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

Ah, greetings, my fair companions of questionable taste.

You're in the guidance of the fair and humble, Lupina, the head—quite literally—of this fine entourage, and I find myself burdened once again with observing the antics of our illustrious leader, Narcissus.

But this time... I might've bitten off more than I can chew. and that's saying something for a disembodied head.

Let me set the scene: here I am, nestled in the arms of Erika, who's practically trembling with excitement, as Sera and Lydia crowd in beside us behind a suspiciously convenient tree. Our vantage point overlooks the lake, where Narcissus, Verina, Kuzunoha, and this beautiful fairy—Viviane—are having a heart-to-heart.

But then, I bore witness to something both perplexing and borderline scandalous.

Our fair and dazzling leader, Lady Narcissus, had gone down on one knee before the mysterious Lady of the Lake.

Yes, on one knee, like a knight pledging fealty or… like someone proposing!

And I wasn't the only one who noticed.

"I knew it!" Erika whispered, her voice filled with barely contained excitement. "Our divine leader has found her one true love! And it's another fairy who is blessed by this holy union—truly a match blessed by fate!"

"Calm down, Erika," Lydia muttered, though her eyes were also glued to the scene. "We don't even know what's happening. Maybe it's some sort of… diplomatic gesture?"

"Diplomatic?!" Erika gasped. "Look at our radiant one! She's kneeling! That's not diplomacy; that's destiny!" Read latest stories on empire

"Maybe it's just a ploy," Sera added, anxious, her brow furrowed in thought. "You know how Lady Narcissus is. She's always strategizing. Maybe this is part of her plan to recruit the Lady of the Lake?"

Erika huffed. "You're all so cynical. Can't you see the biblical romance unfolding before us?"

And there I was, caught in the middle of their debate, my head quite literally bobbing with every shift of Erika's overenthusiastic movements.

I wanted to speak up, to offer my insight, but alas, being a disembodied head has its limitations.

Still, I couldn't deny the pang of unease gnawing at me.

Could it be true? Could Narcissus have fallen for this Viviane character at first sight? My thoughts spiraled into turmoil, my own feelings for our leader clashing with the absurdity of the situation. But then I glanced toward Verina and Kuzunoha, who were standing at the lake's edge, both calm and composed.

If this really were a proposal, surely they would've intervened, right?

While I still might carry a one-sided crush to Narcissus, both Verina and Kuzunoha carried something almost monstrous in their heart. They might joke at each other and quip from time to time, but I felt it, something that even Narcissus appears to not notice.

They were on the verge of gnawing their fangs and claws at each other. Every Time either one of them attempted to get Narcissus' attention in a rather unconventional way, the other would emit an aura of death that could erupt catastrophically.

I felt that if it was someone other than those two who attempted such affection or a means of gaining attention from Narcissus, they would be ripped apart in an endless tempest of pain and destruction.

And I always had no choice but to maintain my composure and ignore those calamities until they were gone. It was terrorizing, almost traumatizing, even!

The conversation at the lake's edge was inaudible to us, likely thanks to a spell—probably Kuzunoha's doing. But we could still see everything. Narcissus, kneeling. Viviane, looking as though she'd rather be anywhere else.

Kuzunoha, smirking like a fox who'd just stolen a hen. And Verina, standing with her musket casually slung over her shoulder, radiating that air of indifference that somehow made her seem even more intimidating.

Yeah, ever since she met Narcissus, she became so menacing and haunting, it was scary how the partner that had been traveling with me for more than a year had gone through such a massive change in such a small amount of days.

Then again, the same thing happened to me, albeit more physically wise.

"Look!" Erika pointed with her eyes practically gleaming, physically, as if she had been blessed by a goddess just to show how excited she was at what was transpiring.

And then… It happened. Viviane sighed, her posture stiff, and nodded.

"Yes," Erika whispered, her hands clutching me tightly. "She said yes!"

Sera squinted. "She doesn't look happy about it."

"Maybe she's just overwhelmed," Erika suggested. "After all, who wouldn't be awestruck by our leader's radiant presence?" This deowl then began tightly clutching my head to her chest. "She might be worried that her union with our holy leader will cause a ripple in the fae society!"

Lydia groaned. "Can you stop romanticizing everything? For all we know, she's just agreeing to some sort of truce."

But Erika wasn't listening. She was too busy vibrating with excitement, her grip on me tightening to the point of discomfort.

"Erika," I managed to say, my voice strained, "Could you… loosen your grip a bit? I'd rather not pop like a ripe melon."

"Gyaaaa! Sorry, head of consul Lupina!" she said, quickly adjusting her hold. "I'm just so excited!"

"You're not the only one," I muttered, though my excitement was laced with a healthy dose of skepticism. "Though, it seems like you need to read your Script more, since I doubt that there isn't any mention about how excessive things are not good for the soul and heart."

"Your words won't be ignored by the heart, head of consul Lupina!"

