When Riza finally got back on his feet, the passageway closed behind him. He immediately attacked it with his blades, but the stone repelled them all perfectly. Not a scratch or a dent was made within them, and not a single mark even could be seen upon the stone surface. Whatever this was made of or protected by, not even his swords could pierce it. And perhaps, it might not be wise to carelessly destroy things anyways. He could not be sure his grandson or the others were not on the other side, or that the entire place would not collapse if he got too reckless.
Realizing this, he decided to stand down, although he kept his blades ready to be called at a moment's notice. He summoned forth a ball of light to illuminate the way around himself, trying to find some way out of here and back to the others, or perhaps some clue of what was going on here. There were murals and etching everywhere, retelling the story from the entrance hall, as well as other stories and tales from long ago about this kingdom. It showed various individuals, from someone under a shooting star, to that same person receiving a golden crown. There was one of descendants and what seemed to be inheritance, as well as one about the building of the original city that this place had been built around the ruins of.
It also told the tale of various challengers, who gazed into a mirror, and faced great challenges.
And lastly, his eyes gazed upon a mirror identical to the murals that were across the room. It sat in the middle of the room, undamaged and unrusted. The glass was perfectly clear and polished, and he could see his own reflection in it. As he and Anna walked up to it, it glimmered a bit...and that was when Riza turned around and faced Anna. She was wearing nothing but a smile.
"Interesting place, isn't it?"
"Anna, why are you..."
"Oh come now. Join me. You always did have a crush on me after all, so lets go with it".
Riza frowned as he heard that.
"I am happily married now. And Anna, my Anna, my friend, someone who was a sister to me, would never speak like that. Walk up naked sure, she sees me as a friend and a brother though, not a lover".
"Are you sure you are not rejecting it,,.just like how you rejected responsibility for what happened that day?"
Suddenly, Anna was now in her adventurer's gear. Nothing flashy or fashionable, but reliable and sturdy instead.
"After all, when we faced Chianthias that day...the reason I got hit by that curse was you" she said, whispering into his ear.
This time, Riza had no response. Instead he just paled, looking a bit worse as he faced those words.
"When Chianthias attacked, you were the one who saw first that day. But she was so powerful, and you...you panicked".
Anna then disappeared from his right side, appearing at his left instead as she whispered into the other ear.
"You froze, and made me take the hit, the curse, for us both. The reason I suffered and became trapped all this time, frozen but conscious, was because you failed to act in time so long ago. You are the reason I am still trapped as a damn statue, and perhaps I have already died mentally! Because of you!"
"Shut up! Anna would never say that!"
"How do you know what Anna would have said, when you never gave her a chance to grow up!"
Riza clicked his tongue, as he felt the pain in his heart begin to increase. For every time he could not refute, the weight and darkness grew stronger and stronger. He could feel it in his gut.
And as it did, Amyris appeared from the mirror, stepping out right behind Riza.
"You took her from me. You took a child who had so much potential from the world, who had suffered so much before she came to this world! She was like a daughter to me, and you took her away! I loath and hate you, Riza!"
"Shut up! Amyris...he would...he would..."
Riza wasn't able to get it out, and the pressure on him and his body only grew from there.
Shit...this thing plans to kill me with truth!
"You murdered her! You broke apart everything! I hate you Riza!"
"No! Amyris is far more understanding then that! He blames the Devil, not me! Don't you dare insult his intelligence and kindness! He is far kinder, and smarter, then you could ever comprehend or simulate!"
"And yet, you know what we say is the truth. You cannot escape the truth Riza. Even your true identity, the one you have kept hidden for decades, will not stay hidden for long. One already figured it out...and soon, others will know Riza. About how much of a horrible person you are. About just how desperate you are trying to run. About why you don't mind never growing up, if it means you can avoid dealing with that truth ever again! Because you know you are a failure as an adult!"
In the next moment, the projection of Amyris was cut through by Riza's blade...only for himself to end up injured. Amyris just reappeared behind him.
"Why have such a short temper towards the truth?"
"Honestly, you using Amyris' face disgusted me so much with those words, I just wanted to vent a bit" Riza said, some color having returned to his face. Mirror Amyris was a bit surprised by that, and Mirror Anna went on guard.
