"Wh… Who the hell are you?!" said Noah, staring into the mirror, his body sweating and his face pale with stress and confusion.
At that moment, his reflection in the mirror changed and smiled at him—a wide grin that revealed sharp canines.
"What do you mean? I am you," said Noah's reflection in a mocking, sarcastic tone.
"Don't mess with me! Who the hell are you?! What did you do to me?! And what is this place?!" Noah shouted, slapping his hand against the edge of the sink, his expression turning to irritation.
"I am you, and you are me, and together we are what we are. I did nothing to you, and I don't know this place. If you don't know where we are, and I am you, then that means I don't know either. Is that answer good enough for you?" said his reflection, the mocking tone still present.
"What nonsense are you talking about?! I am me, and you are not me! Who the hell are you?!" Noah asked, clenching his teeth in anger and frustration. He clearly hated being toyed with like this.
The reflection fell silent for a moment, then its smile widened even more. Suddenly, the mirror cracked, splitting the reflection's face in half, making Noah step back in shock.
"I am you... and I am everyone..." said the reflection as its body began to shift and transform—suddenly turning into Sirius Soren.
"W-What?!" Noah thought, stunned by the change.
"And everyone... belongs to me..." said the reflection. Then the mirror shattered again, and each shard transformed into a different person: Sirius, Lou Yan, Livia, Enel, Neriah, Callie, Erika, Blake, Derrick, Edgar—everyone Noah had met on his journey.
"And by me, I mean both of us..." said all the reflections in unison. Then the cracks healed, and they merged into one image again—Noah's reflection.
"We… are us… and we are the world..." said the reflection with a faint, sinister smile.
"W-What the hell is this?!" Noah thought, backing away until he hit the door—no escape.
"What you're afraid of is the truth. The truth of yourself. But don't worry, I won't hurt you—not ever. You can call on me whenever you like… just like you did at the theater," said the reflection, as both its pupils lit up, turning into glowing white quadrilateral shapes, pulsing faintly.
"That...!" Noah thought, nervous and confused, gripping the doorknob tightly, about to flee.
"And remember... we are the Identityless," the reflection said before vanishing from the mirror. Immediately, Noah left the bathroom.
"What was that?! What the hell was that?! What am I supposed to do now?!" Noah thought, stressed and lost, looking around, then toward the path where Sirius and Livia had gone.
"I want to escape... I need to focus on escaping. I can't waste time on this nonsense! I am me, not 'we'! That's who I am... I-I need to find Sirius and Livia first, m-maybe they can help me escape!" Noah thought as he began running toward where they had gone, tense and confused, his face grim and pale as snow.
———————
Outside, in the hospital room, Room 247, where Livia, Lou Yan, and Callie were, Neriah and Sirius finally arrived after receiving a call from Livia.
They entered and stood in place, looking around in confusion. There were so many girls that Neriah completely forgot about Noah.
Lou Yan and Calli were sitting on chairs near Noah, while Livia sat on one near the wall, leaning against it.
"Did that bastard make himself a personal harem?!" thought Neriah angrily, approaching Noah's bed with Sirius.
Sirius ignored everyone else and focused solely on Noah, watching him silently.
"This is the second time he's collapsed," said Livia, causing Neriah to turn to her in confusion, but he recognized her from before, when he saw her with Lou Yan.
"Hey, long time no see," said Livia, standing up and waving to Sirius and Neriah with her hands in her pockets as she approached the bed.
"The first time was in the library. It happened suddenly. And now today again. I think the kid's cursed," she said playfully, trying to ease the tension.
"He collapsed again without reason?" asked Neriah curiously.
"I don't think so. Calli and I found him in a room that was soaked in blood. I think Noah encountered the killer and is now under the effect of their skill," Livia explained. This caught Sirius's attention—his ears twitched like a dog's.
"I see..." Sirius whispered gently, turning his gaze back to Noah lying there. Then he gently poked Noah's cheek playfully.
"Noey-kun likes to sleep. He's lazy, after all," Sirius said with a soft smile.
"And how do you know that? You haven't known him that long, right?" Livia asked curiously, but with a hint of provocation to gauge Sirius's reaction.
