novelraw Chapter 134 : Chapter 134
Chapter 134 : Chapter 134
Chapter 134. Serin (3)
Serin had never felt another person’s touch.
From the moment of her birth, she had been trapped in the mirror, never knowing the sensation of skin against skin.
No one else existed in the world within the mirror but Serin herself.
She had always been alone.
But now, it is different.
Someone was holding her from behind.
A rough hand had seized her.
Serin couldn’t resist.
She couldn’t even scream.
Her mouth was sealed, and all she could do was be helplessly dragged away.
“S-Serena!”
Her younger sister was looking at her with a face full of fear.
That expression grew more distant by the second.
The sisters were powerless.
With their strength alone, they could not fend off the demonic hand.
And so, Serin was swallowed by darkness.
A voice echoed, cold and bone-chilling.
“Child, do not be afraid. I am not a terrifying monster. I am a friend who will soothe your loneliness. I will fill the emptiness within you.”
The tone sounded gentle, but beneath it lay a deep, thick darkness.
Serin trembled in fear.
At that moment, her body suddenly turned around.
Blood-red eyes glowed in the shadows.
“E-Eeek…!”
Her entire body froze.
She couldn’t form words.
Only a strangled, broken whimper escaped her lips in absolute terror.
The monstrous being grinned wide.
“But before that—you must pay the price for having watched this body.”
And before the demon had even finished speaking, Serin lost consciousness.
She simply couldn’t hold on to reason any longer.
***
Her vision brightened hazily.
As always, a pink ceiling came into view.
Serin stretched and turned her head.
She saw rose-colored bedding.
She had awoken in her own room.
“…It was a strange dream.”
She sat up and looked around.
No one.
In the lavish but somehow hollow pink bedroom, she was alone.
As always.
Serin sighed.
“I was really scared, Towa.”
She spoke to a small bunny plush beside her.
“That scary monster, he was tormenting me.”
Naturally, there was no reply.
“He really tried to kill me.”
She was used to talking to herself.
“Or maybe… he would’ve just toyed with me until I slowly died. Yeah, definitely.”
Today was different.
A soft laugh echoed, followed by a voice she didn’t recognize.
“Why would I go that far?”
Serin jolted and looked toward the source of the voice.
Someone was walking into her room.
A boy with black hair and dark eyes—someone she had seen before.
Serin shouted in panic.
“W-Who are you?! How did you…?!”
No one was supposed to be able to enter the mirror world.
For over fifteen years, not a single visitor had come.
This place existed solely for Serin.
The boy spoke in a calm voice.
“My name is Yohan Miyatro. Just call me Yohan.”
He casually perched on a pink wooden chair.
Serin’s eyes shook violently.
“Y-You’re the Watcher of the Abyss! The monster that shifts between demon and human!”
Yohan nodded.
“So I was right. You’ve been watching me.”
Serin already knew who Yohan—and Mapheltan—was.
At some point, she had seen Mapheltan shift into Yohan through the mirror.
She picked up a pillow and threw it at him.
“You monster! Go away! Get out of here!”
Yohan effortlessly caught the pillow midair.
Then he stood and approached Serin.
“A monster, huh… I even get a little hurt hearing that.”
Serin stared at him with trembling eyes, then buried her face in her knees.
“S-Stay away! I said go away!”
Yohan didn’t stop at her desperate plea.
“Look at me closely. Do I still look like a monster to you?”
As he stepped closer to the bed, Serin broke into tears.
“I-I’m sorry. It was my fault. Please don’t hurt me. Please… I’m begging you.”
Yohan stopped in his tracks.
‘…This is bad.’
He looked down at Serin with a sheepish expression.
‘I really do look like the villain here.’
To anyone watching, Yohan was clearly the criminal, and Serin the victim.
Everyone would think the same.
Yohan swallowed hard and said,
“Serin, I swear—I won’t harm you. Please, lift your head.”
But Serin only curled up tighter.
Hic, hic…
Yohan let out a long sigh.
‘This is awkward.’
Serin was more fragile than he’d expected.
Completely different from Serena.
No doubt it was because she had spent her entire life here, with no social contact at all.
She was, in every way, just a child.
Luckily, Yohan knew how to deal with children.
He had taken care of the younger kids back at the orphanage.
He turned his gaze to the bunny plush on the bed.
‘Guess I’ll try that again—it’s been a while.’
He cleared his throat and spoke.
“Towa, would you mind helping me out here?”
Of course, the stuffed animal didn’t respond.
Yohan continued without pause.
“I need you to help clear up Serin’s misunderstanding. I really want to be friends with her.”
Serin peeked up slightly.
The moment she met Yohan’s eyes, she quickly buried her face again.
Yohan spoke gently.
