There was a feeling of weightlessness, as if she was floating, and then before fear could take root, Izabel was ba solid ground.
All arouhere were ptforms of differis, f a circle that surrounded a much rger ptform in the middle. Each ptform has two people, oanding oform itself, the other floatihe former. Right o them, there was a floating proje of a name, along with a numbered code. Other than the different codes and names, however, every siher person looked featureless, more like bck shapes made to resemble humans. The ptforms themselves stood on brang, metallic spires crag with energy, sharp-edged veins decorating each of the metal. Izabel looked down, and she saw that the metal branches verged down, into an abyss covered in darkness, preventing her from seeing anything. Other than the abyss below and the ptforms, the background were predominantly washed in blues, the shades fading into darkness as they got closer to the abyss.
Below her feet, Izabel saw that the ptform was glowing in a mixture e and white, a circle of fire surrounding her feet. Despite the apparent bze, she felt at all.
o her, the proje said:
[ID: HUNTER#101]
“Hey, you, uh, Hunter? What is going on here?” a voice asked from Izabel’s right side.
As she expected, the owner of the voice was featureless, ao the shape, there roje that said [CARCOSA#316]. The voice sounded distorted, each word eg in different tohat renders any attempt at dising their identity useless. Below them, the ptform was shining with the brilliance of hardened, golden light, with shards of the same color fluttering down with the gentleness of dried leaves.
“I don’t know, to be ho,” Izabel admitted, then, she called for her panion in her mind. “Hunter? What is this all about?”
“I am uo tell you anythiher. I have no information,” Hunter answered. “Right now, all we do is wait, but sidering our situation, it seems that the person who invited us here seem to think it was beneficial to hide everyone’s identity behind these featureless shapes and their Mirror Avatar names.”
“Obviously, this is the work of someone who gave us access to this app, what do you think? At least, that much is certain.” A slightly miffed voice chimed into the versatioo them, the proje said [ADLER#007], and their ptform was glowing in a light purple with streaks simir to the branches of a flowchart.
“Hey, now, there is no need for insults. This is not an everyday situation.” Another voice chimed in. The proje o them said [AQUILA#749], and their ptform was a brilliant, metallic silver that looked sturdy. However, there was nothing else notable.
“Still, this is practically something a kid could e up with. Are you telling me no one here is capable of drawing clusions, of all things?” Adler replied. Not even the distortion from the voice filter was able to hide their sarcasm.
“Okay, that is enough bickering for the day. The answers will e soon, and whether you’re right , it doesn't even matter.” Someone else chimed in. Izabel looked at the projected ID, [PESTILENCE#147], and below them, the ptform was made of tiny cubes, eae dotted with glowing white. Each cube looked like a miniature slice of the sky, and some of the individual cubes rotated around the rge ptform, like celestial objects bound by gravity.
No soohahe words left Pestilence’s mouth did the ter ptform start to shift. The middle part of it seemed to flicker and break into rainbow-colored blocks of light, and then, someone rose from the crack. Just like the others, they were featureless, but there was only one person, and the projected tag said [CORDIS#404]
[To all users of Heart Mirror residing in Dome-09, wele to Cordis, a safe virtual space, free from the Primeras’ influend eyes. To protect each user’s identity, each user will be referred uhe names of their Mirror Avatars, uhe user has chosen to reveal themselves.]
The distorted voice was apanied by subtitles projected into all the audience’s eyes. After a quice, Izabel used the time to look around, trying to dis hoeople were invited here.
“65, it seems,” Hunter chimed in.
“That is su arbitrary number… If it to me, 100 would be more practical.”
Before Hunter could say anything, Cordis once again spoke.
[Before we begi me inform you that this message is pre-recorded. You may call me Cordis, the very name of the virtual space we all currently stand on. We all are united in our dissatisfa towards the Primeras, as tracked by your coeffit fluctuations on the pre-modified Mirror system lio the Vitae.]
Cordis gestured to their surroundings, and with that, the sery ged for a moment, an array sisting of hundreds of colors bleeding into the area. The blue shades returned before anyone could dis what happened.
[I have unlocked access to the Team Assig Searunity board. There, you will find what you o do to start breaking free from the Primeras’ trol.]
“Wait, I have a question,” someone spoke up. Their proje said [LEGACY#450], while the ptform they stood on seemed to be made of bones. If oakes a closer look, it would be clear that tiny creatures roam on the surface of the bones. “I know that you must be deeply involved in this Heart Mirror business sidering you call us all here, but that doesn't mean you are on our side. How we be sure that you’re not on their side too?”
[Legacy, designation number 450. To answer your question…]
Cordis poiheir hand at Legacy, and then, they gripped the air with an overwhelming force.
There was the beginning of a scream, but they faded barely right after one sylble came out, the rest cut into silence as Legacy’s form from the waist down broke into thousands of glitched lights at Cordis’ and. In trast, the floating figure on the same ptform remained intact, and though their expressions were not visible, their body nguage seemed as if they were close to shaking their head from exasperation.
[if I were on their side, it would be easy to discard all the seeds of rebellion from this pce right alease be mindful of your words.]
Everyo silent, their pause thid palpable in the air. After what felt like ay, someone spoke up.
“Now that is iing. Cordis, answer me now, do you happen to be—” A pyful voice spoke up. A look at the dire of the source revealed a pair of almost equally tall figures standing on a pink ptform surrounded by criss-crossing strings and wires of simir color. On the proje, it said [EYE#819].
[Eye, designation number 819. I am happy to see that you both are already well-acquainted, and already found the iy number system, however… please refrain from altering the iy number distribution without any apparent need.]
