Chapter 2684 Dressing Mirror <TOC>
Translator: SumTLMan
When Angel noticed the reflection in the mirror reveal a vortex similar to a bottomless abyss, he immediately understood that he had been targeted.
Earlier, the Black Count had also come to the Hanging Prison Stairs and seen this mirror, even leaving his own marks behind. Yet nothing befell him. So why did strange things begin to happen only when it was Angel’s turn?
If one compares what happened before and after they entered, the answer becomes obvious: there is only one reason, and that is the oil painting.
Angel destroyed the oil painting and took away the log that had been inside, evidently provoking some entity concealed within the mirror. The moment Angel came into contact with the mirror’s surface again, that presence immediately noticed him.
The black, yawning chasm displayed in the dressing mirror was surely that being’s doing. The goal was to “force” or “entice” Angel to step into the mirror. As for the likely outcome if he did, it couldn’t possibly be anything good.
Therefore, the moment Angel glimpsed that dark, abyss-like passage in the mirror, he withdrew at once and began sealing off the mirror’s surface.
As Jon often reiterated in that proverbial admonition: “A prudent person does not stand under a perilous wall.” Angel, who deeply comprehends the principle of “don’t invite disaster by acting recklessly,” would never have rashly tried to wipe down the mirror itself.
Even before blowing away the dust, he had already prepared by closing off the mirror’s surface.
Sealing a mirror involves knowledge of space manipulation and mirror reflections, coincidentally, exactly the topic Angel had been studying recently. In the course of his research, he had repeatedly ventured in and out of the Mirror Wraith’s mirror-space. Consequently, it was no great challenge for him to set up a proper seal on a mirror.
And because a mirror is the interface that links two distinct “spaces,” it also constitutes the most vulnerable point. Once sealed, it becomes exceedingly difficult to break.
Angel acted with striking promptness. Not long after he sealed the mirror, a hand reached forth from that deep, inky chasm.
This hand was formed of translucent gemstone, faintly glowing from within, appearing lustrous and crystalline. However, the gem itself was a vivid shade of red, like fresh blood.
Its target was unquestionably Angel. Lightning-fast, it tried to lunge through the mirror and pull Angel inside. But the very moment it touched the surface, an invisible barrier hurled it back.
That barrier was Angel’s mirror-seal.
Unwilling to be obstructed, the gemstone hand attempted to shatter the barrier. Yet no matter how furiously it struck, the mirror remained unscathed.
Seeing Angel so close at hand while it remained powerless to breach the surface, the gemstone hand could do nothing but vent its impotent wrath against the mirror. In the end, as Angel was preparing to leave, the hand carried out an act that left him dumbfounded.
He saw the gemstone hand extend its pinky toward the mirror and jab downward, snapping the finger neatly in half. From the fractured interior welled a liquid as crimson as fresh blood.
The gemstone hand then picked up its own broken pinky and used that “blood” as ink, scrawling a crooked line of bloody letters on the mirror.
Although Angel could read it, the handwriting was like that of a small child, and written in reverse.
Angel had no intention of explaining to such a creature why its characters were mirrored. After deciphering the bloody text, he simply turned and left the room.
…
“What were those bloody words it wrote?” the Black Count asked in puzzlement.
Angel replied: “A threat devoid of any real power.”
Once Angel read aloud the line of bloody text, the Black Count remained silent for a good while. Had he a complete body, his brow would likely be furrowed in consternation.
“What in the world does it mean? A permanent residence permit?” he finally asked.
Angel shrugged: “A simple error.”
Not only was the handwriting crude, but it was written in the wrong mirror direction and contained a spelling mistake. The vicious line “remain here forever” was somehow turned into “permanent residence permit.”
In their common tongue, the two phrases look quite alike: one carries the menacing connotation of “You cannot escape, perish here,” while the other is merely a neutral noun without emotional weight: “permanent residence permit.”
Hence, what the gemstone hand had intended to write was: “Either leave this place or stay forever.” But thanks to a slip of the pen, its menacing words ended up softening into a bland phrase. So Angel had called it “a threat devoid of any real power.”
When the Black Count learned the truth, he was briefly stunned. In his mind, the entity inside that mirror was either the so-called “Demon God of Mirrors” or that “hidden mirror-person” who had orchestrated the theft of holy relics by Demon God devotees.
