Con stepped through the mirror.
For a brief moment, the world felt weightless again.
Then—
Stone ground met his feet.
The smell of dust returned.
The broken shop.
The quiet alley.
The distant sounds of the capital.
He was back.
Con steadied himself.
Then suddenly—
Darkness returned.
Completely.
His vision vanished as quickly as it had appeared.
The world became the familiar black void he had lived in for fifteen years.
Con blinked instinctively.
But nothing changed.
"…right."
He exhaled softly.
His sight had only existed inside the Mirror Realm.
Out here—
He was blind again.
Strangely, it didn't bother him much.
He had lived this way his entire life.
Still…
Seeing the world, even briefly, had been overwhelming.
Now he understood why people valued sight so much.
Con slowly stepped out of the broken shop and into the alley.
He could hear people in the distance.
Guards walking nearby.
The city moving as usual.
Then he noticed something else.
His friends' voices.
Daren.
"…I'm telling you he came this way!"
Tomas sounded worried.
"But we checked this alley yesterday!"
Mikel replied calmly.
"We'll check again."
Jorin simply said,
"Listen."
Con sighed quietly.
"…they found me."
He stepped out into the street.
Immediately—
Daren's voice exploded.
"CON?!"
Heavy footsteps rushed toward him.
A moment later someone grabbed his shoulders.
"You idiot!"
Daren's voice shook with relief and anger.
"Where the hell did you go?!"
Tomas sounded like he was about to cry.
"We thought you died!"
Mikel exhaled slowly.
"…you disappeared for two days."
Jorin stood quietly nearby.
But Con could hear the tension in his breathing.
They had truly been worried.
Con rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.
"…sorry."
Daren shook him slightly.
"Sorry?!"
"Two days, Con!"
"Two!"
Con raised his hands defensively.
"Wait, wait."
"I can explain."
The boys immediately quieted.
Con thought quickly.
He had already decided on the explanation while inside the Mirror Realm.
It was the safest lie.
"There was… an explosion."
The boys blinked.
"Explosion?" Tomas repeated.
Con nodded.
"When I ran into the alley after that girl, I bumped into some men."
Daren growled.
"Those idiots."
"They started threatening me," Con continued calmly.
"Then suddenly something exploded nearby."
"That's the last thing I remember."
Mikel frowned.
"You mean you lost consciousness?"
"Yes."
Con kept his voice simple.
Honest sounding.
"I woke up earlier today in the street outside the market."
The boys exchanged confused looks.
"…that's strange," Jorin said quietly.
Daren scratched his head.
"Well… the capital does have weird stuff happening sometimes."
Tomas nodded nervously.
"Yeah, criminals… magic… shady nobles…"
Con simply shrugged.
"I don't know what happened."
Technically—
That part was true.
He still didn't fully understand what had happened either.
But the lie served two important purposes.
First—
It explained the explosion that had destroyed the shop wall.
Second—
It hid the existence of the Mirror Realm.
Con had realized something important during the two days he spent there.
If people discovered a place that allowed someone to travel anywhere through mirrors…
War would start instantly.
Kings would kill for that power.
Nobles would hunt anyone connected to it.
And if anyone learned that Con himself could access it—
Not just him.
Harun would be in danger.
His friends would be in danger.
Everyone connected to him would become a target.
So the truth could not be revealed.
Not yet.
Maybe not ever.
There were also other things he needed to figure out first.
Like the strange hooded girl.
And—
His missing memories.
Con's expression became thoughtful.
He still didn't know who Lee Eunwoo was.
Or why his past self had erased everything.
Part of him wanted to know.
But another part hesitated.
There must have been a reason.
People didn't erase their entire past for no reason.
His old self must have decided the memories were too painful.
Or too dangerous.
So for now—
Con decided not to force it.
If the memories returned naturally someday, he would face them then.
Until that day—
Constantine was enough.
Daren suddenly punched his shoulder lightly.
"You idiot."
Con laughed quietly.
"Sorry."
Mikel sighed.
"At least you're alive."
Tomas muttered dramatically,
"I lost sleep over you."
Jorin spoke calmly.
"Let's return to the academy."
Con nodded.
"Yeah."
As they began walking through the capital streets together again—
Con listened carefully to the familiar sounds.
His friends.
The city.
The world he knew.
It all felt strangely normal again.
But something had definitely changed.
Because now—
He knew the truth.
Somewhere beyond ordinary reality…
A world of mirrors waited for him.
And inside that world—
A strange system still watched silently.
Even though Con could no longer see it.
The glowing letters flickered quietly.
Following him like a shadow.
[Host Status: Active]
[Mirror Realm Access: Unlocked]
[Observation Mode: Enabled]
Con walked through the capital unaware.
But the system continued watching.
Waiting.