“Towa, do I look like a monster to you too? Well… it’s not like you’d be wrong. I hate this part of me too. Born between a demon and a human, a half-blood with no place to belong. Who would ever like something like that? I find myself revolting.”
He was speaking from the heart.
And with children, sincerity always worked best.
In fact, Serin’s sobs had already quieted down a little.
Still curled up, she perked her ears toward him.
Yohan continued.
“But Towa… I want to change my fate with my own hands. I want to cleanse my dark blood and make it bright and pure. I’ve worked hard to protect my humanity, even if it’s only half.”
Serin slowly lifted her head.
She was still wary, but clearly listening.
Yohan looked at Towa again.
“I don’t want to live as a monster. Please tell Serin that for me.”
He handed the bunny plush to her.
Serin quietly looked at it and then said,
“…Changing your fate isn’t that easy. I was born alone, and I always will be.”
She couldn’t leave the mirror.
Yohan had been born a half-blood.
Their fates were fixed from birth.
Yohan shook his head.
“Fate is just a limit you set for yourself. Its form can change depending on your will. I know, because I’ve seen it happen. Want to hear?”
Serin’s gaze slowly turned to him.
She was curious.
“W-Whose story is it?”
Yohan smiled warmly.
“Raguel. My little brother.”
He began telling her Raguel’s story.
***
At some point, Serin was completely absorbed.
Raguel sounded like a protagonist from a fairytale.
A boy born with one eye and a lame leg. Abandoned by his father, scorned by all—yet he overcame every trial and all his pain.
Now, he lived a new life as a High Elf.
Serin envied him.
She wanted to overcome her fate too.
She longed to escape the mirror and explore the world freely.
But it felt impossible.
She muttered with a pout.
“…Liar. You made that up. Elves don’t exist.”
Elves were one of the Forgotten Ancient Races.
In this era, even the word “elf” didn’t exist.
Yohan chuckled softly.
“I can show you proof. Come with me.”
He held out his hand to her.
Serin looked at it, then quickly turned away.
“I can’t go anywhere.”
“But you can enter the Mirror Room, can’t you?”
“Mirror Room?”
Yohan nodded.
“Let’s go find Raguel. You can find him, can’t you?”
Serin could access any mirror in the world.
Through them, she could observe countless people.
She asked,
“S-So everything you said is true?”
Yohan shrugged.
“See it with your own eyes. I don’t lie.”
He reached out his hand again.
Serin didn’t take it.
Instead, she stood up from the bed with a slightly sulky expression.
“If you made it up… I’m never talking to you again.”
At some point, Serin had almost completely lost her fear of Yohan.
It was a very good sign.
Yohan smirked.
“Fair enough. Let’s go.”
The two headed to the Mirror Room.
***
The ceiling, walls, and floor were covered in mirrors.
Light reflected off them endlessly, making the room nearly blinding.
For Yohan, it felt like his eyes might burst.
He frowned.
“This place is going to drive me mad.”
Serin, on the other hand, was calm.
“Wait here a moment. You said his name was Raguel, right?”
To observe someone, Serin needed specific information about them.
And now, she knew Raguel well.
She closed her eyes.
All the mirrors dimmed.
Then, one mirror lit up and drifted toward her.
Yohan relaxed.
The brightness had faded.
His eyes finally felt better.
And then—on the other side of the mirror, stood Raguel.
A face Yohan was delighted to see.
“There he is. My little brother, Raguel.”
Serin’s eyes went wide.
“H-He really has long ears! And his hair’s glowing! His eyes are green!”
Raguel looked nothing like a human.
He was dazzlingly radiant—almost otherworldly.
Because he was a High Elf.
Yohan chuckled.
“He’s working hard, as usual.”
Raguel was seated at a desk, scribbling furiously.
A mountain of documents was stacked beside him.
As Yohan’s steward, Raguel handled all administrative duties in his place.
Serin stared at his face and murmured,
“…He kind of looks pitiful.”
Deep shadows stretched under Raguel’s pale skin.
Dark circles.
He was clearly suffering from extreme overwork.
Yohan swallowed.
‘Ah. I forgot to send him help.’
He had meant to send clerks to assist, but had completely overlooked it.
Things have been so hectic lately.
He cleared his throat.
“Well, this is probably the happiest time of his life.”
Serin pouted.
“No, he looks miserable. More than anyone I’ve seen.”
Yohan quickly changed the subject.
“Anyway, I’ve proven my story. Will you believe what I said now?”
Serin thought for a moment, then replied.
“…It wasn’t a lie.”
A vague answer.
Yohan nodded.
“Let’s ask him directly. Can we talk to him from this side?”
More than just to prove himself—Yohan genuinely wanted to talk to Raguel.
He simply missed him.
Serin furrowed her brow in thought, then opened her mouth.