The domain core pulsed and Jazmel felt drawn to it. But before he did, he checked on everyone.
“Everyone good? I told you, we are rushing forward and advancing. Get your rewards together, share out your stats. I am going to check the domain core and then we are going.” He said. Everyone was already doing as he said. He turned on his heel and marched towards the domain core.
The core is purged. Cleansed, when we killed the Leshy, the system took all the bad Mana. Paldane told him as he landed on his head. He crawled into his collar again.
Jazmel placed a hand on the domain core, and it pulsed and then he couldn’t move his hand. It was bonded to a domain core.
DING!
YOU HAVE CONNECTED WITH THE DOMAIN CORE!
WILL YOU ENTER INTO THE DOMAIN CORE MIRROR?
WILL YOU ENTER THE MIRROR OF TILDRED?
Y/N?
“Any of you guys heard of the mirror of Tildred?” he asked but his friends hadn't heard of it.
“Well we are moving forward; I am going to enter the mirror.” He accepted and the domain disappeared and in the space of seconds. He was standing before a floating mirror, it was huge. The biggest mirror he had ever seen. It was grant; the border made of gilded brandished rose gold. It was taller than him and wider than him, even with his hands stretched out.
He touched the glass, it moved, and ripples appeared across the mirror. It was like water. He placed a hand on it a quivered and Jazmel pushed through. Entered the mirror and the world changed.
DING!
YOU HAVE ENTERED THE MIRROR OF TILDRED
…
YOU MUST PASS THROUGH THE MEMORIES TO ADVANCE!
Jazmel looked around and found himself alone. None of his friends were presence, he couldn’t even see Paldane or feel him.
He stepped up onto a road and looking down to the left it was open and a well walked path. But down the right and towards the right. He could see carnage.
Bodies lied broken and dismembered in the road. Jazmel walked towards them and strewn across the road, he saw bodies of men in armour. In the street and then he saw weapons laid in the street. It was as if he was watching a scene of gore and horror. But something tore at his heart, something told him to watch the entirety of the scene.
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There was something strange, but Jazmel continued watching and carried staring.
Along the road he saw more bodies clumped together. But this time they seemed to be in a formation protecting someone or something. When he got there, he realised that there was a single body, covered in wounds, slices and cuts. But they were still alive.
“…”
“…”
“…”
He realised she was speaking; it was a woman and she had fought all of the men who were trying her here. She was saying something, but he couldn’t hear her. Then he realised that all the sound in the mirror was quiet, he couldn’t hear anything.
She turned, crawled towards a small tuft of grass and when she parted it. there lay a baby. Jazmel’s heart thumped, crashed into his chest and he looked at the baby. He felt familiar, he felt some semblance of similarity and his heart.
The baby he was seeing, the infant child he was seeing was himself. And so he turned, to look in the face of the woman, the woman he had seen and the woman he now recognised as his mother. She was looking at the baby version of him, and stroked his face with her free hand and though she was clearly wounded and dying. She only thought of her child, she was hushing, soothing him with her voice. But the child version of himself almost knew something was up, it was crying. He was crying, and something in him broke. Shattered, the fourth wall keeping his thoughts about his mother and childhood back. Seeped through and crushed the wall he was using to protect himself. No he wept, he cried for his mother.
“My son.” He heard and he looked up, his eyes caught his mother’s, and she was staring at him.
“Are you my boy?” she asked again, she seemed transfixed on him, and he simply cried more.
Then he felt hands on him, and he stumbled back. She had rose up and was comforting him, soothing him.
“You have grown! Is this the system in my last moments?” she asked, curious but completely at peace. Jazmel didn’t want to lose the moments, he didn’t know how long he had. So he was quiet, and he tried to compose himself.
“I am not sure.” He said, wiping his tears, she reached up and helped him. Cupping his face, she looked him in his eyes, searching and seeking. Then she smiled, a motherly love took her face, and she stretched up into a hug.
“I would know you at any moment of my life.” she said whilst still hugging him.
“What happened to you?” he asked, and she held him back to look into his face again.
“I cannot tell you; I do not want to anchor your fate to revenge.” She explained and Jazmel bowed his head in defeat.
“Come, tell me about you before my time is up.” She said and Jazmel spoke of light things.
“You have grown well. Your father did a good job.” She told him and he shook his head, explaining how another found him, and he had never met his father.
“That breaks my heart for both of you, there is so much in you of him. I can already see you are just like him.” she told Jazmel, and he listened.
“You do not know who your father is do you?” she said, and Jazmel stricken. Didn’t want to start crying again.
“Your father is Izumi.” She said and then Jazmel stared at her. The revelation in her words moved something in him. his identity was a thing that constantly bothered him and now he had found his mother, spoken with her and now also found his mother.
“It seems my time is up.” She said and she turned to walk away.
“Wait!” he said, and she turned back to him.
He pulled out the memory mould and it hovered between them.
DING!
WOULD YOU LIKE TO PRESERVE THIS MEMORY?
Y/N?
Yes!
The mould glimmered with Mana and system energy and his mother wayed at him as she disappeared into the system. But the memory mould was warm to touch in his hand and he put it back into his ring. Reverently.