My name is Osin Juriken, and this is the story of me, the true main character of this world.
CLANG! CLANG!
Currently, I am in a mine along with hundreds of other prisoners using pick axes to mine coal.
Ting!
A woman’s pickaxe hit the stone at the wrong angle, causing it to bounce behind her, nearly hitting the armed guard. She, Yasin, is a very interesting person. She may be a side character in this world, but I find her story very compelling. I tend to think about things from other people's perspectives. So, I will tell you about her past–
The guard caught the iron part of the pickaxe and then smacked her across her face.
SLAP!
----------------------------------------
POV: Yasin. 15 years ago.
My face quickly jerked to my right. Mom slapped me again. For what reason?
“What is wrong with you!” She was visibly, incredibly angry. “I told you beforehand; when you enter a damn gathering of nobles, make sure you have a bright smile on your face! When you interact with others, make sure you smile; show interest in them. Do you think I like most of them? No, don’t be silly. You just need to fake your emotions and expressions…”
Tears welled up in her eyes. “Why… Why can’t you be like your brothers and sisters? Why wouldn’t you just smile? Why can’t you do it for me or your father?”
She gripped my shoulders tightly and stared deep into my eyes. “I am doing this for you. So, you can be respected. So you can be looked at favorably by others.”
She wanted me to promise her I would be able to fake a smile the next time. I want to make her and Dad proud too, but it isn’t like I don’t try to do as she requests…
“I will try mom. Do you like this expression?” I gave her a gleeful smile.
However, she was disappointed. She shook her head and walked away. “A perfect mask isn't one that hides the truth, it's one that reveals it in a way that no one can see.”
I… didn’t understand what she meant. I never did, no matter how much she told me so.
My siblings; my sisters, and older brothers who were watching through the window were all ashamed of me.
They run to mom, saying, “Are you sure she is really your daughter?”
“Indeed, Mom. Maybe she is mentally challenged?”
“Surely something is wrong with that child… and to think she is my younger sister…”
They really hated me...
----------------------------------------
I looked at my reflection in the mirror. I had gentle red skin, and I was beautiful.
Before I was reborn in this world, I never once thought I would ever be even remotely pretty. The new me had a face the old me would have killed for.
Though, it didn’t matter how beautiful I was if I couldn’t fake my facial expressions; if I couldn’t wear a perfect mask… If I couldn’t mirror the expressions of others...
I warped my facial expressions. I frowned, grimaced, smirked, grinned, winced, flared my nostrils… I could obviously do those.
So I practiced being genuinely happy for someone. I smiled, and raised my eyebrows…
Sadly, that only lasted for four seconds before my face reset back to its default expression… a bland, bored face.
I hate this. I hate that I have to do this. I hate the nobles who look at me like I am mentally unwell. I hate my older siblings who would be more than happy for me to disappear. I hate my parents, who constantly look at me in shame.
I hated all except…
“Yasin! Let’s go for walks!” Except for him, my little brother, Asden.
I took in a deep breath and wiped any tears that were developing in my eyes and quickly rushed at him. I picked him up and rose him in the air.
I smiled. “You wouldn’t cry if you fell this time??”
“Of course not!” He swung his head away in embarrassment.
“Oh? I hope so!” I put him down.
For him, I really wanted to wear a mask of happiness.
I faked my voice, facial expression, and gestures all for him to be happy.
But, I really was happy to see him. I just didn’t want to be explosive about it. Not only do I want him to be happy, but I also don’t want mom to stop me from interacting with him. If he ever develops my mannerisms of not giving a convincing mask of expression, she would think it’s because of me.
I gently pulled his arm as we exited the house.
The ground was covered with snow, like usual.
WHOOSH.
The wind blew intensely, covering my long hair with snow.
Sometimes, I wish we could have fur on our faces just like the rest of our bodies.
As we walked along the sidewalks, he kicked the snow in his way. “Bang bang bang!”
“Yello~! Miss Yasin and Asden!” A kid around my age with red hair waved at me, smiling intensely.
Asden noticed him and rushed towards him. “Osin!”
He jumped and hugged him.
Whatever… he was from a noble family who went broke recently. I didn’t like him; he was too friendly.
He tip-toed towards me as if I was a dangerous beast. “The path seems clear. This beast known as Yasin seems to be non-threatening…” He bent his shirt collar to his mouth, acting like he had a microphone attached.
Sigh….
“Hello, Osin.” I gave in to his will.
“Hah! How is your day!”
"Why do you always bother me?"
"That's a great question. I have destined you to be an excellent character in my story. You will make the main character excel!"