"...you are a far more perplexing creature. Right when you suffer pain, you rebound into this more confident version of yourself. Not denial, not quite coping...adaptation? I see, from your past as..."
"Shut up" Riza said coldly, as his sword was wrapped in silver light. "Don't you dare use another word out of my teacher's mouth".
"Then perhaps someone different then myself should speak...someone who feels the fresh sting of your abandonment".
"Try it. I won't let anything get in the way anymore. I will protect and save everyone! I won't lose anyone, not ever again!"
"You really are selfish" a third voice announced behind him, one that surprised Riza. He turned around and saw a boy there, who looked far younger than he actually was.
The third figure to appear was none other then Kuroki. However, this Kuroki was different then the other Mirrors. His skin was pale, and body looked cold, despite being dressed in his adventurer's clothes. His neck also looked weird, as if it had been snapped.
"No..."
"You see Riza. You already failed. Because while you were trapped in here, before I even knew it, I had already been killed, and my spirit left to roam this place".
"No...no no".
This shook Riza to a new level. It was only then that he heard a woman's voice in his ear.
"You changed so much, to try and become someone better...and someone entirely different. And yet, in the end, you will always fail them. Always fail him, always fail her. Again and again".
The voice was so familiar and nostalgic to Riza, but he didn't focus on that. As the weight increased from every statement, he was unable to immediately refute, his health deteriorating once more.
"You failed to save me, you..."
At those words, charged forward...and kissed Kuroki, or rather, the Fake Mirror Kuroki, right on the lips. In that instant, there was a burst of light that seemed to come from them, and the Fake Kuroki fell backwards. Something had happened in that flash of light, as Riza suddenly was regaining his health, while the Mirror Kuroki almost seemed weaker.
"I see now. I had heard legends and tales, but to think it was so close for so long. The Inflective Mirror. It doesn't just reflect your soul, it inverts it. It makes it so the people who could harm you the most are made to appear. It makes you face your fears, your darkness, but this Mirror specifically has been altered. Its no longer a tool for education or bravery, but one of death. Designed to kill someone no matter how strong they are, by using their own past and emotions against them".
Kuroki stood up and glared at him.
"I am trapped here thanks to you. You brought me here. You made it so I can never go back home. You brought us all here, me, my friends, everyone".
Riza grunted a bit as he got up. The truths he stated helped remove some of the effect, but he still felt some of the pressure upon him.
"Still though, you are lacking. You think this is enough to make me falter? How many times do you think I have fallen in the past? How many times I stumbled and messed up? How many times I was too slow, too weak, too embarrassed, to save those that were within reach? I suspect it would be hundreds. Isn't that right...Mirror Ozlo?"
From the shadows behind Riza, Ozlo appeared now.
"Gramps. You were expecting me".
"Of course I was. Because one of my greatest failures...involves you".
Ozlo let out a sigh.
"Such a dramatic person you are. But I suppose it can't be helped. However, isn't it more accurate to say that I am one of your greatest failures?"
"Of course not! I never intended for that to happen! To burden you with such things! I never once meant to make you inherit such power and responsibility! It's all my fault...its all my damn fault!"
Ozlo sighed and walked up to Riza, punching him right in the face.
"You are a failure of a parent. You couldn't save one kid, and you couldn't save one grandkid. You died twice already now, and only are still alive through miracle and chance. But you will never, ever be able to atone for what you did. No matter how hard you try".
Mirror Amyris came to back up Mirror Ozlo's words.
"You will never be forgiven for your failures, you will never be released from the punishments of your actions".
Mirror Kuroki stepped up next.
"I will suffer, and die, and suffer even more, because of your failures. Because of your actions. You brought me here. You will never change the future, nor will you change the past".
And then it was Mirror Anna's turn. "You stole everything from us. Our happiness, our light, our futures".
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However, there was one more. A final figure, shrouded in darkness. It appeared to be a woman, but it was impossible to make out any of her details. And yet, Riza understood perfectly who she was.
"Tell me Riza, do I even need to speak? Do I need to say how you failed me? The ones I loved? How you failed yourself?"
"Of course not..."
This felt as if a blade of shadow was stabbed through his heart. Still, he gritted his teeth as he pushed forward.
