Mirror Realm

There's a vast and far expanse of checkered patterns. Nothing but floor as far as I can see. Well, I'd like to say as far as I can see, but there's some kind of fog up ahead. Not a literal fog mind you, but more like the sort of thing you see in a video game when the render distance is too low.

I look down. I...look identical to myself, from what I can tell. Impossible to say for sure, since I don't have a mirror, but I don't see any major discrepancies except for the fact that I can jump.

I try jumping up into the air. I run forwards.

Not exactly what it's hyped up to be. I don't seem to get tired though, so I keep running. As I run, the game "renders" forwards.

Oh yeah, I'm not stupid, it's pretty obvious to see I'm in a video game. But that's not possible, right?

Okay, let's say it is possible. Then what?

Am I simply unconscious outside? Am I dead? Am I in a coma? Is my body in some kind of pocket space while I'm here? Or has time stopped outside while I'm in here, and everything resumes simply as it did the moment I step out? Can I even get out?

I try running backwards. Is it really this easy in real life too, or is that just the game engine? Walking backwards is hard for everyone, so I chalk it up to the latter. As I go backwards, the fog "catches up to me", so to speak, ensuring that I can't see further than a few "chunks" at a time. 

What the fuck do I do?

I continue to walk forward, into the empty plain. The sky is blue, but not a single cloud in sight. The weather is sunny - or I would imagine it is, if not for the fact that there is no sun. There seems to be a shadow underneath me, a direct 90 degrees downwards, but there's no light source.

I just keep walking. May as well. It's not like I have any other choice.

Should I turn around? Maybe there's something the other way. Please let there be something, somewhere.

As I continue to wander, I come across a peculiarity. A small bump on the ground.

Hope. Hope!

I excitedly head over to the bump and inspect it. Same material as the ground. I can't really say anything about it. After a while of sitting there, I stand back up. It's just a bump. 

Maybe this is a sign that there's something ahead. Or maybe not.

I keep walking.

A...chair? comes into view. Upon closer inspection, it's a purple chair, like there are textures corrupted. I don't like that at all. But something tells me I should keep going in this direction, as if there's anything here, it's probably in this direction.

I now run.

More chairs. They're all different sizes. Big, small, all in between. One chair looks like a Matryoshka doll, with a smaller chair sitting on top of the chair, and an even smaller chair sitting on top of that, and so on and so forth. I go in to inspect.

What the hell? I feel dizzy. I look away. I don't want to know what that means. I gaze at my surroundings.

There's a classroom wall up ahead, and a window. I head towards that too. More walls. More chairs. The further I walk, the more I find. At some point, I stumble upon an entire completed classroom. One of the chairs even has color.

I leap out and continue onwards.

More rooms. Some are fully colored. One even has a working clock. Well, by working, I mean the clock is going haywire and spinning around constantly, but it's proof that this world isn't static.

Finally, and most importantly, I come across a classroom with blackened windows. I can't see inside, but I can tell there's sound coming from the inside.

I head over to the door, and open it. There's a blinding flash of light, and for a moment, it feels like I'm falling.

***

The inside of the classroom is clean and structured, like a traditional Japanese classroom. I look down to see that now, I am wearing some kind of uniform.

What?

So are all the others. Except for the fact that no, these aren't "people." They're strange, shadowy things. They wear clothes, but they're grey and translucent silhouettes, like placeholders. The grey shadow being in the front, who is not in uniform - obviously the teacher - turns his head towards me. He doesn't have a face, but I don't need to be told what the shape of a frontal face looks like.

"You're late again ####!" Ow, my ears! And it's not because of his shouting. The name he calls me by isn't my name. It's not anyone's name. It's not even a word. It's some kind of strange radio static that blares across the classroom and assaults my ears.

A hand shoots up. It's a regular hand.

"Teacher, I'm sorry about that. I was asking him to help with student council activities. Please, it's my fault."

A girl in a school uniform and brown twintails gets up, and looks at me with a smile.

Wow, she's really pretty. Her scarlet red eyes seem to bore right through me, almost as if she's staring right into my soul. It's almost a little scary, if not for the fact that she's the only person that actually looks like a person and not a ghost.

That's a good sign...right? Being the one that's out of place, it's just as possible she's the threat and not the invisible ghost students. Or maybe they're all safe. Or maybe I'm just screwed in general?

"####, is that true?" The girl winces as the teacher says my name again. She makes a face at me to answer his question.

"Uh, yes sir." I have experience dodging stuff like this. I know my stuff. They may be ghosts, but despite the somewhat tropey playing, they don't seem to act abnormal.

"Hmm, well, if it's class rep Chisaki's words, I suppose we can't do much!" Everyone laughs. I get into a chair at the rear end of the classroom. Traditional Japanese anime student spot. The familiarity of it is almost comforting, despite my terrifying situation. And yes, the degree of confusion I feel is enough to be terrifying.

"Psst, hey!" One of the shadowy figures says to me. I look at it. Unlike the other shadows, which are black, this one is a light shade of green. These aren't unrendered textures, like the chair I saw in that weird void. I can't decide if the skin is like glass, gelatin, or like plastic. Whoever made this world clearly intended for them to have no identity. I think.

Then what does that other girl mean?

"Oh, ####, you fool. You forgot your textbook again." He shakes his head. "It doesn't matter, the lesson is on Kiyohime. You know, the serpent lady?" 

Ow, my ears.

"Uh...huh?" I'm sorry green shadow man, I've been sucked into a game, wandered around a void for god knows how long, come across a dozen bumps, and find myself suddenly in a school uniform. 

Wait, come to think of it! I immediately look out the window. There's an actual environment outside. It's blank, and is populated by a barebones and sparse town, but compared to the literal wasteland of base nothingness, that may as well be a metropolis.

"####!" Oh great, not again - 

"####!" The teacher keeps calling. I look over to him, and he's no longer standing around in a somewhat natural position like he was previously, but is standing upright and stiff.

Like a bug.

I then notice all the other students are staring at me. Unnaturally. Excluding green student, who seems to stay in his "studying" animation, everyone is looking at me. And while I can't see their faces, there's an aura of malice from them I can't quite describe.

Oh shit.

I look around the classroom again, and lock eyes with the normal looking girl again, who gives me a look of concern, then back to the students.

They get up as they all stare at me.

Suddenly, she falls out of her chair, coughing. The ghost students, or whatever they are, all look her way.

"Ugh, my stomach..." I Just noticed it, but now it seems the teacher has ceased his stupor, and now looks at 'Chisaki'. He doesn't seem to care about the fact that the students have gotten up from their seats and were crowding me a moment ago.

"Chisaki, are you okay?" He asks, only noticing Chisaki herself.

"Ugh, I definitely shouldn't have had that sashimi last night..." Her face is full of pain, but she turns her head my way and gives me a wink. "I...ugh, need to go to the nurse..."

She's...protecting me?

"Hmm, perhaps so. ####, can you take Chisaki to the nurse's office?" Chisaki doesn't even wait for the teacher to finish, and quickly hops over to me, taking my hand as the students begin to rush us.

"Come on player, we have to get out of here." She gives me a smirk as the opens up the rear door of the classroom, and drags me out, slamming the door shut as the students angrily try to catch up to us.

There's some banging from the door at first, but they stop. And then, things are silent. I turn around to look at my savior, and bring her my thanks, but she's faster. Chisaki leans forward, her arms behind her back, almost as if she wants to lean into me.

She...really is pretty. Something that was slipping my mind through the madness of everything that just went down. She gives me another wink. 

"So." Chisaki says, looking at me. "Your name?"