A thud followed by a click of a lock jolts Hong Lu to awareness.
There's one blink, two, quickly followed by a third.... Where is he exactly? There is a dim hallway ahead of him, the flickering lights painting the room with a dusky sepia.
Behind Hong Lu is a metal door, teal in color. The door to the Mirror Dungeon.
Hong Lu doesn't remember entering the Mirror Dungeon... Actually, he doesn't remember much of anything recent. Did he happen to sleepwalk here? Was he teleported? How odd~.
Hong Lu's typical guandao rests in his hands, a sign that someone wanted Hong Lu to be here. Was it Hong Lu himself? Or perhaps it was a third party? Mmm, it's not Hong Lu's place to question these events. It is what it is, after all. With the door behind him locked and the hallway in front of him unexplored, Hong Lu starts his journey forward.
Fighting comes easy to Hong Lu. After a childhood of training to survive assassination attempts, his reflexes typically surpass the ability of any normal human. Though... Any abnormalities he faces will be future Hong Lu's problem, he's only focusing on what is in front of him right now.
It's only after he has made his way out of a room filled with Twinhook pirate corpses that the realization that something is extremely wrong dawns on Hong Lu.
Before Hong Lu is a forked road. There are two doors ahead of him. Typically, Hong Lu defaults to heading left. It's easier to find out where you've been if you always go the same way, after all.
Yet, there's this nagging feeling that Hong Lu needs to go right. Even when Hong Lu tries to fight this feeling of wrongness, nausea builds up in his stomach as he reaches for the left door.
...Perhaps Hong Lu will go right. His sixth sense is almost never wrong. If his body is trying to guide him to victory, then it's Hong Lu's job to listen to its command.
So Hong Lu presses on his adventure, going right instead.
Wherever the 6th Sinner's body is leading him is off the normal path of the typical Mirror Dungeon run. Hong Lu finds himself beelining to doors like a moth attracted to a flame. Some doors are hidden in hallways, while others lead to long staircases. This new journey has Hong Lu skipping most fights. Though, it quickly becomes obvious that the man has zero clue where he is anymore.
The only thing Hong Lu can do is trust his sixth sense.
Hong Lu opens what must be the hundredth door in his way, only for the feeling of wrongness suddenly slam into him.
Something is extremely unsettling with this floor. Perhaps it is more unstable than the other parts of the Mirror Dungeon that Hong Lu has explored.
Whatever Hong Lu is looking for is close.
In front of him is a long rectangular room with... Ten doors? Eleven, if you count the door Hong Lu just walked out of.
Yet, Hong Lu's eye immediately catches on the second furthest door on the left. A bland wooden door, one that is not unlike a bedroom door. It looks quite flimsy and worn.
That door is where Hong Lu needs to be.
The 6th Sinner's grip shifts on his weapon, his fingers digging in slightly. A gentle smile appears on his face as he relaxes his eyes to appear more approachable.
Hong Lu stalks forward, clearing his throat as he crosses the room.
"...Hello there, is anyone in there? ...Mmm, I'm not hearing anything." Hong Lu makes sure to keep his voice light and unbothered. It's likely an abnormality or some new form of peccatulum that will immediately attack upon entering, but startling such a creature would likely only end poorly for Hong Lu. He'll start by showing he's not a threat.
"I'm going to open the door now, okay? Ah, let me know if you don't want me here though~." With that gentle warning, Hong Lu allows his fingers to rest on the handle and push the door open.
Tilting his head playfully, Hong Lu looks inside.
…What would be waiting for Hong Lu on the other side, would be hard to describe.
