Chapter 10: Mirror Room

I held her in my arms as she finished weeping. Her smooth body drew nearer to mine, and I had the sensation that I was grasping into cleansed clouds.

She oddly reminds me of my sister. I don't really think about Annie anymore. To continue living, I had to put her behind me.

As Reia finished weeping, her hold on my body eased. She stepped back a bit and used a tissue to wipe her face. The sun bounced off of her delicate face, which was glowing with tears.

I had overused my legs, and because I hadn't given them enough time to rest, they were trembling. I extended my leg and sat back down on the chair.

"Are you able to move?" My extended legs in front of me caught Reia's attention as she quietly questioned. My legs were covered in bruising and scarring. She was giving me a strange look as she was gazing at me. I guess she thinks I'm crazy. Truthfully, I think I'm crazy. I won't ever truly return to who I once was.

She carefully moved in the direction of a cabinet near the entrance and pulled out a crotch. She then approached me and gave me the crotch. I don't understand why she looks after me so well.

I forced myself to stand up by grabbing hold of the crotch and pushing myself over my comfort zone. You never know what you are capable of until you are in the worst position. As an illustration, I was never taught how to fight until it was really life or death.

She assisted me in leaving the house by opening the door as I got to my feet. "These people working outside aren't really slaves." The sincerity of her statements was evident in the tone of her quiet voice. "They labor here to cover the cost of their access to this place." I found some truth in her comments, despite how frightening they were.

We moved cautiously in the direction of the golden wheat farm. The slave with the yellow hair from before accidentally ran into us. She was slightly astonished, but also nearly delighted to see Reia.

The employee greeted Miss Reia with a cheery, "Hello!" Reia only gave her a head pat without saying anything. She gave the worker a kind grin before moving on. I followed her while waving gently.

Reia eventually spoke something as we started to leave. "Ainsley is her given name. Her father used to treat her badly for even the smallest transgression." It wasn't too shocking when she said such things. I know from what I felt when I ran into her earlier. I was prepared for worse.

We moved cautiously across the field till we arrived to a sort of training camp. Reia was silent till we got there. She exuded a coldness. She turned to face me and continued, "All my Soldiers train themselves here. They get ready to engage in combat with other tribes and animals." Just what does that imply?

"What do you mean by other tribes?" I quickly spun around to face Reia after taking a quick check around.

"Other organizations harm humanity and include scientists within themselves." Her last comments astounded me. In such a world, were there still scientists? The outside monsters are presumably being used in their experiments.

We arrived at the training facility. I shocked people around me as they gazed at me. They appeared to be wary of me almost. The atmosphere in the room was shifting, I could sense it. The atmosphere was thick with their apprehension. If I made any needless movement, they were prepared to attack.

Percival appeared to be engaged in combat with a person on a mat, at least. Within a second, the guy was slammed to the ground. "Percival is my strongest weapon and my commander," she declared. Reia proudly raised her voice.. It resembled a kid who just got a new toy, almost.

Percival sent a fleeting glance my way. Even though I wasn't staring at him directly, I could feel it on my body. He pointed his pig fingers at me and said, "He's my next challenger."

Looking at me, Reia had a smile on her face. I was unable to refuse a challenge. This isn't my territory. I threw my currently used crotch on the ground and ran onto the mat gently with my other leg.

Reia's gaze was on me, and I felt it. A referee suddenly appeared and said, "Let the battle begin." I wasn't even able to respond when the battle started. The pig's fist was the last thing I remember seeing as it approached my face. Then reality began to slowly disappear.

The only thing I could hear before becoming unconscious was "Let me take charge." But I could recall this voice anywhere. Leon said. He was requesting to inhabit my body. as if such a thing could be accomplished. At this point, nothing in our fantastical universe appears to be impossible. "Take charge." Unconsciously, I spoke out. That was the last thing I could make out.

I woke up all of a sudden. Standing on the enormous guard. His blood had drenched me. With my heart racing out of my throat, I stumbled backward. My face is covered in blood as I brush it off while gasping for air. I got some support from Reia as she stood behind me.

I was seen as a monster by everyone. I felt her gentle touch on the back of my head, sending a shiver down my spine. She took me back to the dilapidated red home in the countryside. My body had a constant empty feeling. It was almost as though she was the only thing my body could sense.

She carried me into the house's living room, where I eventually collapsed and rested my head in her lap. I must have appeared vacant. What did Leon do? To face her in the eyes, I raised my head. She blushed as our eyes locked. "What happened to you back there? You passed out but then you lept right back up." She questioned my past actions.

My mouth did not utter anything. I was speechless in her presence. She stroked my skin in a way that made me feel like a little child once more. My throat felt nearly completely blocked, which prevented me from speaking. I struggled to express myself properly. Even now, what should I say to her? My thoughts were racing through my head almost like a raging thunderstorm. She wasn't doing anything except smiling sweetly as she looked at me. As of now, Reia didn't say anything in particular that would pique my attention. My right hand gently stroked her little, vulnerable face as I slowly extended my arm. Then all of a sudden, I started to feel exhausted again. I slipped into a nap in her lap as soon as my eyes closed.

I woke up in a room that was covered in mirrors. Unsurprisingly, I was the only person the mirrors showed. It seemed strange, almost like I was imprisoned within one of those mirror mazes from a horror movie. I dropped to my knees after unintentionally slamming into a window as I was moving ahead.

"Now Charles, be careful." I caught Leon coming toward me as I quickly glanced in the mirror in front of myself. Although serious, he nevertheless had a lighthearted tone. His clothing was elegant. It almost makes you think of an angel. He approached me while walking in a spotless white suit. I could hear a faint crackling from some place with each stride he made.

"What the heck was that earlier?" I enquired about the most crucial matter. As he approached me, his eyes became vacant and his face turned pale. He took hold of my shoulder, and I could feel his grip getting tighter around the shoulder's joints. In a couple of seconds, he yanked me up off the ground while nearly tearing my hands off.

I could only see Leon staring into my soul as my feet finally hit the earth once again. " After all, we are one, so I did what I had to." His comment surprised me. He stood behind me and forced me to face a mirror. Then he extended his hands and pointed at both of us. I almost felt like my spine was cracking into a million different jigsaw pieces as I heard the words "We are one." My insides began to tremble. I was screaming as this terrible pain spread throughout my entire body. Up until this point, I never realized how awful pain might be.

As my spine began to tremble, I turned my face, but all I could make out was Leon entering my body. My body was whirling in circles and pieces of skin were ripping off of my arm. As tears rolled down my face and down my body, I yelled in anguish and misery. Eventually, Leon's body joined with mine after what seemed like an eternity. After I let out my last scream, I finally awakened in bed, jerking up like if I had just experienced a nightmare.