Ch16. Dark Reflection

For a brief moment, Miles forgot how tired he was, and he raised his fist in celebration.

"Yes!" He smiled, opening his stats window. "Thanks, Cheshire! You were amazing!"

"Oh, but don't give me all the credit." Cheshire purred. "Even though you did make a few mistakes, you're growing stronger." The feline voice paused for a moment, assuming a slightly darker tone. "Although I don't understand why your real strength does not show in these strange numbers…"

"What do you mean?" Miles frowned, looking at his stats.

[Name: Miles Thorn]

[Affiliation: None]

[Level: 09]

[Class: Unacquired]

[Skills: None]

[Strength: 18]

[Agility: 13]

[Dexterity: 14]

[Perception: 25]

[Intelligence: 30]

He had acquired one stat point for each basic stat, and although it was not his favorite, he smiled at the new two-digit parameter of his intelligence. But Cheshire's words still gave him an uneasy feeling of worry.

"I feel like whatever this thing in your soul is, it's somewhat defective, preventing you from revealing your true strength." Cheshire broke the silence set by Miles, as he analyzed his new stats.

'He must be talking about the bugs the system warned me before…' Miles scratched his chin. "I don't know what to do or think of it, Cheshire, but I'm doing my best with what I can now, and it's paying off, isn't it?

"Let's hope so, my boy, or you'll end up regretting it." Cheshire purred, falling silent soon after, as the Rabbit tapped the cobblestone path with his paw.

"Are we ready to move on?" He pursed his lips, the whiskers trembling more nervously than usual.

"Can't we take a break to breathe?" Miles glared at the Rabbit. "I'm thirsty!"

"Thank goodness the stew I prepared before made your stomach full enough that you're not hungry yet…" The Rabbit grumbled, searching through his pockets. "Here, take this. Its water never ends, so you won't have to worry. Just be careful, it's a little… Stingy."

Recalling the delicious stew he had eaten at the lake, Miles felt a pang of guilt as he looked at the Rabbit's paw, extending to him a small vase that carried a cactus the size of his forearm.

"What the…" Before Miles could finish, though, the Rabbit enveloped his hand with his sizeable paw and made him squeeze the cactus, sending a jolt of pain through his fingers.

"Ouch! What the hell, Rabbit?" Miles almost kicked the creature but thought better as soon as he felt the refreshing sensation of ice-cold water running through his fingers. "What? It produces water?"

The Rabbit simply nodded, turning his back to Miles, as he squeezed it again, more carefully this time, over his mouth.

The taste of the cactus' water was strangely different from common water, but at the same time, the same. It was refreshing and reinvigorating, and it gave him a feeling of as if his tired body had been revitalized, not only figuratively but also by satiating his thirst.

[You received: Desert's Rain]

[Item Description: A small, greedy cactus that drank the oasis where its master lived. Not satisfied with that amount of water, it waited for the rain, and when it came, it drank it all, until there was not a single cloud above where once stood the majestic oasis.]

"Why do all items here have such dark descriptions?" Miles frowned, setting the thought aside and getting up. "Alright, let's go then. If you want so badly to get to the castle…"

The Rabbit hopped ahead, muttering under its breath about being late. Miles followed, gripping the scythe tightly, the weight of Cheshire's earlier words still lingering in his mind.

As they approached the castle gates, the structure loomed larger than life. The intricate carvings on the stone walls told stories of a regal past – glorious feasts, crowned rulers, and battles fought in the name of the Queen of Hearts. But now, the once-majestic facade was marred by deep cracks, vines creeping through every crevice like the fingers of decay.

Miles slowed as they neared the threshold, unease creeping up his spine.

"What is it now?" the Rabbit asked, glancing back impatiently.

Miles gestured to the towering gates. "I don't know. Something feels… off."

"That's because it is, my boy. The gates are enchanted, and not in a welcoming way." Cheshire's voice purred in his mind.

Miles stepped closer, inspecting the doors. They were massive, carved from blackened wood reinforced with iron that shimmered faintly in the dim light. The carvings on the doors depicted the Queen's court in vivid detail, but something about their frozen expressions felt sinister. The smiles were stretched too wide, the eyes glinted with malice.

