The world outside was chaos.
A man stole bread from a child while another filmed it, laughing. Flames licked the edges of abandoned buildings, smoke curling like the sigh of a dying city. The streets smelled of fire, sweat, and despair.
Above all of it, he sat quietly in a crumbling apartment, staring at his reflection in a cracked mirror.
Society called it The Choice. Two paths.Enter the Mirror and seek the truth… or remain in a world that was already falling apart.
Those who entered were called Seekers of Truth.Those who stayed were called the Content.
He didn't belong to either.
The Mirror's surface shimmered at the edge of the city — a vertical lake of silver that split the sky. It rippled as if alive, reflecting everything and nothing at once.
Then the Mirror spoke. Not aloud, but inside his mind:
"To enter through me, answer this.""What is the first fragment of truth?"
Around him, people screamed prayers, begged, cried — hoping the Mirror would let them in.
He stayed quiet. He thought. He inhaled. And finally spoke:
"The first fragment of truth… is that everything real begins as a lie."
The Mirror pulsed once. Then the world bent. Gravity shifted. Light tore itself into pieces.
Darkness. Silence. Then:
[System initializing…]Welcome, Seeker.Current Level: FAwakened Ability: Perception of Desire (Passive)Weapon Acquired: Decent Sword [Rank: E]Hidden Fragment Detected: 1/∞
A translucent blue window hovered before him, displaying stats and powers.
He muttered,
"Status window…"
The data burned into his mind. He could see the desires of anyone nearby, the hidden truths people carried in their hearts. Every thought, every urge, was laid bare.
He flexed his fingers around the hilt of the sword. Light glinted off its blade — E-rank, "Decent Sword," but enough for what was coming.
And then, from the corner of his vision, his own reflection in the system window moved — not him, but something like him, smiling.
"Welcome home."
The Mirror pulsed again.The game had begun.