The Informant

Report Tape 6: Anonymous

Reporter: "Where did you learn to survive in this alternate world?"
Anonymous: "You learn mainly through intuition. When your body tells you to move, you move. When it tells you to stop, you stop. When you aren't focused on your instincts, that is when you fall into a trap.
Reporter: "You make it seem like one slight mistake could cost you your life?"
Anonymous: "We learn from our mistakes to not repeat them. One of your mistakes is one we share. I bet you'll always be on the lookout for an informant."
Reporter: "That's enough! Cut the video!"

The reporter stands up, knocks his chair to the floor, and storms out the door.

Report Tape 6: End

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Everything around them vanished to white. Mark's heart sank, believing for a moment he could have been back in a Guardian Beasts lair. That feeling only lasted a moment because the scenery started to change.

Cheryl reached out her hand, almost as if she was grasping something in the darkness. Then she shut her hand into a fist and brought it to her chest. 

"Come forth," she whispered.

She threw her arm outwards, releasing a small red orb from her hand. The orb started to shine, and it started moving around the room. A red trail was following it and hitting the ground, as if it were painting on a blank canvas. The more times it spun around the room, the more objects could be distinguished. 

After circling the room about twenty times, it stopped. The aura around the orb started to glow larger, and the objects in the room started glowing, as if they were being drawn out by the presence of the orb.

Finally, it released its energy with a flash. Mark flinched from the sudden brightness, but when he reopened his eyes, the red color that the orb had painted on the room was gone, and everything was its original color.

The room was made up entirely of bookshelves, with only a table and two chairs in the middle of the room. When he looked up, the rows of books that lined the walls seemed to have continued upwards indefinitely. The room was quiet, and only the noises Cheryl or Mark made could be heard; it was as if they were in a separate dimension entirely.

"Now, shall we get started?" Cheryl asked, walking over to one of the chairs. 
"I guess we should."

Mark walked over to the other chair and took one last glance around the room. This time, he noticed that the entrance had disappeared. He figured this was where their discussion should begin.

"Where are we?"
"We are in a mirror world made entirely of my magical power."
"How is that even possible?"
"When enough mana is garnered into one area, it will take the shape of the owner's desires."
"You desire an empty chamber surrounded by books?"
"I think of it as surrounding myself with endless knowledge."
"How does time work here?"
"Time exists as normal. Think of this place as a dreamscape; time still passes when you're dreaming, but your mind exists elsewhere.

Ridding some of the technical details, Mark began to understand how this place came to exist. He considered what topic he should approach next. He even debated whether he should ask a question that would reveal he was human or just stay on the evasive side. In the end, he didn't have to make that decision for himself.

"So, since you're human, how did you arrive here in the first place?" 
"What?" Mark asked, surprised, while simultaneously jolting back in his seat.
"Your reaction just confirmed my suspicion," Cheryl chuckled, placing her head in her palm. "I can tell that you're wearing Robertson's mantle."
"Yeah, he gave it to me to help avoid being distinguished as human."

Cheryl leaned back in her chair with a smile on her face. Mark, however, had a confused expression as he stayed glued to his chair.

"Robertson told me about his mantle once, but this is the first time I've actually seen it."
"What did he tell you about it?"
"He told me if I ever met a human wearing his mantle, I should take extreme caution."

Mark rose out of his chair and slammed his palms on the table.

"Huh?" He yelled, surprised by the sudden revelation.
"Humans physically cannot cross through the Guardian Beasts' lair; they will die every time-- even with a guide."

Mark stared at her intensely, eager for her to finish her thought.

"He told me that if any human crosses into Serenity with the mantle, they may possess the power to change their fate. Whether it was for good or for bad, that was for me to decide."
"What are you telling me?" Mark muttered, motionless.

Cheryl was looking at him straight in the eyes, as if the mask that protected his face didn't exist at all. She then stood up from her chair and clenched her fist.

*Snap*

A second later, Mark's head fell onto the table, and his body collapsed to the floor.

He tried to scream, but he had no lungs to scream with.

He could still see, but he couldn't move his eyes-- his body was already dead.

Cheryl picked up his head and slowly turned it towards her face.

"I will be the one to decide your fate."

*Snap*

Mark grasped for air as he regained control of his body. He rubbed his hands over his throat profusely, checking to see if his head was still attached. He glanced back over to see Cheryl still staring at him intently, causing him to recoil. He stumbled as he hit his chair, fell backwards, and slammed into the bookshelf behind him, causing some books to rattle and fall.

"It looks like you have your head on straight. Now, shall we continue?"

Cheryl relaxed her eyes and sat back down in her chair.

"What the hell did you just do to me?" Mark grumbled while his body was still pressed against the bookshelf.
"Did you not just feel it? I can kill you at any moment I please. So go on, sit back down, I'll be asking the questions this time. If you lie to me, you'll die! If I don't like you're answers, you'll die! If I don't like you, you'll die!"
"Who are you?" Mark asked, whilst not having moved a single inch.
"I like to call myself the informant. I know everything about this world, but I also appeal to the overseer of this land, The Reaper."

Mark slowly stood up, lifted his chair, and sat down.

"If you're the informant, are you going to take me to The Reaper?"
"I'm supposed to track your location for him, but I'm still unsure."

Cheryl leaned forward in her chair and waved her finger at Mark.

"You, you're different. Why does he believe in you?"
"..."

Cheryl let out a sigh.

"Robertson told me that if he gave anyone his mantle, I should take extreme caution. He told me if a human ever makes it to Serenity, they could change their fate."

Cheryl leaned back and looked at the endless bookshelves above.

"I left out one part in the original story. He told me to decide the fate of the person with the mantle, but if they already have the mantle, then he believed they were worthy of doing good.

Mark, who had been tense in his chair the whole time, finally felt his body loosening.

"So tell me, Mark, why have you come to Serenity?"
"I promised my daughter I would protect her whenever she needed protecting. One day, she vanished on her way home from school. I believed she was kidnapped, but the police only treated her as a runaway kid. But that isn't my Lily. I traced the clues to a shack in the middle of the woods, got shot to death, met a goddess that gave me a blue orb, and arrived on a train."

Cheryl looked content with his answer, but then shot her body straight up.

"Wait, wait, wait, did you say a goddess gave you a gift?"
"Yes, I did."

Mark originally was not going to tell anyone about his gift, but since he needed to fully convince Cheryl that he was here for good reason, he decided it wasn't worth the risk of hiding it anymore.

Cheryl's mouth was agape for a moment before snapping back to reality and clearing her throat.

"Before we get to that part, let me confirm your story first."

Cheryl put a fist to her chest and closed her eyes. A moment later, a book glowed from one of the rows high above and flew down onto the table. It flipped itself open as if it knew Cheryl's intentions.

"Right here in front of me are the records of any existents' past life."
"How does it know about us?"
"Do you remember the large scan at the gate entrance? That scan traces your existence back to the very beginning. It's a big part of where you go after Serenity."

Mark nodded his head; he knew in his heart that the eyeball was evil.

"Well, I'll be damned, your daughter is here right now."
"Where is she? How can I find her?" Mark started asking frantically.
"She's in the Everlasting Garden."

Mark bolted up from his chair.

"Let me out, I'm going to go find her."
"Slow down, you can't go there right now."
"Why not?" Mark asked, getting a little aggravated.

Another book fell from above onto the table.

"I'm going to teach you how to pass the Four Zones of Life."