"So, what did you discover?"
Lock pressed on Astria to hurry up and talk; he could no longer bear the sight of his ugly reflection.
"No need to rush. First, look at this."
Astria brought her hand close to the mirror and then covered it with her aura. At first nothing strange happened, but over time the reflection began to change slowly — it seemed as if it was being pulled. Astria stopped her aura and looked at the others.
"I enveloped the mirror with my aura, and then I discovered that my reflection is trying to get out."
"What do you mean, exactly?"
Karina tilted her head, puzzled by Astria's words.
"He's trying to come out into the real world. I don't know what will happen if I let him."
The group looked toward the mirrors with a new anxiety. Now they felt worried, especially since it seemed they had to do this if they wanted to pass the place.
"What if I try?"
Elena volunteered, to everyone's surprise. I looked at her with annoyance, trying to stop her, but Elena smiled and said calmly,
"My reflection is the least dangerous in my opinion, so nothing strange should happen."
Her reasoning made sense — she was the only one whose appearance had changed for the better — so everyone agreed. I felt bitter to leave it to her, but I found no reason to refuse. I didn't want to try this myself, especially given my reflection.
Elena approached the mirror, placed her hands on its smooth surface, closed her eyes, injected her aura into the glass, and her reflection began to change little by little.
It wasn't long before Elena's reflection disappeared from the mirror after being absorbed by it.
Elena opened her eyes and looked around, confused.
"What's wrong?"
I looked at her anxiously. Elena looked toward me in astonishment and spoke slowly:
"Nox, I see a ghost."
"What do you mean by 'ghost'?"
Elena pointed toward us, but I realized she was indicating her place among us. I looked in that direction but saw nothing.
"My reflection has become a ghost and it's staring at me with a smile."
"Is that even possible?!!"
Ronan shouted in panic and jumped back. The others stepped away from the spot Elena had pointed to and summoned their powers.
"Elena, can the ghost talk?"
At my words, Elena looked at the ghost again, then smiled and looked at me once more.
"It can speak. It seems we can telepathically communicate with it."
"Okay, make him tell you he's purpose."
Elena spoke to the ghost mentally, then clapped her hands with joy.
"This is amazing! Nox, it told me that this is the maze's test. Everyone is supposed to get their reflection here, then enter the maze and overcome the challenges."
Everyone felt relieved to know the ghost wasn't harmful, but I couldn't forget my reflection, so I looked at Elena with concern.
"What will happen if we don't take the reflection or if we fail to pass the maze?"
"Hmm, it says you won't be able to leave this hall without the ghost, and if you fail you will be expelled by the maze, but you won't be able to enter the Temple of Wisdom."
Damn — this means I'm forced to take my reflection with me. What do I do? Fail deliberately and leave it to Elena to get the key? No — maybe the others will fight her and take the key.
The others began approaching their reflections and turning them into ghosts.
"What are you doing? Hurry and take your reflection."
Klaus looked at me, puzzled why I was standing apart.
'Damn, it seems I have no other choice. I hope the ghost will not make me mad.'
I moved toward the shards of broken glass and began injecting my aura into them. When I finished, I raised my head and saw someone standing in front of me.
It was me — or rather my reflection. He looked at me with dead eyes; blood continued flowing from his neck but for some reason it didn't fall to the ground. I felt nauseated when I looked at the hollow in his chest, so I turned my gaze away.
[Is it disgusting to look at yourself?]
A strange but familiar voice entered my head. It was my voice, but deep and lifeless.
'Shut up. I don't want to hear your voice.'
[You ungrateful fool — have you forgotten why you possess this power? You killed me for it.]
'Shut up. I didn't know I wouldn't die that day, so don't try to manipulate my mind, you bastard.'
[Come on, weren't your memories fake? You knew it was a shard from the start. That means you killed me intentionally. I died and was forgotten. And you? You live a better life and have a girl who loves you. How dare you be loved. Do you think someone like you deserves to love someone like her?]
'You bastard. I am you and you are me, so don't speak as if we're different to affect my mind.'
[Is that what you really think? Then let me clarify something: you are in the Maze of Thoughts and I am your inner reflection. I act like a different person from you because you yourself think that — you don't consider me part of you. You rejected me, tried to forget me, and buried me.]
I was shocked by my reflection's words. I felt tightness in my chest and lacked the strength to answer. It was like being shut in darkness with every passing second — then some mysterious force intervened and pulled me out. I looked to the side and found Elena placing her hands on my shoulders, looking at me with concern.
"Nox, are you okay?"
Hearing her words, I finally noticed my condition. I was drenched in sweat, breathing heavily, my body trembling uncontrollably.
"I'm fine."
I reinforced my body with my aura, stood up, and commanded the darkness to consume the sweat and cleanse me.
"Is something wrong with your reflection? Do you need help?"
Elena asked me with great concern. After the reflection's words, I found it hard to look at her; I turned my face aside. On the side stood my reflection, staring at me coldly and contemptuously.
