The children who quietly listened to Kyeong-min's words realized the seriousness of the situation. The monster wasn't only Ella. For this to happen right after escaping... The group only noticed it because there were few trees. Being almost unaware of its existence. They have to figure out a way to escape now while they haven't been caught yet...

"Hey guys, isn't that monster looking for us?"

At Eun-jeong's words, Ha-rim definitely thought so. At first glance, it was looking for something. Less trees helped, but it was rather difficult to hide. If so, you should lower your posture and lean your body in the bushes as much as possible and move away.

"Damn, why is it looking for us?"

"We need to get down and slowly get away from him."

As Ha-rim said that, the children lowered themselves and slowly gained distance. But squeak, squeak. They heard the sound of wild rats. Fortunately, it was coming from another direction. The man just stood there looking at the same place.

Is it insensitive to sound?

The moment Ha-rim thought so. The monster vanished from sight. She took a breath. A monster appeared in an instant in the direction where the sound came from.

The man swung his arm, and in the aftermath the thick log was dug in half. The mice that lived inside the logs became chunks of meat.

It's dangerous. Maybe more than Ella.

Ha-rim was rolling her head around to find a way to survive. She finally made a decision. And then, even quieter than a whisper... She made a barely audible suggestion with the shape of her mouth.

"We. Go. Back. Mansion."1

"...!"

The other side is a monster that teleports whenever it hears a noise. She has no confidence in not making a single sound while moving. Besides, there's four people.

The risk of getting caught by that monster is too great if you rely on the bushes to hide until daylight. However, in Ella's case, it would be possible to survive in the mirror's blind spot if they remained undetected.

Ha-rim's conclusion was that hiding in a building was the safest way to avoid the monster.

Maybe...

"But-"2

It's dangerous, Kyeong-min tried to say. Until they saw the monster coming towards them.

His face turned blue again, and everyone became tense. In fact, there may be a better way.

If they're really careful, they might not get caught. However, he wants to leave this place right now. And he was frightened of the monster destroying trees, so he followed Ha-rim's suggestion.

Everyone kept a low posture and moved towards the mansion. The problem is that the monster was approaching from the distance faster than them.

However, if they ran, he would teleport, so they couldn't do that, he bit his lips and continued moving.

Kyeong-min, being a bit worried, looked back. The monster was getting closer. It was so far away before that it seemed blurry, but now he could see it clearly, walking towards them.

"Heo-eok..!"

Trees and bushes began to hide their presence as they approached the mansion. He could hear the man steps from time to time.

Oh my god. Did he find us?

Just as Kyeong-min was thinking that, he heard something fall. It was a ball made of blankets. It rolled down the mountain. The monster's attention was diverted to it.

The group increased their speed and succeeded in reaching to the front of the mansion without getting noticed.

"Let's go in carefully."

The members silently agreed. Kyeong-min carefully opened the front door. A lot of mirrors looked back. But Ella's figure was nowhere to be seen. Thinking that this was an opportunity, he hurriedly entered one of the many rooms in the mansion.

Only then did everyone catch their breath.

"It isn't over yet. He chased the blanket ball, but he'll come this way eventually. Because this is the only place the ball came from."

Who threw the ball? Could it be Ella? No, there's no way she would have done it to save them. Or maybe someone else is hiding?

"Anyway, we have to stay out of Ella's eyes and wait until daylight. I don't think there are any mirrors here other than that one."

Ella couldn't attack them when Kyeong-min covered the mirror with wine. He covered the mirror with the cloth he had found across the floor. Please I hope this helps. Thought him.

A tall, skinny white monster on one side, and a crazy girl ghost on the other. It was truly a nightmare.

They kept their mouths shut and waited for day to come. Kyeong-min hoped the silence would continue like this, but a strange reaction appeared in the mirror

The cloth covering it split as if it had been cut with a knife.

He wanted to laugh at the naivety that they wouldn't get caught.

Despair looms in the eyes of the members.

Ella noticed.

POV Switch - Ella

As soon as I moved, the cloth blocked my vision, so I cut it with a knife. When I saw the kids looking at me and making devastated faces, my mind was complicated.

Did you really think you guys wouldn't get caught?

I kicked them out while making such cheesy lines! Annoyance rises to the top of my head, but I have to ask something first.

"Oh! Did you come here to play with Ella again? But well? I just want to kill you guys~"

I fiddled my knife with a smile on my face. Ha-rim shuddered and Kyeong-min completely stiffened because of the memory of being chased by me. Suho wrapped the children in his arms and Eun-jeong burst into tears.

Kyeong-min shouted as if to make an excuse.

"There's a monster that teleports out there, so there's nowhere else to hide!"

I was a little surprised and froze for a moment by the scream. Firstly, I need to react.

