Reincarnated as the Chosen One in My All-Time Favorite Fantasy Novel: VI - The Mirror Sword, 100%, No Deaths

They all stood before the Cave of Deep Reflection. The mouth of the cave sat open like a hungry mouth, ready to consume any brave, or foolish, enough to enter.

“Just listen to me,” Kenichi said, “and we'll get through this easy peasy.” Then he ran into the mouth of the cave.

“Peasy?” murmured Momiji, his beard tangling.

Their first stop was by a massive door. It was closed, and a massive wheel sat beside it. The wheel was connected to some chains, which rotated some gears deep in the machinery of the doors, and the end result was that if you were strong enough to move the wheel, you could open the door.

Oren was strong enough. The large man gripped the handles of the wheel and began to turn them, the effort reddening his face. With ancient and stubborn machinery complaining all along the way, the door slowly opened, dropping rocks and other detritus as it moved from a position it had long grown accustomed to holding.

“Now,” said Kenichi,” we need to prop this up.”

“No problem,” said Oren. He pushed a catch on the wheel, and the thing locked in place.

“Not good enough,” said Kenichi. “That only keeps the wheel from turning. That won't stop the chain from breaking and crashing down and turning you into a pancake.”

Before Oren could ask if there were any cakes not cooked in pans, Momiji spoke up. “What would you have us do, Hero?”

“We need to use some things, like poles or logs or something, to keep the door stuck open.”

They looked around for a while and found a smattering of long things: poles, spears, a freshly hewn trunk (Kofi), and some freshly formed stone pillars (Korrael). Kenichi and Oren worked to stick all of these into the doorframe, holding the door open, even if the chain holding it up were to break. While they worked, visions of Oren getting trapped on the other side of the door to face the horrors everybody else fled darted through Kenichi's mind. He shook them away, sure his plan would work. Satisfied with the effort, they moved along.

“Everybody, stay by me. Don't be tempted by rooms of treasure or feast halls or anything, as those are just traps. If we trigger the wrong trap, we'll awaken the Aka-oni no Yami, and that won't be good for any of us, especially Oren.”

“Why me?” said Oren.

“No reason,” said Kenichi.

They wandered on for a while, encountering a few cavewrights. These were easy enough to defeat without alerting anybody. They passed by a room filled with gold coins, which Korrael almost flew into. Oren grabbed her by the collar. “No, remember what Kenichi said. I don't want anything bad to happen to me because you're wanting a pile of coins.”

Then they passed by the feast hall. The smell of roasted fowl and potatoes made Oren drop the stone fairy. “But a well cooked bird,” he said, licking his lips. “I'd be willing to take the risk.”

Korrael pulled on the cuf of his pants. “Oren!” she said. “It's a trap!”

“But it looks and smells so real,” he said. “It won't hurt to check it out, will it?”

“But remember what Kenichi said,” she said.

“Maybe he meant a different feast hall,” Oren said.

“You're being obstinate,” she said. “Stop. I mean it.”

Oren made a short noise of dismissal. “Bug off,” he said. He was about to step through the door.

However, two stoneworkers emerged from the walls and blocked his way. Their empty eyes and agape mouths made him step back in shock. The two bulks, almost as large as Oren, crossed their arms, unwilling to move.

He sighed, looked down at the stone fairy, and smiled. “Looking out for me, eh?” he said. It was easier to not be so preoccupied with the allure of roasted meat now that the way was blocked.

She crossed her arms. “You owe me an apology,” she said.

He shrugged. “Sorry,” he said. The two left the vigil the stoneworkers held and joined the rest of the party.

At the end of the hall was a large chamber, and nestled on one wall was a dark mirror.

“That is Kagamiurai's mirror,” Momiji said, the words falling from his mouth like a bitter taste.

“Great,” said Kenichi. “That's just what we need.”

“Why, Ken, do we need such a vile thing?” said Ash.

Kenichi turned to face the group. “Well, if we had taken the scenic route, then old Momiji here would have read some ancient tomes, and discovered that within this mirror was hidden a sword in which Kagamikurai had poured much of his power. It was sealed here ages ago in an attempt to weaken the Dark Lord. However, in order to fully defeat him, we must destroy all of him, which means that we need to destroy the sword as well. Otherwise, if we just defeat his current form, his power will all be drawn here, and terrible things might happen. Amagami wasn't clear what would happen, but some scholars have posited some theories, and none of them are really that pleasant.”

The others met him with dazed eyes.

“That being said, we're jumping ahead, getting the sword, and then we're going to defeat the Dark Lord. It'll take us like seven chapters to do what it took Amagami three volumes to accomplish.”

“”Your haste makes me wary,” said Momiji. “Are you sure that we won't miss another vital element if we go at your pace?”

Kenichi shook his head. “No. I've read the book a million times and I've read and watched a lot of supplementary material. I know this story like the back of my hand.”

Ash stepped next to Kenichi. “I know it is unsettling, the words he says, but he has not yet been wrong. I say that we continue with his plan.”

Momiji nodded. “Very well, Rowyn Ashthorn.” He turned to the others. “Are you all in agreement?”

