Lord of Mysteries 2: Circle of Inevitability

After some time had passed, Anthony Reid guided the shriveled brownish-yellow dog back to the quarry cave that housed a fixed entrance to the mirror world.

Turning to Lumian, he said, "You can dispel the Animal Creation Spell now."

Lumian glanced at the enormous dog, which had lost its ferocious and ruthless demeanor. With a smile, he recited the dispelling incantation in Hermes: "Monk!"

Lumian had personally crafted the ritualistic dog skin. While he had used Padre Guillaume Bénet's activation incantation, he had modified the dispelling incantation.

Initially, Lumian wanted to use the name of Gehrman Sparrow, one of his two idols, as the dispelling incantation. However, since Gehrman was Mr. Fool's Angel of Redemption, uttering his name in Hermes might have unusual consequences and seem blasphemous. Consequently, Lumian discarded that idea.

Since the first ritualistic hide he made was dog skin, Lumian drew inspiration from the phrase "Monks Chasing Dogs" and chose the word "Monk" for the dispelling incantation.

As a dark light flared, it revealed a pitiful-looking Moran Avigny.

Instinctively, Moran reached for a handkerchief in his chest pocket and wiped away the dried blood, tears, saliva, and mucus from his face.

Rather than getting directly to the point, Lumian decided to begin with trivial questions to bolster his credibility and optimize the hypnotic effect.

With a blend of derision and a sigh, he said, "I can't grasp why you Mirror People loathe your real world equivalents."

Moran Avigny sneered in response. "If you were perpetually confined to the cold, gloomy, sealed mirror, you'd also despise your counterpart who basks in the sun, savors fine food and drink, and revels in leisure and pleasure."

"But your existence wasn't a natural occurrence. It was an accident," Jenna pointed out, narrowly avoiding mentioning that they were monstrosities inhabiting a unique mirror world.

Chuckling, Moran Avigny retorted, "What bearing does that have on our envy and hatred?

"We didn't trigger the accident. As we were born and have been perpetuating our kind, we possess the right to seek a superior life."

Momentarily at a loss for words, Franca and Jenna fell silent.

Speaking in a friendly tone, Lumian said, "You indeed have that right. However, it cannot involve murder or injuring the original body. Why not collaborate with official organizations, such as the Church of The Fool? After fleeing Fourth Epoch Trier, you could depart this city and commence a new life elsewhere."

Moran Avigny scoffed. "You believe we can trust and cooperate with these sun-dwelling organizations?"

"Are you not already collaborating with the School of Truth?" Lumian exposed Moran Avigny's deception.

After a brief pause, Moran Avigny stated, "We have a mission. We desire the authentic restoration of this world."

"Authentic?" Lumian intentionally provoked. "How can authenticity exist in a mirror? You Mirror People merely resemble the genuine ones. Upon death, you will revert to mirror shards."

Following the provocation, Lumian's eyes turned silver-black as he examined Moran Avigny's fate tributary, aiming to deter him from providing a response that could endanger his life.

After a quick observation confirming that his question wouldn't pose a significant risk, Lumian deactivated the Eye of Calamity to preserve his spirituality.

With a meaningful smile, Moran Avigny said, "No, in a certain sense, what resides in the mirror is real.

"Upon completing our mission, we will fully return to reality!"

Intrigued by Moran Avigny's confidence, Franca asked, "Why do you say that?"

Moran Avigny's gaze swept over the two Demonesses. Now in his refractory period, he chuckled and said, "Even I cannot comprehend the most basic reason. All I can disclose is that it relates to the Chaos Demoness we revere deep within the mirror world. She is the true Primordial Demoness!

"Moreover, I can offer an example: After transforming into a Witch and interacting with mirror magic, every Demoness's true self dwells within the mirror."

Observing Franca and Jenna's skepticism, Moran Avigny, eager to express his thoughts, inquired with a smile,

"Are you aware of the Demoness pathway's Sequence 3 name?"

In unison, Franca and Jenna shook their heads. "No."

With a slight nod, Moran Avigny explained, "It's known as the Demoness of Unaging. Eternal youth, skilled in resurrection and rebirth.

"Why are they so challenging to kill, capable of resurrection and rebirth? It's because what they destroy is merely their external form. Their authentic selves have always been imprisoned and sealed within the mirror!

"If the false ones perish, they can swiftly be resurrected through the projection of their true selves in the mirror!

