“Tell me how did training in a virtual space actually result in exhaustion in real life, again?”

“Come now, the physical exhaustion was likely just a placebo effect, considering your physical body did not move at all,” Hunter said, her tone laced with amusement. “I assume it is a side effect from lack of training.”

“Hey, I did some scheduled training with the system before, you know!”

“Perhaps, but still not enough. Remember that you were meant to be a docile thing they can hold and use, not something that can fight back or attempt anything against them.”

Well, as much as Izabel wanted to retort, she had to admit that Hunter was likely right in that regard.

She looked at the time, finding that it was still ten system hours before she must follow the schedule and head to the designated area for busywork. Unfortunately, as Hunter has confirmed, even if the system data in this living unit can be spoofed, it is much harder to do the same to the system linked to public places, and such a large-scale alteration would likely cause a bit of chaos.

Well, at least it was only a few hours.

“You can just not do anything, I think they would not notice,” Hunter said. “Actually, I bet they will not care even if you fall asleep in your designated room.”

“But they’ll be sending their machines to check if something is wrong, considering the system sets up how much you need to sleep.” Izabel replied.

“Right. The surveillance.”

Their wait was interrupted by the distinct alert of a message.

[A routine upgrade for the Coronam Vitae system will be conducted at the following time. A team of specialists will be dispatched to aid the process. Necessary announcements will be made during the maintenance, and inhabitants are encouraged to visit and look at the process]

Below the notification, there was a timer that continuously ticks down.

“And there we have it. You have to admit that Adler’s guess was accurate,” Hunter said.

“… How? This is practically guessing,” Izabel frowned, looking at the seconds tick down.

“I would say that this is likely a combination of knowing patterns, a little bit of educated guessing, and prediction. I do not possess such an ability, at least not to that degree, but, considering the diverse array of Mirror Avatars available, the possibility that some could predict the future would not be out of the question.”

“Then, can’t these two just predict how the Primeras will be defeated and take it from there?” Izabel asked.

“You would have to ask Adler about that, however, to me, I would say that it is similar to how I cannot just set everything here ablaze to accomplish our goals. There may be some limitations to what she could see, such as how far, how accurate it is, and so on, and if I were in their position, I would hesitate to reveal the full extent of my abilities before confirming they are truly an ally, or someone that can be trusted with such an information, at the very least,” Hunter replied.

“That’s entirely fair,” Izabel nodded. “Regardless, what do we do about this?”

“We proceed as planned. Go to the event, get things done, and come back with what we need.”

Once again, they were interrupted by the distinct alert indicating a message has been received. A holographic image was projected in front of her, showing a short girl with youthful features. She wore a simple white shirt, her pants reaching her knees, while her brown hair was done up in a ponytail beneath her cap. Her green eyes stood out, striking and showing off the kind of strength that sharply contrasts with her youthful appearance. The hologram showed that she was sitting on a slightly uneven surface, likely her bed.

Above the projection, a name was shown.

[Barnett (Claire Saphira)]

[“You’ve probably gotten the message, have you?”]

The voice came out slightly distorted for some reason, perhaps due to the masking effect applied by the Heart Mirror. Such an imperfection was something she had never experienced before.

“How did you know?”

[“There are various ways to use your entertainment time. Using the Vine is one. It’s practically full of people gushing about it.”]

The Vine. Izabel vaguely remembered the term, though she had thought of the app as mostly obsolete after the creation of the Mirror Device IDs and their associated features. It was basically a board accessible by everyone, where one can start a topic, and others can respond to the topic or watch the discussion unfold. The closest equivalent Izabel could think of was a crowd of people gathering in one place, divided into areas according to what topics are currently relevant, and anyone could enter or tune in the discussion as needed.

“I thought that app isn’t a thing anymore.”

[“It wasn’t, but then someone wanted it back. One of those Primeras’ designer people probably said they would miss it, and knowing them, they’d just put it back to satisfy the request-”]

“Fair point.”

Under Claire’s command, the hologram started to shift and expand, showing a small, familiar room. It was not the living unit, and then, realization sank in with the weight of a hundred rocks – Barnett, no, Claire, was currently being held in one of the correctional facilities. The layout was similar to the medical facility Izabel has been in, and it would be so, so easy to mistake it as one of those. However, the dead giveaway was how one of the walls were replaced with a thick glass panel, where sometimes, machines were passing through.

[“-after all, I, and most of those who are here, have almost nothing but time to spend.”]

The line was spoken with a nonchalant tone, a contrast to Izabel’s shock.

“Claire, you…” Izabel shook her head. The sight was a reminder that without the timely intervention of Heart Mirror, without the luck of being able to hide and suppress most of her dissatisfaction, she too would have been there, stripped of what little freedom she has in the name of fixing her, molding her back to what was deemed acceptable. Though the room was pristine, perfect and without flaw, and likely made with comfort as the first and foremost priority, it looked just like a blinding white cage, made to imprison, to restrict, to break any deviations with soft touches and equally soft words until there was nothing left but sheer obedience and happiness.

Perhaps, docility would be a more fitting term at this point.

