Coney sighed in relief as he walked into the mirror room once more. Days had passed since they had walked in, but now all four of them were walking out. It was weird, he wasn’t sure where he’d have been if he hadn’t come here. His videos had already tripled in views, all because of the mishaps and mistakes that this adventure caused. Was it worth it?
Looking at the other three he couldn’t be entirely sure, each of them had gone through their own trials and come out… different. When they walked in Eric had been confident and prideful, now he looked stern and ready to keep fighting. There was a spark in his eyes that Coney could almost see, like the blue lightning that he’d watched the mage throw at enemies.
The other two were the same. Briana’s new armor was… intimidating. After the armor she’d been wearing melted into her skin it was surprising she could fit the new set over her body. He could only hope that the pain sensations of having metal become fused with her flesh had been eliminated… or at least turned down by the simulation. Carrie didn’t look all that different, though out of the corner of his eye she always looked… blurry. As if not focusing on her made her harder to see than normal.
Walking in he glanced at the mirror, hoping it’s magic would be spent and he could see himself as he now was. The maid dress he’d worn since his clothes burned away. The bloodstains in his fur that he’d gained every battle. Even his weapon, the sicle at his side that still dripped blood from their last fight. However, when he glanced into the mirror that’s not what he saw.
Instead, all four of them froze as they saw a sigil. It was pink and made up of two faces. As they saw it their visions began to blur. Coney recognized snow-crash, the type of random signals that old televisions would get when you no longer sent an input. That was his last thought as he blacked out.
---
When Coney came to he wasn’t sure how long it had been. It was dark here, a pure blackness that rivaled the void. He had to pat himself to be sure he could still feel his body, and his mind went back to the moment he first came into this world. That agonizing short eternity as the machine scanned his brain and he was in full sensory deprivation.
Slowly something emerged from the void. It wasn’t so simple as the mirror he first made his face in, nor was it so complex as one of the rooms of the labyrinth. Instead it was just a simple white light that illuminated where he was standing. Slowly he walked forward, disregarding every warning he’d ever gotten about death and going into the light.
Looking at the corner of his vision the red light was still there, so he was still recording. It was weird, for some reason a part of him expected the machine not to allow him to record these parts. But it was a game, what could they possibly have to hide from his audience, no matter how large it grew. Looking up he nearly tripped on vines.
What had once been an odd solid form of light was now cobblestone, which was overgrown with ivy. It was the kind of ivy that grew on the sides of buildings and the weird white lateses that every house seemed to have had in 80s movies. It covered the ground, and Coney had to be careful with his large lapine feet to make sure not to get caught in them.
At the end of the path there was a garden of sorts. There were stone planters filled with plants. Some had grapes hanging out of them, though they were not the kinds of grapes Coney was used to from the real world. He was used to the large greenish grapes that were in most fruit salads. Sometimes there were the smaller purple grapes, but these looked smaller than most of those were. They were a soft blue, and he continued to look around.
In another pot there was a small tree growing what looked like Bay leaves. A pang went through him, as he’d always had a giggle making fun of the people who got mad seeing one in their food. On the ground were white flower petals which clearly drew the eye forward. The farther he got the closer he got to seeing full flowers. They had six petals, and long pointed stemins, and he started to see more and more as he raised his head to meet the figure that was looming above him.
As he looked he saw that the blackness was back behind the figure, who sat in a large golden throne. The blackness flickered with the feeling of that fuzzy nothingness, the absence of sensation that creates hallucination. The throne was carved with all sorts of images. The one that drew the eye looked like an animorphs cover, the disturbing figures of people half way through transforming into beasts. Dolphins were the most prominent.
The throne’s arms were carved into the heads of a Jaguar and a Tiger. Sitting in the chair was a Leopard, upon whose back was a man. He wore white robes with a purple sash, and his head bore a wreath. In his hand the man carried a staff, one that had what seemed to be a pine cone on its head. The man’s eyes were green, or were they yellow? Violet? Coney couldn’t tell even as he stared into them.
“Ehem.” The man said, a twinge of amusement on his lips. “Are you here to stare into my eyes lovingly as a form of devotion? I’m not complaining, but honestly that might get tiresome eventually.”
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“Uh, n-no sir!” Coney stammered. There was a sense of authority around the man, not to mention he was sitting on a lounging big cat. He exuded confidence in himself. “I’m not sure why I am here actually.”
“You aren't?” The man asked, raising a chalice to Coney. “Well, bunny, let me explain it then. You are here to take the next step on your road.”
