#test realm

That lazy smile of his, always plastered onto his face. Not that they hate to see it. But... it's different. They can't quite place what about it is. It seems like everyone they meet is so... so...

Plastic. Fake. Stale. Lifeless.

As always, they are more than helpful with finding words for them.

“'ey, Wizard, you listening?” Snap! Snap!

I am, they confirm with an over-exaggerated nod. They're not. Not really.

There are too many emotions bouncing around inside them to muster up anything beyond that of apathy as they stare at their surroundings. Not that they don't care, either. They do. They also don't. And everything in between. Like always. Like normal.

The skybox is yellow. The terrain is also yellow. The mud is brown. The enemies... lions of varying colors. There's a new gardening NPC somewhere. Something, something... That's about it. All that's interesting so far, anyway. There's a story going on, too, they suppose, but with them clamoring over everything they're having a hard time focusing on the smaller details for themselves.

Aaron blinks back at the Wizard. He, too, hardly emotes much at all, always in a passively chipper mood to match his blank grin and basic red and white beginners robes. And yet - and it could be their eyes playing tricks on them - it seems like Aaron is ever so slightly... hurt? Perhaps the [DEVELOPERS] have made some tweaks to him since last the two have seen each other.

Aaron puts his hands on his hips and tilts his head to one side, his forever-smile seeming to drop ever so slightly. "Yeah, I know. Test Realm is a bit chaotic for ya. Lots of opinions. Lots of feedback." He pauses momentarily as his eyes are drawn to something just off to the side, visible to him but unseen to the Wizard. "Welp, that'll need to get fixed later..."

I am excited, they try to reassure him as best they can. A new World is always interesting.

"Man, I'd love to talk about all the Worlds I'm scouting out for the future, buuuuuuuut..." Aaron chuckles. "[DEVS] said I gotta keep it a secret."

I understand.

"Hmmm..." Aaron holds an arm up to his face and pulls back his sleeve. It looks like he's checking a wrist watch for the time despite the fact he doesn't have one built onto his model. "Hows about we call it quits for today? I'll need to close the place up for the night soon anyway."

Sure.

Even so, there's countless disappointed wails from the ether. They always hate it when Test Realm has to close. Sadly, it's not like Aaron can keep this subdimention open forever without it becoming greatly unstable. And so the Wizard, despite seeing it to be a good idea, is also sad as they watch Aaron work his own magic. With the simple clap of his hands, the two of them are teleported away from the yellow Savannah and into the flat cornflower blue expanse that is Aaron's domain.

Here, it is quiet. Their collective shout disappears from their mind, leaving behind a very hollow and aimless character as a result. The Wizard looks around at all the stuff Aaron has collected here with no thought or feeling towards anything in particular. Large signs shine over each pile of seemingly random junk:

DANGEROUS (but cute)

!!! POINTY !!!

REMOVED: [???]

Made me angry

Looks like a missing texture

Mine

As endless as this domain appears to be, the piles occupy but a small fraction of the limitless space, crammed all together as if Aaron thought these piles weren't going to continue to grow in size over time. And this is only the second newest World since the end of Arc 1.

And yet there is a sense of coziness to this place, too. Some of the things from the nicer piles jealously removed from the Spiral for their pleasing aesthetics have been scattered about the place, forming small cozy seating areas and wall-less room mock-ups. Lamps line the large central pathway they stand on and mark the corners of the many piles around them despite the place already being well-lit by some unknown, unseen light source.

"Ahhhhh, home sweet storage space!" Aaron beams, letting out a long stretch.

I have to go, Aaron, the Wizard states. They weren't expecting to be brought here at all. They are needed back in the Spiral - the real Spiral - for them.

"It's server downtime there too. We've got some time," Aaron reassures them with a dismissive hand wave. Once more, his expression appears to falter ever so slightly. Is his model breaking?

"Actually, I wanted to show you something I found."

