The Wandering Fairy [LitRPG World-Hopping]

"So you're saying I was the first to pass this trial of yours?"

Soren didn't know whether to feel excited or horrified by that prospect.

[Nay. There was one before you.] She answered. [He defeated the Mirror Game more than a thousand years ago… Aside from you, he is the only one.]

He frowned. A thousand years ago… He must've already died by now…

As he continued unraveling his thoughts, another question came to mind.

"Hold on. Doesn't this mean the Mirror Game could have been even harder than it was?" He mumbled to himself.

Soren realized after their initial conversation that the very fabric of that game was crafted to be easier than usual. Although it did reflect their inner wishes as She had claimed, the world She sent them to was still twisted in countless ways for that not to be fully the case.

All three of the identities they assumed helped them obtain something they had always desired, but it also brought about countless problems. Cassia was plagued with insanity from her dreams of the battles in the Beyond. Myrin was the Hollowed Star fragment that everyone wanted to capture (and also a woman). As for him—he was a slave that everyone disdained…

It became obvious now that the Blossom Sword Flower had orchestrated this purposefully so that they wouldn't be completely attached to their new identities. The same could be said about the strange game windows—they might have been misleading, but at the very least, it planted a small seed in their minds that this world was just a 'game.' An illusion or trial meant to be beaten.

From the very start, She could have placed us in a utopia that fulfilled all our desires… The thought alone terrified him. The world She had sent them to was extremely flawed, and yet, they were still this close to succumbing to their new identities…

I guess Tazzith was right… Unlike most fae, the Blossom Sword Flower did not outright hate humanity.

The trial was hard, but not outright impossible.

As these thoughts played in his mind, he heard a soft grunt from nearby. Soren noticed his companions were slowly awakening from their deep slumber.

"W-Where am I…" Myrin glanced around in shock, trying to process his surroundings.

Though, all of that ended the moment their eyes locked.

"Ah." He clutched his heart tightly while biting his lips. Soren also didn't really know what to say.

"We're alive? Praise the Serpent…" Cassia's voice broke the tension. Her eyes widened as she spotted the colossal rose beyond the endless reflections above them.

"The Mirror Game is over?"

Rubbing the back of his neck, Soren smiled. "Yeah. I'll try to explain everything."

It didn't really take long to recall everything he had discussed with the Blossom Sword Flower. From what the hidden rule was to why their identities were chosen to begin with—nothing was left unsaid.

"So it really was all fake from the start!" Myrin leaned back, letting himself spin freely in the endless space. He didn't know whether to feel frustrated at the truth or the fact that he wasn't able to discover it on his own.

He glanced at Soren, eyes narrowing by the second. "Even so, why the hell wouldn't you tell me this theory of yours before stabbing me in the heart?!"

Soren scoffed, "I did. I asked whether you trusted me or not."

"I trusted you not to stab me!" He flailed his arms around, as if looking for something to slam his fist into.

"I didn't have a choice, okay?!" Soren shook his head. "I just thought… Since you were going to die to them anyway, I might as well end it myself."

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"Still, you could have told me beforehand!"

"Would you have easily accepted getting stabbed if I did tell you? To fool your enemy, you have to fool your allies first!"

"Can the both of you shut up? I'm still trying to process all of this!" It was as if a dragon had roared in their ears. They pair quickly fell to silence. They both glanced at Cassia, awaiting her thoughts on the matter.

Eventually, she sighed. "How foolish of me…" Smiling softly, she glanced at Soren and nodded:

"I apologize… Even with all the clues, I let my desires blind me. I am ashamed to call myself a magi…"

"....."

Soren didn't really know how to reply. Hearing this, Myrin also couldn't help but let his thoughts run wild. As the pair floated endlessly in the presence of their reflections, the Elven Songster finally closed his eyes and clicked his tongue.

"At least Cassia had a good reason—she just hoped to bring a better future for her tribe. I on the other hand…"

Soren shook his head. "Even I almost failed. It took me so many clues to finally come to that conclusion. In fact, I believe a part of me wanted to deny that evidence even after I made my decision…"

"Yeah, but you didn't fail." Myrin looked away in shame. "Even while your instincts and logic was telling you not to, you still decided to try and abandon this 'illusion.' How did you even do that?"

Soren glanced up at his reflections for a while before answering.

"I don't know…

"I guess it was mostly driven by ego. Even though everything in my mind was saying it was real. Even after Commander Folre offered me a position in his army… I still didn't want any of it. It felt too easy—too comforting of a choice.

"As if someone was making that choice for me. I hated that. Even the role I was given—a slave without a master—felt unearned. The freedom it granted me from the wishes of others wasn't something I had obtained myself."

Cassia glanced down at her own hands, clutching them tightly. "I see…"

[Is that how you feel about fate as well?] The spiritual voice interjected. Soren glanced up at the distant rose, trying to understand Her thoughts.

Eventually, he nodded. "Yes. After realizing that history cannot be changed due to fate's machinations, I decided to reject all the choices presented to me."

[Even if fate's designs benefited you?]

"Yes. I said this to someone else before you—I would much rather die forgotten, than give up my freedom to live as a slave. Whether the one holding the chains was you, Commander Folre or fate itself—I will deny that existence with every fiber of my being."

[It is just as Hurion had said… You really are a Foolish One.]

Soren's eyes widened. "You met Hurion?!"

His two companions looked at him with confusion. "Hurion? Who—wait… Hurion, the Eternal Knight of the Slumbering Wolf?"

He glanced at them briefly and nodded. "Yes. Him."

Myrin's eyes widened. "How is that even possible…"

Soren sighed. "I met what was left of Him briefly during my journey across the Beyond… We parted ways quickly after that…" He then glanced up at the distant rose and frowned:

"Did He tell you anything about me?"

[Only what He was willing to disclose.]

"Such as?"

[Such as your lack of manners and how savagely reckless you can be to your own body.]

His lips twitched slightly. "Anything… else?" But all he could hear while awaiting an answer was his two companions trying to hold back their laughter.

[He also commented on the futility of your goal.] The spirit spoke. [How your obsession with fate will only lead you down the same path all Foolish Ones of History have walked before.]

Soren didn't answer. After all, he too wasn't that confident in his own goal. The Orbits of Fate are not something anyone could easily manipulate, and even if one were to achieve that, the consequences they would face would still be severe.

In a way, he realized that the Blossom Sword Flower might have been trying to warn him through the Mirror Game. Every decision he made to try and stop the fall of Bastion Thirel only brought about more pain and suffering than if they had simply followed through the true path fate had laid for them.

[I believe we have wasted enough time.] The voice echoed in their ears as if it were an oracle from the heavens. [It is time to choose your reward.]

Soren's eyes widened. He had almost forgotten what they had been seeking from the start. Before he could even reply, another game window manifested itself before them:

Choose Your Second Rune!

Congratulations! You have successfully won the Mirror Game! You may now select an Abstract Rune.

Wraithblade Pact - The influence of the Astral Anima becomes sharp.

Cantor's Crown - A summoner from beyond the veil.

Mirror Thorn - A shard that cuts what it reflects.

Whisperveil - Every mind adds its own note to the chorus.