‘Hoo.’
I let out a quiet sigh of relief as I watched Rose leave, her figure gradually disappearing from view. To be honest, I didn’t think she was much stronger than me right now. If it came down to it, I could probably take her on if I used my Emotive Magic the right way.
My only issue with using that method was the consequences it would bring.
…Traveling through time was already an extremely sketchy concept, and knowing that my every action could affect the future, I knew that I couldn’t be careless.
‘Whatever the situation is, things are progressing as they should.’
I turned my gaze to look at the wardrobe beside me.
I could still feel my past self trying to push past the barrier I had set, but the gap between my current strength and my past power was enormous.
It was impossible for him to get past my barrier.
‘I guess that explains the reason why I was trapped in the wardrobe and couldn’t get closer to Kiera in the past.’
Who would’ve thought it was all because of me?
‘Haha.’
The situation was both confusing and amusing.
I didn’t really have any words to describe this besides ‘full circle. ‘ Everything had come full circle, bringing me back to this very moment.
It also made me think about my power and the previous scenes I had witnessed in the past with it.
Would everything come full circle then?
‘I wonder…’
Swoosh—
A shadow moved past me all of a sudden, bringing me out of my thoughts. Pulling my hand away from the wardrobe while making sure the barrier was still set up.
‘It should last for a while.’
I turned my gaze away and scanned my surroundings, noticing that while there were still people lingering, there were far fewer than before.
Everything was overturned, with everything shattered and glass shards all over. They really weren’t nice with their search.
Looking around, I avoided the few figures still lingering around and made my way out of the room.
Given that the ‘event’ had still not ended, there was more for me to see.
Above all, my main priority was finding the mirror. That was my only objective, and I couldn’t afford to let anything distract me from it.
But where was it?
Where to even begin?
Sure, I may have gone back to the past, but how would that help me when I didn’t even know where to start looking?
‘Hmm.’
I came to a halt just outside the room, my gaze unintentionally drawn to a distant figure slowly making her way down the corridor. Her entire form appeared disheveled, as though she had been dragged through a storm.
From where I stood, I could hear her murmurs; ‘Where is she? Where is the mirror? So long as I find the mirror…’
Her demenour and attitude looked to be deteriorating by the second and I found myself pursing my lips at the sight.
Before I knew it, I started following her from behind, avoiding anyone that I encountered.
At the same time, I made sure to keep a safe distance.
While I was confident in my skills, there were no guarantees. Especially considering the fact that it was also likely she wasn’t alone.
Within the premises of this Household… there might just be someone strong enough to spot me.
Holding my breath, I moved with even more caution.
“So, have you found anything?”
Stopping me dead in my tracks was a familiar voice.
Raising my head, a figure appeared before Rose, his figure standing upright as his blonde hair fluttered silently.
“…Ah.”
Rose’s demenour immediately shifted at the sight of him as her face adjusted and she lowered her head in respect.
“I am… looking for it.”
My entire body went cold at the sight of him and I involuntarily found myself taking a step back.
‘That… How can he be here?’
No, upon closer inspection, it didn’t seem like he was truly there. It felt more like a projection of him, but even then, it was enough to send a chill down my spine.
“Hm, are you sure she’s in possession of the mirror? You must understand that it is an extremely important artifact for us.”
Atlas’s smooth voice echoed softly through the corridor, his warm yellow eyes fixed on Rose, who nervously swallowed under the pressure of his gaze.
“Ah, yes… please don’t worry. I’m very sure.”
“I’ll take your word for it.
Atlas smiled, his smile seemingly warm and friendly.
And yet, staring at that smile, I felt my heart drop.
I took a step back.
…and then another step back.
‘I need to back away.’
My heart was pressed tightly against my chest.
I could hear the unsteady beats of my own heart, drumming loudly against my mind.
Ba… Thump!
Sweat trickled down the side of my face.
It felt cold, and my skin crawled.
My hair started to rise, and my mouth grew dry.
I—
“I’ll leave you to your search, but I think you have more pressing matters to tend to before looking for the mirror.”
“Eh?”
Atlas’s eyes suddenly turned in my direction, his warm gaze locked firmly on my spot.
Staring back into his eyes, my entire body grew cold.
‘Shit.’
“I can’t quite figure out your appearance since I’m not here, but you’ve been peeking for quite some time. Is there anything that I can help you with?”