Whichever it might be, whether the Demon God of Mirrors or a suspected high-ranking official from Nightfall City known as the “Mirror Thief”, the Black Count had considered it an intelligent being.
Otherwise, how could it have brainwashed Demon God believers?
Yet based on that crimson gemstone hand, it seemed uncommonly dim-witted… even somewhat foolish, a far cry from what the Black Count had envisioned.
“Could you tell what kind of being it is? A human, or some sort of demonic creature?” asked the Black Count.
Angel was about to answer when Daus’ voice sounded outside: “Black… Gold? Are you still in there?”
Angel glanced at the Black Count: “Shall we continue as we walk?” he asked quietly.
The Black Count did not object. Indeed, it was impossible to hide their conversation from the Sovereign of Wisdom. Angel knew full well that when he went to wipe the mirror earlier, the Sovereign of Wisdom had undoubtedly been watching everything through the magic formation’s godly perspective. Thus, there was no need to keep matters secret.
The moment Angel emerged from the room, he found himself meeting the Sovereign of Wisdom’s gaze.
The Sovereign of Wisdom observed Angel silently, revealing few outward expressions, yet within his eyes lay a profound hint: I saw and heard everything you said and did.
Angel could do nothing about this; here, the Sovereign of Wisdom held absolute sway, centuries of painstaking designs had given him enormous advantage. If they wanted to wrest control and become the dominating force, it would be exceedingly difficult.
That was likely why Totoro had reminded him: “The Wise One is Not a Fool.” If you wanted to stir up trouble in these underground sewers without flipping the table, you would inevitably run into the Sovereign of Wisdom.
How exactly to negotiate or handle the Sovereign of Wisdom was their next problem to tackle.
Angel heaved an inward sigh and then shifted his gaze away.
“Lord, should we head to the third level now?” asked Kael, stepping forward the moment Angel emerged.
He paused, sneaking a glance at the corridor’s far end: “Or… would you like to check the void on that side?”
Why check the void on that side? Angel blinked, briefly uncomprehending. Then, upon noticing Kael’s earnest, expectant face, he suddenly realized Kael must be assuming that since Angel had inspected the void on the left, maybe he intended to do the same on the right.
“No, let’s just go back,” Angel replied.
“Go back?” Kael sounded confused: “Aren’t we going to the third level?”
“Likely not,” Angel said: “We don’t need to.”
“Huh?” Kael’s question had been almost reflexive. He’d assumed that since they hadn’t found the Wood Spirit, they would definitely head to the third level, after all, the Black Count had placed numerous marks there as well; perhaps the Wood Spirit lurked among them.
Yet, contrary to all expectation, Angel stated plainly that they would not be going: “Why not?” asked Daus.
In truth, that question resonated with everyone present, including the Sovereign of Wisdom. They all wondered what prompted Angel to opt out of exploring the third level.
Angel’s explanation sounded ambiguous: “Because I believe the Wood Spirit is here on the second level. I just need to confirm its precise location.”
“You think the Wood Spirit is on the second level? How did you arrive at that conclusion?” Daus asked curiously.
Angel was silent for a moment before giving a reason very familiar to Daus: “A flash of inspiration.”
Daus gaped: “Inspiration? That’s rather reckless, isn’t it?”
Angel replied: “If that’s considered reckless, then presumably you’ve been living recklessly all your life.”
Daus rubbed the bridge of his nose, feeling somewhat at a loss. Yet he still found Angel’s so-called inspiration difficult to swallow.
Angel continued: “I believe it is indeed on the second level. If we fail to discover it, going to the third level would just be a waste of time. We may as well head out.”
He glanced at Daus: “And if the Wood Spirit truly cannot be found, at least you’ll have more time to explore the third level on your own.”
With that, Angel strode forward, passing everyone.
They exchanged looks before trailing after him.
…
Angel had not gone far when he heard a faint rustling behind him. Turning, he found the Black Count drifting to his side.
“Shall we pick up where we left off?” Angel asked.
“…Yes,” replied the Black Count after a pause.
The Black Count very much wanted to question Angel’s sudden decision against venturing to the second level’s depths. Did he discover something new? Or had he wearied of this farcical “bonus condition” game?
