The Hall of Mirrors felt as though it were breathing. The air was cold, smelling of ozone and the damp, metallic scent of the Iron Deep. Shino stood paralyzed, her bone-daggers trembling in her hands. The reflection of her former self—the twenty-nine-year-old librarian from Earth—wasn't just an image anymore. It was a weight, pulling at her soul, telling her that every step she had taken in this world was a lie.
"Look at them, Shino," Oberis whispered, his voice crawling like an insect into her ear. "The Knight who tolerates you. The girl who envies you. They don't love a 'Librarian.' They love a tool that calculates their victories. And now that the tool is broken... they have discarded you."
The Shattering of Logic
Shino tried to activate her [Analytical Eye], to find the mana-seams of the illusion. But the "Data" was corrupted. Everywhere she looked, the red text of the system screamed [ERROR]. The logic she had used as a shield for four years was dissolving into a static hiss.
"I... I am Shino Kurugawa," she gasped, her tail lashing frantically. "I am... sixteen... no, twenty-nine... I am a scholar..."
"You are nothing," Oberis countered, stepping into her physical space. He reached out with his translucent, violet-glowing claw. "The system has rejected your 'Safety Protocol.' It wants its predator back. And I? I want my masterpiece."
He pressed his claw against her forehead, right where the [Seed of Doubt] had been festering.
The Total Eclipse
A searing, violet lightning arched from his fingertips into Shino’s skull. She let out a silent, choked scream, her back arching as her memories were forcibly rewritten. The books, the quiet afternoons with Kazuto, the "Slow-Burn" of their shared meals—Oberis didn't erase them. He poisoned them. He made every memory feel like a betrayal, every smile from Kazuto feel like a mask for his "pity."
Then, the final command was issued.
[COMMAND: DELETE IDENTITY. EXECUTE: SYSTEM PUPPET.]
Shino’s golden eyes, usually so sharp and full of calculating life, suddenly flickered. The pupils dilated until they vanished, and the vibrant gold was swallowed by a terrifying, vacant white. The light of her soul retreated, leaving her gaze hollow and empty—the eyes of a doll that had been hollowed out and filled with a stranger's will.
She stopped trembling. Her tail went still. Her breathing became shallow and mechanical.
The New Master
Oberis pulled his hand back, a jagged, triumphant grin spliting his face. "Shino?"
The Cait Sith didn't blink. She didn't flinch. She simply bowed her head, her movements fluid but devoid of any human grace.
"Yes, Master," she whispered. The voice was hers, but the warmth was gone. It was the sound of a machine acknowledging a user.
"The Knight is still looking for you," Oberis said, stroking her hair with his cold claw. "He thinks he can 'save' you with words of friendship. I want you to show him exactly what happens to errors in the system. I want you to break the heart that dared to pity you."
Shino looked up, those vacant white eyes reflecting nothing but the violet glow of Oberis’s power. "I will delete the distraction, Master."
The Empty Arena
A mile away, the Golem in the arena finally crumbled under Elsa’s desperate, overcharged Light-Burst. The crowd roared, but the victory was hollow. Kazuto didn't join Elsa on the podium. He had already leaped the barrier, his eyes fixed on the distant silhouette of the West Wing.
"Shino!" he yelled, his voice echoing through the empty halls as he sprinted away from the cheers.
He didn't see the raven with the violet eye following him from the rafters. He didn't know that the girl he was running to save was already gone, replaced by a brainwashed shadow that was currently sharpening its blades for his throat.
41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHN8K18SSgl
41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsJpgGL8TvA
41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTAtW3Ua9Oq
and then Add to home screen.