"To Anna, I will make things right. Soon, you will be released from your prison. You have no prophesized destiny, and yet all the same...it will be you, and not some summoned hero, who will be our chosen one. And this time, we will be there for you".
Anna staggered back, as she drew her sword. "Do you think that will be enough?!"
"Yes, it will" Riza said confidently. He then turned to Amyris. "We have had our disagreements and arguments in the past, but we already moved past them and made peace. But this does not mean we have settled our emotional baggage. As grown adults, we work past it...but perhaps it is time we dig through it, for a change. But I will save Anna, and Kuroki, and everyone else. Especially since, when it comes to this, I have a bigger personal reason then you could ever know. And one day, I will share with you my secret, and we will finally move forward in our friendship".
Amyris growled at him. "Too little to late don't you think? You claim to trust me, and yet you will not tell me your biggest secret? The truth you have hidden from everyone all this time? The truth that involves the events unfolding even now, including the Starfall itself?"
"Yes. Because this secret is connected to a far bigger one, one that is not mine alone, and one I cannot so freely share. And once you hear it, you will understand. I know this to be true".
As he took a step forward, both Anna and Amyris staggered backwards. It was then Kuroki who faced him, standing between him and the Mirror.
"I won't ever be able to forgive you, you know? No matter what, you will always fail, and it will always hurt".
Riza shrugged. "Perhaps. But perhaps not. But that is up for you, not some shade of you, to decide. And I think you will understand once you hear my reasons...and my truths".
"Even after so long?"
Riza looked at him with a smile, and tousled his hair.
"Yes. Because while I failed you, while I did such horrible things, when the full truth and reasoning is revealed, I think you will be satisfied. Besides, I will make it up to you by beating the shit out of your crappy father".
"..."
Even the Shade of Kuroki, something designed to torment Riza no matter what, couldn't argue with what was said. The words "beating the shit out of your crappy father" were super effective even against an artificially made reflection of Kuroki.
Perhaps it was Riza's imagination, but Anna's and Amyris' shades seemed to give a thumbs up at that comment also.
And then it was Ozlo's turn.
"You won't be strong enough. You will never be able to earn your forgiveness".
"Well duh. Thats why I became the leader of a Knights order, plus that is what friends and family is for. Forgiveness is a road one must walk, but it does not need to be walked alone".
"Even with the person you are trying to have forgive you?"
"That is what you magical artifacts wont ever understand. You have reflected my guilt and my doubt, but not what Ozlo feels. He is my grandson, you seriously think this is how he feels? That despite my own messed up emotions, that I don't know he accepts and forgives me already? That is what makes this eternal. I am trying to seek forgiveness from a version of Ozlo who blames me, when in truth all I am is blaming myself".
He walked right by Ozlo, who just stepped aside with a nod. Even if they were corrupted by a mirror and artificially made, they were still reflections of these people. It appeared they had picked up some of their habits and personalities as well, or at least as Riza viewed them.
And then, he faced the woman who was shrouded in shadows.
"So tell me, who are you?"
This made the woman twitch a bit.
"I know how this works. Past, present, future. Anna and Amyris are my past failures. Kuroki and Ozlo are my present failures. But this form you took is my past as well, not my future. And my past certainly wouldn't come after my present, especially when it was already visited. So again, I ask you. Who are you?"
At those words, all of the Mirror people disappeared, their forms blurring as they seemed to swirl through the air and be absorbed by the woman figure. She also changed, and the shroud dissipated as the woman figure disappeared, and a new one appeared. It was a young girl of around eight years old, wearing a pure white summer dress, and whose wrists and ankles has bruises on them as if she had been in chains.
"You are no fun you know?"
"Still hiding behind forms I see...so let me guess, whatever was done to corrupt this mirror, this girl was the sacrifice then?"
"Clever clever Riza. But no one knows the truth. Tell me, how strange was it, suddenly being swapped like that?"
"Shut it you. Even now, you try to pry into me. I am ending things".
"But, I am just a victim as well! Its not fair!"
Riza frowned.
"You truly are twisted. That girl is long since dead, and you are just using her form to try and get me to release you. But if I do that, you will spread your chaos around everywhere, using any reflective surface in range. You will cause chaos and misery until a hero stops you. Do not think you can trick this old man so easily".