The Wizard doesn't reply, but a large question mark briefly appears beside their head. They can say they are curious but they know that the emotion is incomplete without them around to borrow from. Nonetheless, Aaron motions for them to follow him.

At the end of the large central walkway is a series of screens floating in the air and a large static rift behind them. Text crawls across the screens at a rate the Wizard can't even read, though they doubt they'd even be able to understand them anyway. This is Aaron's place, after all. It's all for him and him only, not them.

But it's the rift that catches the Wizard's eye. They're not quite sure what the rift is supposed to be, nor have they asked or Aaron offered an explanation of his own accord. But stuck in the center of the white and gray noise is some kind of flat, jagged black crystal. The Wizard pauses momentarily, a flash of... something uneasy filling their hollow being. But Aaron walks right up to it unconcerned and grins wider as he presents it to the Wizard as if it were a trophy the [DEVELOPERS] modeled specifically for him.

What is it? the Wizard asks.

"It's just a mirror. Well, a piece of one, anyway. It works, too."

The Wizard steps up to the shard of broken mirror a little cautiously. They can't quite shake this dread within them. It is not from them, either; it feels like they are the one feeling it for themselves. And... it is just a regular mirror, it seems. They can see themselves in its black reflection quite clearly despite the dark surface. Their smooth, porcelain face and shadowed eyes stare back at them. Despite their face not once breaking from their usual blank scowl, their reflection furrows its brow and its mouth falls into a scowl. Likewise, Aaron's reflection beams with pride and joy he usually cannot express with his model.

Something else stirs within them, as if they have returned yet... they have been condensed into a single voice. Quiet, weak, trying to find some sense of presence. And it is telling them that this is rather unimpressive.

This is it? they inquire, their emotionless tone taking on a slightly sharper edge to it.

"Cool, right? We can break our models with it!" Aaron puts his fingers up to the edge of his mouth, and his reflection stretches it wide and sticks its tongue out back at the two.

Where did you find this?

"Dragonspyre. That's why it was so late getting released."

The Wizard's reflection seems to raise an eyebrow, but it's hard to tell with their face being so obscure with shadow. But it reflects their interest. This little thing caused the delay of the finale of Arc 1 from being released on time?

All because of this mirror?

"Yep."

Why?

Aaron shrugs, his reflection pursing its lips with a confused expression. "Dunno. But it was screwing with the link back to the [DEVS] so it had to get removed."

And so you keep it with all your personal things?

Aaron's reflection scowls with annoyance. "Geez, I can't like being able to stare at myself?"

The Wizard is annoyed too, the emotion swelling within their chest. There are plenty of other mirrors.

"Yeah, but I like this one. I can make faces with it."

You don't even know what it is, do you?

"If you don't like it just say so," Aaron sighs with frustration. He turns away from the mirror and the Wizard to take a deep breath.

He was feeling enough to need to calm down?

I... do not, the Wizard tepidly confirms, also breaking eye contact with their reflection. At once, the little voice fades away once more and they fall back into their usual hollowness.

It isn't like them to make 'I' statements at all. There is no 'I'. 'I' implies they are one being, one identity, one voice. But they are a representation of them; there is no room for individuality when a collective must be served. And being their vessel is their only purpose.

And yet... it feels like something has changed within them. It's so slight it's barely even noticeable, but in the silence the Wizard can feel it. Hear it.

That singular voice, barely an audible murmur buzzing in their ear.

It is not someone from the Spiral. It is not them. It is not the [DEVELOPERS].

I should return now, they state.

"Oh, yeah, right," Aaron hums, having forgotten that the Wizard is not supposed to be here. "See you later, Wizzy!"

An inexplicable burst of frustration boils inside them. Don't-

But they are returned to the Spiral before they can even finish their thought without so much of a sound. Whatever strangeness they were feeling is drowned in an instant by their voices once again. Telling them what to think, to feel, to do, to be.