Chapter 47 The Mirror

Agatha instantly retracted her cane, then widened her eyes, staring in astonished vigilance at the "counterfeit" monster slowly raising its head before her. In that instant, she realized… the monster, made of elemental "sludge," had mutated.

Some force or will had descended into its body, instantly changing its essence – it had become a medium, constantly releasing terrifying power in this dark sewer.

Layer upon layer of noise erupted, turning into countless incomprehensible murmurs and howls in her mind. Agatha felt the edges of her vision filled with trembling shadows, countless eyes seemingly opening within them. This was a sign of her spirit being corrupted – the fatigue and mental damage accumulated from continuous battles had weakened her defenses, leaving her almost powerless to resist.

But this corruption lasted less than two seconds. It seemed the master of the power had consciously controlled it, restraining the power emanating from this incarnation. Agatha's senses regained clarity and stability, and in this moment of lucidity, she recognized the "identity" of the person before her.

"You are… that Descender…" she said hesitantly, rubbing her forehead.

"I am," the incarnation said. The body made of elemental sludge was still writhing and deforming, unable to bear such immense power. It could not maintain a clear and stable form. "Just call me Captain – that's what my followers call me."

"Captain?" Agatha frowned. The aftereffects of spiritual corruption made her thinking sluggish. She found the title strange, but quickly gave up trying to understand it – there were countless "Captains" in this world. A transcendent being of unknown origin might call themselves "Captain" simply out of interest. It wasn't worth delving into.

"Why are you here?" she asked, puzzled.

"I've been looking for you for a long time," Duncan said. "When you suddenly disappeared in the city-state, I knew something had happened to you."

"You're looking for me?" Agatha was taken aback, then quickly looked around. "How is the 'outside'…?"

"If you're referring to the 'Frost' of the real world, then everything is as usual, so normal it's abnormal," Duncan shook his head. "Do you know where you're trapped?"

"I… I'm not sure," Agatha said, supporting herself with her cane, slowly leaning against the wall beside her. She had gained a precious moment of safety and had to take the opportunity to recover some strength. "This is another Frost, one completely controlled by 'counterfeits.' There is no sun here, and the connection to the gods is very weak, but there are clues to the activities of those Annihilation heretics. I was tracking one of them, all the way here…"

She stopped, breathing slightly, and turned to look at the "Captain."

"A mirror," the temporary incarnation said. "You're trapped in a mirror image of Frost."

"A mirror?" Agatha was stunned for a moment, then lowered her head with a thoughtful expression. "So that's it… a mirror…"

"They may have copied the entire Frost, including the sea around it, and this mirror image is the source of all the 'counterfeits,'" Duncan continued. "The bad thing is, there are signs that this 'mirror image' is gradually approaching the real world – this should be the true plan of those Annihilation cultists."

Agatha suddenly looked up. "You mean…?"

"The frequent appearances of 'counterfeits' in the city-state, the replicated Seagull, the disappearing Dagger Isle, even your being trapped, are all the result of the 'mirror Frost' constantly approaching the 'real Frost' – the Annihilation cultists' goal from the beginning was not to invade or destroy this city, Agatha, they want to transform the entire city into the 'kingdom' prophesied."

"…At some point, the constantly approaching mirror image and reality will collide…" Agatha took a light breath, muttering to herself. She had already thought of the possibility. "No wonder, no wonder that heretic said that when the guardians find the 'sanctuary,' their plan will succeed…"

"…That moment is the moment when the mirror image and reality come into contact!"

"Looks like you've got the idea," Duncan said. "You said you found clues to those cultists here and are tracking them?"

"Yes, I smelled their scent – deep in this 'Second Waterway,'" Agatha raised her head, looking at a certain direction in the depths of the corridor. After a short rest, she had recovered some strength, so she straightened up again, and slowly walked forward. "There's a heretic, he's been hindering me, but the longer he entangles, the more he exposes his tracks. I feel like I'm very close…"

The incarnation controlled by Duncan followed Agatha's steps.

