False Reflection

The crimson moon shifted to the other side, parallel to Faithless… even the headless ones altered their tone into something between calmness and fear.

NieR removed her hand from Faithless's face. He looked at her in surprise. She smiled sweetly and said to him:

"You look handsome with both faces, but I prefer the first one… it's calmer, more beautiful," she said as she gently stroked his cheek.

When Faithless appeared in this place, he received two shocks. The first was a wife he didn't even know, nor had he ever met. Yet when he touched a strand of her hair, he felt a connection and a flood of scattered memories invaded his mind.

The second shock was the realization that his power didn't originate from his world—but from the Realm of Mysteries. How did it happen? There was no clear answer.

In battle and verbal confrontations, Faithless is a beast no one can stop, even if you make him drink his own blood. But when it comes to his family or those close to him, he becomes calm, gentle, and often smiles at them.

Faithless smiled at her, softly ran his hand across the bandage over her eyes, and whispered:

"You know what makes you even more beautiful? The way you hide your eyes."

NieR was slightly surprised but gently held his hand and whispered:

"You have a strange kind of romance, my dear Phainon… and I love it."

She continued in the same soft tone as she brushed a strand of her hair:

"And one more thing… just as you make time for Marianne, how about you make some time for me too?"

Faithless's eyes widened slightly—shocked by NieR's knowledge of Lady Marianne. He muttered to himself:

'How does NieR know about Lady Marianne? Is she watching me from somewhere I can't even see?'

As he was about to ask her about it, Serene spoke in a sarcastic tone, waving an air feather across her face:

"Mr. Phainon, please… tone down the romance a bit. The guy over there is getting insanely jealous."

"Hey, Serene… seems like you're craving a dish of death, you damn witch," Edric's glowing blue eyes flared with anger as he clenched his fist.

"Hmm, you're not even good at cooking," Serene replied teasingly as she glanced at Mr. Sullivan.

"If it weren't for Mr. Sullivan, I would've turned you into minced meat," Edric said with his eyes closed.

Faithless smiled involuntarily, remembering his friends… At that moment, Mr. Sullivan raised his hand slightly. The two stopped talking. He then gestured toward Faithless and spoke in a majestic tone:

"So, Mr. Phainon… is there something you'd like to ask?"

Faithless looked into Mr. Sullivan's grey eyes… he closed his eyes slightly and spoke in a calm tone:

"There are simple things we pay a heavy price for… So having a power from the Realm of Mysteries means I will pay a great price."

He paused for a moment, tapping the table twice, then looked at Mr. Sullivan and continued:

"Then… is that great price the loss of my mind, and the planting of madness within me?"

Mr. Sullivan smiled faintly and pointed toward a girl with deep brown eyes. She leaned forward slightly and spoke in a deep voice:

"Thank you to Mr. Sullivan for giving me the chance to analyze the matter… To begin with, you're right—everything has a price. And that price varies depending on the thing."

She continued in the same tone:

"And your power has no price. It's already in your body. You can regulate it by your will. And if you fail to do that, then the price is your foolishness—wielding a power that doesn't suit you."

"In that case… the price is the mistakes I'll make regarding this power—failing to dive into it and understand it properly," Faithless said, placing his finger on his chin as he looked at the girl with brown eyes.

"That's correct," said the girl with brown eyes. She then raised her palm and revealed a strange-looking vial. She rested her palm on her cheek and lifted the vial slightly, speaking in a gentle voice with a faint smile:

"Look at this potion. Let's give it a name, just for example… the Potion of Regret. This potion makes the way you speak and tell events emotional and sorrowful—making the listener feel regret over a fake story."

She continued as she crushed it:

"But if you misuse this potion… then you will live in the midst of regret instead of the others. So one must first understand their power—and then use it."

Faithless muttered to himself with a smile:

"What a strange explanation… but at the same time, it helps one understand control in a simple way."

He then lowered his head with a smile, but NieR placed her two fingers on his mouth and turned it into a wide grin. It was then he understood something from her odd gesture:

'I already understand the nature of the clown—his madness lies in his smile… The wider the smile, the deeper the madness.'

Mr. Sullivan placed his hands on the table, interlocking all ten fingers in a regal manner and said:

"Thank you, Lady Adeline, for the simple and clear explanation… So, Mr. Phainon, have you understood the point?"

Faithless slowly raised his head, his face wearing a wide smile, and his eyes soaked in red… Mr. Sullivan smiled back with a similar grin.

Faithless spoke in a sarcastic tone:

"Does a madman need an explanation? Phainon needs nothing—because he understands himself very well."

At that moment, Faithless felt that something was wrong. Everything around him froze—no one was moving, not even NieR.

Faithless muttered nervously:

"I feel like someone is watching me from behind the wall… someone who doesn't belong at this table."

As he stood in tense alertness, someone grabbed his head. The hand was gloved in black. The voice that followed was rough and hoarse:

"Slash hellllll, Foolish time fake."

Faithless's head was slammed into the table. Then it was severed—and held up before an upside-down crucified statue, black in color, bleeding from its eyes.

"You're not him… You're not even you."

The mysterious figure said it with scorn and rage.