In that moment, a thousand thoughts raced through Xie Mingchi's mind—
Why wasn't he in the mirror?
Was he dead?
Had he become a ghost?
But wasn't it only ghosts that could be seen in mirrors?
A chill shot down his spine. He didn't dare breathe. After staring at the mirror for two seconds, he abruptly turned around and exited the room, shutting the door behind him with swift determination.
Wan Wuqiu watched him emerge in a comically stiff, synchronized fashion, arms and legs oddly matching, and asked, "What's going on with you? Are you that nervous staying with me? You're marching like a malfunctioning robot."
Xie Mingchi shook his head stiffly, gesturing outside—Let's talk out there.
The two stepped out into the hallway, and as they passed the large mirror near the doorway, Xie Mingchi caught a glance from the corner of his eye.
What he saw turned his blood cold.
His reflection still wasn't there.
Unsure whether "not seeing yourself in a mirror" was a sign of imminent death or not, he didn't dare mention it to Wan Wuqiu. Instead, he grabbed him and shoved him out the door.
Then he followed and slammed the door shut behind them.
Wan Wuqiu stumbled, barely keeping his balance. "What did I say to upset you?"
Xie Mingchi shook his head, still visibly pale.
Wan Wuqiu frowned. "...Did you see something?"
"Sort of," Xie Mingchi muttered, trying to steady himself. He quickly recounted what had just happened in the bathroom.
Wan Wuqiu fell silent.
He'd been too focused on rummaging through their belongings earlier to pay attention to the mirrors. Even when he glanced at them, it was from a distance—just enough to see a normal bedroom reflected back. The mirror near the door was behind it, half-covered when the door was open. The one above the headboard could only be seen clearly from on the bed. He hadn't gone into the bathroom at all.
So, no, he hadn't noticed anything strange.
Xie Mingchi forced a bitter smile. "Maybe I already broke some grand rule? Wouldn't be surprised."
Maybe he was just cursed with bad luck—two puppet realms in a row, and he triggered a major rule violation both times.
Wan Wuqiu said nothing for a while. When he saw the door to Shen Feinian and Feng Yu's room creak open, he finally said, "Let's not overthink this. Ask if anyone else noticed something weird in their rooms."
Shen Feinian and Feng Yu stepped out, spotting Xie Mingchi and Wan Wuqiu and walking toward them.
Feng Yu looked utterly dazed, as if his brain was still loading. His mouth hung slightly open, giving the impression that something might be off upstairs.
Apparently, Shen Feinian had already explained their situation to him, and he was still processing. Thankfully, he didn't seem on the verge of a breakdown.
Before either of them could say anything, Wan Wuqiu asked directly, "How was your room?"
"There are a lot of mirrors," Shen Feinian replied. "If they're being used for surveillance, then there's not a single blind spot."
Wan Wuqiu didn't look relieved. He pressed further, "Anything odd about the mirrors?"
Shen Feinian paused. "Odd?"
He thought for a moment. "Not really. Some are huge, others are just shards tucked into corners."
Exactly the same as their room.
Trying to put aside his own fears, Xie Mingchi asked, "Did any of you look into the mirrors?"
The four exchanged glances until Feng Yu finally spoke up, voice tight with social anxiety. "Uh… we didn't dare."
Xie Mingchi looked confused. "Why?"
All three looked at him, and Feng Yu hesitated before blurting out, "Um… haven't you ever heard of Bloody Mary?"
"That guy—Aiger, right? Didn't he say she is Bloody Mary?"
That caught Xie Mingchi off guard. He genuinely didn't know the full story.
All he knew was that Bloody Mary, like the Four Corners game, was one of those spooky urban legends. But the specifics? Total blank.
So he turned to Feng Yu with curiosity.
Feng Yu swallowed and slowly began: "The game originated in the West. There are at least fifty different versions of Bloody Mary's origin…"
The most well-known one? She was a countess obsessed with eternal youth who believed the blood of young girls could keep her young and beautiful. She bathed in it, murdered dozens, until she was finally burned alive.
Legend says if you call her name three times in front of a mirror, she'll appear and grant a wish. Sometimes she's harmless—you'll see her reflection, and she'll answer your questions. Other times, she's vicious—clawing, biting, peeling skin, killing or driving people to suicide.
And if the summoning ritual is done incorrectly, she gets angry—and kills in a variety of terrifying ways.
The ritual must include lighting a candle in front of the mirror and keeping it lit until it's done.
Feng Yu had told this story to Shen Feinian the moment they entered the room, and they both agreed: stay far away from the mirrors.
After hearing all that, Xie Mingchi fell into deep thought.
