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

A sense of dread tried to get its hand on me, like a small spider that crawled into my skull from the first orifice it found, and proceeded to seek a passage into my lungs.

Nobody within the bastion seemed to catch that. Not even Kuzunoha appeared to perceive that eerie action from the maid knight.

Before I knew it, the two knights of the Anthropocentric Order had already departed from this land. The bastion was met with light given by the black sun in the sky, and everything stabilized, just like any other day.

But this marked the sixth day I lived in Carcosa, which was the equivalent of the twelfth day if we use the day measure of the real world.

"It seemed like I got a little bit too leisure in my conduct."

Sometimes I couldn't help but to follow the mental suggestion and instinct that was given to me by this body.

And the more I stood here as Narcissus, the more I realized that I was but an invader to the very vessel I occupied.

But between me and the invasive subconscious behavior of Narcissus.

We both aimed to seek happiness and stability in a world that was more chaotic than a chimpanzee on a trampoline.

As I moved my body, I felt a much sharper pain on the tug of my muscle.

The long night had taken its toll, and as I let out a sigh, I could feel an ache that settled into every inch of my body, not from heavy exertion but from relentless wakefulness.

Though, if I'm to be honest, there were definitely a couple of exertions there and there in my Log tab, if someone could open them beside me.

Just as I began considering a retreat, Verina approached with that ever-watchful look of hers.

Lupina was balanced in her hands, both of them clearly noting the weariness in my gaze.

"Are you alright, Narcissus?" Verina asked, a hint of concern softening her usually sharp tone. "You look… well, like you haven't seen rest since this entire Ordeal began and more."

"Which is not good for your body," Lupina added with a knowing tilt of her head. "When's the last time you actually rested, hmm?"

A pointed silence hung in the air, and I let it linger a moment longer than necessary. Smiling faintly, I leaned down to Lupina's level, brushing a hand over her orange-sunset hair, gently trailing my fingers over her wolf-like ears. Her expression transformed from smug to flustered in an instant, her cheeks flushing as she glanced away.

Verina stifled a laugh, clearly amused. "Looks like someone's speechless."

"N-No! I'm just… you know… concerned," Lupina muttered, her ears twitching as she stole another glance at me. "I heard it from Verina! You are rarely seen resting or doing prolonged leisure. I don't know if your fairy constitution supported such a lifestyle, but it is clear now that you're exhausted physically, if not mentally!

"You can't keep doing this, you know? Pushing yourself like this. In our vocabulary, that is called a 'limit'!"

"When did you become so wise, Lupina?" Verina asked. There was a hint of satisfaction after she heard everything that she wanted to say to me, but now she was clearly more amused from the fact that Lupina is acting unlike Lupina. "Is becoming a head-only individual giving you a sudden increase in intelligence? You never said anything this wise back then."

"Huuu! You're on the wrong objective here, Verina! We intended to convince Narcissus to rest, not questioning my head activity!"

I'm surprised that Lupina began to use more head-related pun after that one incident, hahaha.

Before I could offer a rebuttal, Kuzunoha sauntered over with a smirk, clearly intending to reinforce the idea. "I have to agree with them, Narcissus. Maintaining your physicality and soul is hardly different from survival itself, and putting your overclocked body into a low activity state is the wisest move you could make right now." Her eyes sparkled with a mischievous light, hiding the obvious concern behind her intention. "On a much less patronizing note, who knows what else that curious head of yours could conjure up after a good nap?"

I could only laugh despite myself, feeling a wave of genuine appreciation for their concern.

"Listen," Verina continued, skipping my turn as she gestured around us with a confident nod. "You've done plenty for us here, and I know what you want for this bastion—for every individual that took this ground as and ground as their second home and shelter.

"I've been taking notes on your behavior and patterns, mentally cataloging every detail since the day we met." Her voice held a rare gentleness. "I'll watch over the bastion while you're resting. Trust me, I know exactly how you want it to run."

A warmth filled me, a rare sort of comfort and assortment of trusts that I wasn't accustomed to, and I found myself nodding. "Alright," I said softly, "I'll be in the cabin room where you once rested, Verina. I'll see all of you after some proper sleep. After that… I'll get to work in the workshop, maybe make a few things for us all."

It was faint, but I actually revealed a piece of my heart to them—a part of me that felt made of something soft, as if this heart, for all its callouses, was melting into a sense of comfort and hope. It was foolish in a way, given the circumstances and my own history, yet here I was, content to let my guard down around them.

Even if that heart was made from a piece of moronic fool's gold.

"Just… no sneaking into my room, half-dressed, like before," I added, letting a playful smile beneath my closed-eyes slip through as I glanced between them. "I'm in the mood for solitary resting, not being sandwiched by fine ladies like an insufferable womanizer."

Lupina could be seen in her state of shock and panic, trying to reimagine the implication that could be taken from my words.

Verina raised one of her hands, feigning innocence. "But you're a womanizer."

"A smooth one, at that~" Kuzunoha gave me a finger gun with her gloved hand.

"Just no, invading," I reinforced my statement. "Alright?"

"Alright, alright, you have our word," Verina laughed, rolling her eyes, clearly hinting that she might step into my room if Kuzunoha initiated the operation like last time.

And Kuzunoha, who was the main perpetrator of the last incident, could only be seen with a prideful smugness as she looked at everyone with an air of superiority.

With that, I turned toward the cabin room, savoring the fading sounds of their banter as I made my way inside.