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Chapter – 11
‘Companion of Memories, activate.’
【Viewing Bonus: ‘Companion of Memories’ has been activated.】
【Please select a recorded companion.】
▶Red Man – Zain, Level 3 Resolver of the Dawn Assembly
Once the selection was made, a mysterious glow swirled around, and as if he had always been there, a young man with copper-colored curly hair appeared.
“Where… am I?”
“Long time no see, Zain. Do you remember me?”
“Isn’t that Baron Werrick? But… what is this?”
It was heartening that his memories of the Red Man’s theater still existed, but explaining the situation at hand was extremely awkward.
However, moments later, Zain flinched as if sensing something and opened his eyes wide, letting out a short exclamation.
“…So that’s how it turned out, huh.”
“Zain?”
“I understand the situation. It seems that I have been summoned here to assist you.”
His words implied that Zain had realized both the theater’s existence and the entire process behind it.
Startled, Taewoon asked with concern:
“Are you okay? It must have been really confusing…”
“Of course I’m surprised. It seems that neither the Zain in the Red Man’s theater nor my current self can be considered the original Zain,” he replied calmly.
Taewoon suspected for a moment that Zain might have been brainwashed in the theater, given how casually he admitted he was a ‘fake.’
But Zain noticed Taewoon’s concern and dismissed it, explaining his perspective in a composed tone:
“I am a member of the Dawn Assembly. The original Zain would have carried out his duties regardless, and even if unforeseen circumstances occur, that doesn’t change. In fact, being placed in an environment where I can assist you, Baron, as a half-formed puppet, is hardly something to regret.”
“…If you see it that way, then I have no objections.”
“In any case, from now on, it seems we will need to make serious efforts to resolve this theater. Also, you no longer need to bother pretending to be Baron Werrick.”
Zain seemed to genuinely enjoy the situation, as if this were just another adventure for him, suggesting that choosing the path of a resolver for the Dawn Assembly rather than an ordinary life wasn’t a poor choice after all.
Since Zain was fine, Taewoon finally shook off his lingering thoughts and began to focus seriously on the ‘The Mirror’ theater.
‘With a name like that, I assumed it would be some kind of horror movie scenario…’
But the scene before him differed significantly.
First, it seemed they needed to explore the surroundings to gather at least minimal information.
“So, what do you think? I believe we should split up and check the area first.”
“Understood. But what are those steel carriages and the colorful lighthouse?”
“…Oh dear. I’ll explain slowly, so let’s just move together.”
Since the theater didn’t provide overly helpful information, Taewoon had no choice but to explain everything piece by piece, teaching Zain the basics.
“I understand. First, we should adjust our attire.”
Twenty minutes later, Zain appeared wearing an aloha shirt, wide shorts, and black sunglasses.
Taewoon had to suppress a strange mix of emotions at the absurd sight.
Four hours had passed since Taewoon entered The Mirror theater.
During that time, he had properly introduced himself to Zain, though they had gained little else. Yet one thing continued to nag at him.
“Taewoon, did you notice?”
“Yeah. The people here feel… strange.”
They appeared to live their daily lives faithfully, showing self-determination. Yet it felt less like observing real people and more like watching a well-rehearsed play.
“Almost like they’re living in a dream… that’s the feeling.”
Zain nodded in agreement.
Then, suddenly, he drew a familiar mystical dagger from his side.
“Eagle Claw? What are you planning to do with that?”
“I understand your caution, Taewoon. But in this theater, sometimes bold actions are necessary.”
With that, Zain dashed and swung the Eagle Claw across the back of a passing pedestrian.
Chaa-jak!
Shreek!
“Ahh!”
It was an utterly insane act, entirely unlike the intellectual Zain Taewoon had known in the Red Man’s theater. Taewoon was dumbfounded.
“What are you doing all of a sudden?”
“It’s understandable that you’re surprised, but first, look over there.”
“That… is…”
On the pedestrian’s back where Zain had struck, there were no distinctive wounds or blood—only faint, foggy traces, giving off a bizarre impression.
“They just froze, like a broken machine.”
“Exactly. Did you notice?”
“The Eagle Claw is supposed to dispel all malevolent energy, right? But…”
There was no reaction.
While the space and the people in it were strange, suspicious energy seemed absent.
‘The Mirror’s genre: mystery, horror, creature.’
The peculiar setup now made sense, explaining why it had the mystery tag.
Taewoon also realized something he had been uncertain about from the beginning:
‘When I first entered the theater, I had this strange sense of having jumped across spaces.’
