Kyle's cooking turned out to be incredibly tasty and aromatic.
Lein ate with such pleasure that at one point he even licked the oil from his fingers.
"Мy stomach says I'm full, but my eyes still want more..." — he said with a regretful sigh.
Kyle nodded with a proud expression:
"Yeah, I get that," — he said, licking his own fingers.
Lein sighed.
"Well... we've eaten. Time to read... the book."
Kyle glanced at him:
"You planning to take off the blindfold?" — he asked, wiping his hands on his clothes.
Lein shook his head.
"Of course not. What, you think I want more problems?"
Kyle raised a doubtful brow:
"You seriously expect... me to read it to you?"
Lein silently gave a thumbs up.
"You do know I'm sitting to your right," — Kyle noted, noticing the thumb aimed straight at the campfire.
Lein cleared his throat.
"Anyway, there's no choice. You do want to save your tribe, don't you?"
At that, Kyle fell silent.
"Kyle?"
Then came a quiet sigh and his voice:
"My tribe... I don't want to save them."
Lein froze.
"Why?"
With a note of anger, Kyle spoke a terrible truth:
"Because they killed everyone I cared about!.. And you know why?"
Lein stayed silent.
"Because their 'god' told them to! A mighty deity wanted the lives of mere mortals."
He paused, then continued:
"Even Velva... He was killed for learning the truth. I want them all dead."
Lein stood and walked toward Kyle's voice, still filled with rage. He could hear his heavy breathing and still smell the grease on him. Sitting down beside him, Lein thought for a moment, then said:
"You know, when I was a kid, I used to wonder about the meaning of life. Yeah, I was that kind of child — my friends still laugh about it. One day, I realized there is no meaning. There's only desire — and that gives life its meaning. Once I understood that... I saw that everyone acts according to their desires. Sure, some people want terrible things. But some want good — not just for themselves."
Kyle looked at him:
"So which are you? The ones who want good for others?"
Lein gave a faint smirk:
"No. I'm a selfish man who only wants happiness for himself."
Kyle was about to answer, but Lein went on:
"And what I want... is safety. I want the people I care about to be safe."
Kyle frowned:
"And what exactly are you saying?"
Lein's smirk widened:
"What do you think I'd do if someone threatened the people I love?"
"Kill them?" — Kyle guessed.
Lein chuckled.
"Kill? Just kill? No... that's far too merciful. I'd do more than that. I'd shatter their world, crush every hope they have, destroy everyone they love. And if I have to... I'll wipe out their entire kind."
Kyle swallowed hard.
Leit's language had a strange property — it conveyed the speaker's desires with perfect clarity.
His rage.
His fury.
His... sorrow.
He calmed himself, then turned to Kyle:
"If they wronged you, make them pay. Don't just kill them — prove their god is a lie. Break their minds. Kill their daughters, their sons, their lovers. Because once a man kills, he's not just a man anymore — he's a murderer. And those who stood by and did nothing... they're not just bystanders — they're accomplices. That's what I wanted to tell you."
Kyle sat in thought. A few minutes later, he looked at Lein with something like awe.
«Now that's cruel... but the meaning behind it — that's what scares me.»
"I didn't know you could speak like that!" — he admitted.
Lein cleared his throat, slightly awkward.
«Good. Now I know I can sacrifice his tribe if needed. I was worried Kyle might want to save them... Glad that's out of the way.»
Just as he considered his next steps, he remembered the book.
"Kyle, we got sidetracked. Read the book," — he said.
Kyle stood, walked to his bag, pulled out a small book with an eye symbol on the cover, and sat beside Lein again.
"Shall I begin?"
"Yes," — Lein replied.
«This is my last chance... Don't let me down.»
Kyle cleared his throat and opened the book:
— «The Mirror People. Beings born from within mirrors. A cult hated by all gods, scorned by every world. No one knows their true origin. No one knows where they dwell. Even after centuries of study, no answers have been found. But one thing is clear: these beings seek to replace the people of Reality with themselves. They want to switch places with us — to find freedom and peace. That is their dream.»
At those words, Lein felt a mild headache.
«Damn... this really is forbidden knowledge.»
Despite the pain, he listened on.
— «So far, we've identified only a few levels in their path of ascension. Yes — they're supported by an evil deity.»
Lein grabbed his temples.
"Ugh..."
Kyle looked at him.
"Should I stop?" — he asked hesitantly.
Lein hesitated, then shook his head.
"Keep going," — he rasped.
"Alright..."
Kyle read on, voice calm and steady.
— «Each path of ascension has its own number of levels. Some have five, others ten. That's just an estimate — only the gods know the true count. However, our tracking of the cult suggests that their path contains three known levels. Again: these are only confirmed stages.»
Kyle paused. Lein looked pale, his breathing labored and face drenched in sweat.
"Lein... maybe we should stop. We don't need to know everything at once..."
Lein shook his head.
"I can take it. I'm not rushing. I'm... building tolerance. This kind of knowledge doesn't kill you outright — so we keep going. I can feel my mind adapting..."
Kyle sighed and continued:
— «Their path is called the Path of Distortion, with three known levels.
First: Mirror Persona — the weakest stage. Minimal recorded activity. Even normal humans can handle them.
Many scholars believe Mirror People are born with this stage — it's a strong hypothesis.
Second: Mirror Demon — a highly dangerous being. Capable of invading souls, seizing control of bodies, manipulating mirrors, and killing with the Gaze of Truth.
According to top researchers, a trace of divine power remains in their eyes. Accidentally locking eyes with one... likely means death.
Third and last: Mirror Devil. We have little information. It's not publicly disclosed. Just know — for an ordinary person, meeting one means certain death.
That ends the Church of the God of Knowledge's findings. For more information, contact the Church directly and obtain proper clearance.
Year 1450, Day 12, Month 3.
Publisher: Church of the God of Knowledge.» — Kyle finished and sighed.
"Way too complicated..." — he muttered.
Lein exhaled.
"That's all?" — he asked, barely conscious.
"Yeah. I read it when I was twelve. The rest is just references and data. Nothing new."
Lein clenched his jaw.
«Not enough on the Mirror Demon...»
He now had to prepare for countless risks.
«Still... I've learned something. Even a fragment of truth is worth the pain.»
But just as he tried to think further, his vision suddenly — and treacherously — began to darken...