His words were soft, and yet, they drummed loudly within my mind.
I almost found myself stumbling, my left eye twitching as I hurriedly attempted to keep myself composed.
But it took a few seconds for me to do so.
By then, Rose had already snapped out of her daze and locked her gaze in my direction.
“Here—!”
Her scream pierced through the surroundings as she dashed in my direction, her figure blurring as she moved.
I didn’t let myself be caught up in the moment.
The moment she moved, so did I.
I kicked the ground, and a green orb appeared in my mind. My hair swept forward as I sprinted back, twisting my body in the process.
“Come here!”
Rose’s hand appeared a few inches behind me, trying to grab me, but I was just barely fast enough to avoid it.
Swoosh—!
Currently, I wasn’t worried about Rose.
The one I was worried about was Atlas. Although his true body wasn’t present, there was no guarantee he wouldn’t show up with his true body.
If that happened then…
‘I need to hurry up and find the mirror.’
But where?
Where exactly could I look for it?
“He’s in front of me! Block whoever that is!”
Several figures suddenly appeared before me. I stared at them and was just about to act when I stopped myself.
‘No, I need to be careful. While the current Atlas doesn’t know me, the future one does.’
He knew most of my tricks and skills.
If I used them here, then there was a real chance he’d also know about them in the future. Time was a complicated subject, but I understood that in this case, I couldn’t do things that would give away my identity even if Atlas didn’t know who I was.
In that case…
I hastily looked around me before imagining a purple orb and shoving myself onto the side of the wall.
—Uh?
From where I stood, I heard the muffled sound of surprise combine from those beyond the walls.
Moving into the next room, I kicked the floor and fell onto the lower floor.
Shortly after that, I solidified [Lament of Lies] and did my absolute best to cancel my presence.
“Hoo.”
I took a deep breath shortly after that, closed my eyes, and checked to see if there were any other presences around me.
Once I was absolutely sure that there was no one, I sighed in relief and opened my eyes again.
‘I guess this works.’
The properties of my domain were still relatively new to me. There were plenty of times I could’ve used my abilities to get myself out of tough situations, but I didn’t.
Ever since the incident in the forest, I have spent a lot of time reflecting on my skills and past experiences. I realized I could’ve handled many situations much better if I had just used my abilities differently.
This was one such scenario.
Especially since I wasn’t unfamiliar with being chased.
‘Now, where exactly am I?’
I looked around me and squinted my eyes.
The surroundings were dark, and I couldn’t see very well. However, it seemed like I was in some sort of basement.
Click—
Finding the light switch, I turned on the lights.
As the lights flickered on, I was confronted by a strange sight: several large portraits, each draped in a white veil.
‘What is this?’
I looked around me and walked towards the nearest portrait, removing the first veil.
Swoosh!
What I was met with was the image of a painting—an exquisitely crafted one, depicting a vast green hill, teeming with vibrant flowers and tall trees.
I could tell at a glance that it was painted by someone who was exceptionally skilled.
Curious, I moved towards the next portrait and removed the veil, revealing a similar painting.
And then I moved to the next… and then the next one.
Swoosh, swoosh—
In total, I removed seven veils, revealing seven intricately crafted paintings, each showing a similar scenery. A vibrant, and colorful green world.
I stood there, mesmerized by the work for a few good seconds.
Even though I knew I was in no position to admire the works, I just couldn’t bring myself to look at them.
They were just so…
“Beautiful.”
I could tell that whoever had drawn them had put a lot of effort into them.
‘Is this done by the Viscount? …Or is it done by Rose?’
I wasn’t sure, but my thoughts didn’t linger over the paintings for much longer as I shifted my attention away from them and onto the work desk by the side of the room. It was there that I settled my gaze over a certain blue diary.
Curious, I moved towards the diary and took it.
“It’s surprisingly heavy.”
Curious, I opened it.
As my eyes fell onto the first page, the first few words caught my attention.
[There’s nothing better than spring]
“Nothing better than spring?”
I also liked spring…
[It’s sweet and tender.]
I could see it.
Yes, I could.
[…But also painful.]
“Hm?”
[Because it reminds me of the freedom that I can never have.]
I paused and pulled my eyes away from the diary. Scratching the side of my face, I quickly skimmed through it and moved towards the last page.
It was then that my eyes fell on the last few words.
The moment I did, I almost dropped the book.
Because…
A reflection was staring back at me.