Under the eyes of all those who cared enough, Cyril was led through the hallways of the castle and upstairs.
The staff member who led him wasn't the one Atheris and Tigris traumatized, but they still looked at him with hostile eyes.
Perhaps his preferential treatment thus far earned him the scorn of most staff members.
"Or maybe those two were like mascots of local staff members, and we earned everyone's wrath by hurting them."
"Could be any reason."
I guess so.
Cyril walked without any fear. In fact, he was beginning to look forward to how this room would look.
Mixed among the spectators were a few upperclassmen as well. Their eyes were filled with wonder, curious how the first-year managed to earn himself the infamous punishment.
Eventually, Cyril was led to one of the many abandoned halls of the academy. Their castle was colossal in size, but there were only so many people capable of enrolling here. This led to a sizeable area of it remaining vacant or repurposed by certain professors as their playground, or, as some would prefer the term, laboratory.
Despite its abandoned state, the floors here were free of dust. The marble reflected Cyril's figure as he was led to a particular door in the corner.
It was heavy, made of metal, and covered with chains. Its style differed from all the luxury around, seeming like something straight out of a murderer's house.
But, as a saving grace perhaps, someone had written 'Room of Reflection' on it in a fancy cursive with a purple marker, adding a cute bow in the end as well.
Seems like Margaret's creation...
One of the staff members came over and pulled open the door with a nervous face. The heavy creak of the doors rang out in the hallway, silencing all the discussions nearby.
As it fully opened, a pathway into darkness was revealed, with nothing inside visible. It almost looked like a portal into some other realm.
"Now, go in."
"Are you sure? Maybe we need another talk with Margaret..."
No.
Cyril calmly stepped inside, his body disappearing from the sight of all the spectators.
Immediately the door closed on its own with a heavy bang. No sound came from the inside.
The spectators observed for a few minutes more, but as nothing else happened, they all started to disperse in boredom.
Only a few still kept vigil. Someone even pulled out books to pass the time. Many were curious about this door.
Rose set up a little camp for herself near the window. She brought a few books and two small chairs.
She calmly set everything up and called out to Myra, who still stood right near the door.
"Don't worry so much. It's simply impossible for it to be anything dangerous. We are still students."
"I'll stand here for now. I'm fine."
"...As you wish." Rose shook her head, helpless.
She then glanced at another girl still staying nearby. It was a brown-haired, brown-eyed girl she met in that zoo. She didn't remember her name, but she left some impression on her.
For some reason the girl was holding a bag of meat snacks.
Rose frowned at her. Then, without saying hello, she sat on the chair and opened one of the books.
Supporting Myra to be here is one thing, but she won't lose out on study because of it.
As Rose looked away, the brown-haired girl subtly glanced in her direction. The girl's eyes were remarkably calm, not a single emotion discernible within. Before she could be noticed, her glance moved back to the door, quickly becoming filled with concern.
...
In total darkness, Cyril made a few steps forward and stopped.
This room was completely silent, with not a single source of noise. He heard his own heartbeat clearer than ever.
"The temperature of the air is also the same as that of a human body..."
Cyril stood for a few minutes, waiting for anything to happen, but nothing did.
"...Is this it? You just sit in a dark room and reflect on your actions?"
"I can't believe they made me look forward to this-"
A bright light suddenly blinded Cyril, making him shield his eyes.
When his vision recovered, he discovered himself in the center of a stone room with grey walls.
Behind him was the door he entered from, still there.
But on the other end of the room, the wall was completely covered in mirrors, reflecting all.
His figure stared back at him from within, seemingly nothing different in it.
"Ah, sorry for the delay. I turned it on. Almost forgot about this..." A familiar female voice came from somewhere in the room.
"Just sit here for... four hours. Alright, I am done. If you need anything, I won't hear it, bye!"
Just as quickly as it appeared, the voice disappeared, silence returning once more.
"She won't hear anything? ...What if someone here needs to go to the toilet?"
"Ah!" As if a crucial piece of the puzzle was put into place, Rhamn's face lit up with realization.
"Maybe that's why those who were here keep it to themselves! What an embarrassment!"
Cyril sighed, rubbing his temples. Feeling somewhat helpless but also curious, he walked up to the most obvious feature of this room, the mirrors.
The young man with blond hair looked back, his blue eyes somewhat cold.
Cyril looked at himself left and right, up and down, but didn't notice anything different.
"Still handsome."
He crossed his arms and began waiting, staring at his reflection in suspicion.
...If it was me who made it, I would make the reflection come alive to torment whoever ends up here.
"Same. Maybe like an internal... enemy they need to defeat." Rhamn nodded in complete agreement.
Cyril glanced at her for a second and froze.
Rhamn's presence was something he grew completely used to. Even when she appears in weird places, he no longer thinks much of it. Perhaps that's why he can sometimes ignore her figure.
"...!"
He looked back at the mirror, but this time not at his reflection, but at Rhamn's.
The mind-numbingly beautiful woman looked back at him with an ominous smirk. Those red eyes shone bright, with a malicious glint to them that made it seem like they hid all the evils of the world behind them.
It was a being filled with pure darkness, incapable of caring for anything other than itself.
He gave a quiet sigh of relief.
Nothing unusual. That's just your normal look.
"Hey! I am not evil! I'm not!" Rhamn stomped on the ground, pouting.
As Cyril stared into the mirror, a frown settled on his face.
Rhamn's reflection didn't follow her movements.