" Game detects a Great Girl ? What does that even mean ? " Enmei asked as she looked at herself in the mirror , examining the bags under her eyes and the bruises on her skin from fighting too much.
" How great can I be if Hudson chose to save Eros over me then thought I was so weak that he wanted me to quit the game? I'm absolutely nothing without those monster pills. There's nothing ' great " about me and when I look in the mirror all I see is average." She reflected to herself and was deeply saddened.
She was in the Hall of Hearts , dressed in a fine robe and left alone with a wide variety of self care products but she still felt as though she wasn't worthy.
Hudson had put a dent in her self esteem by not saving her when the school was underwater. After that Enmei felt so betrayed that she became paranoid, she'd doubt her own family would protect her because Hudson didn't.
She had thought he was close enough to her to be like family and besides her father always wanted to adopt him.
Enmei had been the shadow behind Hudson's light for years and she was tired. Enmei knew she didn't want to be a light but she didn't want to be in the background either.
She wanted to be darker , stronger and not some angelic light. She wanted to lead with fear like Eros did.
" Player 3 , would you like to see the garden ?" One of the game's security called and Enmei washed her face and opened her curtains.
" You look like a Princess that got scratched and clawed by a dragon."
" All true...except I am the dragon and I am just trapped in the tower with a mirror that reflects myself and every mistake that I have ever made and a recorder that replays all the times people didn't think I was good enough."
" You're not the dragon, Enmei . No matter how much you feel like it. The fire that you hold is just the truth that burns the image of inequity." The guard said and for a moment Enmei was shocked at how caring the guard from the system sounded. She had thought the guard would have been more mean , rough and bitter.
Enmei turned on the TV and the news came on. The unnaturally cheery reporter who had been covering the game adorned the TV screen with a wide smile.
" The President of the United States and other Global leaders are currently requesting to meet with the top 3 girls from the game along with the man of our dreams ....and strangely seductive nightmares, EROS." She said flirtily then she blushed and held her head down onto her desk then took a deep breath before she raised her head again and continued to speak.
" A few social media posts have brought up experiments designed to test and attempt to neutralize Eros' pheromones but so far not much information has been documented to back any of those claims . Those could very well all be baseless rumours."
Enmei had perked up after hearing that there was a possibility that the president wanted to see her then she turned to the guard.
" I am going to write a letter to the president with a long list of ways we can protect women and empower them to fight more meaningful battles." Enmei told the guard and he shook his head with a small smile.
" You really have a determined spirit. You're friend's with Hudson aren't you? "
" Yes."
" You want to be smart like Hudson and strong like Eros."
" How'd you know ?"
" The system sees everything. It knows the ones you love. the ones you hate and your greatest desires."
" You are the shadow behind him that makes his light look so bright. Without you Hudson wouldn't be who he is today yet he dared to betray you. His light can not exist without your darkness."
The guard stepped behind her and slowly placed a golden necklace around her with a pendant that was half the sun.
He turned the TV off so she could see her reflection in the darkness of the screen.
She smiled softly.
" Hudson is a good person. I don't deserve him and he's not strong because of me. I -" Enmei explained but was interrupted by the guard who walked infront of her with a clear tube filled with a blue- green liquid.
" Give this to Hudson at midnight during the game. Once he drinks it you'll be able to share his knowledge and power. "
"What ? N-no I can't steal his gifts. He is my friend ! " Enmei shouted the last sentence then stood up immediately.
The guard panicked , dissappointment marched all over his face.
" You're not stealing his gifts. You are sharing them. This potion will let you share his abilities. You'll finally get your wish. YOU'LL BE JUST LIKE HIM."
" The guard held Enmei's hand and an illusion of a mirror surrounded by shadows and black smoke appeared in front of her and her younger self looking into it.
"This again ? This dream ? When will I get rid of it ?" She asked
" When you find yourself." The guard said and Enmei turned quickly to look at him.
"I AM NOT LOST !" She shouted then her attention was drawn away by glass shattering.
The illusion of younger herself was now bleeding still standing in front of the same mirror but now it was broken.
A million images of all the times she was outshined by Hudson in her childhood flashed through her mind.
Smoke covered the mirror and a shadowy monster reached out to her younger self.
She watched as the younger version of herself reached back to hold the shadow monster's hand.
" Wait NO !" Enmei shouted and she jumped in front of her younger self shielding her from the shadows.
" Don't play with shadows it's bad luck Enmei scolded her younger self , shaking her and hugging her, realizing that she could touch the illusions and interact with them. She then turned to the shadow monster and shouted at it.
"Back off ! Leave her alone ! " Enmei shouted , her eyes wet with tears.
" W-what ? I don't want to be left alone." The younger Enmei said and Enmei realized the child sounded more scared of loneliness than the shadowy creature.
" Lighten up , Miss." The young Enmei said stepping frm behind her and walking towards the shadow.
Enmei tried to pull her back but it was now use.
The child held the dark monster's hands and the darkness traveled in a spiral like a vine from her hand to the older Enmei's hand.
" The Shadows are our friends." The child said and her eyes turned black.
Enmei let her go then screamed loudly.
Suddenly all the illusions were turning into black and grey smoke and fading away.
Enmei cried and immediately looked towards the guard who had been standing behind her , just watching her with the potion in his hands.
The tube it was in glistened.
She stared at it.
"Give me the potion and I'll let Hudson drink it then I will drink the rest." Enmei said and the guard smiled.
Perhaps this was truly the only way she'd ever become smart like Hudson and strong like Eros ....or maybe the potion itself was a placebo ?