Chapter 4 Echoes in Glass

1151words2026-01-19 03:41

Take the book to the table. Then go in front of the bookshelf where there is a large mirror. Even in its worn state, the ancient book with motifs of roses and vines is embossed in a worn brownish color but looks unique and full of secrets with interesting ancient letters. I gingerly picked it up, cleaned a little, brushed off the dust, and settled before an equally rustic mirror. The enormity of the mirror was discreet, its surface as mysterious with a motif of roses and vines embossed with a brownish-gold frame color. I nodded, muttering, "Why do these old, vexing objects always lurk in the corners?"With a mixed sense of curiosity and apprehension, I began to flip open Kono's book— its leather-bound cover creaking at the sudden disturbance. A profound sense of disappointment washed over me as my eyes fell upon the first page, blank as the face of a silver coin gleaming in the sunlight. Not a single word, not a single stroke! Confused but undeterred, I flipped through the remaining pages, each empty as the previous. The great chronicles I had sought were nothing more than an illusion.

"Curious," I murmured. "Where are the ancient writings? Surely, by now, I should be ensnared within the artful strokes of lost literature." Yet, the emptiness of the pages mirrored my growing frustration. The musings of old philosophers, the insights of long-gone seers, everything eluded me.

Nearing the end of my patience, I absentmindedly flipped to the book's last page. There they were, the coveted ancient scripts, silently laughing at my previous disarray. The cryptic phrase stood there before me— an enigma amid the emptiness. It read, 'Let the moon, all moons unite. The description of the rope of destiny that decides leads me to your existence."

As soon as I finished reading, an uncanny luminescence sprung from the mirror, its reflective surface humming with an otherworldly glow. Mystified and somewhat startled, I watched the mirror in awe, the room now bathed in its dazzling radiance. My hand moved of its own will, reaching the gleaming surface as if enchanted.

The moment my skin met the ethereal aura of the mirror, my fingers sank into the glass. A baffling warmth wrapped around me as my entire being was steadily pulled into this supernatural vortex. And in that instant, everything was engulfed in a radiance so bright, it seemed as though heaven had reached out to invite me inside, and as I felt myself getting pulled into the distorted reality, I suddenly understood. The book and the mirror weren't haphazard antiques but portals to another realm, a bridge across dimensions. My journey, it seemed, had only just begun.

Moon sat before a mirror, its frame delicately embossed with a motif of roses and vines in brownish-gold. Her reflection trapped within the glass was pensive, lost in some silent echo of contemplation. An intangible pull seized me, a sensation like being irresistibly drawn into the mirror's depths, into her ruminative silence. And yet, there was no transition, no disorienting shift in my position. I remained seated, staring at the eerily placid mirror.

Stunned, I glanced downwards. Within the comfort of my grip, I have had been an age-old tome, teeming with the wisdom of millennia. But it was missing. "Eh? Where's the book gone? Wasn't it just in my hands?" Bewildered, I rose from my seat, my eyes darting around the room, hunting for my lost book.

Drifting towards the window, my heart pounded in anticipation of the bustling, lively canvas of Rosepion City. But an eerie silence greeted me. "Eh! What in the world...? Where is everyone?" Dumbfounded, I rushed out of my apartment, my mind now a whirlwind of doubtful thoughts. I rapped on doors time and time again, but no response echoed from within the lifeless apartments.

When I finally exited the building, the city's silence felt all-encompassing, swallowing me whole. "This is surreal. Where is everyone? Like in those movies, is this the aftermath of a deadly plague?" My mutterings drowned in the ghastly quiet of the city. Panic began to brew. I darted towards the city center, lungs aching with effort.

Suddenly, I shuddered to a halt. The sight before me was anything. Two men sparred on a building's rooftop, their inhuman strength seismic, causing the building to crumble beneath them. "What on earth is happening? I've got to get out of here," the words tumbled out of my mouth as adrenaline surged within me. With zero practical reason or plan, I sprinted away from the chaos, desperate for safety.

The Rosepion City I once knew had vanished, twisted into an echo of its past. Reality felt to have shattered like a mirror, its shards reflecting nothing familiar amidst the eerie loneliness and the inexplicable dangers.

"I feel tired again... So tired," I huffed and gasped, my breaths raspy, inconsistent. My eyes strained to take in the staggering strangeness of my surroundings. Buildings, precisely as I remembered them, yet undeniably different. Bizarrely, many shop signs were written upside-down, and the grand billboards adorning the streets shared the same inconceivable peculiarity.

"What... What happened? The letters... they're all twisted," I murmured, my hands clinging weakly to my aching sides. My heart was hammering, my confusion escalating with every tick of the time. This place... it was so eerily different. And yet, what used to be familiar twisted itself into an unfamiliarity that twisted knots in my stomach.

Out of nowhere, a young woman shadowed me from behind. Startled, I turned to face her. "Miss! What's your name? Why do you look so lost?" she questioned, her voice a symphony in a city of silence. Now, face-to-face with her, her beauty was breathtaking. Curious eyes sparkled as her gaze met mine, "Welcome to Undermoon Academy! What's your name?"

"I... my name... It's Moon." I stuttered, confounded by her composure. "Undermoon Academy? I don't understand. I ought to be in the city of Rosepion, right?"

Laughing, she answered, "Of course you are, in a way. Rosepion is just on the other side of the veil - you're in a different dimension here at Undermoon Academy. Seems like you've stumbled upon an invitation you didn't realize you had."

Panic still ringing in my ears, I asked her quickly, "But... Where are all the people? Is it just you?"

Her laughter was bright and easy, making me feel oddly at peace. 'Hahaha, you're so funny! You look baffled. But don't worry, I'll guide you. My name is Lily Butterfly Wolfred, but you can call me Lily."

With that quick introduction, she briskly strolled off into the heart of the upside-down city, and I stumbled along after her, genuinely puzzled. We arrived at an impressive academy standing in the city's center, dwarfing the rest of the city. I knew that Rosepion had never had such a magnificent architectural feat standing in its heart.