“You…!”
Sandrone’s face instantly turned pale, her azure eyes widened, and he pointed a trembling finger at Columbina.
“It wasn’t a dream?!
You…
you really…!”
The blurry face he had seen upon waking from his coma yesterday, along with that fleeting glimpse from the night even earlier, completely overlapped with the crystal-clear image before him now.
Fear washed over his heart again like a cold tide, mingled with a sense of indignation at being watched—those bizarre encounters, the eerie returns, and perhaps even the tasteless dinner…
They could all be related to this non-human existence!
Columbina quickly adjusted her expression, making her floating posture appear more harmless, and her ethereal voice was deliberately softened.
“Hello, Sandrone.
Don’t be nervous, I mean no harm.
My name is Columbina, and as you can see, I currently…
live in this mirror.”
She pointed at the silver mirror that Sandrone had hidden deep under the bed, covered with an old cloth.
“Li…
Living in the mirror?”
Sandrone’s voice cracked.
She backed against the closed door as if it were her final barrier.
“That’s impossible!
What exactly are you?
A ghost?
A fairy?
Or some new kind of scam?”
She firmly believed in the laws of the physical world and simply could not accept such a supernatural existence, even though he had already witnessed an even more far-fetched battle with her own eyes.
“Strictly speaking, I’m not quite sure what I am right now either.”
Columbina shrugged.
“But the mirror is my…
well, my abode and my passage.
As for a scam?
Do you even have money?”
She gestured toward the dilapidated room.
“Then why are you here?
Why are you haunting me?”
Sandrone’s fear receded slightly, but her vigilance and hostility surged.
“Well…
it’s a bit complicated.
You can basically understand it as a connection having formed between the mirror and you, so I can’t go very far for the time being.”
Columbina avoided the main point, not mentioning the specific constraints of the blood contract.
“A connection?
What connection?
I don’t even know you!” Sandrone thought it was nonsense.
“For example…”
Columbina decided to show some evidence to convince her, as staying at a stalemate wasn’t a solution.
Then she had Sandrone take out the mirror and place it on the bed. Visit g.com for the full chapter.
She floated gracefully toward the bed.
“Watch.”
Under Sandrone’s astonished gaze, Columbina’s spirit form sank directly into the silver mirror like a reflection merging into water, vanishing from sight.
Immediately after, the mirror surface shimmered with Glimmer, and his figure slowly emerged from within, floating out once more while casually smoothing out the hem of his non-existent skirt.
“Do you believe me now?” Columbina tilted his head.
Sandrone opened her mouth but could not find any words.
She suddenly rushed over, grabbed the mirror, and inspected it over and over, even tapping the surface hard with her finger.
The mirror was cold and hard, reflecting her pale, frantic face; there was nothing unusual about it.
She reached out again to grab Columbina floating nearby, but her fingers passed through the translucent body without resistance, catching only a handful of cold air.
“…A supernatural phenomenon.”
Sandrone muttered to herself, finally forced to accept the most impossible explanation.
He put down the mirror and took a few steps back, leaning against the edge of the table, feeling a wave of weakness.
His worldview had been struck hard once again.
“You…
leave this place.”
He tried to make his voice sound firm.
“No matter who or what you are, leave my room!
I don’t want anything to do with…
with an existence like you!”
“I’d like to as well.”
Columbina spread his hands, her tone carrying a hint of helplessness.
“Unfortunately, I can’t leave.
There is a contract connection between the mirror and you, so I must stay nearby.”
“A contract?
What contract?
When did I ever sign a contract with you?!” Sandrone felt that the information she had received today had already exceeded her limit.
“Hmm…
probably when your finger was cut by the mirror and a drop of blood fell on it?”
Columbina prompted, her tone light.
Sandrone suddenly remembered the day he sold the mirror, that sudden sting on his fingertip and the disappearing bead of blood.
Her expression became even more unsightly.
“That was an accident!
I had no idea!
Dissolve it!
Dissolve it immediately!”
“Well…”
Columbina deliberately drawled, her spirit form floating a bit closer.
Although there was still some distance between them, that invisible pressure still made Sandrone’s hair stand on end.
“Once a contract is established, dissolving it unilaterally is quite troublesome…
There might be some backlash, like your height continuing to decrease, Mushrooms growing in certain places, or…
turning into a Marionette.”
She bluffed half-seriously, finding it quite amusing to see Sandrone tensely pursing her lips and unconsciously clutching the hem of his clothes.
Sandrone stared at the non-human existence before her; although the other’s tone was airy, that certainty did not seem feigned.
She thought of her recent bad luck, the bizarre gear, and the dreams…
Perhaps forcibly driving away or opposing this mirror spirit would bring even greater trouble.
She finally asked in a low voice, as if compromising, filled with deep exhaustion and wariness.
“I don’t want anything.”
Columbina’s tone became lighthearted again, as if the previous threat had just been a joke.
“I’ll just stay here and won’t disturb you…
well, as much as possible.
See, I didn’t even steal your Silver coins while you were out, right?”
She pointed at the untouched change on the table.
Sandrone took a look; indeed, none was missing.
But this did not put him at ease.
She took a deep breath and decided to adopt an ignoring strategy for the time being.
As long as this “Columbina” didn’t actively harm anyone, she would just treat her as an annoying roommate.
She walked over to the chair and sat down, beginning to organize her thoughts and review every detail of today’s interview.
However, Columbina was clearly not one to stay quiet.
“Sandrone~” the ethereal voice rang in her left ear.
“…” Sandrone ignored her.
“Sandrone, Sandrone~” The voice floated to his right ear.
“…” Sandrone continued to ignore him, his fingers unconsciously tracing the layout of Miss Star’s room on the tabletop.
“What did you go out for today?
Did you look for a job?
You seem to be in a good mood?”
Columbina was like a curious pigeon, floating around her.
Sandrone was distracted by the constant chatter.
Unable to bear it any longer, she suddenly turned her head, her azure eyes glaring with anger at Columbina, who was floating right in front of her with her chin resting on her hands.
“Can you be quiet?!”
“Oh—”
Columbina drawled, her spirit form floating back a short distance, striking a pained pose.
“Sandrone is being mean to me.”
Sandrone: “…”
She felt like he had punched cotton—no, she had punched the air; the other party didn’t even have a physical body!
A deep sense of powerlessness welled up.
She stopped trying to reason with this non-human existence, turned back, and tried to concentrate on his thoughts.
Miss Star’s test…
the patterns of those instructions, the hidden order of the items in the room…
She found that when he recalled it, the details were exceptionally clear, and the logical chain was incredibly smooth.
This was definitely not something he could have done before.
It really was that gear…
“So, what kind of job is it exactly, Master?”
Columbina’s voice drifted over faintly again, this time with a hint of a coaxing tone.
“Maybe I can help?
Although I can’t go out, I can…
help you analyze things.”
“And If you’re enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!”