MIRROR CAGE – CHAPTER 11: BENEATH THE MASK
"Even victory is a burden here. Especially if they didn't expect you to survive it."
[Morning – Kingsvale Institute, Dormitory Halls]
Elijah sat on the edge of his bed, unmoving, body wrapped in bruises. The victory last night should've felt triumphant. But it didn't.
His body throbbed in protest, and every shift of muscle screamed. In the bathroom mirror, he stared at his reflection—perfect, polished, dominant. A lie that moved like it belonged. He touched his jaw, feeling the ghost of Cain's punch still lingering in his bones.
The bruises would fade. The memory wouldn't.
[Internal Monologue – Elijah]
They didn't cheer because they respected me.
They cheered because they saw something that bled. Something they could eventually break.
Elijah switched.
The pain came instantly—not just physical, but emotional. The sensation of losing something vital. Of being invisible again.
He looked in the mirror again—the original Elijah. Gaunt, pale. Hair unkempt. The bags under his eyes looked permanent.
I fought like him. But this face will never be seen. Never be remembered.
He switched back.
Back to being someone.
[Kingsvale Cafeteria – Tension in the Air]
The moment he entered, silence rippled through the cafeteria like a virus.
Students paused mid-bite. Whispers crawled along the walls. Even the staff glanced twice.
He sat alone. Tray untouched.
A girl passed by, pretending not to look. But her friends stared.
He could hear it. "That's the guy who dropped Cain. They say he didn't even flinch."
They were wrong. He had flinched. They just didn't see it.
[Overheard Conversation - Teachers' Lounge]
"Lin's pupil?"
"Yeah. Survived Cain. Beat him, even."
"The board noticed. They're re-evaluating his sponsor tier."
"He doesn't have one. Not really."
"Then someone's going to make sure he either gets one—or disappears."
[Kingsvale Library – Naomi Appears]
Elijah sat in the farthest corner, reading not for pleasure, but for knowledge. Fight patterns, profiles, Kingsvale alumni who had vanished under mysterious circumstances.
Naomi slid into the seat across from him without asking.
"You're being watched."
He didn't look up.
"I know."
"They think you're hiding something."
He marked his page, eyes finally rising to meet hers. "They're right."
Naomi arched an eyebrow. "You're not scared?"
"I live in fear every day."
That made her pause.
Then she nodded. "The next fight's in three days. Double match. You and another first-year against two upperclassmen."
He narrowed his eyes. "No rules again?"
"No cameras this time either. That means they expect blood. Maybe death."
[Night – Hidden System Update]
SYSTEM UPDATE
Current XP: 5,100 / 20,000
Trait Evolution Triggered: Ruthless Edge (Tier I) → Iron Reflex (Tier II)
Effect: Muscle memory adapts 20% faster in high-stress combat. Boost to reaction time.
Warning: Your Market Value Index has exceeded Tier 1. Visibility to dangerous parties has increased.
[Late Night - Elijah's Journal Entry (Private)]
They want to test me again. But they don't know what I am. What I was. And what I'm becoming.
There's no such thing as safety here. No friends. Not yet. Just ghosts.
But even ghosts can claw their way back.
[Final Scene – Rooftop, Wind Howling]
Elijah stood at the edge of the rooftop, the night wind cold against his skin. Kingsvale spread out below him like a beast sleeping with one eye open.
He clenched his fists.
If they want a monster...
...then I'll give them something worse