A Beautiful Mirror

When I first heard the voice, I didn't think too much while turning to look at them. Yet, when my eyes landed on his face, I involuntarily ended up freezing up.

The person I found myself looking at wasn't particularly threatening in any way, but he was someone that I had recognized from this shitty dating game.

Shen.

Fucking hell, this guy is supposed to show up an entire year later! Why the shit is he here now?

...Well, maybe he isn't hostile right now.

He looked like a guy my age with similar stature. His clothes were what you'd expect a commoner to have, but were incredibly clean and also too pristine compared to the average commoner.

He had dark red hair, the same color as blood. There was a gentle smile on his face, which was rather welcoming. As for his eyes, they were closed, but they arced upwards making him look rather joyful.

"Is there a reason you can't answer my question?"

"Ah, what was it again?"

"Your mask, why do you wear that?"

The corner of my lip twitched. Why was this guy taking interest in the mask? Honestly, I didn't really want to stay another second near this freak of nature. Though it wasn't like I didn't plan on fighting against this guy in the future, I was not prepared right now.

I'll just answer his question in a way that makes him lose interest.

"I thought it looked nice."

Shen let out an amicable chuckle.

"Is that so? I can appreciate your tastes."

I shut my eyes with the intention of blinking, but didn't really want to open them anymore.

"Thank you."

With that, I continued walking on. Unfortunately, this guy ended up walking along with me.

"Is there a specific reason why you are closing your eyes? The sunlight is rather dull, is it still too intense for you?"

It wasn't shown because of my mask, but I wore a bitter smile.

"Haha, you could put it that way, yes."

Well, it was probably a little too strange to keep my eyes closed, so I slowly opened them, but couldn't help but feel a bit of fear despite that fact.

The reason why I felt so unsettled was that Shen was known as the Mirror Demon.

It was a good thing his eyes were closed because the moment he opens his eyes, any person that makes eye contact will be under his complete control. However, it did not stop there. Any mirror that a controlled person or he himself had stared at with open eyes would be cursed.

These cursed mirrors caused anyone that looked at him to also fall under his control, but at the very least, it was notably weaker. People with a certain standard of willpower were able to resist it, though continued exposure would definitely wear them down regardless.

This was why I felt the need to keep my eyes closed, despite feeling he probably wasn't going to try to control me. As of now at least, we were walking side by side, so I didn't have to worry too much.

But... I had to drive this guy away.

"Ah, are you perhaps interested in this mask? Unfortunately, I'm not sure if you will be able to find a copy, as this was a random mask I had found in the black market."

Shen had one hand behind him while the other waved dismissively.

"Haha, thanks for looking out for me, but I'm not particularly interested in covering my face. I was more so curious about the reasoning for covering up one's face."

I held out my hands helplessly while walking.

"Well, if nothing else it gives an extra sense of mystery making the person seem more interesting than they actually work. This may simply be me being presumptuous, but it appears that it was successful."

Shen chuckled.

"I suppose I cannot disagree."

Silence remained between us, but he continued to walk along my path. This made cold sweat form on my forehead.

Although I was pretty sure he wouldn't make a move now, it would still be disastrous if he did right now.

Like, I haven't even gotten to the part of the game where the tutorial happens. So why was I just one step away from getting the game over screen?

Well, it's not like I was the protagonist, but still.

In situations like this, it's a little hard to point out the awkwardness since the person in question has the potential to end me immediately. However, if I don't, this would actually have the opposite effect, as a normal unsuspecting person would have pointed it out by now.

"Um, is there a reason why you are tagging along with me? Not that I particularly mind, but it feels a little strange."

Shen let out an awkward gasp before laughing cordially.

"Ah, sorry about that. It's one of those bad habits of mine where I tend to continue observing things I find interesting. For example, I've found myself looking at mirrors for several hours without even realizing!"

...That's because the longer you stare at the mirror, the stronger its hypnotic effects, you fucking liar. Shen continued oblivious to my thoughts.

"I mean, have you never pondered about how fascinating it is to see yourself within a mirror? Such a clear reflection, it's almost as though it's a window to see your true self!"

I couldn't help but scoff, despite knowing the unnatural difference in power between us.

"How does that make sense?"

Shen turned to me curiously.

"Hm? Well, perhaps you could see your reflection in the water, but it would be distorted. And without a reflection, you'd never be able to see what you look like."

I slowly tilted my head upwards, looking at the sky.

"No. Perhaps you've taken care of your hair, and it shows. Or perhaps you have some scar or injury, which tells an entire story of its own. And sometimes just the way one carries themselves tells so much about them."

