Mirror Wraith

"Reflects one thousand wants, and even more desires."

Anomaly Story

Humans are born trapped within the prison of an intangible concept: the "self". As both an anchor of survival and a curse from birth, the "self" is an integral part of human consciousness. Water, by nature, possesses the ability to "reflect" and "refract". People often hold the belief that water can reveal "realities", whether it be a "truth" that's been shrouded, or a deeply held desire. When the energies of self-deception, confusion, or destruction overflow, nearby bodies of water can potentially hatch an Anomaly: the "Mirror Wraith".

The "Mirror Wraith" is a "spirit" enslaved by humanity's own delusions. It has no face, no flesh, and no wants or thoughts. Instead, it's an inevitable byproduct of self-rejection. As a result, it utilizes water to construct a "projection" of a victim's ideal self, and continues to sustain itself by devouring and reshaping a human's consciousness.

Characteristics

A massive mimetic trap-type Anomaly that lurks in enclosed natural bodies of water. The surrounding ecosystem exhibits cognitive interference visible to the naked eye: the outer perimeter appears completely normal; upon entering a certain range, subjects first encounter a "sanity cleanse" phenomenon in the form of rainfall; upon reaching the Anomaly's core, the entire water surface and surrounding space enter a state of absolute stillness and dead silence.

This Anomaly can reveal a target's deepest delusions or desires through their reflection on the water's surface, then refract a watery illusion of the target's "ideal self". In ordinary victims, this induces intense self-loathing and yearning, luring them willingly into the center of the lake, where they quietly drown, unaware of their situation.

Against targets that resist it or even show hostility, the Mirror Wraith instantly drops its disguise. The absolutely still water hardens and shatters, gravity inverts, and intruders who refuse to merge are forcibly dragged beneath the surface into a "fragmented prison." At that point, the Anomaly materializes the intruder's inner fears as a dark Mirror Self, born from the same source as the target, to unleash a vicious counterattack.

Anomaly Nexus

- For individuals whose subconscious cannot be probed, or who harbor no delusions, its probing fails and cannot trigger any lure mechanism.

- The only way to nullify it is to personally shatter the "Mirror Self" formed from one's own "dark side."

Risk Assessment

Latent Hazard

Containment Status

Cannot be contained.