There is nothing unordinary about its appearance. It’s a skeleton wearing a black robe. And yet he sits on the throne while the more grandeur-looking being is standing beside him. That Draugr, it’s not the first time I’ve seen such a high-ranking Draugr, but its gilded appearance makes me nervous just by looking at his face with all those unsettling accessories.

! {Ethereal Encounter}

~ {Ludtleth, Ancient King of Death Overlord | Lv. ???}

At this moment, I’m in the middle of 4 Transcendental beings varied in rank. Me, who am only at my tens of levels surrounded by those who have reached thousands to the max.

No candle is lit in this throne room, but the light from the moon shines through the windowed wall, casting my shadow behind.

Malice grabbed my shoulder as Avarice gave a slight bow to the skeleton on the throne, “Lord Ludwig,” and another bow to the Draugr, “Lord Ludtleth.”

“As ordered, we have cleansed this traveler with the purity of a death slime. A pair of hands on the upcoming matter shall be much lighter.”

‘?’

‘I don’t get what she means, supposedly they want someone to do an errand, why me? And comrades, she said. With that thing sitting on the throne like that, there’s obviously a clear hierarchy to keep in mind here.'

'Ranks have been established no matter where you go, it seems.’

My eyes lock onto the skeleton and he too at me. Although his eyes are not that of an eye but rather a simple white dot, I know he’s looking at me. It’s like a condensed beam.

“What did she look like?”

His dread voice, it’s just as I remembered.

“The very same, but without these.”

‘?’ I raised my brow in confusion, ‘Without what? My face?’

Then I noticed Ludwig’s dot of an eye flaring in silver, “Hrrmm.”

“If you would allow me to speak, my lord.”

“Ludtleth. Hm, go ahead.”

The Draugr approached with his head held high, “Despite her circumstances, standing here with the rest of us. Even in the presence of the lord, her eyes remain as sharp as it is now.”

“Have you nulled the sense of fear, Traveler?”

Sweating, “W-Well, truth is. I’m about to piss my pants right now.”

He’s coming closer and closer to a point where he had to lean down to face me. I thought to myself, 'Did that annoy him? That's great, now if you only just kill me here. I wouldn't really mind. Bet I'd just restart anyway, and I can go to the North Gate then.'

“Is that so?”

Swallowing my saliva, “Wh-Why brought me here, and why me exactly?”

“Why? You have an excellent figure.”

Another sweat dripped from my cheek, ‘Is he flirting with me or just toying with me?’ not only that he’s tall, his appearance is truly a disturbing sight, “An excellent figure, you say.”

“Yes.”

He leans back, “You are here to serve our lord, the Undead God Lehdrith. Plead your loyalty to Purgatory, or suffer under the eternal hell of the abyss.”

Those decayed eyes of his stares at me.

“Doesn't seem to leave me with a lot of choices there.”

“…”

*Choke*

My eyes widened as my body lifts in the air. It hurts, how this draugr’s hand not only lifted my body but also grasped my neck tightly like I'm some kind of animal.

“Which of the two options do you choose?”

Avarice and Malice are not intervening, the same as Ludwig. Thinking about it like this saddened me somewhat, like, I genuinely have no worth at all. It’s the same as back then when I have fallen from the Mithra household, how everyone sees me like I’m nothing but a burden. Or how when I went to the Desolated Sector with nothing next to my name. Now in this world where all my accomplishments have merely become memories, where all those precious events with Rakuri and Kurira, never happen.

“I’ll serve.”

I really am a nobody, huh.

…

Everything has gone dark.

“What the? Where am I? Wait, I died from that?”

‘No, this feels... weird."

This sense of discomfort, like I'm awake in my dream. My body is glowing and it’s lighting up the area around me, but I don’t see anything. That feeling kicks in again, the feeling of being watched from behind.

I turned around and sees a mirror.

Just a tad bit over my height, I found another me in the mirror wearing not a single piece of cloth even though right now, I’m still wearing these rags. But her face.

'It’s the same as I look like in real life, does that mean it’s a dream and not in-game? Considering that I can think of that, then it must be.’

I approach it closer, and my chest started tightening, but I endure it. Doesn’t seem to be unordinary, and the frame of the mirror is as simplistic as it gets, but it’s wide. Way too wide, and it keeps extending, the height too.

Feels like the mirror has become a reflective wall now.

I look at myself in the mirror, and then checked my forearms to the back of my hands. Something feels odd. I know my body well, and it’s not supposed to be this unsettlingly weak.

‘Is it because I went back in time?’

I've thought about it but thinking about it more, I can see the value of something so pure. So much different than my modified body years in the future. It’s somewhat… reassuring.

“Hehe.”

My eyes peeled after hearing that chuckle. No longer mimicking me, the me in the mirror, staring at me without even blinking an eye.

“Feel free to laugh,” she said, “After all, you’ve been through far worse than just some nightmare that came out of nowhere.”

“So, you know things. I would prefer if you would be quiet.”

“Mean! Don’t be so stiff. Want me to rub one out for you?” gesturing inappropriately.

Glaring down at her.

“Ahaha, you mad! Boohoo, Siola is mad, Siola is mad!”

“Hunh, Siola. So, we’re not in-game then.”

“Siola is mad, Siola is mad!”

“Shut up!”

“Muhuh?! Munyumunyu!”

Acting all cutesy like that. Those are my signature moves she copies. Then again, this being a dream makes it even more unsettling. And the fact that I can’t wake up. When I cross my arms to see the weird antics of the me in the mirror, I see her crossing her arms too. But the expression she has is not the fluffy idiotic face, but a glaringly cold one.

“Siola Mithra.”

 The edges of my lips frowned, “Leave the latter.”

“April 3rd, 2055. Quite a blissful day for the Mithra to have me carrying their name to the next generation. It’s odd really. Just a few years. It’s astonishing, to say the least. How those years I’ve shown them a glimpse of what the future looks like for the Mithra.”

“Hey,” this damn mirror, “You better shut the fuck up.”