40: The Mirror’s Trial

“Now then, boy.
I have a few questions for you.”

The massive mirror looming before the frozen Tom seemed to stretch endlessly into the sky,
its overwhelming presence pressing down on his mind.

Reflected in its surface was another version of himself—wearing a school uniform, trembling in fear.

“You currently wear the form of the pond’s formal caretaker, Mr. Fishing Rod…
But how much of his memories have you accessed?”

Unable to speak, Tom instead focused all his mental energy on conjuring those memories.

They weren’t his own, but rather data borrowed from the original man—
memories created by the Artistic Illusion that governed this world.

“You’ve seen the truth behind this world, haven’t you?”

A jolt ran through Tom’s entire body at Dan’s words, like a sudden electrical surge.
At the same time, the mirror in front of him cracked loudly.

“So I was right. This mirror reflects your essence—it cannot lie.
If the heart falters, the mirror will reject you… and shatter.”

Seeing the suited, more grown-up version of “Fishing Rod Tom” under attack from Dan,
Rena cried out to him at the top of her lungs.

“Tom!! Believe in yourself!
This is a world where anything is possible!!”

“This scene doesn’t need your interference, girl.”

Dan’s searing gaze silenced her instantly.

Clutching her throat, Rena collapsed, gasping for air.

“Next question… yes, let’s have a little fun.
In the real world, you turned the pages of the picture book,
passed the audition, and arrived here in this strange realm.
Of course, I was the one who invited you.”

The mirror showed no change, simply reflecting Tom’s strained expression.

“Normally, I confirm such things in person, to see if someone truly fits my vision…
But you, boy… you’re different.
A rare, mysterious character that adds color to my story.”

Tom ignored Dan’s ramblings.
Instead, he assessed the situation and quickly prioritized what mattered most—protecting Rena.
The words she’d spoken earlier echoed in his mind, filling him with a strange warmth… a sense of hope.

“Reveal your true identity.
If not, that girl dies.”

Dan’s sudden demand triggered a force within Tom—something being pulled to the surface.
A blank screen rose in his mind, and from it began to form an unconscious vision…

A memory he never wanted to recall.

***

By the bright green pond, Rena was on her knees, sobbing.
Her shoulders shook, and her tears fell silently onto the grass.
An indescribable sadness filled the air.

Standing beside her, young Tom spoke gently.

“I’m sorry, Rena…”

He glanced toward the golden light glimmering on the pond’s surface and whispered,

“If you’re okay… that’s all that matters to me.
But now, we can’t build sandcastles anymore.
We can’t play together, can we?”

His small, transparent hand gently brushed her hair—like the wind.

—The golden light… it saved Rena...—

“Hah!?”

Gasping, Rena released her grip from her throat.
It felt like waking from a vivid dream, one so real she couldn’t tell what was true anymore.

“W-wait… I… I didn’t save Tom back then…?”

As she endured the searing pain in her throat, images of memories that shouldn’t have existed played out in Rena’s mind.

As her conflicting memories spun in chaos, tears began to roll down Tom’s face, locked in a stiff expression.

“Why… why was I the only one who got saved…?
I’m the one who brought her to that pond… with no adults around… It was my…”

“What’s this? Tears?
Yet my Second Mirror doesn’t show them…”

“I couldn’t save her… I tried to pull her out of the water, but…
The golden light—it didn’t save her… it saved me instead…!!”

Straining to force out his voice, Tom found a memory rising in his mind—
a memory that clashed with the one Rena had seen.

The moment their memories collided, a faint tremor ran through the ground.

Dan looked around, sensing something was wrong.

“An earthquake? What is this sound…?
It’s getting louder…”

The entire frame of the mirror began to shake violently.

And from within it… Dan sensed something monstrous—something he hadn’t anticipated—rising to meet him.