[“Don’t worry about it, if the numbers are any indication, they’re going to allow me some outside activities soon.”]

Claire smiled, a smile meant to reassure, yet a hint of bitterness seeped into her expression as her lips trembled, just a little, but enough for Claire to notice.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

[“You see, the numbers have been steadily improving thanks to the Heart Mirror.”]

“Likely, there would only be a few aware enough of their unfortunate state behind the veil of perfection and kindness. Cruel, lying monsters, all of them,” Hunter spoke.

“I’m looking forward to meeting you, then,” Izabel reciprocated the smile. There was a stark, sharp, piercing awareness, this is their chance, a first step to finally win their freedom. “Hang in there.”

In response, Claire nodded.

[“If everything goes well, I’ll be there with you for the event. Good luck-”]

Claire gave a nod, an encouraging gesture.

[“-Izabel.”]

“Thank you. I won’t let you down.”

With that, the call ended, and Izabel were left with Hunter in their living unit. For a few seconds, the quiet hung, infusing the air with a sort of calm that bolstered their resolve.

“The Heart Mirror has given us a chance, and we need to make good use of it. Come on, Hunter.”

--

As it turned out, the Heart Mirror app was unable to completely eliminate the need for Izabel to be away from her living unit for most of the day.

Though the app was able to create falsified activity logs and screen projections once she was there, this flaw in the system still made her sit around for the designated time, as likely attempting to alter a public system would be far easier to notice and far harder to pull off. Luckily, it wasn’t much of a loss, as to pass the time, Hunter taught her a simple cipher along with another writing system to replace the common one she had known so far. It certainly wasn’t easy to learn, but Hunter only nodded, acknowledging the difficulty and telling her that she would get used to it.

One thing that Izabel was grateful for was that the learning process made time felt like it went faster. Hunter taught Izabel with the patience of an experienced educator, not once belittling her for the failure, and the slight smattering of frustration that sometimes slipped into the Mirror Avatar’s voice whenever Izabel forgot something gave it a genuine touch that Izabel found preferable than the monotone from the system’s teachings. Unlike the system, which would repeat the same grating condescension that proliferated the network and almost everything connected to it whenever Izabel failed to understand something.

Strange as it was, the Mirror Avatar felt like a genuine companion.

Which made Izabel pause for a moment.

Not even the Primeras, with all their might and their advanced technology, was able to create a system with this much life, this much genuine touch, and even with how much work they put into their systems’ intelligence and thought processes, everything from the Coronam Vitae, the attendant machines, the patrol machines, still felt hollow and false, monotone and empty, only able to reflect very little of their creators, and most of what they reflected was drops of empty kindness and condescension.

Was Hunter the work of someone more powerful than the Primeras?

“I am here, and I can hear you, you know,” Hunter said. Her tone was neither angry nor offended. Rather, she looked amused, the way someone who walked in on a friend doing something embarrassing. “You give me too much credit. Think of me as a partner helping you towards a common goal, alright? That is enough for me.”

Izabel would not deny that she was curious about the origins of her partner and the app, but there was no point on dwelling on it.

For now, the most important thing is that Hunter is her partner, and together, those possessing the Heart Mirror on their device all share a common goal.

--

Before long, the promised time has arrived.

Izabel was watching the system’s countdown, each tick a warning her that failure would likely incur a grave cost. It was surprisingly easy to let the system to allow her to take the time off, likely thanks to how all the curious sorts, the admirers, and many other types of people wanting to see a benevolent overlord that they mostly knew as voices or as virtual projections that could be altered whenever they desired.

Was it curiosity, genuine admiration, or merely the side effect of doctored happiness?

There was no time to ponder. Only a short while remained before the spectacle started. A part of her was a little disappointed and sad that Claire was likely unable to accompany her.

“Calm down,” Hunter said. “Most likely, they are unaware of our existence just yet. All we need to do is gather information.”

“Hey, Izabel.”

Speak of the devil. With a smile, Izabel turned to look at the source of the voice.

“Claire? Glad to see you here, I thought I’d be alone.”

“I don’t have much time, still, though I’m expecting the situation to improve soon,” Claire whispered the last part, “Anyway, can you follow me?”

When Claire was about to lead Izabel away, a monotone voice could be heard from behind her. Though there was no emotion to the voice, its words were enough of a warning, and the two found themselves raising their guard up without meaning to. Amidst the shock, Izabel could feel Hunter acting as an anchor, keeping her worries in check.

“My apologies, Claire Saphira is currently unwell, and thus, she is not allowed to be roaming without supervision for an extended period.”

For the briefest moment, frustration danced in Claire’s eyes, however, it was gone as soon as it appeared, and she replied to the machine floating behind her, practiced cheer oozing from her voice, one that Izabel could feel as far too saccharine to be true.

“C’mon, I just want to have a private moment with a special someone, is that such a bad thing?” Claire said, false hurt in her voice. Amidst the cheer, there was a distinct whine. Something about the normally collected, silent Claire utilizing such a tactic was amusing to witness.

“I understand your anger, but you are still recovering. If it is any consolation, the system will not record your personal moment. We will simply monitor your state.”