Here he is again with that delusional nonsense.
"And why can't I be the main character?" I asked.
He shook his head and sighed. "Because I exist, and I shall shine the brightest! Unlike you."
And things went like that with him… but, he was the only person who ever saw the real me and never wanted me to fake who I was. I wish I could have been like that all the time. But, I had to practice my mask for my brother. I had to practice it until it was perfect.
Many years passed.
There was a party being held with the royal family and other nobles.
One of the princes approached me and introduced himself. “Good night, Miss.”
I had a smile on for thirty minutes, so I did like I always did, I turned towards him and clasped his hands since it was tradition. “It’s nice to meet you.”
He winced a bit upon seeing my expression.
“Right… but, it doesn’t even look like you are looking at me…” He turned around to check to see if I was possibly looking at something; as if I could stare through him, literally and not figuratively.
He then walked away. “How creepy…”
Ah… My eyes are a hard one to deal with. I have been told it felt like I was a robot. As if I lacked emotions and simply tried to mirror it.
How disappointing…
Asden was eating some snacks when one of the five princesses approached him.
It seemed she was trying to have a conversation with him. But, he wasn't engaged in it, instead; he was searching around for someone.
She grabbed his hand and pulled him towards her. “I am talking to you.”
“I don’t care… let go of me.”
She took offense. “Have you lost your mind? I am Balyunin Yunprefern. You are to show me respect. Yet, you act like I am an annoyance that's not worthy of your attention?”
“I said let go!” He vigorously pulled his hand back, causing her to move in his direction. Unfortunately for her, she tripped and fell.
Thud!
Damn it… The fool deserved it, though. Although it didn’t matter how much she deserved it, this was just going to cause an issue…
Her older brother rushed to her aid. “Are you okay?” He helped picked her up.
She was okay. She wasn’t harmed a damn bit.
Her brother stood up and slapped Asden.
Smack!
The sound of the slap reverberated throughout the room.
“I am so sorry for Asden's rudeness!” My mother apologized to him and his sister.
My father walked up to Asden. “Hurry! Apologize for your bad manners!”
“Yes! Do!” my mother egged him on.
My brother, who was only the age of eleven, didn’t respond as they would have liked.
He laid his hand on his cheeks, shocked. His fingers shook. The ugly gazes of everyone in the room rested on him, and then he looked at me.
And for the first time, I was caught off guard by my brother. I didn’t have my mask, so he saw my stare of anger. Sadly, he thought I was angry at him.
“I…I...” Tears ran down his face.
“Hah! Such a display from the child of the Newra family.”
“A disgusting view.”
“His father must be just as weak, to think he raised a son who would cry in front of a crowd.”
“Utterly…Pathetic.”
Many nobles made sure my brother could hear their disgust for him.
I am Yasin Newra, and only I deserve the hatred from this family; for I am only the abnormal factor in it. The only one who couldn't bend to the norms of this country.
I walked up to Uifugron, the prince who slapped my brother.
Seeing me approaching him, he asked me with anticipation, “What, you came to apologize for him?”
I smiled at him, and my eyes focused on his. At that moment, I thought I had acquired the perfect mask. I now had complete control over my entire body.
I could wear a mask that none could see through; one that mirrored expressions perfectly.
“Yes, I have.” I clasped his hands.
His face flustered.
“Well then, you may go ahea-” It was odd. I had never seen a headless man talk before.
Swoosh…. Thud.
His body, which no longer had a head, stumbled like a puppet that had its strings cut and dropped to the ground.
An eerie silence wanted to enter the room, but I didn’t allow it to.
“Hah…haha…hahahhahahahahahahahahahahhhhahahahahahahahahahahaahahahahahaahahahahahahahaha!”
I always wore a mask to make others happy, but for the first time, I showed a disgusting grin… and a bitter laugh. Despite the fact, I was not happy.
Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.
I felt nothing after slicing his head off with my bare palms. At that moment, and after it, there was no sadness, and joy in my heart.
“Kill her!” Orders were given.
My mother begged for my life to be spared, and my father was willing to trade his own life. Of course, that wasn’t the reason I wasn’t killed on the spot.
The Newra family was the only wealthy family that genuinely supported the royal family when the country was nearly bankrupt, which resulted in horrible conditions in the empire.
All the citizens that inhabited this country wanted the royal family to be executed, but the Newra family prevented protests from escalating through the use of their political, economic, and social influences. Due to that reason, the emperor and empress had so much respect for the Newra family that they were given many privileges.
This was the sole reason for my life being spared. Instead, I was sentenced to a life of forced labour.
