Sunny was momentarily confused, before shaking his head.
"No, I've never heard of that myth. Is it similar to the Odyssey?" he asked, one eyebrow raised, his eyes fixed on the person in front of him.
The young man used the utensil in his hand to scoop some more soup, tasting it calmly. A sigh of satisfaction escaped from deep in his throat.
"Wrong." he said with a smile on his face, licking the soup from his lips. "Odysseus is just as entertaining, but it's not similar, not even close..."
Placing the spoon aside, he snapped a finger, and an awakened appeared carrying a few carved wooden dolls.
The young man took them in his hand and dismissed the lost.
"See... No, listen well. I'll tell you a good story."
As he sat down, the atmosphere changed. The previously friendly mood seemed to be cast aside, giving way to a more serious one.
Sunny found it strange... In fact, there was more than one or two things he already found abnormal. However, the leader spoke too quickly.
"Once upon a time, there was a young man named Narcissus..."
The other awakened lowered their voices, as if they wanted to listen carefully to the words of their representative.
"Son of a great god and a beautiful nymph, his birth was truly blessed by the heavens. After all, his father was a supreme lord of rivers."
Unconsciously, Sunny began to listen closely. Something in him said these words held great importance.
"And so Narcissus was born, this beauty. So beautiful that even the gods were enchanted by his appearance."
"When Narcissus grew, his appearance became even more incredible. But unfortunately, Narcissus was far too narcissistic..."
His fingers slowly spun the spoon, as if that were more interesting than the story itself.
"Everyone desired him. Everyone admired him."
A brief pause.
"And he rejected them all."
"He refused to fall in love. No soul ever touched his heart."
"No person, no one."
"Nothing..."
Sunny's mouth went dry. A shiver ran across his entire scalp. At that same instant, he used his shadow sense, analyzing carefully.
Then he realized, and what he understood made him tremble.
The shadows of the people around him were inanimate, genuinely not organic. And he had only seen similar shadows in one situation.
Only the dead had shadows like that.
And around him there were nearly thirty dead. Yet they were standing and fake-breathing.
He should have noticed, there had been many clues.
The fatal scars, the marked stitches, the strange way they walked...
Perhaps exhaustion had made him slow. Or maybe all of that had been carefully prepared.
But that didn't change the fact that he had been careless. He shouldn't accept things without thinking. Life at the academy and all the good treatment must have spoiled him.
It didn't matter.
The most important thing was the man in front of him.
Alive.
And, most likely, responsible.
Various strategies and ideas passed through Sunless's mind, but he remained quiet.
So far the leader had not shown bad intentions or any hostility; studying the opponent and discovering his weaknesses was more useful than letting emotions explode.
"Truly intriguing..." Sunny commented, while discreetly preparing for a possible fight.
Mordret watched calmly.
His silver eyes lifted, observing without truly looking.
"A nymph loved him. Her name was Echo."
"She could not speak for herself… only repeat others."
A small smile appeared.
"Curious, isn't it? To love someone… without even having a voice of your own."
He tilted his head slightly.
"When she tried to approach him… he rejected her."
"As he rejected all the others."
Silence dragged on for a moment.
"And then… he was punished."
Mordret rested his chin on his hand, as if remembering something distant.
"He was not punished with torture, nor even a curse."
The smile grew slightly.
"He was punished with his own flaw."
The words were spoken, cast into the air. Silence reigned once more.
"And when he looked… he saw something perfect."
His voice grew quieter.
"Something that would never reject him."
A pause that lasted too long.
"He fell in love."
"So he was a huge egocentric?" Sunny asked, his tone ironic.
Mordret looked at him and let out a small laugh.
"What a lazy interpretation…"
Mordret let out a nearly inaudible chuckle. His eyes gleamed in silver.
"People say he fell in love with himself."
He slowly shook his head.
"But that's not true."
His eyes finally focused.
"He fell in love… with the only reflection that didn't hate him."
The air seemed heavier.
"He tried to understand, but was ignored."
"He tried to have value, but was abandoned."
"He tried to be someone!"
Each word came out colder.
"And failed."
Mordret fell silent for a moment.
"So he stayed there."
"Day after day."
"Watching something he could never have."
A light sigh.
"Until he died."
His fingers stopped moving.
"It's a sad story."
A slow smile appeared.
"Don't you think?"
Sunless remained still, not answering.
"Now, my friend, why don't we watch a show?"
The "awakened" gathered, rising from their places and forming an audience, while others moved to the center.
Some corpses gathered into a scene, as if they were in a theater acting out characters.
One in particular stood out: it carried a piece of glass deeply embedded in its chest, which was in perfect condition, whole and clean.
In a morbid spectacle, the dead performed.
In the first scene, one pretended to be a child, playing with dolls. Until a corpse with a stern face and a full beard grabbed him by the arm and pulled him away.
Another figure appeared — a grotesque mask, too large, hands occupied with books.
The father handed the child to the monster.
It took care of the child, protecting it from danger and keeping it alive. In the child's view, the once frightening monster had become a beloved figure.
Until the monster discarded it as well.
Just like the father had.
The shattered mirror broke even further, until it became seven parts of a whole.
The corpse looked at itself in the reflection of the seven fragments, each showing a different expression.
"Narcissus was not the only one to look into the mirror… and embrace his reflection with open arms."
There was a brief pause.
"A reflection does not lie… does not judge… does not betray."
His smile widened slightly.
"It only shows what you truly are."
His eyes rested on Sunless.
"Some people… don't like that very much."
"And you?"
"Would you like to see?"