The false dusk bled too fast.
Aelric and Elara barely returned from the Clocktower before the city's silence shifted—the telltale pause before the night bared its teeth.
Elara clutched her chest, panic already rising.
"Four nights left. Just four… We can do this, right?"
Aelric's corrupted arm throbbed violently, black veins now spiderwebbing across his neck. His grin was thin, but sharp.
"If I fall, you run. If I break, you don't stop moving. That's the law."
Elara's eyes watered. "Don't say that—!"
But the sky cracked, cutting her words short.
---
> [Night 4 Commences.]
At first, no footsteps. No whispers. Only stillness.
Then—his own voice.
"…Elara."
She froze. The voice wasn't Aelric's. Not quite. It was softer, smoother… empty.
In the street, something walked into view.
A figure with his height. His hair. His stance. But its skin was gray static, its face hollow, and its right arm was nothing but writhing corruption.
Elara gasped. "Aelric—It's—"
"I know," he muttered, gripping his pipe tighter. His smile was sharp and terrifying. "It's me."
---
The hollow-Aelric tilted its head, empty sockets locking on them. Its voice was broken static, yet the words were clear:
You are already hollow. Give in.
> [System Notice: Corruption Threshold Detected.]
A Mirror Hollow has been born. Defeat it or be consumed.]
Elara grabbed Aelric's sleeve, terrified. "It's you! How do we fight—"
Aelric's eyes gleamed.
"Simple. I kill myself before it kills me."
---
The Mirror Hollow lunged. Faster, sharper than the others. Every swing of its corrupted arm sent shockwaves through the street.
Aelric barely dodged, his mind racing.
It moves like me. Thinks like me. Predicts me.
The hollow laughed—a distortion of his own voice.
You can't outthink yourself.
Aelric's grin widened. "You're wrong. I don't play fair."
He smashed a nearby lantern, scattering fire across the ground. The hollow leapt back—exactly as he predicted.
"Good," he muttered. "You're cautious. That means you bleed."
---
But the fight wasn't equal. Every strike Aelric landed, the hollow mirrored back—stronger, faster, cleaner.
His corrupted arm screamed with pain. His chest burned as whispers clawed at his mind.
> [Corruption Surge: +4%]
Current: 76%
Elara screamed, "Stop! You'll die—!"
But Aelric roared back, voice cracked yet burning:
"If I die tonight, it won't be to myself!"
---
The hollow rushed him again. Pipe met pipe—static met steel. Sparks exploded in the dark.
Aelric staggered, mind splitting from the strain. For a heartbeat, he saw double: the hollow's eyes staring, then his own reflection staring back.
What if I'm the hollow?
The thought almost broke him. The whispers surged louder.
You are us. You've always been us.
---
Elara's voice cut through the noise, raw and desperate:
"Aelric! You're not hollow—you're fighting for me!"
His vision snapped back. For a moment, clarity pierced the static.
The hollow twitched. Its movements faltered—just slightly.
Aelric's grin returned, bloody and cold.
"Of course. That's the difference between us."
He feinted left, then drove his corrupted arm forward—not the pipe, but the infection itself.
Black tendrils lashed out, piercing the hollow's chest.
The creature froze, static screaming as the corruption devoured itself.
---
> [Mirror Hollow defeated.]
Corruption Stabilized: -3%.]
Current: 73%
The hollow dissolved into fragments of static, scattering into the wind.
Aelric fell to his knees, chest heaving. His corrupted arm smoked, the veins throbbing but contained.
Elara rushed to him, clutching his shoulders.
"You… you almost—"
He cut her off with a ragged laugh.
"I told you, Elara. I don't lose to myself. That's the only rule I live by."
---
The System chimed, its cold voice echoing through the empty city.
> [Night 4 Survived.]
Remaining Nights: 3.
[New Condition Unlocked: Pendulum Mechanism Active.]
The Clocktower trial will begin at Night 5.]
Elara's tears fell silently. "Three nights left…"
Aelric leaned back against the broken wall, his corrupted hand twitching. His eyes burned with madness and brilliance.
"Good. That means the real game starts tomorrow."