In the background, everyone was busy with their own reflection. Some struggled trying to communicate with their ghost, some felt disgusted at looking, others felt odd. But after a full hour everyone was able to handle the situation.
During that hour I sat with Elena, who was occupied talking with her ghost. I, however, avoided looking at my reflection — he stood in the Tcorner His cold glances full of endless contempt and hatred made my heart beat wildly.
The reflection's words echoed in my mind and I couldn't ignore them no matter how hard I tried.
"Shall we move?"
Dante looked at the group and pointed to the door that had opened after everyone took their reflections.
"Yes, let's win the challenge."
"Let's finish this quickly. It's hard to look at this chameleon."
Reactions varied among the group, but everyone agreed to finish this maze quickly.
Dante opened the door and entered. Behind the door was another hall with several doors leading to different corridors.
"What is this? Are we supposed to split up?"
Karina wondered what they were supposed to do, but Elena answered quickly.
"Guys, my copy told me each door contains a special challenge. We should choose the door we want, and don't worry — we can meet again after passing the test. But if we fail, we'll be moved to a special room where we must wait until the end of the maze."
Everyone rushed to talk with their copies and confirm Elena's words. I did nothing; I did not want any exchange with my reflection.
[Are you sure you don't want to check? Maybe Elena is lying to you.]
'Shut up. It's impossible for her to lie to me.'
[Are you confident? Have you forgotten how many times you were deceived and lied to before? She's noble — who knows what plans she hides behind the scenes.]
'Elena is not that kind of person. Didn't you see her reflection? It was pure, unlike the others.'
[Pure? You say that about the girl who hides many secrets. Even if she is pure, people can change in a moment. Have you forgotten how easily humans change? Weren't you close to Ronan? What happened after? He betrayed you and joined the other side . Elena might betray you too.]
'Ronan left me because of my actions. If Elena leaves me one day, then it's my fault because I didn't appreciate the relationship.'
[You're speaking nauseatingly. Aren't you the same person who placed a soul contract to kill Elena if you didn't become lovers? Tell me, how would Elena react if she knew? I bet she'd hate you for your betrayal and conspiracy to kill her.]
'!!!'
Words choked in my throat. I couldn't refute his words; my plans to kill her are real and undeniable no matter how I try.
'She loves me and I love her. All I need is to confess and make it public.'
[Confess? You? Hahahaha. What a joke. You're a coward; you won't dare do such a thing. I told you, I am your true thoughts, so I know you'll never be able to confess no matter what. Believe me, your end will be killing Elena.]
The reflection laughed loudly, mocking me. I felt my blood start to boil as I tried to control myself and not destroy the place.
"Okay, I will choose this door."
Dante's loud voice pulled me out as he pointed to one of the doors in the middle.
"I'll go to this one."
"I choose this."
"Then I'll go here."
Everyone began choosing their doors. I glanced at Elena with a smile.
"Shall we pick?"
"Ah! Yes, let's choose."
Elena and I chose adjacent doors, and then the group began entering the doors one after another.
"Nox, don't fail."
Elena waved goodbye to me as she entered her door. I looked at her spot in silence, then opened mine and went in.
I found myself standing in a wide green garden. Sunlight filled the place, giving it warmth and great vitality. The blue sky was clear and not covered by clouds.
I looked around and found myself standing near a large tree whose shade covered the area. Its leaves swayed lightly in the breeze.
I examined the surroundings and saw a white wall surrounding the place, and in front of me was a large building that looked somewhat dilapidated.
"Are these humans?"
I couldn't believe my eyes when I discovered shapes moving inside the building, but my reflection appeared before me and blocked the view.
[The first test begins before you. It's an old orphanage. Your goal is to live here for a while, then I will tell you the condition for departure. Enjoy.]
My reflection smiled mockingly before disappearing.
'An orphanage? How does something like this exist in this ruined world? Is it another type of illusion? For now, let's go to the orphanage and see what happens.'
I walked toward the building. I felt curious gazes coming from behind the windows. I could make out small shapes of children, but the glass prevented me from seeing clearly.
I reached the main door and raised my hand and knocked gently. I heard footsteps approaching from inside; someone seemed to be coming.
It opened!
The door opened and someone came out to greet me. She was a woman in her fifties with silver eyes and gray hair. Her face was wrinkled by age but held a hint of beauty. She looked kind and gentle, wearing a gray nun's outfit.
When she saw me she smiled warmly and bowed in greeting.
"Greetings. Are you the one who came to help?"
I bowed my head slightly in response.
"Yes, I'm Nox. Pleased to meet you."
I decided to go along with the situation, so I didn't deny her words. The sister's smile widened when I confirmed, and she placed her hand on her chest in prayer.
"Welcome, Nox. I'm Mariana. You can call me Sister Mari, as everyone does."
