Promoted to Protagonist: Persecuted by the Meta-Narrative | Chapter 19 | The Mirror's Gift | Novela.app

The distance was too short; there was no time to defend or counterattack. That was Xin Ye’s first thought the moment the window in the wall slid open and the butterflies were unleashed. Xing Yue’s Unbreaking Silk had remained on high alert, automatically lashing out to intercept the majority of the swarm in an instant, but a few still managed to slip through the gaps. Watching the mutants draw closer, Xin Ye’s mind fell into a momentary state of chaos. Should he draw his gun? His dagger? Or just raise his arms to protect his head? Before he could reach a conclusion, someone chose Option D for him. The Mirror pulled him into an embrace. Judging by appearance alone, this batch of butterflies could hardly be compared to their predecessors. Their evolutionary path seemed to have taken a different turn; their most prominent feature wasn't beauty or intelligence, but their razor-sharp mouthparts. The proboscises were roughly twenty centimeters long, capable of piercing through human organs with ease. Yet, the Mirror shielded him without a second thought, using his own body to keep the butterflies from harming Xin Ye. "Mirror..." Xin Ye’s eyes widened. He felt a warm liquid staining the hands he used to clutch the Mirror—it was the Mirror’s blood. Before he could speak, however, the Mirror reached up and covered his mouth. The butterflies behind them hadn't stopped their assault. Xing Yue wanted to help, but he was stretched too thin. The Mirror kept Xin Ye pinned within his temporarily safe embrace, using his free hand to wipe a trickle of blood from the corner of his mouth. "I wanted to wait until the match ended to give you a surprise, but it looks like I have to move the schedule up." "I’ll stay here with Xing Yue to deal with the butterflies. You... you will definitely find a way to destroy the equipment. I believe in you." Xin Ye felt a cold wall suddenly materialize behind him, a sense of foreboding rising in his chest. But before he could react, the Mirror shoved him into the wall. The wall vanished the moment Xin Ye entered the inner space. His arms suddenly empty, the Mirror could no longer support himself and collapsed to the floor. These butterflies were unexpectedly difficult to handle; the Unbreaking Silk couldn't easily grind them down. Xing Yue finally managed to carve out a moment to rush over and shield the Mirror. Biting his lip as he glanced at the terrifying wounds on the Mirror’s back, he asked, "Can you hold on?" The Mirror’s vision swam with white for a long time. Once his sight returned, he immediately drew the dagger strapped to his leg and the pistol at his waist. He didn't mention his injuries, only dropping a single sentence: "I’ll hold on." For Xin Ye. * [Do you remember the previous detection report? The mutation coefficient rose. During the past two days of the competition, your ability developed a new function, but because we’re in a simulated environment, only the Mirror—being the ability itself—noticed it.] Xun Yin had been talking for a while, but seeing no movement from Xin Ye’s side, he couldn't help but curse under his breath: [Stop sitting on the floor. Get up and get to work.] Xin Ye snapped out of it. He wiped his face and climbed up from the ground, his voice as cold as if it had been soaked in ice water. "I don't need your directions." [Don't need my directions? Do you think you could have made it this far without me?] Xun Yin’s temper flared as well. [I know what you’re angry about. You think the Mirror getting hurt is my fault. Yes, I admit I wrote the plot, but have you ever considered that if you were strong enough, I wouldn't have needed the Mirror to take the hit for you? You could have dodged the attack yourself.] [In the apocalypse you live in, side characters don't necessarily lack human rights, but the weak definitely do.] Xin Ye’s expression was wooden, like a puppet that had lost its strings. Only Xun Yin knew this was a sign of his fury. He was beyond livid. Xin Ye: "You’re fucking gaslighting me. You’re the one who set me to be this weak." Xun Yin: [I’m gaslighting you because you’re an idiot. If you don't get to work, the Mirror is going to die out there.] Xin Ye fell silent at those words and began to inspect the space he was in. The space the Mirror had pushed him into contained no mutant butterflies. Everything was a perfect, albeit mirrored, reflection of the outside world. The only difference was the "Mirror Xing Yue" standing against the wall with his eyes closed, as if asleep. [Opening a partial Mirror Space is the new point of your ability. Your Mirror can modify some of the settings within this space,] Xun Yin explained, suppressing his irritation for the sake of the narrative. [If you destroy the butterfly in the glass indentation here, the butterflies outside will be destroyed along with it.] Xin Ye immediately returned to the console and tried to smash the glass. He tried his dagger and his gun in turn, but not a single scratch appeared on the small, butterfly-shaped glass. After his efforts proved fruitless, Xin Ye punched the glass in frustration. However, his desperation forced him to realize he still had a "cheat code" behind him. After a wave of helplessness washed over him, he immediately dropped his defiant act. "You wouldn't set a dead end for me. What do I need to do?" Xun Yin huffed coldly: [I thought you weren't listening to my directions?] "Please," Xin Ye said. Xun Yin paused. He was momentarily caught off guard by Xin Ye’s directness. Although he knew the Mirror was established as Xin Ye’s most important friend, seeing his "son" pivot his attitude so quickly still made his head spin. So, the "importance" he had written into the setting was truly this profound... Xin Ye no longer felt any anger. He only thought about how to end the match and get out to confirm if the Mirror’s injuries would affect him in reality. The sooner, the better. Xun Yin rubbed his forehead: [Gu Shaolou anticipated the possibility of ability users breaking in here, so conventional means won't break that glass.] [Go find the Leng Xianye in the Mirror Space. Currently, only the Black Box can consume it.] Xin Ye hurried back through the secret passage to the upper level of the research facility. While climbing the stairs, he used his multi-function watch to message Leng Xianye, asking for their location. [Messaging within the Mirror Space only reaches the Mirror Leng Xianye. It won't interfere with reality,] Xun Yin noted. The response from the other side was swift; they had already found Jiang Kelan’s lounge. The bed had already been moved aside by Xing Yue and Xin Ye earlier. As Xin Ye emerged from the passage, he grabbed "Leng Xianye’s" wrist the moment he saw him. "Come with me." "Why? What did you and Xing Yue find down there?" The "Leng Xianye" asked, playing the part of a curious teammate, but his footsteps followed Xin Ye without hesitation. Xin Ye had no intention of answering. His face was a mask of anxiety, and his pace grew faster and faster. In the real world, which they couldn't see, the real Leng Xianye seemed to sense something. He immediately called Lian Muyun and Tang Qiuqiu to head down the passage. "Leng Xianye" stopped asking questions and followed silently. Upon reaching the room, Xin Ye dragged Leng Xianye to the console. "Use the Black Box to erase the butterfly in this glass indentation. Fast." "Okay." "Leng Xianye" raised his hand. An energy sphere, slightly paler than the one in the real world, manifested in his palm. Soon, the sphere transferred into the indentation and began to consume the butterfly bit by bit. Xin Ye breathed a sigh of relief. He turned to thank "Leng Xianye," but the space around them began to warp slightly. Even "Leng Xianye’s" form began to blur and fade. "Xin Ye, I’m glad I could help you this time," the "Leng Xianye," who usually never smiled, offered a faint grin. "I hope the next time we meet isn't in an emergency like this. We should sit down and just chat." "You..." Xin Ye’s face was written with shock. Xun Yin spoke softly in his mind: [Just like your Mirror, the other ability users in the Mirror Space are well aware that they are merely a part of someone else hidden away. But they aren't sad about it. They’re only happy to be of help to you.] [So, what do you think? It’s a pretty good new ability, isn't it?] Before he could say another word to "Leng Xianye," the distorted space—having fulfilled its purpose—spat him back out. ... Xin Ye suddenly reappeared in front of the console, collapsing to his knees and coughing up a large amount of blood. Xun Yin’s voice floated out nonchalantly: [It’s normal for such a powerful ability to have side effects. Just bear with it.] Lian Muyun was startled by the sudden appearance of the figure, and seeing Xin Ye coughing blood gave him a second fright. "Are you okay?!" He rushed to help Xin Ye up, letting him lean against him. Earlier, Leng Xianye had suddenly grabbed him and Tang Qiuqiu and charged down the passage, only to find Xing Yue and the Mirror locked in a bitter struggle. With the three of them joining the fray, the butterflies became manageable. Just as the last butterfly was slain, the Mirror had reached his limit and collapsed. Xin Ye forced himself to look back at the console. The butterfly in the indentation had indeed vanished. The Mirror was sitting to the side, being tended to by Xing Yue. Xin Ye pulled out the mirror shard and recalled the Mirror; only then did the heavy stone in his heart finally drop. Leng Xianye looked back at the darkened screen. For some reason, he felt a sudden urge to comfort Xin Ye. Lacking the eloquence to do so, he simply patted his shoulder and said, "It’s over." Xin Ye nodded, though his eyes remained somewhat dim. "It’s over." The broadcast rang out once more. All five members of the team noticed a slight difference in the mechanical voice compared to the previous days—this was the actual tournament broadcast. The darkened screen flickered back to life, displaying the second half of Jiang Kelan’s document—the part Xin Ye and Xing Yue hadn't found. There was no time to read it carefully; they could only snap photos. Just as the photos were taken, the world around them began to digitize and dissolve. Xin Ye’s hand remained clenched around the mirror shard, feeling it slowly disappear... * The moment Xin Ye sat up in the simulation pod, he took out the mirror shard and summoned the Mirror. He wanted to pull the Mirror close and inspect him thoroughly, just as he had watched Tang Qiuqiu do in the simulation. However, before he could even climb out of the pod, the Mirror leaned over, hugged his upper body, and patted his head. "It’s okay now. Don't be afraid." Xin Ye hugged the Mirror back. "Sorry... I have a bit of PTSD. Seeing you get hurt for me makes me nervous... no matter what kind of injury it is." "I know. I know everything." The Mirror held Xin Ye and glanced at his own watch. 23:59. He asked, "I originally wanted to give you the news of the new ability as a gift... do you remember what day tomorrow is?" Xin Ye said, "I remember, but I don't want to say it." "Then I’ll say it for you," the Mirror said. "It’s a day worth being happy about. At least for me." The hands of the clock ticked forward, finally overlapping. It was now midnight, April 24th. The Mirror’s voice was exceptionally gentle. "Happy twentieth birthday, our little champion, Xin Ye." ***