Horror Game Developer: My games aren't that scary!

Chapter 586: Mirror [1]

"....Oh?"

The moment I looked into the room, I paused. For an instant, nothing moved.

Nothing reacted.

The room appeared empty.

Instead, my gaze slowly drifted downward, landing on something lying on the floor. It was a phone. Its screen was still lit, casting a faint glow that softly illuminated the otherwise dark room. The pale light flickered weakly across the floorboards, making the shadows around it stretch and twist along the walls.

’Did it run away?’

Creaaaak—

Pushing the door open, a long and dragged-out creaking sound echoed through the room. I stepped inside slowly, the beam of the torch cutting through the darkness as it swept across the surroundings, while I looked around.

The room was fairly large.

Besides a large wardrobe standing against the side wall, my attention eventually drifted toward the window. Just like the one in the corridor, it was open. A steady breeze slipped into the room through the gap, carrying a cold draft that brushed against my skin as I quietly stared in its direction.

’No matter how I look at the situation, it feels like the anomaly has run away.’

At least, that was how it tried to make it look.

I continued scanning the room, letting my eyes drift over every object within it. The beam of the torch swept slowly across the floor, the walls, and the old furniture, catching faint specks of dust floating in the air.

Then something caught my attention.

My eyes narrowed slightly as a small flash of light reflected back at me from the torch’s beam.

’What is that?’

The light continued to reflect back at me from a certain angle. I turned the torch toward it, narrowing my eyes as the beam settled in that direction.

At first, I couldn’t make out what it was. Its shape was hidden beneath a white cloth that draped loosely over it, the fabric stirring faintly with the cold breeze from the open window.

Slowly, I stepped closer. My breathing grew slightly uneven as I reached out and grasped the edge of the cloth.

With a single pull, I dragged it down.

Swooosh!

The fabric slid away, revealing a massive mirror.

Though old, the mirror remained surprisingly clear. It reflected my features sharply as I stared at my own image. Lowering the torch slightly, I adjusted the angle of the light to get a better look at myself.

’I look like shit.’

Perhaps because of everything that had happened to me, but my dark circles appeared to have grown even thicker, and when I looked at my eyes, I felt that something within them felt fundamentally different.

They felt...

Even more dead.

’Well, they’ve always looked dead.’

I had that much self-awareness.

"So did it really run away?"

With my gaze lingering on the mirror, I continued to observe it in silence. Slowly, I began moving my hand in front of it, testing whether there was any discrepancy between my movements and what the mirror reflected.

But as I continued, nothing changed.

The reflection followed every motion perfectly.

"Nothing, I guess it really did run away."

I sighed.

This felt a bit anti-climactic. Especially after everything it did in order to trap me here.

Shaking my head, I walked over to the nearest chair and placed my hand on it. My fingers tightened around the side of the wooden frame.

In the next moment, my expression shifted.

With a sharp motion, I yanked the chair up and hurled it straight toward the mirror.

BANG!

The chair crashed straight into the mirror. The impact sent cracks racing across its surface in every direction as the mirror rattled violently against the wall.

As the chair dropped onto the floor, my gaze continued to linger over the mirror.

’As if I’d believe a mirror that clean in this place. There’s obviously something wrong with it.’

And sure enough—

Staring at the fragmented reflection looking back at me, I watched as my lips slowly parted, as though I were about to say something.

’Hm?’

My eyes narrowed as I tried to make out the words, but the more I focused, the less I could understand.

I couldn’t tell what it was saying.

What was it trying to tell me?

I took a step forward, my attention completely fixed on the fragmented reflection before my eyes. Its lips parted once more, as if trying to say something.

’Bee?’

What?

I moved even closer.

’Behi... nd?’

My steps paused. I didn’t look back. I kept my attention fixed on the mirror. Just because it told me to look back, it didn’t mean that I was going to look back. What if it was a trap? Instead, I had a better idea.

Pressing my foot firmly onto the floor, the shadow beneath me rippled slightly. From it, the figure of the Realmwalker slowly emerged behind me. I watched all of this through the fragmented mirror while also tapping on the camera to make sure it wouldn’t see a single thing.

’Nothing?’

Seeing that the Realmwalker noticed nothing, I smiled back at my reflection, and it returned the smile.

But my smile didn’t last long.

From the corner of my eye, I noticed a sudden movement behind me. The Realmwalker’s figure turned in my direction, its long hands lowering toward my neck. The movement was abrupt and quick, catching me off guard, and without knowing, I turned around to fend off the attack, only for me to be met with the Realmwalker’s gaze.

Huh?

Realization dawned on me almost immediately as I turned my head back to the mirror. Or at least, tried.

But it was too late—

Suddenly, I felt something latch onto my neck and face. Fingers dug into my skin as a violent force yanked me backward, dragging me along with it.

The Realmwalker reacted instantly, lunging toward me and grabbing hold just in time to slow whatever was dragging me back. But the force behind it was absurd. Even the Realmwalker could do little more than hold it back for a moment, barely managing to slow its pull.

As my mind reacted, I tried to use [Herder] on whatever was grasping me from behind, but it failed immediately.

"——!"

The force suddenly clamped onto my ankle as well. My balance broke instantly, and I crashed to the floor as I was dragged backward even faster.

Mirelle’s figure appeared at the side, her soft giggle echoing through the room. But even that had no effect as I was dragged faster and faster.

In an attempt to resist, I drove my nails into the floor. They scraped harshly against the wood, a burning pain shooting through my fingers as I tried to hold on against the relentless pull.

Whatever I tried, it seemed to have no effect. Not even the Realmwalker’s second ability was able to pull me out of the situation, the hands stopping me from entering the shadows.

’What the hell is this thing?!’

I barely managed to turn my head, my gaze locking on the mirror

And the moment I saw it, my eyes widened.

From within the fractured surface, thousands of hands stretched outward, all reaching toward me. Between them were countless faces, eyes wide, mouths open, twisting and writhing as they clawed at the glass, all trying to drag me in.

That was when it all clicked inside my mind.

The anomaly...

The Mirror was the anomaly.