The Mirror Echo
1497 Words
As Raina’s body cooled, her breath finally returned to something steady.The ripples of her climax faded into warmth and peace, and the glow of magic that had pulsed across her skin dimmed gently.
The slimeoid—no longer the shy, trembling boy he had been—stood with quiet confidence now.
His form had solidified slightly, his features matured.
The evolution was subtle, but unmistakable.
He grew... because of me.
A small, proud smile curved her lips.
He leaned down, his gelatinous hand surprisingly warm as it cupped her cheek.His lips—still soft, still unsure—brushed first against her neck, then found her mouth in a gentle kiss.
“Thank you,” he said, voice deeper now, with a new gravel behind it.
She chuckled, still breathless.
“Anytime. And I’m happy to help any of your friends, too. Maybe next time… you can bring one or two, and we can all learn together.”
His frame tensed as the blush rippled through his transparent cheeks.
Still adorable.
With one last bashful smile, he turned and left—quiet, respectful, glowing faintly with satisfaction.
For once, there was no mess.No clean-up.No ritual bath.
Just... her.
Raina slumped into the cushions and let herself relax.
Chapter Five: The Threat at the Table
But soon, a different pang twisted in Raina’s stomach—hunger.Real hunger.Not carnal. Not magical.Just the sharp, simple kind that reminded her she'd barely eaten all day.
Well, I may have feasted on a few things... but I still need actual food.
She dressed in something light—simple silks tied at the waist—and padded barefoot down to the Velvet Hand’s dining lounge.
The air was rich with spices and soft laughter, the scent of roasted meat and fruit wine threading through the warm, lantern-lit space.
She approached the counter and ordered a small plate—a breaded roll, sliced fruit, a bit of meat skewered on a bronze pin—and turned to find a table...
That’s when she saw him.
Sitting alone at a booth near the back.
A minotaur—tall, broad, and dark-furred, his massive arms crossed as he surveyed the room.His gaze wasn’t focused on anything in particular, but he radiated presence. Power. Control.
Recognition hit her like a cold slap.
Him. The one who...
She couldn’t finish the thought.
Because in her original backstory—the one the system had pulled from—this minotaur was the fourth encounter.And he was the one who hurt her.
Panic bloomed behind her breastbone.Her pulse quickened.Her breath hitched.
The plate in her hands felt suddenly too heavy, too fragile.
That’s him. The minotaur. The fourth client. The one who—
Her mind raced.
She’d written it.She’d forgotten the exact details, the blurry cruelty of it.But her body remembered the feeling—the violation, the helplessness.
And now...now he was real.
Raina turned quickly, seating herself at a nearby table with her back to the wall, her eyes wide but composed.She set her plate down untouched and exhaled shakily.
No. Not again.I’m not the girl I wrote back then.
I’m Raina Moonveil now. And I have Blue Magic.
With trembling fingers, she summoned her HUD.
The Skill Menu flared into view, hovering in soft lavender light.Her Blue Magic tree pulsed faintly, responsive to her current emotional state.
She flipped through it quickly.
Burning Bloom? No, too aggressive.
Siren’s Kiss? Not without consent.
Velvet Echo: Companion I...? Maybe, but it’s not evolved enough.
There had to be something.
And then her eyes landed on a new entry—one that hadn’t been there before.
💠 NEW PASSIVE UNLOCKED: Intuitive SafeguardType: Passive | Trigger: Emotional Spike / Danger RecognitionEffect: When emotional or physical danger is detected, Bluefire resonance identifies available tools and skills to protect the user or shift the encounter. Arousal is stabilized temporarily, and suggestions may appear in the HUD.
It evolved... because of this. Because I was afraid.
As the passive took effect, her Arousal meter dimmed slightly—still present, but no longer rising from background tension.
Her breathing slowed.Her focus returned.
Then, another screen popped up.Subtle. Quiet. Just for her.
Recommended Action:Activate Velvet Echo in Mirror Mode.Form suggestion: Project the visage of someone powerful, safe, and adored.This may override or redirect target interest.May also initiate social dominance dynamic.