Soon after, I met Osin in the labour camps. He said those words, “A main character requires an important tragic character in his story so that he can shine the brightest; so I came here to meet you."
----------------------------------------
Pov: Osin.
And that's her story.
“It’s lunch break for y’all useless bugs! Make sure to eat so y'all can have enough energy to work to your bones!” The guards exclaimed.
I moved towards Yasin and asked, “Are you okay?”
I normally hate asking that question, especially when it’s apparent they ain't, but it was the mannerism of this country.
She answered, “Between the sexual abuse, constant verbal abuse, and the harsh beatings, a slap to the face is minuscule.”
Her face had a deep cut from the slap and blood was flowing down her face to her neck.
I touched her face. She didn’t flinch a bit.
“I told you, I am okay.” She removed my hand from her face.
“You are faking again.”
She gave a little laugh as if what I said was silly. “No, I am not.”
Sigh… Why can’t she stop lying…
The guards were talking among each other, making remarks about Yasin.
“She looks pretty good bruh, especially her tail… so damn fat.”
“Heh…” Two guards looked at each other and grinned.
“Ghahahahh!”
“You are taking a risk with your job, bro, but I can’t blame you. She is already an object of the state, anyway.”
“I am sayyingggg. Like, if I got a car in front of me and it looks pretty good, you bet I am going to test drive it.”
"You guys are sick in the head." One guard spat on the ground in disgust as he walked away.
"Ugah ugga Booga. Shut the hell up!"
I am the main character of the world. That has been something I have said since I was a child, for that’s what I was told. However, a true MC would protect those around him, wouldn’t he?
I have tried to stand up for her many times before, but it only ever ended up with me getting beaten up. After it happened many times, she demanded I stop.
BOOM!
BANG!
THUD! THUD!
THUMP!
Massive explosions and heavy sounds echoed outside of the mine.
The ground and walls shook violently.
A few guards checked their walkie-talkies and responded in shock to what they were told. “A reflection calamity again?!”
He shouted to all the guards, “A damn reflection calamity is going on! Let’s leave!”
“Huh?! You can’t be serious!”
“You want to see it for yourself?!”
They run out. However, one stopped to ask, “What about the prisoners?”
“Hell with them! Worry about your life!”
A reflection calamity here, huh? Every time I hear it, it always sounds so jarring to me. I have never seen it before, but I think I will see it today… Unfortunately.
You know, maybe getting imprisoned wasn’t the best decision.
Reflection calamities are great threats to the world. In order to protect the world, there are legendary artifacts; the devouring mirrors. They choose hosts to defend the world from such calamities. The question at hand is how will I obtain a devouring mirror from this world? Sigh.
Whatever, all things are to be done with moderation.
“Yo, Yasin, we have to leave!” I focused on her, who wasn’t even reacting to anything.
She stared at my chains and asked, “How? our ankles are chained up. There is nothing we can do.”
Of course, that didn’t stop the other prisoners from running awkwardly with their chained-cuffed legs as they screamed.
“Like, I am going to stay here and die!”
“Wait for me!”
“Tell those guards to come back and free us!”
“Bloody hell!”
I gripped my pickaxe. “Yeah, yeah, like this!”
I took a deep breath, and with deadly speed, I hit her chains with the pickaxe.
CLANG!
The chains were strong were so strong; it caused the pickaxe to kick back. Regardless of that, it didn’t stop me. I kept repeating my actions.
After ten strikes, it became dented, and then after twenty-five more, the chain cuff was heavily deformed.
Huff… Huff. “You know, this is making me question if we shouldn’t try to flee despite being chained.”
She shook her head. “No, we would be easy pickings for the monsters if we were to do that."
“Trueeee.” I went back to work on her chains.
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
My arm became tired and my entire body was drenched in sweat.
“I think… that’s good enough.” She inspected her chains and then, with a kicking motion, shattered them.
BOOM!
RUMBLE.
Explosions and violent shaking were still going on.
Thud thud thud.
The mine was even starting to collapse, with the ceiling breaking apart.
Yasin took in a deep breath and slammed my chains using her foot.
If I remember right, she was level 57. As a result, her chains were of far greater quality than mine.
Snap.
My chains broke after her sixth kick.
“Got them iron legs, huh?” I made a light joke.
“Mhm.”
We immediately ran out.
Above me, a massive piece of the earth came descending! In a split second, Yasin grabbed me by my hand and dashed to the walls, and ran on it!
What, she can defy gravity now? Maybe she is really just that fast!
We rushed out of the mine.
It didn’t take long for the entire thing to collapse.
RUMBLE.
