[Melissa's POV]
The silence was worse than the screaming.
I knelt in a workshop full of corpses, holding an unconscious detective who'd just torn out his own eye, and the only sound was my breathing.
What the actual fuck just happened?
Hiroto's body was limp in arms. Barely breathing. His chest rose and fell in shallow gasps.
Where his left eye had been was now a crater of burned flesh. The wound had sealed itself, scarring that would never heal properly.
His right arm was covered in glowing scars. Essence burns pulsed faintly in the darkness. Permanent channels carved into his flesh by the backlash of the lens.
Blood soaked through his clothes. His own, the operatives, and Aunt Vera's.
So much blood.
I should move. Should get out of here.
I couldn't.
I couldn't make my own body respond. Couldn't process what I'd just witnessed.
Whatever wore Hiroto's face. Treating murder like a play.
I wanted to throw up.
Actually.. I was throwing up.
I turned my head and vomited onto the floor. Nothing but bile and coffee. My stomach was empty, but it kept heaving anyway.
Six dead operatives. Each one killed differently. Each death a disturbing performance.
And Vera.
Aunt Vera lay against the wall. Her chest caved in. Eyes closed.
She'd died to give Hiroto time.
And he'd used that time to become a monster.
Or maybe he always had that inside of him..
My hands were shaking so badly I could barely hold him.
Footsteps sounded outside.
Fuck.
I grabbed my crossbow with one hand.
The door opened and we were met with an unexpected face..
Helena Cross was standing at the doorway, her eyes wide with panic, clear across her face.
"G-gods almighty! My informants told me you had arrived here.. but what the hell happened?!"
I couldn't think, didn't even know what I could possibly say. How could I explain any of this?
My mouth opened and closed.
After a moment of silence I spoke.
"A-aunt Vera was an inside agent for the Archivists.. it was blackmail, she was forced to betray my father."
"That can't be."
She grimaced realizing the reality of the situation.
She quickly jogged over to me and scanned Hiroto's mangled body.
"Dear Gods above.."
She rummaged through a bag by her hip and pulled out a red liquid, a potion.
Then uncorked it and handed it to me.
"Here, feed him this. It won't heal everything but it should stabilize his condition long enough for proper treatment.
I opened Hiroto's mouth and poured the potion into it, then I shifted his head and throat so it went down.
His complexion became less pale and the minor cuts and bruising diminished.
Though.. his eyes scar remained the same.
Helena rummaged through some of the Archivist's bodies and pulled what looked to be a USB drive out.
"Carry the detective, we need to leave immediately."
I nodded and slung Hiroto over my shoulder as we made it for the door.
I turned back one last time examining the scene.
God.
This would keep me up for a while.
—------------------------
[Hiroto POV]
I floated in between the realm of consciousness and unconsciousness for a while.
I heard Melissa's voice, then Yutos, then mothers.
I didn't know how long it had been but I was growing quite annoyed.
Why couldn't I just fully wake up?!
Then as I entered unconsciousness again an unfamiliar realm entered my vision.
The landscape was nothing but a circular platform looked to be made out of some type of marble.
The entire platform was surrounded by an endless abyss, stars littering the sky in the billions.
In the center was a table, covered by the shade of a pink cherry blossom tree.
But most concerning was the person sitting at the table.
A person that.. transcended all forms of beauty.
This person was in all accounts ineffable. I could not describe their objective beauty.
Then they turned to me.. I couldn't make out their gender. As if they were the perfect embodiment of androgyny.
"Ah.. I've been waiting. Have a seat please." They gave me a smile that made heat rise to my cheeks.
The words just had so much allure that I found myself walking before thinking.
My butt met the seat of the chair.. An overwhelming sense of comfort washed across my body.
"I-I'm sorry but can I ask who you are?"
"I'm afraid I cannot tell you just yet, young one."
Who is this person?!
"You can't tell me?" I repeated, trying to steady my voice despite the situation.
The entity smiled again, that same expression that made my thoughts scatter.
"Not yet. .There are certain limitations in place. Even I must follow these certain guidelines." They gestured to the table. "But I can offer you some answers to other questions."
A teapot appeared on the table, steam rising. The scent was indescribable– like every pleasant memory I had was a smell.
"Where am I?" I asked, accepting the cup.
"A space in between spaces. A moment that exists outside of time itself. Your consciousness fractured when you access the Mirror's council. This is where pieces of broken souls come to reconvene."
"Am I.. Dead?"
"No. Though you were remarkably close." They sipped their tea. Tearing out your own eye, while your essence channels were overloaded."
"That murderer did that. Not me."
"Didn't he?" The entity tilted their head. "You opened the door. You gave permission. You wanted the power badly enough to pay any price. The murderer is you, Hiroto Takatana. Just a you that made different choices."
"That's not—"
"True?" They laughed. It sounded like music. "You know it is. That's why it terrifies you."
"Why am I here? Why are you showing me this?"
"Because you're interesting." They leaned forward. "Do you know how rare it is for someone to successfully access the Mirror's Council? Truly rare. Not once in a thousand years. Not once in ten thousand."
"Then how did I–"
"The odds lined up in your favor." The person pointed to their head. "That brain of yours activated essence instinctually as the Mirror Shard was shattered. You refined the Mirror Shards essence throughout your body leading to the activation of the Mirror's council."
I narrowed my eyes confused.
"It's a huge feat, you know, 99% of people would've died."
"But know this: the Mirror's Council is not a gift. It's a test. Every time you use it, you risk losing yourself."
They stood, walking to the edge of the platform. Staring into the endless void. "The question is: what will you do with it now?"
I stood as well. I walked to their side.
The abyss below was infinite. Stars reflected in impossible patterns.
"I don't know," I admitted. "I don't even know if I want this power."
They reached out—didn't quite touch my face but hovered near the empty socket. "You paid a price. Remember that. Power always costs."
They stood and walked around the space and then after a moment they looked at me again.
They snapped their fingers. Billions of threads appeared around me.
"Your fate is quite intertwined with this world's balance."
"Excuse me?"
"Each thread you see is a thread of fate. Interconnecting beings and events. Everything that will come to be."
"Your journey will be an extremely arduous one, but I hope you can hold out well."
Before I could answer, the platform shook.
Cracks appeared in the marble. The cherry blossom tree began to fade.
"Your body is waking," the entity said. "Our time is ending. For now."
"Wait—who are you? What are you?"
"I'm whoever you want me to be, Hiroto."
I reached out my arm only phasing through them.
"—when you wake, remember this: the Ten Wonders are not what they seem.
"You'll understand. Eventually. When you're ready." They released me. "Now wake up. My last advice to you is to head to Northern Valkris, the Martial Plains.
The platform shattered beneath my feet.
I fell into the abyss.
Fell.
Fell.
Fell—