"...I suppose you're right," Sirius replied coolly, ruining Livia's attempt to get a reaction, making her expression falter with disappointment—but she quickly recovered like a pro.
Sirius noticed Calli sitting next to Noah too, but didn't seem surprised by her presence, as if he already knew her. Neriah followed his gaze and realized she was unfamiliar to him.
"By the way, who's that?" asked Neriah, pointing at Calli like a child.
"She's Calli Lan, the friend of the deceased girl you saw in the arena—Erika Bennett," Livia explained, sounding a bit tired from repeating the same intro to everyone.
"If she's the dead girl's friend, what's she doing here?— W-Wait... is this Noah's secret girlfriend?!" said Neriah in shock and jealousy, stepping back and glaring at Noah.
Lou Yan twitched slightly when she heard Neriah, turning in confusion and shock toward Calli, peering at her from the corner of her eyes.
"I've said this already… there's nothing like that between me and Noah!" Calli snapped, clearly fed up with the implication—as if it insulted Noah.
"...W-What kind of relationship do you two have, then?" Neriah asked nervously, and everyone seemed more interested in this answer than in Noah's condition—except Sirius.
"...A… master and his servant, at most..." Calli muttered shyly, her cheeks flushing as she looked away.
Everyone froze in shock. Neriah felt betrayed, like his brother had stabbed him in the back—he even shed a tear. Lou Yan felt icy, like she was ready to kill someone. Livia smiled with amused excitement, but Sirius alone remained calm, eyes locked on Noah, as if the world had vanished and only the two of them remained.
"Things are gonna be even crazier when Noah wakes up… how exciting!!!" Livia thought, her grin widening with excitement.
———————
Meanwhile, on Noah's side, the boy jogged down the path where Sirius and Livia had gone. Along the way, he passed a girl who turned toward him, recognized him instantly, and suddenly grabbed his shoulder with immense strength, stopping him in his tracks.
"What the—?" Noah said, shocked by the grip that felt like it pierced his flesh—but strangely, there was no pain.
"Noah, you star! You were amazing!" the girl said, turning him toward her. It was Lou Yan.
"Lou Yan?— Wait, what the hell are you wearing?!" Noah said, stunned by her clothes. Weren't they all supposed to wear ridiculous outfits here?
Lou Yan wore a white robe that draped from her shoulders to below her knees, embroidered with soft golden patterns. It was loose, layered like puffy clouds, and paired with short black heels. Around her neck hung a necklace with a sun-shaped pendant, its short golden rays curling outward. Her red-orange hair flowed down her back, and her sun-colored eyes shimmered with a unique orange hue in their irises.
"What's wrong? Is something the matter?" Lou Yan asked, puzzled, glancing at her robe and swaying it slightly with each move.
"...Not really..." Noah muttered. Between silly Sirius and serious Livia, Lou Yan's outfit was a visual relief—it really suited her.
"Anyway, I saw what you did on stage! That was amazing. Great job!" Lou Yan said brightly, giving Noah a thumbs-up with a glowing smile.
"T-Thanks," Noah replied, nervous again from the compliments—but what worried him more was something else.
"Didn't I have issues with Lou Yan? Do I really have the right to relax like this around her...?" Noah thought, smiling faintly—confused behind the smile.
"...I feel comfortable here? Maybe I shouldn't—" he thought, but then suddenly slapped himself hard—almost falling, steadying himself with his leg.
"H-Hey?! Noah?!" Lou Yan shouted, grabbing him gently by the shoulders to help him stay balanced.
"A-Are you okay?! Have you lost your mind?! Why would you slap yourself like that?!" she asked, concerned—though the way she shook him made it look like she was trying to rattle his brain out.
"My goal is to leave this place! This place is just an illusion feeding off my mind until I collapse. I have to resist until it ends! Reality is nothing but a lie, and lies are my greatest weapon… this whole thing is just child's play!" Noah thought, his confidence surging. He stepped back once Lou Yan let go of him.
"I've made my decision..." he said with a confident tone and a faint smile.
"W...What decision?" asked Lou Yan, tilting her head in confusion.
"...I'll be the rebel who escapes!"