"Even if I can tell you things you wish to know? Things even you don't know yet? Like who is behind the Starfallen? What their intended purpose is? What they plan to do to your grandson? Your son? Even your wife? Starfallen or not, it doesn't matter anymore. Not when they were interfered with like this. I could tell you so many things if you release me!"
Riza paused for a moment, as he heard her offer. The Mirror offered him the answers and the plans of his enemies in exchange for releasing her. All the secrets that might take years to uncover, and they were offered right here and now. He could not deny that he was tempted.
"You sure do claim to know a lot..."
"I suppose I can give you this much for free. The master of this place made a deal with something, something that knows about the Starfallen in great detail. Knows a lot of things. I overheard everything! Release me, and I will tell you all of it!"
"You could be lying. How can I possibly trust anything you say...you cant even show any evidence to confirm anything you say".
"Fine then...a little teaser I suppose. But nothing else until after you release me! The Starfallen were summoned for multiple purposes, including to use cannon fodder that one's own people won't care about as much since they are not their friends, family members, or countrymen. But also...their goal involves something far more dangerous...and grander in scale".
"I see..."
"That is just the tip of the iceberg! Release me, and I will tell you everything!"
At those words, Riza summoned magic into his blade...and destroyed the mirror.
"To release something reflected, something else must take its place. Did you really think I did not know to release you, I would become trapped myself? Even if everything you said was the truth, that truth would be useless to me...and I would be incapable of stopping you afterwards. You might even destroy the mirror, destroy me, to avoid ever being trapped inside again. So yeah, no deal".
Riza was able to get a fragment of knowledge. Something confirmed, for a change. He had to admit, he had wanted to goad more out of her...but it was too risky. She could see into his soul, his deception would fall apart very soon. It was only the fact he truly was overwhelmingly tempted that she missed his scheme.
"And now, you wont be able to reveal my secrets to them before its time to" Riza added. "Now then, I suppose I should get moving".
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At the same time, Ozlo found himself exploring the main chamber alone now. Something had tried to grab him as well, and even a second thing from behind, but he incinerated it completely when it started to pull on his pants and underwear. That, and no one else was around anymore, which meant he didn't need to hold back.
"This room is quite large. First a small entrance tunnel, and now a large grand central room? What the hell was the designer thinking? It seems so haphazard...unless perhaps, they were not thinking at all".
At this point, based on what Ozlo had seen, he had to consider the possibility the creator went insane. He could tell as he walked down the stairs that this place was being warped by the mind of its creator. Sometimes Ozlo thought he went down a single flight of stairs, only to discover he went down three, or up two. What he could see and what was happening was totally disjointed in this room, the very dimensions were frayed.
"Perhaps...the Divifyre? Could it be messing with space and time? If so, this could be a problem...but we have Soulfyre here as well. It appears to be protecting our souls and bodies from being warped, but why keep it up when intruders are around? Or can it no longer be disabled? Perhaps none of it can".
As such, he was now burning through the very space itself, removing the ambient magic and supernatural elements so he could progress. This was not a normal application of Dragonfyre however, but something that Ozlo came up with.
"I learned this technique to try and pry into what gramps was hiding from me...to think I would need it for this".
The fourteen year old boy mused a bit as he kept going down. Occasionally, armors and skeletons that moved by magic appeared to fight him. Unlike the undead outside, they were not actually necromancy but puppets, which is why they could operate in here. That said, they were not all that strong as a result, even weaker then if they had actually been undead. In other words, Ozlo was having zero issues dealing with them.
As he finally reached the lower levels, he felt something strange. It was almost a sense of dizziness or vertigo, as he felt like he passed through an invisible barrier made of jello. Whatever it was, once he was through it, space seemed to return to normal, as he suddessfully made it to the bottom.
"So, what is this about?" Ozlo asked. "I know you are there, so you might as well come out now".
"So perceptive. How annoying of you" Chianthias said, as she emerged from the shadows. "Did you know the whole time that I was here?"
"Naturally. My dragons picked up the sound of your devil wings outside. But you already knew I knew you were there. After all, you made it to Kuroki's group before I did".