"Consider this: how can one's true self, imprisoned, sealed, and utilized as a source of resurrection, not despise the false one in reality? Why wouldn't they yearn to escape the mirror and reclaim what is rightfully theirs?"

Franca abruptly recalled the moment she first entered the unique mirror world.

At that time, she had encountered her body's original self, the one with thick brown eyebrows and short flaxen-colored hair before ingesting the Witch potion. His face was drenched in blood, and his eyes brimmed with malice and hatred.

Could it be that after drinking the Witch potion and transforming into a woman, her male self didn't disappear but was exiled to the mirror, unable to escape? Franca was both alarmed and suspicious.

Jenna also remembered something from her past.

During the process of becoming a Witch, she saw her other self in an illusion—her malevolent, mirror-like self. Both of them plummeted into the black flames, and she struggled to crawl out, returning to the ice above the black flames to complete her advancement. The malevolent self was dragged into the bottomless Abyss by the python-like black shadow.

Could it symbolize self-division?

Is a part of me truly suffering in the mirror?

Noticing his two Demoness companions' perplexed state, Lumian smiled at Moran Avigny and said, "It doesn't necessarily involve self-imprisonment. It's conceivable that during the Witch transformation process, they formed a profound connection with their mirror selves, enabling them to master mirror magic. To a degree, this also allows for their resurrection."

"The mirror self is tainted with blood, malice, hatred, and malevolence because they are perpetually in this state. They constantly envy their real selves, just like you Mirror People from a unique world."

Unable to uncover the truth at the moment, Lumian preferred not to linger on the subject and attempted to shift the blame to others.

Furthermore, as a Mirror Person, Moran Avigny had an innate inclination to take sides. His words needed to be cautiously accepted and analyzed from a different perspective.

Upon hearing Lumian's explanation, Franca and Jenna's expressions softened. Moran Avigny mocked, "Self-deception cannot conceal the truth."

Recognizing that the initial preparations were nearly complete, Lumian decided to redirect the conversation back to the main topic.

Originally, their objective was related to Mirror People, but now Lumian sensed that the matter involving the School of Truth was more relevant and pressing. He needed to inquire about it first.

His eyes turned silver-black once more as he gazed at Moran Avigny and asked, "Did you enter into a contract with the School of Truth's Overseer?"

"Of course we did. How else could we collaborate? We all value contracts," Moran Avigny replied with pride.

Lumian chuckled.

"He didn't surreptitiously modify the terms the instant you signed the contract, did he?"

"No, I am highly attentive to such matters. As you know, I am a Judge in the mystical sense," Moran Avigny responded confidently.

Lumian probed further, "Have you met the Overseer?"

Moran Avigny shook his head.

"He signed the contract first and then dispatched his subordinate to deliver it. We never actually met."

"What has the Overseer been up to lately?" Lumian inquired cautiously.

Moran Avigny chuckled.

"I am merely a cog of his immense Under the Table black net. I assist in completing specific matters through transactions. I am unaware of what those matters allude to or the motivations behind them.

"Yes, he once mentioned that he intended to use individuals like me to weave an invisible and massive vortex. He could infuse his strongest desires into it and achieve results.

"A few days ago, he casually remarked that the vortex is on the verge of taking shape."

The vortex is about to take shape… Lumian continued to monitor the changes in Moran Avigny's fate tributary and, after some contemplation, asked, "How do you and the Overseer typically communicate? Is there a special contingency plan in case of an emergency?"

This was something he needed to ascertain as quickly as possible. The abrupt attack on Intis's Minister of Industry, Moran Avigny, and his enigmatic disappearance was breaking news. It wouldn't take long for the news to spread. When that happened, the Overseer would undoubtedly learn about it and promptly sever his original communication channel.

…

In Moran Avigny's villa.

Angoulême de François, the captain of the Purifier mobile team directly under Trier's diocese, had been prepared and swiftly arrived at the scene.

After listening to the on-scene Purifiers' report and assessing the scene, Angoulême frowned.

"A member of the Aurora Order?"

Not Hidden Blade and the others?

What are they up to!

Following a moment of reflection, Angoulême issued an order,

"Let's first suppress the news of Moran Avigny's incident to avoid alerting the individuals and factions behind this abnormality. We may still have an opportunity to uncover clues and proceed with our investigation."

This was his experience and a process the Purifiers were already familiar with.