As Viviane reluctantly agreed to whatever Narcissus had said, Verina raised her hand and gestured for us to approach. The three bastioneers exchanged glances, their debate momentarily forgotten as they carried me out from behind the tree and toward the group.

Kuzunoha was already in motion, standing by the lake's edge with her parasol resting on her shoulder, no longer sipping her tea. She waved a hand, and the entire lake began to shimmer and ripple.

"Wait, what's Madam Kuzunoha doing?" Sera asked, her voice tinged with alarm.

"She's absorbing the lake," Lydia replied, her tone flat.

"Absorbing it, as in the entirety?!" Erika gasped. "Is it possible? Even for our magnificent elder?"

Sometimes, I forgot that Kuzunoha was deemed as this ancient and noble entity who followed Narcissus' every will in the eyes of the bastioneers.

"Apparently, she can," I said, watching as the entire body of water seemed to collapse inward, spiraling into a glowing orb that hovered above Kuzunoha's hand, one which she absorbed into her arcane something-something storage.

Viviane, who had been standing stiffly beside Narcissus, turned toward Kuzunoha with a sharp glare. "Was that really necessary?"

Kuzunoha smiled sweetly. "Oh, absolutely. Can't leave a perfectly good lake lying around, now can we? Besides, it's not like you're going to miss it."

Viviane pinched the bridge of her nose, clearly trying to suppress a retort. "You too are insufferable."

"And yet, here I am," Kuzunoha replied, her smile never wavering.

As we made our way back to the bastion, Verina took over carrying me, much to my relief. The three bastioneers were buzzing with energy, their excitement reignited now that we were close enough to Narcissus to bombard her with questions.

"Lady Narcissus!" Erika called, her voice reverent, and blunt, "Was that… was that truly a proposal?"

Narcissus blinked, clearly caught off guard. "A proposal? What are you talking about?"

"To Lady Viviane!" Erika clarified, her eyes practically sparkling. "The kneeling, the heartfelt words, the reluctant but undeniable acceptance—it was a proposal, wasn't it?"

For the first time that day, I saw Narcissus genuinely confused of what this deowl insinuated for a second. Her expression then changed into that of her casual and ravishing smile. "That's merely for a negotiation."

Erika tilted her head, clearly unconvinced. "Negotiation? It didn't look like a negotiation to me. It looked like true love."

Narcissus maintained her smile, running a hand through her hair. "Erika, I promise you, it was not a proposal. It was just me trying to convince Viviane to join us. Or in a way, allowing herself to get kidnapped by us."

Oh no, the word 'kidnapped' was definitely not the best choice of word when you're trying to clear this misunderstanding, Narcissus!

Erika was left speechless and sparkling to her fair moment of imagination.

"And it worked," Verina added, her tone as deadpan as ever. "Though I have to say, it did look a lot like a proposal."

"You're not helping," Narcissus chuckled.

We were almost close to the Ordeal of the Dusk, but thanks to the bastioneers who resided in the bastion and tasked to prepare the defenses in the perimeters, I felt much more safe than usual.

It was surprising to hear that they were a former bandit that Narcissus and Kuzunoha recruited and somewhat brainwashed to do their bidding. Then again, I never saw this much enthusiasm from a brainwashed person.

Erika was the prime example.

They were also much more competent than average bastioneers that I met in my journey before, which make it even more assuring that everyone in this bastion was beyond capable in their own right.

When we finally reached the bastion, Narcissus gathered everyone together to make an announcement. The bastioneers, as always, were attentive and eager to hear what their charismatic leader had to say.

"Everyone," Narcissus began, her voice carrying the weight of authority, "I'd like to introduce you to Lady Viviane." Her hand gestured her to the stoic and noble Viviane. "She the Lady of the Lake, and to a great extent, one of my precious kin.

"She is an important guest, or should I say, a precious prisoner who I have procured through forcefully kidnapping her after numerous passionate attempts in winning her heart."

Ah yes, she used the worst wordings possible.

Viviane crossed her arms, her expression unreadable.

"Treat her with the utmost respect," Narcissus continued, "As though she is a runaway princess in need of our protection. I want her to be comfortable in every category of her needs as long as our bastion can accommodate it.

"Procuring her wrath and discomfort also means challenging my authority." For a second, Narcissus' smile was downright menacing. "I hope all of you deeply understand the weight behind my every word."

The bastioneers exchanged glances, their expressions ranging from curiosity to awe. Erika, of course, was the first to speak up.

"Lady Viviane," she said, bowing deeply, "It is an honor to serve someone so closely connected to our divine leader. We shall do everything in our power to make your stay as pleasant as possible!"

Viviane's lips twitched, as though she couldn't decide whether to be flattered or annoyed.

As the bastioneers began bustling about, preparing to accommodate their 'runaway princess' I couldn't help but chuckle to myself, terrified of the potential event that might happen because of this.

And I really hope that I was talking about the Ordeal that should be starting any second now.