"Ahaha! Do you think I'll save you if you make an excuse? That's funny~"

I said so, but my head was full of confusion. Another monster? The main character gets depressed here and goes back to school, where she grieves the loss of her friends.

And the first chapter ends with her gradually noticing the strange things happening around herself.

That means they won't encounter another monster.

Could it be because I let Kyeong-min alive?

Putting this issue aside...

Teleportation... There are a few monsters like that. Some of them have workarounds, though. 

If so, figure out their identity and help...

No, no, wait. If I help here, what will happen to the original? It's already been twisted, so is it okay if I twist it further?

There is the option to ruthlessly kick them out of the mansion. And then what if they all die? The original story was twisted, so I don't know about the main character, but the rest could die.

What an idiot! Other than the main character, everyone else dies anyway, so it would be going according to the original story. what am I worrying about?

No, I still want the kids to live...

While I was fighting in my head, something opened the front door of the mansion and came in.

A wide stride. Bowing your head when entering the mansion.

He is very tall. And for someone like that, the sound of footsteps is light.

It sounds like you are tall and thin. It can teleport...

Ah. This monster is... Slenderman!

Slenderman, one of the foreign urban legends. He is quite famous as a monster who kidnaps children. But he's not something that would appear in the beginning.

It's a monster as strong as Ella, the tutorial boss, but his true strength lies in not having any "weaknesses". If Ella's weakness is to burn the mansion and break the mirrors, Slenderman has none of those things.

The characters in this game are just children. If the creator doesn't give a way to beat the monsters, the only solution is to run away.

As it is a monster with teleportation, the difficulty level rises sharply when you encounter it! It's best to memorize the pattern with the save and load function and escape out of sight without getting noticed. In real life, there is no way you can use that method.

Besides, since Slenderman came into the mansion, it's impossible to escape his sight. Even more so, since there are four of them, at least one will surely die.

The sound of Slenderman's footsteps are getting closer. It's headed exactly this way. It seems to have a instinct for finding children.

Hearing the sound, the kids shuddered. They really thought they're going to die. So what do I do now? Should I protect the children or just watch? There is no time. Bystander. Responsibility. Adult. Children. Original. Twist. Conscience. Decision. Confusion.

I heard Eun-jeong's voice as I couldn't make a decision.

"Help me... Please..."

"..."

I made my decision according to my heart.

A monster that helps people. Would someone laugh if they saw it?

"Hide behind my mirror for now."

"!!!!"

Ella's tone, which had been laughing and mocking, calmed down. As the children hesitated, Ella frowned at them.

"Don't make me say it twice."

Then the children hurriedly stood up straight behind my mirror and hid themselves. A fairly large mirror that was enough to cover all of them.

Squeak...

A skinny man without a face came in putting his long arms inside like a spider goes into a hole. He looked around for a while, then approached the mirror...

Crash!

There was the sound of glass breaking elsewhere. Shortly thereafter, the man's figure disappeared. I returned from the other mirror and telekinetically shut the door that had been opened.

"Now come out."

One by one, the children hesitantly came out from behind the mirror. These guys should be wondering why I helped them. After all, I was trying to kill them just now, but suddenly I helped.

It's pitiful to see them looking at me like scared rabbits, so I'm scratching my head about what to do with these kids. As long as I have already intervened, it is not possible to follow the original story.

It's all because of my contradictory behavior. If I really wanted it to go the way it was originally, I should have killed one person in the beginning. Don't they say there is no paradise at the end? I never thought I would come back with this result.

I do not regret it. Could I have killed a child? Never...!

"Sigh..."

The four people flinch at the sound of sighing. Do you know how I feel? Well, it looks like they're going to die right away, but there's no way I can afford paying attention to it right now.

"Do you want to live?"

After looking at each other at my words, Ha-rim said yes as the representative.

I have an idea how to defeat Slenderman, even though he had no weaknesses in the game. However, since this is a task that requires cooperation, it is necessary to provide a minimum safety device.

"In that case, promise me.... No, promise Ella. You will never do anything stupid. And offer a partner to play with. Then, Ella promise not to kill? Really mean it."

I think this is a truly Ella-like proposal. In the first place, Ella wouldn't do anything to help people... But at least they'll believe if I say it this way.

I mean, Ella wants something from them. Of course, the kids care so much for each other, so they'll break their promise and run away once Slenderman is defeated.

I also broke my promise, but I have no conscience telling these kids to trust me... And I hoped they would break it.

"Okay. I promise. Save us instead."

"Yeah~ I promise~"

I smiled lightly. It broke my heart to see the children in disgust. Ella's face is pretty though...

Anyway, be happy, kids.

The sight of a ghost fighting a ghost is a spectacle hard to see.