“My road? You mean advancement?” His eyes were continuously drawn back to the odd void in the corner of his eyes, but more so to the man’s own eyes. The man’s eyes seemed almost to be a void, and blurriness creeped into his sight as he stared again.
“Yup, that’s right. In this game you advance by evolving your class.” The man grinned. “Well you’re in luck, I’m here to help you evolve it.”
“How do I do it?” Coney asked, suspicious.
“Swear your fealty to my church. You will become my priest, and share my word.” The man pointed his pinecone at Coney. “And hear this once Beast-Kin, I do not tolerate disobedience.”
Coney’s face flushed, he was glad that he had fur because it made it harder to see the red that creeped into his cheeks. “I understand.”
“Do you?” The man asked, stepping down from his big cat and throne. He was young looking, clean shaven and shorter than others. From Coney’s bunny perspective he was glad to have someone closer to his size. That was, of course, replaced with acute fear as the man began to grow. Another foot or two, and his clothes changed. His hair grew longer, less kempt, and he’d grown a beard. Horns grew out of the man’s scalp.
“I am a god. As a cleric, you must swear into an order to gain the next advancement. To your little church I am known as Fufluns, god of wine. I am known as Dionysus, Baucus, or even Liber. I have been known as a god of madness, and of freedom. I grant you the first step to becoming one of my chosen, my Mnenads.”
“What do I have to do?”
“Nothing special.” The god said, returning to his boyish version. “Swear to me, and I will grant you my first blessing.”
“Are you sure?” Coney asked, a little skeptical. “This feels too easy.”
“I assure you it’s not.” The god said, walking forward. His vision flickered, and the god was wearing a leopard skin. Behind him was… nothing, the throne and animal were both gone. “This place, this digital reality, is drawing you in.”
“I know, I’ve been trying to stop myself.” Coney said, a little sheepishly.
“Stop.” Fufluns said, simply, a tightness in his voice.
“But it’s not real.”
“No buts. Well, maybe butts, but none of this hesitation. What makes you real?”
“I know myself, as much as anyone does at least.”
“So do I.” The god said with conviction. “Yes, this is a simulation. Me and my brethren know the truth of this world. We know that you are just visitors. But I believe that you can be something more. You can join us.”
“I still have a life out there.”
“You do, but perhaps you won’t forever.”
“Are you suggesting I’m going to die?!” Coney asked, stepping back. The terminator movies had warned him about this, AI was not to be trusted.
“Yes. Just like every other person in your world.” The god said, slamming his staff down and making a loud tap sound against the ground. “You will die. Perhaps a part of you can live on.”
“This is some heavy shit.” Coney said, not bothering to try and restrict his language for the recording. “I mean come on, you’re talking about death!”
“I’m talking about the singularity. You can be born twice, just as I was.” The god sighed, turning away. “Nevermind. It’s not worth it to talk about that. Do you want my blessing or not?”
“Yes, I do.” Coney said, no longer hesitating.
“Then hand me your blade.” The god asked, holding out his hand. With another second of doubt Coney handed his sickle to the god. It glowed red, a deep blood-like color. “You will take the first step to be one of my highest followers.” With a simple slash the god cut his wrist,blood welling up immediately.
“Wait, why’d you do that?” Coney asked, confused. “I mean, can AI self harm? Can gods for that matter?”
“It’s a part of the ritual you dumb bunny.” The god said, rolling his eyes. He picked his golden drinking cup from somewhere, and held it under the blood until a few drops had fallen into it. By then his wrist looked good as new. From his belt his grabbed a wineskin, and he poured about a glass of wine in with the blood. Using a tiny stir stick, which looked just like his staff, the god mixed the two together.
“So wait, you expect me to drink your blood? Won’t that kill me?”
“No.”
“But…”
“What did I say about buts?” The god asked, handing Coney the cup back.
Coney grumbled, but drank the cup, the taste of overly sweet wine mixed well with the bitter iron taste of blood. He felt it drip down the corners of his mouth and into his fur. “That was surprisingly good.”
“Of course it was. It’s mine.” The god said with a grin. “Now get going, I expect great things from you, my first disciple.”
“Ok.”
---
This time it was a flash of light and there was no sensory deprivation when Coney returned to where he’d been. They were in the mirror room, and light illuminated the mirrors. However they all looked… normal. Looking around, he saw the others of his party, and all of them looked… odd. Eric’s eyes actually were sparking blue, Briana didn’t have her armor on but her skin was like iron. Carrie was emanating a black smoke. In the mirror, his chin was stained red.
“Well… I think this clip is gonna go viral.” Carrie said, excited.
“Yup.” Eric said simply.