late spring, year 02 - after life, futures lounge
the air inside after life had changed.ever since the mirror assassins' defeat, the city hummed with unease. nobles whispered of ghosts in reflections; taverns covered their mirrors in white cloth.
kain sat in the futures lounge, watching the crystal glass swirl as acheron poured dark wine that shimmered like lightning.each ripple showed a different version of the same drink-one for every possible choice he could make.
"it's spreading," acheron said quietly. "the market's contracts. people are selling years of their lives for temporary mana."
he frowned. "how do you know?"
"because i can see their futures burn shorter."
1 – the woman of ink and silence
the door opened with a faint chime. a woman stepped through, hair black with silver strands, fox-red eyes glowing under the candlelight. two small crimson horns curved backward from her temples, and nine faint tails flickered like shadows of smoke.
lady reika tsukishiro-half oni, half kitsune-bowed."greetings, prince of nihility. i bring ledgers from the eastern shadow clans."
daniel smiled faintly from the corner. "she's also my wife," he said.
reika's expression didn't change. "occasionally."
she set a thick scroll on the table. the parchment bled faintly with dark ink that moved as if alive."these are the contracts the shadow market has been using," she said. "each written in mirrored runes-every signature binds both body and soul."
acheron unrolled one. the letters shone crimson, backwards."if read aloud, they devour the reader's reflection," reika added.
"then how do you read them?" kain asked.
she smiled, her tails weaving gently. "i don't. i listen to their heartbeat."
2 – the soul traders
in the forge below, kasumi hammered mirror-metal while laora and elayne brewed tonics to slow mana exhaustion.above, lumiel met with elariel and yoriko, discussing which noble houses had been infiltrated.
yoriko's golden eyes gleamed. "the market hides inside legitimate trade. every potion shop, every enchantment guild—they're all fronts."
elariel laid down a map glowing with runic circles. "we found nine supply lines feeding mana to the academy vaults."
lumiel looked at kain. "if we cut them, the council will retaliate."
"good," kain said. "let them show their shadows."
3 – the mirror contracts
reika guided them through the decoding process.in the dim light of the lounge, she drew talismans across a slab of obsidian glass. each seal pulsed with faint white fire.
"look carefully," she said. "the contract isn't paper—it's memory."
the glass shimmered. faces appeared—men, women, students—all signing glowing runes, their reflections smiling while their real selves trembled.
acheron's voice softened. "their shadows agreed before they did."
kain clenched his fist. "and that's how the market bypasses consent."
reika nodded. "they forge obedience into the soul."
daniel leaned closer. "can you reverse it?"
she tilted her head. "not alone. but with blood and flame-yes."
acheron looked at kain. "that's us."
4 – the rite of return
they gathered in the forge that night. the mirror contracts burned within kasumi's crucible, releasing black smoke that smelled of metal and rain.reika knelt, cutting her palm: her blood turned into floating ink sigils.acheron extended her sword, thunder whispering down the blade. kain placed his hand over the fire, the shadow nihility flame flaring silver-white.
"flame to purify, blood to bind, glass to remember," reika chanted."let every stolen soul return to its rightful path."
the crucible erupted in light. shards of memory burst into the air, each one showing faces freed from mirror prisons.
in the distance, thousands of candles across eryndor flickered—souls returning.
acheron staggered slightly. kain caught her arm."you okay?"
she smiled faintly. "i just felt ten thousand futures realign."
5 – the shadow's whisper
as silence settled, a new sound echoed through the forge-whispering glass.a single surviving shard floated upward, glowing red. inside it, a shape formed: the face of a man with eyes of molten obsidian.
"interesting," the voice said. "children of nihility playing savior."
kain's flame flared instinctively. "who are you?"
"archduke vorseth," the face answered, smiling. "the one who taught your ancestors how to use mirrors. tell your brotherhood i've been waiting."
the shard cracked and vanished.
acheron exhaled slowly. "he knows we exist."
kain turned toward the glowing forge."good," he said. "now he'll see what we are."
[status update]
name: kain machiavelli
race: half aeon • half blood dragon
level: 19 exp: 1 530 / 1 920
tree rank: geburah (5th sphere)
guiding aeon: ix – aeon of nihility
unique skill: shadow nihility flame lv 5
new allies: lady reika tsukishiro (oni × kitsune) – soul-seal specialist
objective: prepare the blood-and-flame ritual to locate the archduke vorseth and uncover the council's role in the shadow market.
end of chapter 15 – blood and reflections