But in the end, the Black Count held his tongue. He had faith in Angel’s judgment. Indeed, every single choice Angel had made thus far in the underground sewers had turned out correct.
As for how Angel came to those conclusions, the Black Count decided to set that aside. After all, Angel had already demonstrated several uncanny yet ultimately accurate insights during their journey. One more puzzle hardly made a difference.
“Regarding that gemstone hand,” Angel began: “I couldn’t determine its essence. Yet I have a hunch it might be an earth elemental being.”
He recalled how it resembled Sage Bortia from the Wild Stone Wasteland, who was composed entirely of yellow crystal. The gemstone hand could very well be a red crystal or ruby-like variant.
“In the earth elemental race, certain entities indeed manifest in crystal or gem form,” the Black Count replied: “Given your description, that’s quite plausible.”
If the gemstone hand was indeed an elemental creature, then the earlier silly handwriting and the spelling error would make more sense. Moreover, elemental lifeforms would not fear losing limbs. That hand’s act of snapping off its pinky looked gruesome, but to an elemental creature, it would be no more painful than clipping one’s nails, easily regrown.
“The House of Noah has always prided itself on its affinity with earth. Do you suppose this earth elemental being is related to that ancestor from the Noah lineage?” Angel ventured another guess.
The Black Count mulled this over and said: “In the early days, the Noah family was not exclusively of the earth. They had many branches, though the earth lineage did dominate. As for that particular ancestor, according to the records, he belonged to the earth elemental line. Whether this creature is connected to him, however, is not documented.”
After listening to the Black Count’s account, Angel’s mind lit on a possible scenario:
If that earth elemental creature truly did have ties to Augustine Noah, it might have emerged from Augustine’s place of inheritance. If that were the case, then Augustine’s inheritance site might be intimately bound up with a ‘mirror.’
Furthermore, the underground church’s followers revere the “Demon God of Mirrors.” Could it be linked to Augustine’s inheritance as well? After all, the Black Count had gleaned knowledge of Augustine from these Demon God worshippers’ leftover writings in the Uisus language.
That still wasn’t Angel’s main preoccupation, however. What most intrigued him was the connection he perceived among Augustine, the Demon God of Mirrors, and mirrors. It made him think of a particular Mysterious Object:
The Mirror of Truth!
This Mysterious Object is famously on par with the “Book of Kael.” Even among the ranks of the Enforcer’s Orderly Guild, it’s safeguarded as top-secret, an item of the utmost importance.
It was also known by another name:
Augustine Noah’s Twin Mirror!
…
Even the name alone spurred Angel’s imagination. If we ignore the word “Augustine” at the front, simply calling it the “Twin Mirror” feels strikingly pertinent to all that has been unfolding.
All along, they had encountered repeated tidbits about mirrors, pointing to the significance of reflective surfaces. Meanwhile: “twin” can also be read as “dual” or “twofold,” and during this journey, they had indeed crossed paths with that notion of duality in the icon of the Demon God of Mirrors.
In the Demon God’s symbol, one circle is split into two halves: on the left half stands a man in a hat; on the right half, a long-haired woman. Merely looking at the symbol, it’s unclear if they are genuine twins, yet a figure divided into male and female sides does evoke the idea of dual births, or “twin” nature.
One cannot be entirely certain, but the mounting clues all revolve around mirrors, the Demon God of Mirrors, and Augustine Noah.
Angel could not help but imagine further.
He believed Augustine Noah’s Twin Mirror almost certainly was not located in that inheritance site, because according to Isabelle, that Mysterious Object still resides in the Source World, she once borrowed it herself.
Yet even if that legendary Mysterious Object was absent, Augustine Noah’s domain of inheritance had just become far more compelling to Angel.
He initially came to these underground sewers primarily for that wall, hoping to glimpse the conditions within the inheritance site, so as to prepare for potential forays into the Nightmare Plane. But now, everything about that place, especially any aspects involving “mirrors,” had seized his keen interest.
If “Augustine Noah’s Twin Mirror” truly has a foundational link to the inheritance site, then that location might be the mirror’s birthplace. If so, Angel’s previously apathetic stance about the inheritance site may need some serious reevaluation.