According to the legend, Bloody Mary only appears if summoned. He hadn't lit any candles, didn't chant her name—hadn't even thought about her.
Also, summoned or not, she was supposed to show up in the mirror.
But the two mirrors Xie Mingchi looked into… one had no reflection of him at all. And there was no female ghost either.
So by folklore standards, he should still be relatively safe.
Unless, of course, the rules of the puppet realm were different.
Suddenly, a blood-curdling scream rang out.
A door burst open down the hall, and a woman came stumbling out in a panic.
It was Zhen Jia.
She spotted them and bolted over like a madwoman before collapsing to the ground, sobbing uncontrollably. "I… I saw something wrong with the mirror…"
Xie Mingchi was instantly alert. "What do you mean 'wrong'?!"
"I-I saw a vanity in the room and thought I'd look in the mirror, and then…" Her voice trembled, tears falling fast. "And then… I didn't appear in it."
Xie Mingchi's heart skipped a beat—she had the same experience as him!
He quickly tried to comfort her. "Don't panic yet. It might be nothing."
Among the five of them, Wan Wuqiu, Shen Feinian, and Feng Yu hadn't looked into any mirrors. So whatever happened shouldn't target them—for now.
Xie Mingchi and Zhen Jia both had the same "invisible in the mirror" experience. But there was a key difference: he had looked into two mirrors—one reflected him, the other didn't.
He thought for a moment and made a decision. "I'm going to look into the mirrors again."
Everyone's face changed instantly.
Especially Wan Wuqiu—he grabbed Xie Mingchi's arm. "No way. What if something happens when you do?"
Xie Mingchi understood his panic. After all, if something happened to him, Wan Wuqiu would go down with him. One mistake, two deaths.
But what could he do?
"I've already looked," Xie Mingchi said. "If something was going to happen, it probably already would've. Better to check every mirror and see what's going on."
Zhen Jia had experienced the same thing, but she was clearly shaken. He decided not to involve her further.
Wan Wuqiu thought for a moment. "Then I'll come too."
"No need for that," Xie Mingchi said, shutting him down. "I'll go alone. It's safer for everyone."
Wan Wuqiu's face twisted in silent protest, but Xie Mingchi didn't notice. He had already steeled himself and stepped back inside to begin the test.
First, he returned to their room.
He looked into the mirror behind the door—nothing.
The bathroom mirror—still nothing.
The one above the bed…
The vanity…
As expected, none of the large mirrors in the room showed his reflection—except for the one directly above the bathroom sink.
Yet, every small mirror scattered around—every shard in every corner—did show him.
That was… strange.
His fear had lessened, now replaced by curiosity.
He checked Shen Feinian and Feng Yu's room, then Zhen Jia's…
Every room was identical.
Not just in layout, but the mirrors were the same too.
Baffled, Xie Mingchi stepped out.
Why were the mirrors arranged this way? And why only certain ones failed to reflect?
Wan Wuqiu, clearly anxious, asked, "Well?"
Xie Mingchi shook his head. "Every large mirror, except the one above the sink, doesn't show me."
The others exchanged looks, deep in thought.
Then Xie Mingchi suddenly turned to Zhen Jia. "We're rooming together tonight."
Zhen Jia blinked. "...Huh?"
Wan Wuqiu: "???"
Xie Mingchi repeated, "I said, we're staying in the same room."
The logic was simple. No matter the setup, both he and Zhen Jia had looked in the mirrors. He couldn't say for sure they were safe. If anything were to happen, at least they could watch each other's backs.
Wan Wuqiu understood the reasoning—but wasn't happy. "What about me?"
He pressed, "Where does that leave me?"
Then, more dramatically, "What happened to 'live and die together'?"
Xie Mingchi: "...?"
Wait—when did he promise that?!
Slander! Utter slander! He was being framed!
Wan Wuqiu didn't think he said anything odd. He just looked offended.
Zhen Jia glanced between them, picking up on the awkward tension, and offered, "Um… we could all stay together? I can sleep on the floor."
Xie Mingchi nodded. "That works."
Wan Wuqiu kept sulking. "Oh."
Time passed quickly. Soon, they heard the sharp click of high heels echoing from the staircase.
Aiger's shrill voice followed: "My dear guests, dinner is served."
They followed her back to the dining room.
As expected, the table was again set with shattered mirrors and candles.
Forget edible—just looking at it was enough to kill anyone's appetite.
There was still blood on the chair where Komaki had sat. Aiger hadn't bothered to clean it.
She didn't seem to care whether they ate. She enjoyed her meal just fine.
When she was finished, she daintily dabbed at her mouth with a napkin, then flashed a chilling smile.
"Night is falling," she said. "So… who among you would like to perform a summoning ritual?"