Ikanser was slightly taken aback when words appeared on the surface of the silver mirror. As the keeper of Sealed Artifact 2-111, he had never seen Arrodes respond to a question with a question of its own.
After a moment's silence, he decided the reply might have something to do with the lingering aura of the "Lord of Storms" at the scene. Choosing his words carefully, he said:
"Setting aside anything related to the 'Lord of Storms,' I want to know which ordinary participants were involved in what happened here."
As soon as he finished speaking, ripples of light shimmered across the mirror's surface. Then new words appeared:
"As... you... wish."
The words floating on the mirror quickly vanished, and a scene of flames rising into the air appeared in their place.
Against a backdrop of alternating fire and light, a figure in a double-breasted formal suit and a half-height silk top hat stood amidst the flames. One hand rested on the crown of his hat while the other was held behind his back, and he bowed toward the people outside the mirror.
His form twisted and shifted, his face veiled in crimson firelight and smeared with stage paint, making it impossible to see clearly.
As he straightened from his bow, Fire Serpents surged around him, quickly swallowing him up until he vanished in an instant.
The scene in the silver mirror suddenly darkened. As the light rippled, a distorted figure appeared, hovering in midair, its body spangled with brilliant starlight and a pair upon pair of radiant wings of light spread behind it.
Its shape and features were just as impossible to make out, but it had a pair of exceptionally bright, striking eyes.
As Ikanser and Clifford watched closely, the figure in the mirror suddenly turned its head