"You’ll be fine. It’s not like you didn’t expect this from the start. You should be happy that I’m telling you. You’re the first one that I’ve told."
"....."
Walking up the stairs of the estate, Leon just followed in silence.
He didn’t say a single word.
I tried to make so small talk along the way, but it was almost as if he wanted none of it. In the end, before I could even say any more, he just darted away from and headed towards his room.
"Hmmm."
Staring at his retreating back, I eventually shrugged my shoulders.
’I’m sure he’s happy for .’
Maybe.
Nonetheless, I had other things to take care of. Turning my attention away from Leon, I headed back toward Aldric’s office and as I entered, I made sure to lock the door behind before opening up his ’spy’ door and entering.
’...I’ll never get used to this.’
This really felt like a fantasy that Noel wanted to have accomplished.
Unfrotunately, this was simply not secure enough for .
This was one of the reasons why I decided to go back here. I planned on putting everything into my ring.
That, and because I wanted to read more.
’Since Leon is here I can start to prepare the ritual to get my mories back.’
The issue was that I didn’t know how the ritual worked.
I needed to read more about it before starting. Aside from that I also planned on learning more about the Outer Beings.
It was about ti that I learned more about them.
"Alright."
Pausing in front of the room, I looked around before taking a step forward. Imdiately, everything around floated in the air, and as I carefully controlled everything, I made sure to put everything inside of my ring.
The main issue with the ring was that there was a constant mana expenditure when placing objects inside, aning that unless I took everything out, I’d constantly have a small part of my mana get used to hold the items.
Thankfully, my rate of recover was faster than the expenditure.
But now that I added the items, it was about equal.
In short...
"I have less mana than before."
This was a little troubleso, but nothing major.
I still had plenty of mana.
"Now then..."
I looked around the room. It was now completely empty. Everything had been cleaned out and placed into my ring.
Looking around the place to make sure that I didn’t leave anything behind, I nodded to myself before leaving the place.
Coming back into Noel’s office, I sat down on his chair. The room was rather clean, and as I looked at my surroundings, my eyes couldn’t help but fall on the mirror plane that sat by the opposite end of the room.
I caught sight of my own reflection within it as I shook my head.
"...Looks like I need to get so rest. I can see dark circles starting to form."
I had been rather busy lately. So much that I started to neglect my own sleep.
"I’ll get so sleep soon."
Outside the window, the sun had begun its slow descent beyond the horizon, casting long streaks of orange and deepening shadows across the floor.
The dimness crept in gradually, swallowing the corners first.
I glanced around, then reached for the nearest candle resting on the desk. With a faint click of my finger, the wick caught, and a small fla flickered to life.
Instantly, shadows danced along the walls, stretching and twisting with every subtle motion of the fla.
I took out one of the book and began reading.
This book was regarding the four artifacts. Because I was already aware of most of their information, I skimd towards the last part of the book and read about the ritual.
"When all four artifacts are gathered, one must channel their mana into them to achieve assimilation. The process is arduous, the body will sear with the fire of Veltrus, but from that fla, they shall be reborn."
I paused for a mont, trying my best to understand the situation.
’...So all I have to do is connect all four artifacts using my mana and try to assimilate with them? That doesnt’ sound very difficult.’
In fact, it sounded rather easy.
"I guess the hard part must co from the assimilation process. I can guess that it must hurt a lot."
Pausing once again, I shook my head.
"No, this is probably not the hardest part."
The hardest part was most likely fusing with the artifacts without getting noticed by Sithrus. Thinking about the ti he had found when I simply used the sword once, I could tell that this process wasn’t going to be a smooth one.
Thankfully, I had an idea on how to handle this matter.
’Maybe I can try assimilating inside of the ring. I don’t think he’ll be able to notice if I do it there.’
This felt like a good solution to the problem.
"Okay, I might just do that."
The only remaining issue was getting the Chalice from Leon.
For that...
I didn’t think it was going to be too hard.
"...I think its about ti that the two of us had a proper talk."
Leon had always been aware of the fact that I had been hiding sothing. He was also the one person who had kept my secret the entire ti.
