Mythos Of Narcissus: Reborn As An NPC In A Horror VRMMO

Ah, the joys of leading a bastion. One moment, you're racing against the impending arrival of the Ordeal of the Dusk. The next, you're wrangling your confidantes and bastioneers into a spontaneous expedition to fetch fresh water because your technological genius has drained your reservoirs dry.

Still, fate smiled upon me, or rather, Verina did, as she effortlessly detected a nearby source of fresh water the moment I assigned her the task. It was a reminder of how competent my confidantes were—or, in Verina's case, suspiciously efficient.

It scared me a little bit. Both Verina and Kuzunoha had been nothing but wonderful additions to my life, one that I wouldn't ever let go if possible.

We set out immediately, myself, Kuzunoha, Verina, and three bastioneers—Erika, Lydia, and Sera. Each wielded their newly crafted Skypiercers, which gleamed with the promise of greater efficiency.

Despite the limited time before nightfall, the discovery of a water source so close to our bastion filled me with cautious optimism.

When we reached the site, my breath caught in my throat. A vast natural lake stretched before us, its crystalline waters shimmering under the dying light. It was the kind of idyllic scene that belonged to dreams or myths, not Carcosa's twisted reality.

"By the radiant one's blessing!" Erika gasped, her voice reverent. "This must be a gift!"

Sadly, no, Erika. This lake was definitely not a gift from me. It was the opposite, actually. It was a gift for me.

"This lake is definitely not a normal one," Verina commented. "I sensed a great hint of psionic signature, so it might be somewhat artificial or just meddled by creatures of high psychic power."

"You're close to the truth, Verina," Kuzunoha answered with a smirk.

Right before I could bask in the discovery, an incident happened.

In her excitement, Sera's foot slipped on the loose dirt near the water's edge. She let out a surprised yelp, and her Skypiercer flew from her grip, spinning end-over-end like a windmill before plunging into the lake with an unceremonious splash.

""Ah""

We all watched as the legendary Skypiercer dived into the vast lake with ten-out-of-ten scores from the judges. The dive was so amazing, in fact, that it took us a solid five seconds before we could continue our train of thoughts.

"I'm so sorry!" Sera wailed, her eyes filling with tears. It was definitely one of her sheepish acts, but it looked genuine, as if she was legitimately terrified that there would be big consequences for letting go of her priceless weapon like that. "I-I didn't mean to—"

"Breathe," I said quickly, raising a hand to cut her off. "It's fine. We'll retrieve it. Skypiercers are designed to survive worse than a bit of water."

I might need to design a weapon that could telekinetically return to its owner in the future.

The others chimed in with reassurances for Sera.

Erika offered an overzealous prayer for the weapon's safe return, Kuzunoha explaining the reason for her 6 out of 10 score, Verina disagreed on Kuzunoha's judgment, and then there was Lydia who was genuinely confused as to why we made a bigger deal out of this.

"Verina, can you pick up the Skypiercer with your—"

And then, it happened.

The water rippled, then shimmered unnaturally as if the lake itself had heard us. From its depths rose a figure, her silhouette backlit by the golden glow of the setting sun.

The being that emerged was otherworldly, with short, flushed orange hair styled into horn-like tufts, giving her the appearance of either a fae with a sense of playfulness or an overgrown canine. Her attire—or lack thereof—left little to the imagination, her form draped in minimal fabric that barely earned the title of clothing, similar to the one I wore when I just got into this world, and almost drowning on extremely shallow water…

That is reminiscent aside.

Two spears floated beside her as she emerged from the surface of the lake: one gold, one silver.

"It seemed that you dropped something," she said in a melodic voice, "Which one of these finely crafted weapons that you lost?"

The golden and silver spears glimmered in the light as they hovered toward us.

Before Sera could reply, I instinctively clamped a hand over her mouth.

"We thank you for your generosity," I said courteously, "But neither of these are ours."

The figure's expression shifted from serene to half-bored half-amused, the kind that appeared after doing something repeatedly again and again but couldn't help but to flash a warm and gentle smile because of protocol obligation. "Honest, aren't we? I see you know how this works."

Indeed, I did know this myth. It was a classic tale: a divine or fae entity offers mortals a choice between gold, silver, and their own mundane possession, rewarding honesty with all three. A simple trick to test the character of mortals—and one I wasn't about to let Sera botch with an overexcited answer.

She nodded, understanding, as I removed my hand.

"You may have the spears you've lost," the figure said, smiling slyly, "and as a reward for your honesty, take these as well."

The Skypiercer emerged from the water, perfectly intact, alongside its golden and silver counterparts. I accepted them with a graceful nod.

"My thanks," I said. "Might I ask the name of the one who so generously returned them?"