Chianthias frowned. "So you realized even then? Does this mean you saw through my invisibility, but then chose not to attack me? But, I suppose this explains why you knew I wasn't behind this".
Ozlo nodded. "Of course. Thats why I changed tunes so quick. Had you been behind it, given your relative strength and experience, you could have slaughtered them if you wished. But you didn't. Because you wanted me and Riza to save them and be invested in finding the true source. But like I said, I know you knew this already".
Chianthias sighed. "Oh well, I hoped if I kept you occupied with the other topics you would forget. But it seems that you are not faking it, you actually did know I knew".
"Of course. Why else would you stick so close to us during this whole mess. I must say, you are quite agile to dodge all my attacks".
Chianthias had been the real reason he had been using such wide range attacks so much back then. It wasn't just about burning through the horde, several attacks had gone right at her.
"And yet, you never counter attacked once. Which means, whatever is behind all this is even a cause for concern for you. Or rather, whatever is going on here, you consider it just as threatening. And so, you intend to let us fight it, have us kill whatever you are so worried about, and then you plan to kill us off while we are weakened from the battle right?"
"I suppose you won't believe me even if I do deny that last part. But yes, I received word from an...informant...that a dangerous individual who had great details of the Starfall was about to disrupt my plans and hard work here, and might even kill me if I am not careful".
Ozlo leaned against a wall, letting out a sigh.
"Liar".
"Says the grandson of a liar, and a liar himself".
Although the two were conversing, their expressions indicated their true desires. Both of them were ready to attack and kill each other at a moment's notice. Neither trusted each other, and both of them knew this was no alliance or start of a friendship. They knew their sides would always be enemies.
But they also understood that right now, whatever was behind the Starfall was something that was a threat to them both. A far greater threat. And that was why neither attacked each other outright. That, and they didn't want to risk weakening themselves in the home territory of whatever was behind all this, and who supposedly had a connection to this Starfall event.
Of course, that also required Ozlo to believe Chiathias in the slightest, but had her objective been to kill Starfallen, Kuroki's group would already be dead. Given her previous failure, she couldn't afford to mess that up for an uncertain chance of attacking Ozlo or Riza.
That said, they both understood that simply put, there was no way they would be able to fight alongside each other either. It was too much of a risk, and they would be too on edge for the inevitable betrayal to properly focus on the fight. Which meant one of them had to pull out, or they had to find separate battlefields to fight. And that was when Ozlo realized why she decided to appear.
"...I see now. You want whatever is connected to the Starfall itself, and you want us to fight the Necromancer".
"We both know that with the Necromancer, you will need numbers, which oh so unfortunately I don't seem to have".
"I seem to recall you having that portal ability".
"You think given how space and time are warped here that is a reliable option? And I think we both know that when it comes down to it, I who have more information on the other opponent then you do I am better suited for it".
Ozlo grit his teeth in frustration. He knew she was right. But that was the opponent he wanted to fight the most. It would have far more details about the Starfallen. And yet...they both also knew given their contact, the necromancer might have some. In other words, she still had to risk them learning something, but she would stop them from learning everything. And given the situation, they had to go along with it.
"...fine. But if this is a double cross, know this. I have ensured that if we lose here, this place will still be destroyed".
Chianthias frowned the moment she heard that. "You little shit..."
"Yeah. I doubt you are willing to let yourself die, you are too ambitious for that. So best be careful, devil. Take aim at my heart...and it's you who will get burned".
Chianthias flinched. She could tell, he wasn't bluffing. As someone who did a lot of deception work herself, she knew when to spot a lie, and the look in his eyes told her he was being entirely serious.
If he has a powerful enough Dragon tamed...this placed is held up by the Divifyre. This place shouldn't be capable of being destroyed so easily, but...shit, if I go in carelessly he might just do it. And then I will die without being able to report back on any information I can acquire. He knows that too.
"Very well. I will keep that in mind".
I can't even do nothing and let him die. He is forcing me to fight fully against the thing and not abandon the fight to screw them over once I have what I need. Fucking bullshit brat!
And so, Chianthias left, and both of them were now in a bitter mood as a result. And so, Ozlo continued his search for the others, and for answers.