Mythos Of Narcissus: Reborn As An NPC In A Horror VRMMO

The air grew heavier, dimly electric with tension as Eve's black sclera gleamed under the flickering light of the chandelier. Her spiraling twin tails undulated hypnotically, each movement exuding chaos and malice.

While the severed head of the Drowned Revenant rested on the table like a grim centerpiece, her defiant eyes glaring even in her dismembered state.

Eve took a step forward, her dark grin stretching unnaturally wide, her floating hands flexing and curling like ravenous predators eager to pounce. "Oh, what a beautiful place. So cozy, so warm. But don't mind me... I only came to fetch what's mine."

The Vivianes were the first to react.

"Enough!" my original Viviane declared, her orange eyes blazing like twin suns as she stepped between Eve and the rest of us. Her voice cut through the room like a blade, firm and unyielding. "You won't take another step."

In an instant, the remaining Vivianes mobilized, each of them moving with synchronized precision. The scholarly Viviane began weaving a lattice of glowing runes into the air, their shapes pulsating with latent energy. The battle-scarred Viviane unsheathed a jagged blade, her scars glowing faintly as she grinned with savage anticipation. Even the child-like Viviane, who had been swinging her legs moments ago, sprang to her feet, her playful demeanor replaced by a focused determination.

The puppets stationed around the room sprang to life as if summoned by the urgency of the Vivianes' movements. Their porcelain faces remained expressionless, but their limbs moved with eerie precision as they drew weapons and positioned themselves strategically around the room at lightning speed.

Eve tilted her head, her spirals slowing momentarily before resuming their maddening rhythm. "So many little fireflies buzzing about," she purred, her discordant voice echoing like a broken symphony. "How cute... But do you really think you can stop me…? Why are there so many annoyances…? Didn't I just fight an army of those dolls a moment ago…? Hah! They are itching to pounce me, I see…!"

"Go!" the stately Viviane barked, her voice a command that left no room for argument. "Everyone, to the next room!"

The bastioneers hesitated for only a moment. "But—" Yora began, only to be silenced by a sharp glare from the scholarly Viviane.

"Now!" she snapped, her tone leaving no room for debate.

I didn't move. Not yet.

As I watched the Vivianes array themselves against Eve, a single, chilling realization settled over me.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

This was futile.

I hadn't seen the full extent of Eve's power, but I didn't need to. The Drowned Revenant's severed state was evidence enough. I had fought and sealed that monstrous entity alongside Kuzunoha, and even then, it had been a desperate struggle. Now, seeing the Revenant's diminished form, I understood how far beyond us Eve truly was.

Eve couldn't be defeated by conventional means. Not by violence. Not by force.

The Vivianes had to know this. They were clever—calculating. If they were still willing to clash headfirst with her, then it meant one thing: they were prepared to sacrifice themselves.

My heart clenched at the thought. These were alternate versions of Viviane—fragments of a soul I had come to admire and trust. They were prepared to throw their lives away, and for what? A delaying tactic?

My mind raced. My thoughts unraveled and reassembled in an instant of searing clarity.

Why did I care so much? Why did I care about these bastioneers, these Vivianes, or Verina, or anyone?

I didn't truly understand them. Not completely. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't connect with people the way others seemed to. All I saw were the benefits they brought me.

I saw them as puzzle pieces. Even if they were a precious one, and were part of the puzzle that I loved the most, should my heart feel this clenched?

They are beneficial to me, for sure, but they weren't an all-solving tape that I could use reliably…

Yet... why did I cling to those mere benefits so desperately? Was it to be happy? To achieve some semblance of stability? To fill the void that had defined me in another life?

Lothair.

In my past life, I had been Lothair, a man disconnected from the world around him. I had trusted no one. I had lived a life devoid of warmth, alienated even from my own family. Even with my unique symptom, it was still hard for me to place myself in others' shoes without sorting the logic and reachable conclusion behind their behaviour and action.

But that wasn't entirely true.

In those rare moments of clarity, when the walls around my heart had crumbled, I had felt it. Trust. My family, flawed as they were, had trusted me. And that trust had cracked the frozen shell encasing my soul, allowing me to feel something—anything—other than emptiness.

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Thanks to their trust in me, I also began realizing how irrational and illogical their decisions were when it comes to me. I'm not the brightest child they possessed, nor was the greatest, kindest sibling that stood in their house.

But they accepted me as their own.

As I think about it, was it really the right choice to hide the truth from them? Maybe my life won't be as lonely and painful if I were a little bit honest back then…

And now, as Narcissus—or Daffodil, or whatever I was—I was trusted again.

And for the first time, I trusted them in return.

"Haaah…"

Trust.

It was fragile, precarious, and easily broken. Yet it was powerful. A mother trusted her infant despite the risks. A child trusted their parents despite the flaws. Trust was a leap of faith, a bridge between souls.

And my trust in these people had not been betrayed. Not yet. Not once.

It wasn't a bond of logic or calculation. It was something kinder, something unspoken. Something worth protecting.

I took a step forward, through the depth of heart and the warmth of the fireside corner of my soul, my voice cutting through the chaos with the clarity of a praying bell.

"

Stop.

"

The room froze.

Every eye turned to me. The Vivianes hesitated mid-action, their runes and weapons held in suspension. The bastioneers, caught between retreat and resistance, looked at me with wide eyes. Even Eve paused, her spirals slowing as she tilted her head, her black sclera gleaming with curiosity, possibly noticing how sincere I was with my word.

"I want a moment alone with Eve," I said, my voice steady and resolute.

The stately Viviane's expression hardened. "Absolutely not. She's too dangerous."

"Dangerous is an understatement," added the battle-scarred Viviane, her scarred lips curling into a grimace. "You can't seriously expect us to leave you alone with her."

"I do," I replied firmly, meeting their gaze one by one. "I know what I'm doing."

The stately Viviane opened her mouth to protest again, but my Viviane stepped forward, her orange eyes searching mine. "Are you certain?" she asked quietly.

I nodded. "Yes."

She studied me for a long moment, her expression unreadable. Then, to my surprise, she turned to the others. "We'll give her the space she's asking for."

"What?!" the scholarly Viviane exclaimed. "You can't be serious!"

"I am," my Viviane replied, her tone brokering no dissent. "She's made her decision."

Verina, who had remained at my side throughout, placed a hand on my arm. Her touch was warm, steadying. "Can I trust you?" she asked softly, her voice carrying a weight that made my chest tighten.

She was the first one to fully trust me in this world. Right after my first Ordeal, the gleam in her eyes changed into something so understanding and dangerous.

I met her gaze and smiled. "You can."

She held my gaze for a moment longer before stepping back, her faith in me evident in the quiet certainty of her movements.

"Alright," she said, addressing the room. "Let's go."

The bastioneers and Vivianes began to file out reluctantly, their expressions a mix of worry and disbelief. Along with them, also followed the puppet servants who noticed the calming tension in this mansion.

Erika hesitated at the door, her clear-blue eyes shimmering with unshed tears.

"Be careful, my lord," she meekly whispered before following the others.

As the last of them disappeared through the doorway, the room fell silent.

It was just me and Eve now.

She watched me intently, her spirals slowing to an upbeat rhythm. Her grin widened, her floating hands curling and uncurling in anticipation.

From now on, it all depends on the trust that I had put on myself.