A sleeping mirror mermaid was no stronger than a puddle of water. That was why they would only fall into slumber in the presence of someone else. And when they did, they would not wake up until several hours have passed.
They would only show vulnerability in front of those they trusted.
Thus, my hand travelled through textures revolting and unpleasant. I searched through its body, groping around for what I wanted to find, ignoring the sprays of black blood that would erupt from its back.
It did not take long for me to pinpoint its heart. It was oddly spherical and smooth, very much unlike the rest of its disgusting innards. I pulled the heart out slowly and gingerly, careful not to crush it with my fingers.
The heart emerged with another splash of blood, and I let the mirror mermaid's body crash onto the floor.
"Within this mushy white ball is that bastard's essence," I grinned, "Finally, something going according to my plans."
I then opened my eyes as wide as I could and held the ball over my face. Black blood dripped onto my cheeks, but I paid it no heed.
Viscous mana bubbled out of my body, and I commanded it to form two funnels that led straight into my eyes. Then, without further adieu, I tightened my grip.
Pop—!
The mirror mermaid's heart burst, releasing a corrosive golden liquid that burned my skin. I braced myself for impact and did all that I could to prevent myself from flinching and closing my eyes.
The golden liquid followed my ethereal funnels made out of mana, mercilessly pouring into my eyes. I instantly went blind as a searing pain erupted from where my eyes should be.
I couldn't see what was happening, but I knew. I knew that my eyes were currently being dissolved into a liquid mix of eye matter and golden acid.
The two materials mixed together within my eye sockets, sloshing around as if they were in two bowls. I used my mana to prevent the golden acid from melting more of my face, protecting only that which was unimportant.
Once I felt that my eyes were gone, the pain disappeared. But the process had yet to be completed. I waited until all the golden acid made its way into my eye sockets before closing my eyes.
My eyelids acted as a cover as I poured mana into the mixture, acting as a catalyst for the coming reaction. Energy ebbed and flowed as I cycled my mana from my brain into my eyes and back.
I was trying to establish a behaviour. A circuit of energy within my body.
A connection between my liquid eyes and my mind.
Thus, as my mana circulated again and again, my liquid eyes started hardening once more. It was being restructured into something different whilst copying its previous traits.
I took this opportunity to engrave a set of enchantments into them, allowing me to bypass any more suffering had I engraved them in the past. My studies in Aethercaller weren't just for show, after all.
These enchantments weren't simple spells like Sight-Sent Senses and Mana Vision, however. They were a key ingredient to the special traits that my eyes were going to gain today and in the future.
I carved and I carved, working as fast as I could while my eyes were being rebuilt. I filled my eyeballs with circuits and mana programs, while still leaving an organized space for future spells.
When I was done, I realised that only half an hour had passed. I had been in Hyperfocus the entire time, working on overdrive.
I thus opened my eyes, and it looked as if nothing had happened. They were still shining in their usual obsidian black.
It was only when I gave the command did something change.
[ Golden Eyes of the Mirror World ]
My irises instantly assumed a beautiful golden colour, with constellations looming within their depths.
I then felt a connection with this virtual world of reflections. What used to be a blank white space filled with nothingness became something I could comprehend.
I could see illusory holes throughout the landscape, with each hole signifying a mirror near me. These holes currently formed a maze, and I saw a few dozen other mirror mermaids roaming about the world, looking through the illusory holes and watching the three fairies just within their reach.
Furthermore, I felt another connection. Through my gaze, I located my own living reflection.
He was currently with Galad and the other two fairies, acting as if nothing had happened, mirroring my personality and even my knowledge.
"Perfect," I was glad that nothing unexpected had happened yet.
I then walked around before taking a step through one of the holes in the world. I seamlessly reemerged in reality.
I switched off my golden eyes, and my usual vision returned. The drain on my mana was actually quite significant. From a full tank, I was down to half in just a few seconds—and because of the tower itself, I would be unable to regenerate what I had lost.
In fact, creating and controlling mirror images of myself also cost a certain amount of mana. Luckily, the mirror mermaid I killed had sponsored the expense and gifted it to me.
I could thus continue without any problems.
After thanking that one mirror mermaid for all that it had given me, I turned around. I left the mirror maze and entered the next room.
It was as simple as walking through a hall of fog. Although my normal vision was obscured, with Mana Vision, I was able to discern the fact that the hall split into two pathways. The flow of mana was a dead giveaway.
I chose the right path, while I sent a signal to my living reflection to lead them through the left path.
'This way, I can exhaust them a bit... Since they wanted to make use of me until I exhausted my worth, I'll do the same.'
There were treasures beyond my capacity that I could now retrieve if I played my cards right. Using them, I could collect the items needed to escape the seventh Roaming Tower.
'I also need to locate King and the others. I hope Camellia is still alive...'