The shop had a secret. Everyone knew the main desk, where normal buyers went to make their purchases, but behind the massive golden door, only VIPs could enter. Why make it so shiny, so obvious, if only a select few were allowed? I had to see for myself.
Being a VIP required money, and even though I'd finished reading the forbidden roll, a kid my age couldn't just stroll in unnoticed. Sneaking in with invisibility magic wouldn't work-they would sense it. How could I discover the truth behind that door without being caught? Hmm... leave that to the great future king, Xiver Wisdom.
In this world, phones didn't exist. Instead, we had "signals"-ancient devices, almost like old-school phones, where you had to speak a person's name aloud to contact them. Using a signal, I made a reservation for a "business discussion" tomorrow. Once I sold the roll, I'd grab some proper clothes and prepare myself.
"Don't move."
A knife pressed into my back. The tall thug from before grinned. "Would you care to bleed here, now, or come with me?"
I didn't resist. I followed his orders, already knowing what to do if the opportunity to run presented itself. My mana was dangerously low, though, and that worried me.
As we walked, I noticed the short thug lying unconscious.
"Do you know what happened to him?" the tall one asked.
"Your point?" I said.
"Let's just say I put him into a long sleep."
I stayed silent, uneasy.
The tall guy leaned in close, whispering into my ear. "Can't you see it? We're alike. From the same world as you."
What? My heart thumped so fast, sweat pooling at my temples. How could he know? How could this happen?
"Seeing someone your age doing what you do... it doesn't make sense. No... it makes perfect sense. For us. Now tell me... how do you plan to run away with that little mana of yours?"
My throat tightened. Tears stung my eyes.
"Oh, little kid, gonna cry?" he mocked. "Do you know why I put him to sleep? Why you'll be next? He was just a horny degenerate. But you... I envy you. Hate you. We came from the same place, arrived here the same way... so why am I stuck in this filth while you live among royalty?"
I swallowed hard. "Are you... going to kill me?"
"Hah! Kill you?" He laughed, a harsh, broken sound. "No. I was lonely. Finally, someone to speak with. Someone from the same world."
I asked quietly, "Is there a way to go back... to reality?"
Silence fell. His eyes burned into mine, filled with anger.
"Why would you go back to that cruel world?" he snarled. "Here, we can live like the stories we loved-elves, magic, powers... I wanted that life! So why am I a bum here?!"
I swallowed hard.
"But now that you're here... I know about you," he hissed. "The blonde girl told me everything."
I thought fast. Two possibilities ran through my mind: one, it's a simulation; two, the blonde girl knows too much. Then a third, darker thought: he's been watching me since I was born.
His voice cracked with rage. "I should've been royalty! Not some spoiled brat enjoying heaven while I rot!"
Then he smirked, almost gleeful. "That little girl... hah. I used a forbidden roll to peek into her mind. The old lady with glasses told her everything. She knows your origin."
The blonde girl. My pulse quickened. I had to protect her. She was important. But my mana... I was completely spent.
What could I do? How could I stop him?
Hmmm... well, well, well. I think I might be on one of the lucky days of my life. Magic in this world had three types: Manipulation, Divine, and Sorcery. For my little investigation with the maid, Divine magic was exactly what I needed-perfect for healing, fixing, or entertaining a baby.
The scene shifted. The blonde girl was tied up in chains, but I managed to transfer a bit of mana-just 1/10 of my own, plus 0.5 from her. That tiny boost already felt like a win.
Xiver: "Well, with all those chains and my low-rank magic-"
The tall guy laughed, cutting me off.
Tall guy: "Low rank? Hahahaha! You can just say I lied."
My heart sank. I had hoped he really had a low rank. Now, how could I escape? The girl could help me, but I needed to survive first.
Suddenly, he noticed nothing. The blonde girl quietly sent her mana to me from behind. I used that 0.5 to send him jumping a few centimeters into the air, his feet lifted by air magic. The knife in my back felt lighter. I could finally face him.