Additionally, the expected ticket destruction procedure had not occurred.
At the time, Taewoon had overlooked it, but his intuition had been correct.
‘Most importantly, this handful of blessing allows us to escape the mirrored world once per cycle at any moment!’
In other words, Taewoon and Zain had already fallen into the mirrored world when they entered the theater. Everything suddenly made sense.
‘Searching for information here is pointless.’
Taewoon had to escape, as quickly as possible.
‘…Should I use the blessing?’
It was the most reliable method, though not without caveats.
Reading Taewoon’s hesitation, Zain’s eyes shone as he spoke:
“Using it might not be a bad idea. As I expect, the outcome may be a bit… unusual.”
Zain, a veteran who had resolved countless surreal incidents, wouldn’t speak nonsense. Taewoon nodded, focusing his mind.
‘I will use the handful of blessing!’
Ding!
▶【The handful of blessing has been activated! Initiating emergency escape protocol!】
Whoooosh!
Zzzt!
Flash!
In an instant, the light dispersed, and Taewoon and Zain found themselves not on a bustling street, but in a grand, old-fashioned ballroom.
Everyone wore masks, dancing and enjoying drinks—a masquerade ball.
After a moment of silence, they exchanged glances. A rotund gentleman passing by gave Zain a once-over, clicking his tongue.
“Your dress code… not quite right…”
“…….”
Though the inhabitants still gave off a strange, otherworldly aura, they now appeared more lifelike than in the street scene.
“There’s a subtle difference… they feel a bit more alive.”
“Compared to the pedestrians earlier, they seem more human-like.”
At the same time, Taewoon finally grasped the essence of The Mirror theater.
Why do some movies exist like this?
A dream within a dream, a maze within a maze, wandering endlessly in search of the true exit.
This situation mirrored that perfectly. By using the bonus blessing, they had broken through one layer of the innermost dream and reached the next stage.
“So, by finding the correct escape method and breaking through layer by layer…”
“We can get closer to reality and eventually achieve full escape.”
What lay ahead was unknown, but that was the first step.
Taewoon and Zain began exploring the ballroom again to locate another passage within the mirrored world.
Amid their search, a masked man hurriedly bumped into Taewoon’s shoulder.
“Oh, sorry!”
“…….”
Even after Taewoon apologized first, the man didn’t react, as if dealing with something nonhuman.
Taewoon felt a strange unease.
Grab.
“Hold on a moment.”
Taewoon grabbed the man’s shoulder. Startled, he tried to pull away.
“Ugh!?”
But he couldn’t resist the strength of a trained hunter. Eventually, he gave up, muttering a reluctant apology.
“Alright, alright. I said I’m sorry, okay?”
“That’s not it. Aren’t you slightly different from the others here?”
“Huh… you’re a real human too?”
The man’s face lit up, and he happily threw off his mask.
Revealed was a tall young man with reddish-brown hair, who introduced himself as Pedro. He seemed almost in tears, shaking Taewoon and Zain’s hands repeatedly.
“Damn it. I thought I was the only sane one in this crazy world…”
“I understand. How long have you been here?”
“Three weeks? Four? I don’t really know. I was too distracted. As you can see, I could find food and water, but I was lonely to the point of misery.”
Pedro had survived in the mirrored world for quite a while and apparently hadn’t encountered anyone else in their right mind.
“So you regained consciousness in the busy area, huh? My side was more like a refugee camp. Is it different for each person?”
Pedro first realized reality in the refugee camp, then repeatedly found passages across spaces before reaching the busy area.
In other words, Taewoon likely regained awareness somewhere near the mirrored world’s midpoint.
“So, do you know what exists beyond the ballroom?”
“Of course. I know the paths perfectly: the beach, the mansion in the forest, the abandoned hospital. The problem comes after that.”
Pedro shuddered at the thought.
“There are strange monsters. The closer we get to reality, the more they smell us and start chasing.”
“Monsters…?”
“Yes! Compared to them, wolves and tigers seem cute! Once they spot you, they keep following even across spaces, though for some reason, they can’t reach the ballroom. That’s why this place became our base.”
Pedro shrugged, finishing his account.
It was surprisingly helpful information.
“So, everything beyond the ballroom gradually becomes closer to reality?”
“I agree. To escape, we’ll have to cross dangerous bridges.”
“I’m okay with attempting it, but beware—they’re vicious!”
Taking Pedro’s warnings to heart, the three—Taewoon, Zain, and Pedro—resolved to fully escape the mirrored world.
After stocking sufficient food and water from the ballroom, the three finally embarked on their decisive journey.