Damn, the entire sky was covered with cracks in space. From the cracks, massive mirrors with sharp curved teeth as their frame stationed in the sky. This was a reflection calamity!
Shit! I immediately looked down, avoiding eye contact with it.
Those mirrors were known as reality reflectors; they reflected the desires of those who looked at them, merged them, contort them, and then!
“ARGHH!!
“Help me!”
A beam of light hit many guards who made the mistake of looking at the mirror as they run away from weird ink creatures.
In an instant, the guards' bodies bloated up in a dark ink mass, before becoming more humanoid. After their transformation, they spread their arms wide. Their faces were constantly warping between terror, joy, fear, and sadness.
They wailed, “Arghhhhh. Waaahhhhh— kuuuuu!” Their sounds were like sonic attacks; sonic attacks that were composed of the cries of hundreds of babies. To make it worse, it felt as if each cry were on a different layer, all having a second delay from each other.
It cried as it launched itself onto people who did their best to avoid the mirrors.
SPLAT!
Upon making contact with them, the victims too would transform. Then, like a baby, they would struggle and cry to push themselves off the ground. "Arghhhh Wahhhh–kuiiiiiii."
They were called inkfests.
There was some flying in the sky. They looked like a barely humanoid ink of mass merged with bats, birds, butterflies, etc. Though there was an eerie difference between them; they had eyes all over their bodies which elongated and scanned every corner of the field to find victims.
“Wuiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii” Chilly ghost-like high-pitch reverberations brought great fear into me.
Tho-those mirrors, A–after contorting desires, they reflect it back onto the people … Those mirrors had teeth's for their frame, so many people thought the mirrors ate people. But no, they eat your individuality and desired to eat the world itself.
HELL!
My fingers trembled, and I was struggling to even stand. I wanted to run, no; I needed to run! This place was the devil's playground!
The inkfests would then jump through the cracks in space caused by the mirrors, to easily catch the people around!
I wanted to save them! I, I really wanted to save the people here, but I can’t!
“Hk-.” I turned toward Yasin.
I thought I heard something from her, but what I saw surprised me. Her face was twitching.
“Let's go!” We ran.
Damn it! I want the devouring mirror to pick a damn host, and lay nothing but destruction on those freaks!
“Wuiiiiiiiiiii!” The weird stingrays shot inky slime from their eyeballs at prisoners.
"Aughhh!" The prisoners screamed in pain as their bodies got covered in the bubbling ink before transforming.
There were guards wielding guns who shot at the freaks.
“Kuui!”
Surprisingly, the bullets were somewhat effective. It was damaging them, at least. Nonetheless, the guards were greatly outnumbered.
The weird crying freaks jumped through cracks in space and appeared above, below, and to the side of the guards before enveloping them in their mass. “Argh argh argh Wa-wa-wa— KUUUUUUUUIII!”
There was a guard per twenty prisoners, and there were only 244 of us in that mine today.
“Hell…” A guard who was leaning on a house coughed up blood.
That's right, this place had a village. Before the mine was found, a village was built here.
As a result, guards and prisoners weren’t the only ones being hunted down. It was the villagers too.
I walked up to him. “I assume you want assistance?”
He was confused. “Huh? Why help me?”
“Because, as the star of the world, I will determine how the story of this world will play out.”
“Wha…?”
I picked him up and his rifle. “Try to survive the loss of blood.”
I had no idea how to use a gun. Nevertheless, it mostly involved pulling the trigger.
Yasin had one of the inkfests in her hands, which she ripped into two…
She did it with her bare hands. No use of a weapon or anything that would render her immune to the transformation.
It screeched with the little life it had remaining, “CUIIIIII…”
…
She got damaged; her legs were dyed with her blood, and there was clumpy ink partially on her arms and chest.
Interesting.
“Huff…” She then released a huff and immediately straightened her posture to act like she wasn unharmed.
“Yasin, can you walk?”
“Of course.” She made steps towards me, but her movements were weak.
I walked towards her. “You are going to need to get on my back.”
“Why would I need to?”
“Because, you can try to hide your pain as much as possible, but I can see through the bullshit.”
Ting… ting…
What's that metallic sound?
I looked behind Yasin and it was a high-grenade… Shi—
BOOOOOOOOM!
The explosion blasted us through a house, destroying it in the process.
Ugh… my body hurts. It hurts to breathe…
In front of me was Yasin. She had moved in the way to protect me. Her skin had burns and grenade fragments in it. Yet, my chest was bleeding? And hurting so badly? Why was that?
“Don’t move… Osin.”
“Why…?” Was I more harmed than I thought?
I moved my hands to my chest. There was a tiny hole in it.