Xiver: "Don't you think holding a knife on a kid this young is pathetic?"
Tall guy: "For a kid doing what you're doing? That instantly makes you an adult in my eyes."
We faced each other. Nothing left but the fight for survival. My mana was 1/10; his probably 7/10 at worst. Still, the knife in my hands matched his. A smirk formed on my face.
He launched fire magic at me. I activated invisibility, carrying the girl with me. My mana dropped to 0.5/10. He could sense me, but I had the upper hand-using chains on the blonde girl, I pulled the piece of paper from the forbidden book. Her mana, though small, was enough to give us a boost.
The girl's strength surprised me. She wasn't as small as me, so I used her mana to run farther. We hid in a house chimney on the rooftop. He lost track, his magic weakening. The chains fell away from her.
Blonde girl: "Bhaaa... Hah... Hah... Hah... Finally, I can breathe."
Xiver: "I need the rest of your mana."
Blonde girl: "No way! I just wanted you to get us out of here-I didn't expect you to be this... reckless."
Xiver: "Listen. We lost him because of the paper. We need to make it harder for him to find us."
Blonde girl: "We need help."
Xiver: "Think! We're not in a safe neighborhood. We need to be smart."
My plan was simple: Reflection Magic. A fake mirror to trick him, letting the knife pierce through him while he thought he was attacking me.
Blonde girl: "I understand."
I blinked. She actually understood and agreed to cooperate.
Blonde girl: "I'll help you... because I know you can do it. But it won't help much."
Even for a Divine user, transferring all of his mana would take two minutes. We had time to wait.
One minute passed. Then his voice erupted:
Tall guy: "I FOUND Y'ALL!!!"
The blonde girl froze, afraid-but between my Manipulation and Sorcery, I knew we could win.
I leapt from the rooftop, landing into a pile of rotting garbage with a soft crunch. Sparks of residual fire magic fizzed around me, and the tall man hissed in frustration as the heat licked his hands.
"Ugh... a mirror world?" he growled.
"Yes," I said, catching my breath. "One of the most forbidden. Using it is practically a war crime. The downside? It's a one-time deal."
"How did you even get your hands on it?" he demanded, eyes narrowing.
"I was waiting for the right moment," I said. "It came from one of my father's books."
His lips curled in annoyance. "Infuriating. It's... too easy to adapt to. I can't just ignore what I see and strike the magic I sense."
"That's true," I replied, a hint of a smirk crossing my face. "But you forgot one thing-I'm a divine magic user."
He froze as he felt the surge of mana in his hands. Reflexively, he sent another fireball my way, but this time, his own hand caught some of the burn.
"Ughhh! Sneaky little-! You were just here!" he shouted, panic flashing in his eyes.
"Yeah. And thanks for dropping your knife," I said calmly.
For divine users like me, mana could be infused into objects. If I poured my power into his hand, he would sense it-and react-but the knife itself? Untouched. I had to time it perfectly; once my mana hit zero, the trick would end.
"Haha... it's been interesting," he sneered, blood trickling down his arm. "But I think it's time we say goodbye. Knowing your origin from the day you were born-that's the most precious thing that brat could ever have."
"You're obsessed with me, aren't you?" I shot back. "Tell me... you have a crush?"
He roared in fury and unleashed another fireball. I slid the knife into his stomach, striking the fake image of me created by the mirror magic from the forbidden roll.
The blonde girl poured the last of her mana into the mirror attack. The effort was enormous; she collapsed, panting and weakened. I watched the tall man's body convulse as blood poured down his front.
He made one last desperate attempt, casting a chain spell to bind me. My movements slowed-I couldn't fight back. The mirror paper was meant for the perfume store, but that plan had vanished with its single-use rule. Still, as his blood dripped, his mana weakened. The chains slackened, his eyes dimming, and I slowly freed myself.
I looked down at him, the life slipping from his body. Any trace of humanity left in me... I had lost it.