[Cast Now? Y/N]
Raina stared at the prompt.
Mirror Mode...?
That form had just unlocked after her third encounter.She hadn’t even had time to test it yet.
But now…it might just save her.
She pressed Y.
As the Mirror Echo formed, it shimmered with ethereal light, coalescing into a woman—Raina, but more.Not as she was now… but as she had once been in the game: powerful, radiant, undeniable.
She sat beside the real Raina, a glimmering echo cloaked in sensual authority and layered enchantments.
When her violet eyes turned to Raina’s, there was no pity—only recognition.
Across the room, the minotaur’s gaze hadn’t wavered.
He locked onto Raina with predatory hunger, eyes narrowing with intent.
He rose from his seat, hulking, sure of himself, each step toward her filled with entitled confidence.
The Mirror Echo turned to meet him.
She stood before Raina like a veil of shadowed starlight—and then she spoke.
“This one is already taken. Go elsewhere. She’s the last free girl tonight, and the brothel closes soon. Find another place.”
The minotaur growled low, the sound more bestial than polite.
“Oh yeah? And what’s a slut like you gonna do about it?”“I doubt you’d put up much of a fight.”
His lips curled.
“Who knows... maybe I’ll take both of you. I’m a mid-rank adventurer. You should feel lucky.”
The Mirror Echo stepped forward—closer than comfort, eyes glowing like moonfire.
When she spoke again, her voice rang like judgment.
“Ooooh, I’m so scared.”“Mid-rank, was it?”
She lifted her hand and let a shimmering crystal pendant materialize—an adventurer’s tag.
The color was unmistakable: obsidian and gold.
“Highest possible rank,” she said flatly.“Registered in three regions. Back. Off.”
The air shimmered with heat.Magic crackled faintly across her arms.
The minotaur froze.
For one terrifying second, it looked like he might challenge her anyway.
And then he snarled, spat at the floor, and turned sharply on his hooves.
“Not worth the trouble,” he muttered, and stomped out of the lounge.
Silence fell.
The Echo turned back to Raina, her sharp edge softening just slightly.Then, without a word, she faded—dissolving into a cloud of sparkling dust that drifted over Raina’s skin like a blessing.
You rewrote it. You changed your fate.
Her hands trembled, but not from fear.From relief.
And maybe… just maybe…the Divine Seed pulsed a little brighter.
Chapter Six: Claiming Her Fate
As Raina finished the last bite of her meal, still savoring the simple comfort of warm food and silence, footsteps approached her table—slow, deliberate, and far too familiar.
She looked up.
The Madame stood over her, arms crossed beneath her chest, gaze sharp as always… but this time, there was something different in her expression.Not indifference.Not routine professionalism.
Something closer to... recognition.And—could it be?—respect.
“He was going to do something, wasn’t he?”
Her voice was low.Not accusing. Just… knowing.
Raina hesitated, her throat tightening around words she hadn’t planned to speak.
The truth pressed against her ribs like an aching wound.
She nodded slowly.
“Y-Yes. He was going to hurt me. He wasn’t going to pay. And it... it wasn’t going to be consensual.”
The Madame’s expression darkened, her jaw tightening.
“I saw it,” Raina continued, voice trembling despite her best effort to stay composed.“Not just now. Last night. A dream—or a vision. It felt like a memory I hadn’t made yet, but one that was still true. I didn’t know when it would happen... only that it would.”
The Madame didn’t speak right away.
Her gaze softened by degrees, the edges of her stern face crinkling with something gentler than Raina had ever seen.
“You did something about it,” she finally said.“Whatever you called up—whatever that magic was... it scared the bastard off.”
Raina blinked, surprised.
“You protected yourself. And that makes you more than just another girl in the rotation.”
She rested a hand briefly on Raina’s shoulder—firm, grounding.
“Eat. Rest. And if you ever have another one of those visions... tell me. You won’t be alone here.”
And then she was gone, walking away before Raina could reply—leaving behind a weight of words that didn’t crush her.They lifted her.
For the first time since she woke in this world…she didn’t just feel like a player in someone else’s story.
She felt like someone who could write her own.
- Writer
