Ch:62 – Contract: Kagami

Year 5015, day 85 of the flowering season.

"Ah!" I let out a yawn, having woken up. 

Life had become brighter since the day before.

The sun outside didn't feel too far, and the days were no longer as hot. The trees' leaves weren't as green, and with the changing season, the quest difficulty would rise.

I looked around, and despite this, she was not in sight. My sister, who once had an evil spirit weakening her, confining her, hoping to erase her existence.

"A seal that strong... the god of light... the sage and the hero."

The four pieces of information that I had gathered from our encounters and the dreams I had.

"And the king she slew!" I had almost forgotten that. 

"She said they lost, but in the end, she defeated their most important piece." I sat on the bed and crossed my arms. "If it had been a chess match, she would've won."

My naivety and lack of knowledge knew no boundaries. Nonetheless, intellect had never been my forte.

I lifted the sheet and threw it far from me, then I jumped out of bed and headed towards the mirror.

"Every day becoming more like my mom—quite the beauty," I giggled, passing my hands down my body and curves. "Merely fifteen and I already look more like a woman than some actual women." 

My gentle smile faded. 

There were some pressing matters that I had not discussed with Aurora. She who was going to leave soon—she who decided to abandon me and pursue her path of war.

"I'm still mad at you," I whispered despite knowing she was not in the room.

I pointed my left index finger at the wooden frame of the mirror, focusing mana on the tip, and signing my name to become its master, as I once had with Aurora.

"You'll become my second slave," I added coldly. Slaves in the kingdom existed—they were basically criminals who committed severe crimes against the nobles. Thus, by law, one could buy and use such people as they pleased. They would sign contracts based on the leftover jail years. Even though most were meant to rot there till death consumed their bodies.

However, the criminals were not obliged to become slaves. The law protected that choice.

Therefore, those who decided to become slaves likely asked for something in return, which they could add in such contracts.

Aurora and I, too, had a contract. Our souls belonged to one another.

The mirror shone, and the glass turned into a light blue hue quite similar to my element.

At the very least, it offered no resistance. Instead, an unexpected whisper reached out for me in the corner of my mind.

'Greetings, master. I am Kagami, a magical item.'

'You can talk?' Curiosity filled my eyes, brimming with a shiny green, vivid colour of delight.

Kagami: Yes.

'I'd be even more surprised about this if I hadn't had a different item before you.'

Kagami: Master. Your <half-truth> has been prepared. You may enter the portal.

'Half-truth?' I questioned, but this time no answer followed. It seemed everything awaited on the other side. Luckily, the mirror was bigger than I was, so moving forward felt like going towards any open door. As I was about to enter, I wondered if this was the right thing to do. Would I be cursed as my sister had been? 

I shook my head to the sides, an attempt to nullify this thought. I was now the rightful master of this item. Certainly, it wouldn’t do its master wrong.

'I hope.' I cleansed my mind and heart of negativity and moved inside.

Once I reached the other side, I met a wave of cold wind which blew my hair backwards. I passed my arm in front of my eyes and looked at my surroundings.

System: You've gained the title Explorer.

Notice: You've discovered an unexplored area. 

"Snow. Cold and Snow everywhere." At least the surroundings were familiar. My new life had plenty of this scenery. Oddly, there appeared to be a ceiling, but I didn't reach it; it was visible. It was white and fluffy, almost made of clouds.

I walked to the very end, hitting an invisible wall.

"What's this?"

Kagami: Like a mirror, this world—your world—is a reflection of your soul.

Notice: Your current soul characteristics are...

Kagami: Based on its size: 150.

Notice: As a witch, you've come to a better understanding of yourself. Status updated.

"The two of you have already become good partners." A soft smile passed on my face.

Kagami: The gods have no visibility here.

"Does that mean that in Artana they were watching me?"

Notice: Unable to provide that information.

"That's alright." I looked back at the item. "Can the mirror get damaged?"

Kagami: If my durability reaches zero, it'll disable all my functions. You may fix me and the grimoire with mana. As long as your soul doesn't die, both your items will never truly be destroyed.

"That explains why she's so keen on keeping me alive," I muttered, feeling my head start to pound.

"I refuse to be used again!" My yell echoed in these plains. 

Notice: You've gained the passive skill mental corruption resistance.

I ran back to my room and picked up the bag with the soulstones I had saved from my last adventure. Once I returned to the white plains, I took a seat on the snow and emptied the bag.

The moment the soul stones fell on the fluffy ground, I noticed their dark contrast. Black and white, just like chess squares. All of them were of the lowest grade.

Notice: You may plant your seeds in the soulstones by projecting them through will and mana. Each one will require a name.

I moved my hand and touched each stone, saying one name every time.

"Anastasia, Bianca, Luna, Isabella, Marie, Charlotte, Ivy, and Grace."

Notice: You've succeeded in planting the eight seeds. You are now free from corruption. You've earned a class skill: Curse. 

"A new skill? For real?" I jumped joyfully, expectant for this moment since I had obtained this class. Things were finally going my way. All the hard work had paid off. Especially the trying not go insane part, with eight other psychedelic personalities bothering me on a daily basis.

Notice: Due to extremely low-quality soulstones, you will have to inject extra mana into the seeds. This process will last until they turn into flowers and fully blossom.

"Mana? How much?" My tone left with a tiny amount of anxiety. There was no way the world would just go out of its way to make my life easier. It never did. I didn't trust it to start now.

Notice: Calculating... estimated to be one million.

"One million!?" My shout was the loudest yet. "What do you mean by one million? How in the hell would I even get that much? Are you mocking me?"

I was met with silence. My status skill wasn't a friend. It just gave me some information, and often the numbers I needed. Nevertheless, I needed to vent to someone, to be heard, to share what was bothering within my heart.

"Kagami."

Kagami: Yes master?

"Only I can enter this area, right?"

Kagami: Only those whom you authorize.

"Then for now, just me."

Kagami: Understood.