The others nodded. Kenichi stepped up to the mirror, It was covered in a black cloak, and a strange wind caused it to ripple. He turned to the others. “Now, we need to make a sacrifice,” he said. “One sword for another,” he added quickly before anybody thought he meant any other kind of sacrifice.

“Will your tired sword do?” asked Oren.

“It's Drowsysword actually,” said the sword with a yawn.

Kenichi shook his head. “No,” he said. “It has to be a sword of equal valor as the Mirror Sword. My sword is not of this world, so I have no idea what the mirror will bring. We had better stick to the script on this one.” He looked at Ash. “I'm going to need your sword.”

Ash placed his hand on the pommel of the sword at his back, not as a gesture to hand it over to Kenichi, but rather, as a protective one. “My sword?” he said.

“Yes.”

“And it is to be sacrificed?” he said.

“Yes.”

“And the sword we get in its place will be destroyed?”

“Yes.”

Ash let out a long, deep sigh. Closing his eyes, he pulled the blade forth from its scabbard. Holding it by the hilt and the blade, he handed it to Kenichi. “If this rids the world of the Dark Lord's influence, then I suppose it is a noble enough sacrifice.”

Kenichi took the sword. “Great,” he said. “Now, the one with the purest heart needs to be the one to stand before the mirror, otherwise, it might amplify any sort of negative feelings that person might harbor.” He stepped toward the mirror.

“A moment, Kenichi,” said Momiji. “But should we not decide among us who bears the purest of hearts?”

Kenichi stopped. “Oh,” he said. “Yes. I suppose we should. I just thought it would be me.”

“It is in my estimation that the one who bears the purest heart is Pukku,” said Momiji. “So let us, in all fairness, hold a vote between the two of you.”

“It appears that you have already cast your vote for the Pokkurin,” said Ash. “As for me? I trust Kenichi, as though what he says is strange and unsettling, he has not yet been wrong.”

Momiji looked to the others.

“I'm with Ash,” said Oren. “If it wasn't for Kenichi's warning, I might have died.”

Korrael flitted over and landed on Pukku. “I think Pukku is the one. While Kenichi has done great things, I did not feel his heart was as pure as it could have been when he asked me to modify the paths of the Speaking Stone.”

Kofi stepped beside Ash and Oren. “The boy's a bit strange, but I think his heart's in the right place.”

Tivareth stood opposite of Kofi. “I worry more about his head,” he said.

Momiji looked at the dichotomous crowd. “Three in either way,” he said. He looked over at Marumi. “Will you be the tie breaker?”

Marumi stood there, looking from Kenichi to Pukku. “I don't think I should,” she said.

“You must,” said Momiji. “The fate of the very world depends on your decision.”

Marumi took a deep breath. She looked at Kenichi, who smiled when she looked. Then she remembered the inn burning down. She looked at Pukku. He was scratching his ear. She didn't know much about him, other than his name. Still, he didn't burn down the inn.

She took a big step toward the Pokkurin. “Sorry, Kenichi,” she said, “but I think he might have the purer heart.”

Kenichi's smile faded. “Okay,” he said, his voice a bit glum. “I guess it's decided.” He kicked a stone.

“Excuse me,” said a small voice.

Everybody turned their head toward the source: Pukku,

“Yes?” said Momiji.

“I didn't get to vote,” said the Pokkurin.

“We just assumed you'd vote for yourself, just like Kenichi would vote for himself.”

“Oh,” said Pukku. “But what if I wanted to vote for Kenichi?”

After a pause, Momiji spoke slowly. “Is that what you want to do?”

“Yes,” said Pukku. He stepped away from the others around him and stood beside Kenichi. He slapped him good-naturedly on the calf, as that was as high as he could reach without sending the wrong message.

Momiji let out a sigh, and Marumi placed her palm to her forehead. “It's decided then,” said the Red Sage. “Kenichi will bear the sword.”

“Thanks!” Kenichi said. “I won't let you down, I swear!”

He carried the sword to the mirror, then, standing there in a heroic pose, said, “Can somebody pull away the sheet covering it?”

Oren did so, and Kenichi stared into the black abyss of a mirror. The mirror seemed to turn into a mouth and open to devour him. He saw himself as a tiny speck in its dark maw, holding a brilliant sword aloft. He tried to remember how it went in the book. Stay true to yourself, he thought. He gritted his teeth and stared into the abyss until it stared right back at him.

Then, after what felt like an eternity, the mirror shattered. He stood there, covered in a cold sweat. He let out a breath that he had held for eons. “That was odd,” he said. He looked at his hand, at the sword, once the ancestral sword of the House of Velemir, Caerroc, now was a black onyx blade that hummed with a cold energy.

“Let's go defeat a dark lord,” he said. “But first,” he scooped up a sizable shard of the mirror and wrapped it in a piece of the cloth that had previously covered the mirror. Then used the rest of the cloth to wrap up the blade. “We'll need this later.”

Still a little shaky from his peek into infinity, he led the others out of the Cave of Deep Reflection. Once Oren was past the door, Kenichi let himself laugh a bit. “I knew I could do it,” he said to himself.