My eyes narrowed ever so slightly.

"But when you look at a reflection, you don't see yourself, but what other people see you as. You see what those that have never known you before assume you to be. And to be honest, you don't need a mirror to see your reflection."

A smile gradually formed on my face.

"All you need to see is a stranger's face as they look at you."

Shen let out an interested hum, raising a finger to brush against his chin.

"That is a fascinating way to see things. But then how do you see your true self?"

I shrugged my shoulders.

"I don't know."

"Eh? You haven't thought of it yet?"

He raised an eyebrow but kept his eyes closed. After laughing a little, I responded.

"It's something that is constantly changing, no? That means even if you are able to get a perfect understanding of it, the fact you've gotten that understanding changes you, making it not as perfect once more."

Shen nodded a few times with a smile.

"So it's always a mystery, you say? That... sounds rather disappointing in a way."

I took a deep breath.

"But that's what makes it so interesting, no?"

Shen looked at me with a bitter smile.

"I see. So that is why you wear that cloak and mask."

Well, it's actually because I don't want to show off my identity, but I didn't have to say that.

"You could see it that way, yes."

Shen took a deep breath before stopping in place.

"Well, I'm sure you have business to attend to, and I similarly do as well. Farewell, though I do believe that this won't be our last meeting."

My eyelid twitched. I mean, yeah probably not with you being the Mirror Demon. But did you have to make it sound ominous like that?

...Ah, whatever. I'll just take solace in the fact he's leaving me alone.

"Farewell."

Without turning to look back, I continued onwards. After ten or so seconds, I heard his footsteps going the other way as well. I reached up to my forehead to wipe the sweat away, but quickly realized I was wearing a mask.

After a moment of hesitation, I put it back down, opting not to shift it off.

Man. If this mask gave me the power of vanishing, then I wouldn't have needed to deal with that damned guy! Well, I guess that was too much to ask from some random mask. After a bit of loitering, I made my way over to the tree with a missing branch as the person had said, then followed along the direction the branch would've been pointing at.

It eventually just led to a dead end.

Fuck. Was I just played?

"It appears you wish to join The Honest Truth?"

Huh? That was something along the lines of green-shaded green. After slowly turning around, I saw who said that. He was in similar gear as me, wearing a black cloak, but it was much cleaner, and the person didn't have a mask.

Still, I could only see the guy's nose and mouth as the rest of the face was obscured in shadow.

I gave him an honest answer.

"I've heard that there is a place where those interested in dark arts gather and wish to see it myself."

The man in the black cloak lifted his head ever so slightly.

"Do you have the talent for dark arts?"

"From the book I had read, it said that those with parents with strong magical aptitude will sometimes have a child with weak magical aptitude. In this case, they should have a strong talent in dark arts, and I am in the position of that child."

The man looked back at me silently for a moment.

"Very well. But if you are only here to take a look as you say, then I cannot show you the true hideout we have. Only those honestly committed to the truth are allowed to see."

I tilted my head to the side.

"Then why don't you tell me the reason I should join? Just a symbol doesn't really show me that much."

The man seemed to be rather perplexed.

"Excuse me? Is it not obvious?"

I blinked a few times.

"Uh, no."

"What? How so?"

All of a sudden, another man also in a cloak burst out from a hidden door, expressing his disbelief. Honestly, it was quite startling, but the man didn't care about that and continued on.

"It's only here that you'll be able to improve your dark arts to the very peak! We've already grown so great, that all will soon fear us!"

I couldn't help but feel a little strange. Although it was true that Bryson was quite frightening with his usage of Dark Arts in the story, there was quite literally no mention of any other members.

...Unless Bryson was the one that got rid of them all.

Perhaps they are actually quite strong. If that were the case, I might need to follow in Bryson's footsteps and get rid of them.

My eyes narrowed ever so slightly.

"You've already gained power close to taking over the entire kingdom?"

The man that burst out the hidden door nodded enthusiastically.

"Yes! Of course!"

As for the other one that was originally talking to me, he let out a sigh and facepalmed.

"Dammit Jerry, I said that you weren't allowed to open the hidden door while I'm still talking to potential members!"

The man that appeared to be called Jerry complained.

"What? But, Nick, that's only because you never let me introduce them to The Honest Truth!"

As for Nick, he only stamped his foot with an aggravated expression as he pointed at him accusingly.

"That's because you always scare away new recruits like an idiot! Now tell me how many people you've recruited after giving your input!"

A brief pause ensued before Jerry began speaking.

"N-None."

"That's right! Now stop messing things up!"

Something told me that these guys may not be nearly as intimidating as I first expected.