The nymph's expression brightened, and she placed a hand on her chest. "I am Viviane, a Lady of the Lake." Her gaze lingered on me as she added with a knowing smile, "And a pleasure it is to meet a fellow fae."

"A fellow fae?" I repeated internally, nearly choking on my disbelief.

Not only that I finally met a fairy, but she basically also confirmed that I was one of their kind.

I thought that I was a fake one all this time, and that the actual deal would definitely call me out for my persona and break down the image that I had built until now.

Just as I was processing this information, Viviane's expression shifted subtly. Her smile grew tight, the faintest flicker of distaste crossing her features like a chicken that doesn't have enough patience to be on the other side.

"You carry yourself well," she said after a moment, her tone laced with something between curiosity and disdain. "But that aura you project—such overwhelming charm—it's disgustingly unnatural. A bit… ostentatious, don't you think?"

I froze, her words cutting far closer to home than I cared to admit.

Before I could reply, Verina's voice cut through the tension. "Lady of the Lake?" she asked Kuzunoha with deliberate volume. "What kind of title is that?"

The fox immediately seized the opportunity to pontificate, her lips curving into a smirk. "Ah, the Lady of the Lake is no mere title, Verina. It's a role, an occupation of sorts, once held by the human-sympathetic factions of fae society."

Kuzunoha's tone was equal parts instructive and mocking, the perfect balance to both educate and irritate.

"They were arbiters of morality," she continued, "Tasked with uplifting human leaders who exhibited virtue and condemning those who strayed from the path. A noble endeavor, yes, but also quite… an idealistic way to cope with the reality that their tinted-glass view of the world was nothing but a hopeful wish by none other than less-than-a-half population of the faes in the entirety of Carcosa~"

Viviane's eye twitched as Kuzunoha elaborated, fielding questions from the bastioneers as though the nymph weren't standing right there.

"And they gave out enchanted weapons, of course," Kuzunoha added with a dismissive wave. "Because nothing says 'enlightened judgment' like arming mortals and then blaming them for their failings, especially when they got all high and mighty on their dainty unicorn, while dismissing those they deem lacking in morally-rightful characteristic~"

"Wait, I heard of this legend! Do they still do that?" Erika asked, wide-eyed.

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Kuzunoha chuckled darkly. "Oh, I wouldn't know. Most of them disappeared after humanity forgot how to grovel properly."

The air grew tense as Viviane's face flushed, her earlier amusement now replaced with barely restrained anger.

Even Lydia silently noticed that this was definitely not a good progression of our current situation. Her face was screaming, but she couldn't do anything.

"Enough," I said firmly, raising a hand to silence Kuzunoha's tirade. "It's been a while since I stumbled upon another one of my kind. If you all will, I'm thinking of having a personal audience with the Lady of the Lake."

Translation: I'm saving all of your asses the trouble of not dealing with the 'trouble' that would definitely arise if I were to ignore this development.

My confidantes and the bastioneers exchanged glances but obeyed, retreating to a safe distance.

Viviane's focus snapped back to me, her expression sharp. "You," she said, her voice a dagger's edge. "What kind of fairy casts such a potent charm on herself just to earn delusional favor from mere mortals? Is it vanity? Insecurity? Or are you simply that desperate for lowly attention?"

Just right after I thought that I could have a civil conversation.

Thank you so much for destroying that expectation.

I forced a smile, swallowing my irritation. "Thank you for your candor, Lady Viviane, but this 'charm' you sense isn't intentional."

Her eyes narrowed. "What do you mean?"

"It's not mine," I admittedly, lied. "This aura, as you call it, isn't something I created. If anything, it's more of a curse."

Viviane's skepticism softened into curiosity. With a faint hum, she extended a hand, her fingers brushing the air near me as though tracing invisible lines. Her expression darkened as her magic unraveled the truth.

"This…" she murmured, her tone tinged with disbelief. "This isn't ordinary magic. It's an applied effect—a curse anchored so deeply it's part of your essence."

Wait, I was just insinuating. I didn't expect that it would be an actual curse!

I crossed my arms, leaning slightly on my hip. "What did you find?"

Viviane pulled back, her earlier hostility replaced by a hint of begrudging one. "Whatever this is," she said, her voice quieter now, "It's not something even we fae can undo easily. You're… an enigma, genuinely, an annoying one at that."

"Flattered," I deadpanned.

For a moment, neither of us spoke, the lake's gentle ripples filling the silence.

"I'll reserve judgment," Viviane finally said, though her tone made it clear she wasn't entirely convinced, or that she was never convinced of anything that I said ever since our eyes latched to one another. "But know this: whatever burden you carry, it makes you… unusual, even by our standard. Are you proud of your newfound eccentricity, now?"

"Once again, I'll take that as a compliment," I replied lightly, though her words lingered uncomfortably in my mind.

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