The Wandering Fairy [LitRPG World-Hopping]

The scorching sun slowly turned red over the horizon, marking the beginning of the end. As he stood there, awaiting the conclusion of his gamble, a spark of fear welled up once again in his chest.

He couldn't help but smile. He had thought that his resolve would be stronger than this, but strangely, it was anything but. Before him marched an army, their spears pointed at every crevice of his body. It was as if he was staring directly into death's maw.

To the left of him, Cassia was left kneeling in the sand, her eyes hollow and full of despair. He couldn't really blame her—he had robbed her of the one opportunity she desired, after all. But there was nothing left to say or argue—the decision he chose was already made.

With these thoughts howling in his mind, he closed his eyes—awaiting the sharp ends of the spears that would soon pierce his heart. Around him thundered hooves and Spirit Wolf howls, all descending upon him like a fiery storm.

[So this is the conclusion you came to.]

A sudden voice cut through everything. His eyes flung upon, greeted by a storm of dust and charging warhorses. Just as the spearpoints descended, the world itself shattered like glass.

Darkness… had once again taken hold.

[You may awaken now.]

A dazzling yet horrifying voice echoed in his ears as the darkness faded from sight. Soren's eyes snapped open and were immediately met by endless reflections of himself all around him. His heart beat fast as the memories of where he was previously clung like glue to his mind.

Death… It had truly almost gripped him tight.

Calming his nerves, he began to stare at the endless mirrors surrounding him.

Though, it became rather obvious that the reflections were not showing his true appearance… The hair was shorter, and darker. The eyes were also a different shade of brown. And his tattered clothes were covered in soot and grime, not even close to resembling his usual magi robe and cone hat.

This was the nameless Slave Tactician. The person he became in the Mirror Game.

Keeping his face neutral, Soren scanned around him, only to notice two figures sleeping besides him. An enchantingly handsome young man with golden hair cascading down his shoulders. He floated there in silence—face marked by betrayal and sorrow. On the other side was a sweet, dark haired girl hugging herself in a fetal position—her tail wrapped tightly around herself.

Neither of them were awake. They were all floating endlessly in a vibrant space, surrounded by their own reflections.

"I see… So it's all over…"

[You knew it was nothing but a dream, didn't you?]

He glanced up, far beyond the reflections of his reflections of his reflections to where a lone rose stood, observing all that was beneath Her.

Frowning, Soren shook his head slowly. "I… I didn't know."

[So it was truly all just a gamble?]

He remained silent in thought.

Even during his last moments, after stabbing Myrin and watching the Spirit Wolf armies descending upon him, Soren was never fully sure of what the outcome would be. The world She had sent them to was far too realistic. Cassia had even believed they were sent back in time…

"I only decided on the best option at the time. What would happen after was not in my considerations."

[The best option? Killing your friend and awaiting your own death?

[Wouldn't the best option be to join Commander Folre? After all, you did know, didn't you? That he was honest in his request. He truly desired to have you on his side. Perhaps you could have even betrayed him in the future—escaping with the princess once again…]

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Soren remained silent again. What the Blossom Sword Flower was saying wasn't at all wrong. If the Mirror Game was truly real, he would have likely taken up that offer.

The key here being, 'if' the Mirror Game was real.

Despite even his own instincts telling him it was not an illusion, Soren didn't believe it at all.

He refused to.

"There were three things that made me reconsider that option. For one, the discrepancy between not granting us our Soul Weapons and granting Cassia hers was very suspicious. Though, I theorized it was likely due to me and Myrin being Vagrant Phantasms—our Abstract Runes would not have been present during that timeline."

[Indeed. The Beyond records the past, present, and future simultaneously. But the influence of Astral Anima in the future cannot bleed into the past—not under its watchful gaze.]

"Which is exactly the problem," Soren nodded. "That would have strengthened your lie. By that logic, only Cassia—a Holy Phantasm—would be allowed to wield her Soul Weapon, since it's a boon that her ancestors likely held in the past as well…

"Of course, that would be the case unless you factor in the second clue I discovered: our magitech items. You had purposefully sent me there with Ghostfang the Pale and the Minor Silverlight Spire. If this were an accurate representation of the Third Age, my dagger should have still been present underground in the Avalon Ruin's Hall of Death.

"But really, the one thing that cemented my decision was when I realized that the rules you presented us with were never real to begin with. Those strange game windows you created—the missions you tasked us with were nothing but a sham from the start.

"The reinforcements were never real. Defending Bastion Thirel was impossible from the start. Cassia was not powerful enough to completely taint the Hollowed Star fragment. Even Myrin's own mission—to not be captured could never be accomplished.

"After all, history was already set in stone. Fate had already decided on this outcome." He sighed deeply as he leaned back, letting the current of space carry him.

"However, the Mirror Game was still the trial you decided upon," he reaffirmed. "Even if the game rules were fake, the game itself was still real. I realized that since the win condition was not what's on the game windows, there had to be another rule or condition that was hidden from us from the beginning."

He stared silently at the levitating rose, awaiting an answer from Her.

Eventually, he heard a sigh echo across the fractal mirror space.

[The true win-condition was denying your existence in that world.]

"Denying?" He furrowed his brows.

[Indeed. Immersion into your character would spell your doom. That was the rule I proposed. That is the true purpose of the Mirror Game.

[To deny that which may seem real—that which fulfills your desires.]

"I am not understanding," Soren's frown deepened. "How were we not denying the existence of that world? The whole reason we were following the rules you proposed in those game windows to begin with was so that we could escape this trial…"

[Are you sure that was how you all felt inside?]

Soren's lips twitched slightly.

[The reflections you see are what your heart desires, but twisted in a way to provide you with hints.

[Cassia became The Heretic. An ancient Holy Shrine Maiden that was unaware of her purpose and left to rot in a cell until her death. But to Cassia, this became an opportunity. With the Hollowed Star fragment nearby, she wanted to taint it with the Serpent of Untruth's presence to change the future.

[Myrin became Princess Myrella. As the bearer of a Hollowed Star fragment, she was cursed to be a prize everyone coveted for themselves. But to Myrin, this became an opportunity. To finally be a part of the royal family he was shunned from all his life… To be of significance to the Flower Maiden once again—no longer being labeled as Unblessed.

[As for you. You became a nameless slave. One who was despised by all, and loved by none. But to you, it became an opportunity. A chance to weaponize your weaknesses. Unlike in the real world, no one here expected anything from you. You were a slave, but one without a master. The metaphysical shackles of fear and jealousy no longer held you back, and neither did your physical ones… You were also free from the grasp of your own Soul Weapon—who's influence was vying to consume you.]

As Her words echoed in his mind, he couldn't help but remember everything that had happened during the Mirror Game… The changes in his companions now seemed far less natural than he had assumed at the time.

For one, would Myrin really have changed so much simply from the memories he obtained from Myrella? The same with Cassia—her desire to taint the Hollowed Star fragment went beyond just achieving the mission the Mirror Game tasked them with.

[By the end, both had already submitted to their roles. Even Myrin's suggestion to escape was purely driven by his desire to remain royalty—not out of an obligation to fulfil the mission given to them.]

"No way…" He couldn't believe what he was hearing, but he knew She was telling the truth. After all, he had personally witnessed these changes himself.

[However, do not blame them for this. The Mirror Game was made for this very purpose—to ensnare the desires of man in a world of their own making. Even Archmages have fallen for its temptations in the past. In a thousand years, none who faced me in the Runic Acquisition Festival have ever passed through this trial.]