It was… For all intents and purposes, the Sͤᶫiͤnͮnͤeⷫrͭʰ, hands sͨhͪaͣkͥiⷫnͤgͩ, and yet, something about thͥeͭm was deeply wͬrͥᵍoͪnͭg. A noise like a whimͩpⷱeͥrⷫᵍ escaped iͭtͪsͤᶤʳ ͭmͪoͬuͦtͣhͭ, and for a moment, it would seem almost like tͥhͭey were cͩrⷱyͥiⷫᵍng. A garbled mess of n̾oͭiͣsͭeͥᶜ which fell from iͭtͪsͤᶤʳ mouth like that of a pᶠeͣcͥᶫcͧaͬtͤula, and yet… It was not the mͥiⷫsͨsͦhͫaⷬᶫpͤeͭnͤ nͭoͬiͣs̾eͪ of one of their ͥ ͫvͥoͭiͣcͭeͥsͦᶰˢ, but rather the anguished mͧu̾mͤᶫbͤl̾i̾ngs, ᶠmͣuͭrͪmͦuͫᶫrͤi̾n̾gs of the Sͤiͫnⷬnͭeⷱr who sat upon tͥhͭe̾ir k̾nͭeͧeͫsⷬˢ, and whose fⷡᶫiͦnͦgͩeⷱrs scratched eͨnͤdͣl̾eͤᶫsͤs̾l̾ᶫyⷱ at the ground, in search of sͣoⷫmⷱeͭtͪhͥiⷫᵍng.
In ͩsͤe̾aⷬrͤcͬhͣᵗᵉ of a ᵍcͬoͦmͧfⷫoͩrͥtⷫᵍ that t̾hͪeͤy would not find.
“Sh… Shut up…” the ̾vͭoͣiͭcͥeͨ was stⷬrͣaͥiⷫnͤeͩd, and yet, the way it came about was almost pⷬaͥtͭhͥeͣtⷡᶫiͤc; and clearly not aimed at Hong Lu. “Of course, I… I don’t want these promises to be hollow, anymore,” tͪhͤeͬir ᵠvͧoͣiⷦcͥeⷫᵍ came out like a ⷬwͣhͭiͪmͤpͭeͥrͨ, eyes streaming teͦaͥᶫrs as thͪeͤy stared forwards at s̾oͦmͫeͤtͦhⷫinͤg that the ̾Sͥiⷫxⷫtͤhͬ couldn’t see. “I don’t want to have to bear that weight as a person anymore, I don’t…”
Tͥhͭe̾ir Vͧo̾iͤᶫcͤe̾ˢ grew silent, and ⷡhͬaͦnⷦdͤsⷫ… Paused, for a moment, as ͭ ͪiͤtⷱ sⷡᶫcͦrͦaͩpͥeͤdͩ, against the wooden floorboards. The sⷲoͣbͥᶫs̾ didn’t stop, however; instead growing more fⷬeͣvⷫeͥrͨiⷦsͤhͩ, and high-pitched as thͪeͤy glanced ͪ ͤuͣpͮwͤaⷫrⷲdͣsͬᵈˢ, towards aͣn uⷡnͬlͥᵍiͪtͭ sky, and let out a pͭaͬtͧᶫhⷱetic, s̾nͦiⷡvⷡeͥlⷫᵍing sⷲoͣuͥᶫnd. “N… No! I never said that, I just… I… I don’t want to let anyone down, anymore…! Of course I want to help them, more than anything else! More than…” hͪeͥr̾ voice trailed off, and…
For a moment, a brief, pⷡᶫlͤe̾a̾dͤiͩng moment, sͭhͪeͤʸ seemed to notice it, the ᵍdͣoͭoͤrⷲᵃʸ to hͥeͭr̾ side, was ajar, and… Hͪeͥr̾ eyes stared at Hᶠoͬnͥgͤ ⷫLͩu with an uⷲnͣsͮtͤeͬaͥdⷫᵍy, uͤnͫfⷬoͭcⷱused gaze. Shͪeͤ didn’t say anything, and yet what was there to say that tͪhͤeͬir eyes, splotchy and red from ͭhͪeͤrͥʳ sobs, didn’t?
What was there to be said, that the briefest reflection of Lⷲigͣhͬtͫ in Hͪeͥr̾ eyes didn’t?