“Heh, alright, I’ll save that for ter,” Eye replied, “You ’t exactly fault us from beied, though.”
“Okay, putting that aside, you’re the only one I saw so far who doesn’t like the Primeras, disting Carcosa here. So, I guess we trust you for now,” The person who stood on the golden ptform said, “Let’s get to the things we actually deal with. What is this board thing?”
“Ah yes, it’s not like they just told you what it is,” Adler piped up.
“Pipe down, smartass,” Carcosa fired back, irritated. “No one is asking you.”
“It is likely something simir to the notiission board you’d see on some of the Primeras’ provided eai media, particurly those that involved you stepping in a role of a benevolent force, or a part of an anization with simir motif. I see the appeal, really, though to me it looked no different than pleting the system instruinus the whole, you know, actually aplishing anything.” Adler said, “How close am I, Cordis?”
[You are correct. Though, Adler, designation number 007, I will have to warn you the same way I did with Eye, designation number 819. I am happy to see you both are already well-acquainted, and already found the iy number system, however, please refrain from altering the iy number without any apparent o note, however, your alteration was of a lesser degree, so I suppose there is less of a problem.]
Cordis looked around at all the gathered people, then they tinued.
[To tih Adler’s answer, you may access the board from your Heart Mirror app. Select the “TASC” menu and you will see a tutorial mission. It is nothing too grand, simply a little thing to get you all started]
Izabel, and everyone else looked at the device strapped to their wrist, and then, they did as Cordis instructed. After seleg the menu, a simple list rojected in front of their eyes, sisting of two items.
[1. Tutorial Mission: Team Formation]
[For now, I will annouhe team distribution. All distributions have been calcuted based on the projected efficy of each member.]
Cordis waved their hand, and with that, the ptforms started to shift and shuffle around. Caught off-guard, Izabel almost stumbled.
[Team formation:]
[Pestilence - #147]
[Bar - #018]
[Hunter - #101]
Izabel looked at the two ptforms closest to her. One was familiar, the figure who stood on a ptform made of white-dotted bck cubes, with smaller cubes orbiting around the big ptform. However, the other one, Bar, was hey stood on a ptform made of green, thorned vines, with buds on the cusp of blooming dotting the edges of the circle.
“So, we are a team, huh? Hello, I guess, Hunter and Bar,” Pestilearted. “We’re together nht? I’m Pestilence, as you see, but holy, this name is a mouthful, so…”
The bck color surrounding the figure started to fall away, and with it, so did the voice filter, revealing a cheerful feminine voibsp;
“… Call me Valerie instead. I’m Valerie dum. o meet you both! As you may have figured, the oo me is the actual Pestilence.”
Valerie was smiling, her smile so sihat it brightened her gray eyes. Her hair itch-b the outside, while the inside was dyed blue, creating a beautiful trast.
o her, a man wearing a long, white cloak was floating, possessing blue eyes and a messy, turquoise colored hair that went down to his upper back. His gaze radiates a sense of kihat trasts with his rather uling name. On top of his head, rests a white hood decorated with a pair of cute rabbit ears. Pestilence didn’t speak, but he gave a nod and a smile of aowledgement at the other two.
“Hey, Hunter? Should we?” Izabel said in her mind. “What if Cordis misjudged someone? Won’t giving my identity be a risk?”
“sidering our situation, ces are we’ll be going with them for some time. No harm in f camaraderie,” Hunter replied. “I don’t sense anything dangerous for now, too. Do it, I’ll watch your back.”
“If you say so…”
“I— “Bar started, sounding a little unsure, “I’m Cire, o meet you, Valerie, and… Hunter? As with Valerie, the oo me is Bar.”
Just like Valerie, the disguise was unraveled, revealing a shreen-eyed girl with brown hair dressed in a casual outfit. Her expression suggested that she rarely talked, her words ing out unsure.
o Cire, a woman at least a head taller than her was floating zily, sitting on a spear the way a stereotypical witch would sit on her broom. No, perhaps it would be more accurate to say that the woman’s appearance evokes a stereotypical witch seen in some of the Primeras’ more fantastical eai options, who would grant wishes in exge for a ce to cause chaos iure. Everything she wore, from the bck, pointed hat down to her dress and her sharp heels, evoke the stereotype, ily making her wavy blonde hair stand out more. Her emerald eyes twinkled with the sparkle of mischief as she gave both Izabel and Valerie a knowing smile.
“Alright, so you are Cire, and how about you, Hunter?” Valerie turo look at Izabel.
“I’m Izabel, and yeah, this is Hunter,” Izabel introduced herself, feeling a weight has been lifted from her shoulders. She hat she didn’t realize there was a weighing fortil it was lifted. Hunter respoo the two with a quiod.
“o meet you, Izabel. Pestilence said hello to the both of you, too.” Valerie said, and her partner waved, his smile radiating an unwavering siy.
“Hey, Hunter, don’t you want to say something? You were the one who put me up to this, you know. The least you do articipate in the versation.”
“Unfortunately, I am uo do so. As your Mirror Avatar, I am sidered as an isoted presehat gs to your mind, both in the dome and in Cordis, so you must give me permission for that. I’ll teach you ter,” Izabel said while shaking her head.
[Get to know your teammates and try to work together. I swear on my hat as long as you work together, I will free your nds from the influence of the self-procimed stewards. Now! If there are no more questions, you start with the tutorial mission. Check the details on your board, accessible both in here and in the dome.]
“Wait!” Someone excimed. Izabel was uo dis the source, but it seems that everyohere shared a simir se. Voices follow theirs at almost the same time.
However, there was no response from Cordis, and with a fsh of light, Izabel felt herself beiless once more.