"I'm very sorry," Agatha, who was walking in front, suddenly said.

"What are you apologizing for?"

"Just now… I almost attacked you." Agatha's tone seemed a little embarrassed.

Duncan was slightly startled, and then he recalled the scene he saw when he first entered this incarnation – the tin cane in Agatha's hand was only a few millimeters away from his head.

But he thought about it and felt that it was nothing.

Better than Vanna's leaping strike back then.

"I don't mind, and I'm used to it."

"…Used to it?"

"One of my followers will suddenly use a leaping strike when startled – sometimes the target is me, although she doesn't do that anymore."

Agatha: "…?"

The young gatekeeper was greatly shocked, and couldn't help but guess how such a being, suspected to be an ancient god, usually got along with his followers, and how outrageous, bizarre, and evil his followers were.

She thought about it for a long time, and her sanity value was almost cleared, but she still couldn't figure it out.

Duncan didn't pay attention to Agatha's sudden daze and contemplation. He just continued walking forward, carefully observing the situation in the corridor along the way.

This was the Second Waterway of the mirror Frost – obviously there were great differences from the Second Waterway in the real world.

He stopped and looked thoughtfully at the sewer corridor extending forward in the dim light.

"Did you think of something?" Agatha also stopped and asked, turning her head in confusion.

"In the real world, this is a collapsed area, and the road is blocked," Duncan said, with a thoughtful tone. "It seems that in this mirror Frost, the Second Waterway is intact, and even appears to be in constant use."

"…Perhaps, it presents the appearance of the Queen's era," Agatha said in a hoarse voice. "I've already noticed that many details of this mirror Frost… are similar to the scenes I'm familiar with, but not quite the same, not like the modern appearance."

Duncan listened to Agatha's analysis, and didn't speak for a while. After a few more seconds, he broke the silence: "Looks like I may not be able to accompany you on the rest of the road."

Agatha turned her head in surprise.

She saw that the "Captain's" incarnation was gradually disintegrating. The constantly flowing and deforming black sludge seemed to be carrying too much power, and was now peeling off little by little, leaving criss-crossing, cobweb-like cracks on the surface of the body. And between the cracks, there were faint green flames jumping, as if they were about to escape and flow uncontrollably.

She exclaimed subconsciously: "Your body…"

"Don't worry, this inferior replica can't stably carry my power. Collapse is only a matter of time," Duncan just shook his head, his tone calm. "It's already beyond my expectations to be able to persist until I've said so much to you."

Then he waved his hand, stopping Agatha from speaking.

"Your current state is very bad, you need more help. I'll leave some kindling here. That kindling can enhance the connection between me and you. Take it and continue to track the cultists' lair. I'll continue to help you."

Agatha stepped forward subconsciously, as if she still wanted to ask something, but before she could speak, the incarnation, which was about to collapse due to bearing too much power, reached its limit.

In a sudden burst of faint green flames, the elemental sludge that made up the incarnation instantly stopped flowing, and was swallowed and torn apart by the flames. Countless fragments of ash scattered with a bang.

And in the center of the black elemental wreckage that had been burned to ashes, only a small, finger-sized flame remained.

The flame floated in mid-air near the ground.

Agatha stared blankly at the flame floating near the surface. Its faint green appearance made the gatekeeper feel vigilant. She instinctively felt fear and tension. However, after a moment of hesitation, she still took a step forward and slowly bent down.

"…I hope this is the right choice."

She said softly, and recited Bartok's name in her heart, then stretched out her hand, as if making up her mind with great courage, and her fingertips touched the small flame.

The flame was like a weightless petal, held in her hand.

"…I can actually pick it up."

Agatha looked in astonishment at the flame that she was already holding in her palm, and at that moment, she felt the connection between herself and the flame.

Weak, wonderful, but indeed existing – after a brief trance, she woke up and carefully protected the flame in her palm, raised the already scarred cane in her other hand, and strode towards the deepest part of the Second Waterway.