“But it’s not the saaaame!”

To their cause’s favor, Claire’s smaller stature and younger appearance helped sell the illusion even better, though Izabel was unsure whether the machine could process such a thing.

Izabel wanted to laugh at the response, the amusement she felt from her connection with Hunter only adding fuel to the fire. From the way Claire’s eyes narrowed for a brief second and her lips quivered, as if swallowing a retort, Izabel could imagine that Claire’s Mirror Avatar was reacting much the same way, even though said Mirror Avatar was invisible to her at the moment.

“Stop it, Hunter,” Izabel said through their mental link.

“One must admit that such a sight was amusing.” Hunter replied, no trace of hesitation in her voice.

A few seconds passed, the machine’s quiet whirr serving as an indication that it was thinking… well, perhaps that word was inaccurate, but it would suffice as a description. Though likely no one else could feel it, a tense silence hung in the air, the two hoping that it was enough to convince the machine.

“Claire Saphira has shown notable improvement in the last few observation periods. Temporary permission has been granted. You have until the start of the Coronam Vitae system update announcement.”

It was far, far too short, and Claire’s gaze confirmed it. However, they knew that it would have to do.

“Yes! Thank you,” Claire said in a happy voice, smiling as bright and wide as she could to sell the illusion even better.

The machine stayed behind as Claire and Izabel ducked into a secluded path between buildings. Everyone was mostly gathered in the area closest to the announcement, as if trying to win a contest of being the first one to catch a glimpse of the Primeras. It was far too easy to slip away, as other paths were empty, and the two looked around to make sure there were no surveillance devices in the vicinity.

After the two were sure, it was Claire who acted first, tinkering with the device on her wrist. Under Izabel’s watch, gold crept onto the girl’s hair, a pair of black-green gloves covered her hands, and the green of her eyes became slightly more vivid.

“Was that what happened to me while I adjusted the Integrity Number?” Izabel thought.

“Yes, though slightly different in each Mirror Avatar’s case, a similar process happens,” Hunter replied.

“As you see, I don’t have much time. I wish I could help in any other way, but this will have to do for now,” Claire said. “The mission for Area E’s spire is in your hands, Izabel.”

Power started gathering on Claire’s hands, starting as motes of light before a green bud emerged from her palm, followed by branches and leaves. Despite the thorny appearance of the plant, Claire seemed unhurt, unfazed as she manipulated the plant to move and slither towards Izabel.

“Stay still, let me concentrate,” Claire muttered.

As the plant continued growing, the branches and vines reaching for her, Izabel could feel the brush of leaves, and despite appearances, the thorns did not prick or hurt her at all. The bud settled on her chest, vines and branches wrapping on her body and limbs, and with a burst of power, Claire clenched both hands, muttering a spell that sounded like several people were speaking at once.

“I offer my loyalty, in exchange for a powerful anchor, a presence of calm, a root of empowerment, a promise of support. I beg upon you, the Secret Garden, allow me to call upon the power vested within my life…”

For a moment, her emerald eyes glinted.

“Let the ‘Bud of Reassurance’ strengthen my ally, further my cause.”

Upon the command, the bud started to bloom into a vivid blue rose, the color almost glowing in its intensity. Then, the flower and everything else faded away without a trace, but its presence remained, a distinct feeling of something that could be felt when Izabel concentrated on the places where the vines and branches rested on her skin just moments ago. Just like that, it was done. True to its name, the presence of the flower was like an anchor, and Izabel could feel the hum of power coursing within her body.

“There, that should do it. You probably know, but that’s one of Barnett’s abilities. In case the situation gets really ugly, it can protect you for a while.”

From the main road, the noises were getting louder. Excitement, anticipation, curiosity, admiration, all blending into one. Both knew that their time alone was almost out, and should they continue, there will be suspicion.

“But I hope it doesn't have to come to that. After all, I’m still not free yet. They might be suspicious.”

“I appreciate that, Claire.”

Amidst the loud voices, the two of them were able to pick up the sounds of a familiar floating machine coming closer. For now, they were still a small speck of fault in the perfect world created by the ruling Primeras, one that could be stomped with ease, should their facades slip and their existence be discovered. A part of Izabel wished that she didn’t have to approach this closely, but now, there was no time for a thought exercise of what-ifs. The only option is to proceed.

“I am with you, and so is your ally, Izabel Viator. Go now, show off your ability to act, for that will obscure our intentions.” Hunter spoke.

The floating machine has arrived, and it gave Claire a reminder in the same slightly condescending, monotone voice. Claire seemed happy to follow, and walked along with the machine, intentionally humming a disjointed tune to add to the effect, knowing how much the machines valued their happiness – to the point of creating a system of numbers to measure it. In the short time Izabel saw Claire, she knows that it was likely Claire was trying not to let her dissatisfaction slip. For now, she could only hope that Claire’s Mirror Avatar could console her.

Well, perhaps, her happiness was genuine, it was just that the machine likely deduced it was for the wrong cause.

Either way, it was sufficient as a distraction.

It was time to make a move.