Oh, I got a fragment through my chest.
“Cough cough!” I spat out blood.
Am I going to die like this? I can’t die. If I were to die, who would save her? Who would help all the people in this world? I… Why did I want to help the people of the world? I was supposed to enjoy everything the world had to offer. Yet for some reason, I met her and fell for her… I didn’t want to be a defender, a hero, a legend. I didn’t want to save people. I wanted to do anything that would make her reveal her true nature to me like before. I wanted to see a genuine expression from her so badly…
She held my hands and kissed my forehead, which was a tradition for when a comrade was going to die.
She had a bright smile. “Don’t worry, you will survive.”
THUD.
THUD.
THUMP.
THUMP.
Many of the titan-like inkfests made thunderous footsteps around us.
“Argh! Wahhhhh! Auhhhhhh— KUIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!”
They all made various disgusting sounds.
Even as doom approached, she could maintain such a lie… I don’t want a lie.
“For the first time in forever, please, let me see your true face.” To me, the decade-plus ago when I actually saw it was a millennial.
“I…” I knew what she was going to say, that she wasn’t faking it.
She continued after her pause. “I don’t know how to do that. I don’t know what’s my true expression. I can only do this… to soothe you.”
Oh… She went so long faking, she forgot how to be real? That’s disappointing…
For some reason, I wanted to tell her about me. “Cough! Before coming to this world, I hated everything and, in turn, everything hated me. No one did anything for me. I wanted people to change how they were for me. But I don’t want that from you, because your expressions are too obviously fake.”
I touched her face with my bloodied fingers. “To wear a proper mask, you must make your expression convincing and realistic. You must mirror everything that seems genuine.”
My hand lost the little energy it had and collapsed. “Yasin, if you can’t show me a true expression, then at least show me a perfect mask.”
She said nothing, but soon after, her face contorted with rage and sorrow.
“Yo-you… fool! Don’t req-request such things from me! Don’t act like this is your last moment in the world! Yo-you have to sta-stand by m-my side ti-till I die!” She gripped my shirt as she cried profusely. Even snort ran down her nose.
She… was an ugly crier. Yet, her emotions were beautiful, like a blossoming flower among the waste.
My vision dimmed. In my last moments, all I could think was that she was amazing. Yes, indeed, a perfect deceiving mask is one that makes it impossible for someone to know if a mask is even being worn.
From afar, a beam of light shined so brightly that not even the snow could prevent me from seeing it. It was approaching me.
Ah… I did say I was the main character, after all. However, I have determined something. “Yasin, you shall shine a bit. I have given you the title of the main character; until I return to claim my crown. Now… shine bright.”
----------------------------------------
POV: Yasin.
The light in his eyes was disappearing, but the smile he had remained.
Main character…? Even in death, he talked about such silly things. He really was crazy. But this crazy person was someone who always stood by my side and for that, I will be eternally grateful to him. The best person in the world was you.
I stood up, picked up a piece of glass, and looked at my face through the reflection.
I saw the horror in my eyes and my grieving expression, and I found satisfaction in it.
Yes, this was a perfect mask: a mask that deceives others into believing you truly are the person you present as.
A perfect mask isn't one that hides the truth, it's one that reveals it in a way that no one can see… And that can only be achieved by becoming a mirror. I finally understood what Mom meant by that.
Then Osin's smile slowly died along with the light in his eyes.
My eyes immediately stopped producing tears and my expression of sorrow disappeared.
My dear best friend, I will make sure your body is preserved…
The snow began to pile on my hair and his body.
THUMP!
Space was torn open. Through it, a weird spider-like inkfest landed on a nearby building. It had squirming tentacles all over its body, each end of the tentacle possessing a fish's mouth.
“ROARRRRRRRRR.” All the heads tried to threaten me.
I stared at it, then flourished my fingers.
“Do you like this mask?”
It pulled ten tentacles back and then thrust them with lightning-like speed at my head.
THUD!
A second before it could impale my face, a bright light slammed into my head, causing me to lean back from the impact.
Ah… that hurt.
I touched my face. It felt like a literal mirror was wrapped around my face. Then, sharp fangs spread out at the end of the frame before clinging to my flesh!
It hurt! But, I kept the pain in, not daring to scream or make a sound. Then the pain stopped, and in my vision, a visual UI developed…
Stats.
Skills.
Upgrade packages.
Quests.
Levels.
System.
…
I get it now. This nation’s devouring mirror chose me; the mask mirror.
Ha.
Osin was right.
"Haha… I truly am now the main character of this world. And with that… I shall begin my story by killing you!”