Mariana made way and invited me in. I did not refuse and entered. The floor was old wood; I felt how weak it was as soon as I stepped on it. I looked around; the place was simple and not decorated.
'This place needs a lot of repairs.'
I noticed the cracked and fragile walls; clearly this orphanage doesn't receive sufficient support.
"Please follow me, Nox."
Mariana led me to the end of the corridor and entered a small room that was a simple office with registers and various papers.
"Please sit and let us discuss the working conditions."
Mariana motioned to a small sofa; I sat on it and she sat on the other side.
"Tea or coffee?"
"Thank you for asking, but I'm not thirsty. Maybe it's impolite of me, but it's obvious — it's difficult to afford drinks considering the state of the place."
Mariana smiled sadly as she looked at me.
"You're right. It's hard to get donations these days. It's getting harder to care for the children day by day."
'Indeed, this is the case with all orphanages. People prefer to give money to someone famous rather than to those who truly need it.'
"Let's leave the sad talk and let me tell you about the orphanage."
"Please do."
"Well, as you know, the orphanage is called the White Heart Home. There are twenty children here: ten girls and ten boys. They range in age from one to ten years old. They are wonderful children; you'll fall in love with them quickly."
Mariana spoke happily about the children; it was clear she loved them very much.
"As for the staff, there are seven of us. I'm the head here; there are four other sisters and two men who handle physical work."
'Twenty-seven people in total. It's hard to provide for all these people, especially children, and now there's a new person to worry about.'
"As you see, Nox, one of the men has grown old and become ill, so his position is vacant. We've suffered the loss of his services. We are truly grateful for your coming. When I posted the announcement, I thought no one would come. Who would imagine a handsome young man like you would come to help? You also seem strong. I wonder why someone like you agreed to come here."
"Thank you for the praise, Sister. In fact, I'm an orphan too, but I lived on the streets. When I think about it, I wish I had been cared for by an orphanage. So I thought helping children grow up safely and healthy is a noble goal worth working for."
Mariana placed her hand over her mouth in shock and surprise.
"Oh, you poor boy. Who would imagine someone like you suffered all that?"
'It's been a while since I acted so, seems my skill hasn't rusted yet.'
After half an hour of talking, Mariana explained the daily schedule and what I was supposed to do and several other things.
"Nox, I think it's time for you to meet everyone."
Mariana got up and gestured for me to follow. We went into the dining hall.
It was crowded indeed. The children sat at a long table waiting quietly for the food. As soon as we entered they looked at us quickly.
"Sister Mari is here!"
The children ran to Mariana and hugged her.
"Children, calm down. You must introduce yourselves to our guest; he will be living with us for a while."
At her words, the children looked at me with curiosity; some were afraid and hid — the girls for some reason stared at me intensely.
The oldest child, a ten-year-old boy, stepped forward, put his hand on his chest, and said loudly:
"I'm Karl. Nice to meet you."
At seeing them, Karl acted to encourage them as Mariana instructed. The children began approaching and introducing themselves one by one.
The children's names were:
'Will, Klen, Azra, Igo, Edward, Noel, Rio, Lucas, and Finnest, in addition to Karl. Rio and Noel were under four years old, while the rest were a bit older.'
As for the girls, they were:
'Helen, Monica, Iris, Elizabeth, Clara, Alice, Matilda, Rose, Diana, and finally Seraphina. The girls were generally younger than the boys, with Rose, Alice, and Diana under four years old, and Seraphina being one year old — Mariana told me about her because she couldn't speak.'
The children looked at me with curiosity and excitement; their gazes made me feel uncomfortable.
"I'm Nox. Nice to meet you. I hope you treat me well."
The rest of the caregiving staff entered the hall carrying food.
As soon as the children saw the food they left me and rushed to the table. The sisters placed the food with gentle smiles, and when they finished they turned to me.
They introduced themselves. The four women were Ariana, Selena, Yasmin, and Fifan. They were all over thirty and had the big sister aura around them. I exchanged greetings with them. The two men were an old white-haired man with a sick hand named Marcus, and the other, who appeared to be in his twenties, turned out to be Marcus's son named William.
After a short round of quick introductions, everyone went to the table and sat ready to eat.
"Hmm? Nox, why don't you sit?"
Mariana looked at me in confusion.
"Thanks for the invitation, but I don't need the food."
"What do you mean by that, brother?"
Karl asked me curiously. I looked at everyone embarrassed by my behavior.
"I already ate some food on my way, so I'm not hungry."
"Is that true? But what if you get hungry at night?"
I looked at Mariana worriedly but shook my head, dismissing her concern.
"Don't worry. I don't get hungry quickly."
"Okay, as you wish."
"Sister Mari, may I walk around? I want to get to know the place."
"That would be a good idea. Please act as if it's your home."
After a brief greeting, I left the dining hall and began to look around. I gradually saw how bad the current situation was: tattered clothes, cracked walls, weak flooring, and all kinds of problems.
"This will be hard."
...