"How do we open it?" Miles asked, his voice low.

"The gates will open when you prove you're worthy to enter." The Rabbit tapped its foot impatiently.

"And how do I do that?"

"Figure it out." the Rabbit said with a shrug.

Miles groaned, shifting his grip on the scythe.

"Any ideas?" He glanced at Cheshire.

"Try touching it," Cheshire suggested. "If the enchantment is anything like the rest of Wonderland, it's bound to react to the presence of a living being."

Taking a deep breath, Miles reached out and placed a hand on the cold surface of the gate, and as soon as his skin touched the stone, the carvings began to shift, their static forms writhing as if they were alive.

The Queen's court twisted and contorted, their faces morphing into grotesque parodies of their former selves. The gates groaned a deep, resonant sound that vibrated through the air.

Then, a voice echoed around them, soft yet commanding. Nothing like the system's voice.

"To enter, you must face your fear. Only by overcoming what lies within can you pass."

The ground beneath Miles' feet trembled, and the gates swung open with an agonizing creak, revealing a long, dimly lit corridor.

Miles exchanged a glance with the Rabbit, whose ears twitched nervously.

"After you." the Rabbit said, gesturing toward the darkness beyond.

"Of course…" Miles muttered. He stepped forward, gripping the scythe tightly as he crossed the threshold.

The corridor was suffocatingly narrow, the walls closing in like the jaws of a trap. Strange whispers echoed around him.

"This place doesn't mess around, does it?" Miles said, his voice echoing through the stone walls.

"Welcome to the Queen's domain," Cheshire replied. "It's not meant to be inviting."

The corridor opened into a vast chamber, its ceiling lost in shadows. In the middle of the room stood a pedestal with a mirror, its surface reflecting nothing but the swirling darkness surrounding it.

At its base, a plaque was etched with a single line. See what you fear most.

"What now?" Miles asked, stopping at the edge of the room.

"Look into the mirror and find out." The Rabbit hopped forward, standing beside him.

Taking a deep breath, Miles nodded and approached the mirror, his heart racing. He saw his reflection at first, but then the image began to distort, twisting and warping until it was no longer him at all.

Instead, he saw only darkness.

Miles frowned, moving one step closer, and still, only darkness swirled around his reflection.

Until a shadow appeared behind him, darker than the darkness that surrounded him, and when it broke the silence, Miles heard it as if the figure stood right behind him.

"You're not fit. The scythe will kill you, and I will take your body to myself, thief…" It laughed and began dancing around him, its eyes glowing with red light, and a creepy smile splitting its lips open from side to side.

It looked like it was wearing a fancy suit, along with a fancy top hat and other accessories, but its dark nature did not allow Miles to discern more.

As soon as the figure's voice echoed behind Miles, he staggered back, gripping his scythe tightly. Unnatural fear consuming him, but he fought it, clenching his jaw.

It was just a trick, a lie. That thing did not exist.

The scythe's runes glowed brighter as he steadied his breathing, and he stepped forward again, striking the reflection with a silent growl.

The mirror shattered, its pieces dissolving into mist. The room grew quiet, leaving Miles huffing and frowning as the system resounded in his mind.

[You received: ???'s Reflection]

"Not bad… What did you see?" The Rabbit smirked.

"I… Don't know." Miles tilted his head. "Cheshire… what was that?"

But Cheshire was unnervingly silent this time, not answering Miles' question, which only made him wonder more about the figure, and the item he received. However, there was no time to check it, as the floor beneath him shifted before he or the Rabbit could say anything else, revealing a hidden passage leading deeper into the castle.

"You've earned the right to proceed," the Rabbit said, a note of finality in its voice.

With a grunt, Miles straightened up, wiping his brow.

As he walked into the hidden passage, he could not shake off the feeling that the figure in the mirror's reflection might not have been as unreal as he felt.

And whatever the castle had in store for him in the next room, Miles felt like he was getting closer and closer to the end of it.