He was soone that I trusted, and seeing how Noel had entrusted so of his abilities onto him, I knew that Noel had ’trusted’ him to so extent.
...Maybe not trusted, but perhaps deed him worthy of his teachings.
’Like I said to Aoife... I lied because I didn’t care. But now... I planned on coming clean because I cared.’
I no longer planned on living a lie.
Lies were only there to make things more complicated for and the future .
"I best resolve everything before it’s too late."
The candle flickered again, its fla bending to an invisible breath. Shadows writhed along the walls, stretching and curling like they had minds of their own.
Without realizing it, the room had sunk into near-total darkness.
In its place, the moon now hung high in the sky, its pale light spilling weakly through the window. The glow was soft, distant, barely enough to touch the edges of the room. It mingled with the candlelight, casting a cold silver hue over everything.
It just brought enoug light for to see my own reflection in the mirror plane by the opposite end.
I stared at my own reflection within the darkness.
I could hardly see myself now.
The only thing I could barely see was my own gaze, flickering in and out of view in basis to the flicker of the fla.
I pursed my lips and took out another book.
[Outer Beings]
This was the other book that caught my interest.
There was really not much that I knew about them, and the only thing that I had managed to learn from them was from when I was in the Mirror Dinsion.
I still held a bit of grudge against Noel for not telling about them earlier.
However, taking into account how I had probably been the sa, I could only relent.
’...It’s not like I’m much different now.’
I shook my head and opened the book.
The mont I opened the book, it was as if the temperature around dropped. The surroundings felt a litte colder and for so reason.
Even the fla of the candle seed to pause, its flicker freezing mid-dance for the briefest mont, as if sothing had entered the room.
I raised my head and looked around, feeling my brows starting to slowly furrow.
But as I looked around and saw nothing, I focused my attention back onto the book. There wasn’t much written on there, but it was all hand written in cursive.
’This is Noel’s handwriting.’
I could recognize it in an instant as I began reading.
———
’There isn’t much that I know about the Outer Beings. I’ve only encountered them a couple of tis, even killed one, but I don’t know how many there are or what their hierarchy is like. Of the few things that I know is that they are incredibly powerful and have affinity with the source. They seem to fear anyone or anything that can touch the source.’
’The Mirror Dinsion was the prison that they created in order to seal us in. To stop up from touching what isn’t supposed to belong to us. Are they agents of the source or are they a separate entity?’
’...Defeating them seems to be impossible. Even Toren, the strongest amongst us is helpless against them. We’re nothing but rats trapped in a cage. What is their goal? What is it that they want from us?’
’There’s so much that I don’t know. But... if there’s one thing that I do know is that...’
’They see everything. They feel everything. They are eveywhere.’
’Ignorance is a person’s greatest blessing. The less one knows about them, the safer they are. Awareness is an invitation. And the mont you co to understand their existence... they beco aware of yours.’
———
Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait...
I paused upon reading the last few lines, feeling a certain weight settle over my chest as I read the part again.
’The mont you co to understand their existence, they beco aware of yours...?’
A subtle yet loud pouding suddenly echoed within the room. It wasn’t loud, but it felt incredibly loud as it rang loudly inside of my mind.
The candle flickered violently.
Shadows recoiled and stretched in all directions, distorting across the walls like they were trying to escape, or surround .
The fine hairs on my arms rose slowly, prickling as a certain tension rose within the room.
My eyes drifted upward, almost unwillingly, and locked onto the mirror across the room.
In the dim light, my reflection was barely visible. Just the faint outline of a face in the dark.
But then the candle flared again.
For a split second, I caught a clear glimpse of my own eyes in the glass.
They stared back at .
...As they should.
But...
The longer I looked, the more it felt like they were the ones observing . Not as a reflection, but as sothing separate. Sothing aware.
I held my breath.
Then—
Cra Crack!
Cracks suddenly ford on the mirror, distorting my own reflection.
I hastily rose up from my seat.
Flick!
The candle flicked away and the darkness engulfed the room.
In that mont, my entire body tensed.
Although I couldn’t see, I could feel.
I could feel the presence that lingered within the room.
Staring at .
Watching .
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