Mirror Worlds
For a list of all Mirror Worlds that feature playable Identities, see List of Identities by World.
The Mirror Worlds are the collection of the infinite alternate realities that can be seen through the Mirror. These worlds vary from being nearly identical to the City that serves as the main setting of Limbus Company and Project Moon's other works to being nearly unrecognizable as the same universe.
Alongside the Mirror technology, the ramifications of Mirror Worlds are a main point of interest in Limbus Company.
Overview
Mirror Worlds can be discovered and interacted with through various means, such as through extraction via the engine of Mephistopheles or through gazing upon an item that uses Mirror technology. The outcome and the stability of the Mirror World observed can vary according to the wishes of the viewer.
Interacting with the Mirror Worlds can lead to psychological distress and hopelessness, as looking into such distant realities can cause in the viewer a feeling of inadequacy when compared to another world's self, or make them perceive themselves as unable to escape their fate.[1][2] The creation of the first device capable of looking into the Mirror Worlds, the Glass Window, was motivated by a desire to see into worlds where people and things that were dead in one world lived on in another.[3] This mindset was one rooted in grief, spurred on by personal loss, and all who first saw through the Glass Window and the Mirror were entranced by the possibilities that they showed, which appeared so distant from the world they lived in.[4][5]
Despite this, there is a great variations in Mirror Worlds. Those extracted through Mephistopheles typically appear to be grounded in realities close to the main world, whereas others seem instead to be more artificial, stemming directly from the reflection of the viewer's feelings, as is the case for Yi Sang's observation of Sang Yi's world, which stemmed directly from the inadequacy of his situation at the time. The events of Canto VI similarly show that Mirror Worlds are created by one's deepest desires,[6] but that they still end up reflecting the viewer's deepest positive or negative emotions, as is the case for Nelly and Catherine, who both see only worlds that end in misery. The extraction range of Mephistopheles is said to also be affected by this in some way, as it is stated that the Identities and E.G.O obtained from the engine are typically relevant to Limbus Company in some way,[7] supposedly being affected by the events experienced during the LCB's journey. This seems to imply a viewer might be able to actively affect or interact with the worlds reflected to the Mirror.[8]
The Light and the Golden Boughs seem to be closely connected to these concepts, allowing for connections with external Mirror Worlds. The manager of the Limbus Company Bus Department, Dante, who has part of a Golden Bough implanted in their prosthetic head, has been shown in numerous cases to be able to peek into various worlds. Dante is shown to be capable of resonating with the Golden Boughs and utilize them to affect external worlds, as shown in the ending of Canto VI, during which they made use of a Golden Bough to erase Catherine from all Mirror Worlds. Dante also uses the LCB-PDA in their possession to see into other Mirror Worlds, and communicate with Identities of the Sinners they are contracted to. During these interactions, the voice in the Light, Carmen, speaks directly with them, narrating the stories of the Identities selected by Dante. Carmen, from her spot within the Light, seems to be able to see all worlds, and seems to be unaffected by the effects of the Golden Bough on the worlds, as demonstrated by her ability to recall Catherine following the erasure.[9]
In the Identity Story of Ishmael's Family Hierarch Candidate Identity, Carmen, as its narrator, corroborates on the concept of worlds being created by one's feelings. In particular, Carmen seems to point at Dante as a source of Mirror Worlds, commenting on the worlds being created by the act of a "wishmaker", and becoming clearer in the presence of an observer.
Involved Factions
Limbus Company
Limbus Company often utilizes Mirror technology, typically the engine of Mephistopheles, for various means, such as the acquisition of Identities and access to the Mirror Dungeon.[10][11] The company is largely uninterested in how its interactions with the Mirror Worlds cause them harm, seeing them as a source of Identities and ways to strengthen the Sinners and as a point of research.[12] In order to further these goals, the LCA R&D team has developed Takeoff Modules, which are capable of rapidly enhancing an Identity at the cost of disturbing the fabric of the Mirror Worlds.[13]
New League of Nine Littérateurs
Hermann created the New League of Nine Littérateurs to research Mirror technology and gain information on the Mirror Worlds and how to destroy them.[14][15] For this purpose, she recruited several members of the original League of Nine Littérateurs and tasked them with researching this technology. Yi Sang's orders were to learn of a way to destroy the Mirror Worlds, but he ultimately left and was recruited to Limbus Company before finishing this research. Aseah, in his years working under Hermann, has made several large developments in Mirror technology, and has created something similar to Limbus Company's Identity system.[16] He and N Corp. have created a method to transform a human into a 'dough', an empty form over which any Identity can be applied to, regardless of how different or unrelated the Identity is to the original person.[17][18] This 'dough' is not the endpoint of Hermann's research, however, and the New League seeks to continue this line of research until they reach what Faust describes as "the very origin… the primordial human".[19][20]
In several cases, Hermann has used the Mirror Worlds in order to recruit members to the New League of Nine Littérateurs. Ahab joined the New League after Hermann told her that there was a way to hunt infinite whales, while Nelly was manipulated by Hermann into joining after being shown countless Mirror Worlds in which she was miserable, and became convinced that siding with Hermann was the only way to free herself of that fate. It is currently unknown if other members also have motivations tied with the Mirror Worlds.
Sovereigns of a Star (Demian's Faction)
Demian has approached Dante several times to discuss his feelings on the Mirror and why he believes it to be a cruel piece of technology. His arguments revolve around the idea that using the Mirror to take from other worlds is a kind of theft, one that robs the stars from other worlds that hurts both the world they were taken from as well as the star itself which is now forced to serve a role it did not have before.[21] Demian has also expressed that he believes the fascination with the infinite Mirror Worlds is hollow, as the people one forms bonds with and learn to care for are unique and based on shared experiences. Therefore, when encountering the same person in another Mirror World, they cannot truly be considered the same person as the one from your own Mirror World.[22]
Notable Mirror Worlds
Certain Mirror Worlds play a significant role in the story of Limbus Company or stand out due to their oddity compared to the more typically encountered Mirror Worlds.
| Mirror World | Description |
|---|---|
 The World Kromer Witnessed |
In this Mirror World, Sinclair was the loyal second in command to Kromer in the N Corp. Inquisition. The Kromer of the main story witnessed this world through a Mirror and became convinced that she could recreate the dynamic in her own world, encouraging her to continue her attempts to control Sinclair. This Mirror World is similar to, but still different from, the world that The One Who Shall Grip Sinclair originates from. In that Mirror World, Sinclair is loyal to Faust instead of Kromer, but Kromer still confuses him for "her Sinclair" if she encounters him in battle. |
 The World of Sang Yi |
This is the Mirror World that Sang Yi lives in, and Yi Sang looked to frequently after he invented the Mirror. Sang Yi was Yi Sang's constant companion during his time at N Corp. and Yi Sang longed to have wings and freedom just as Sang Yi did. |
 The World of Tranquility |
In this Mirror World, Heathcliff and Catherine have passed away and been put to rest side by side on the grounds of Wuthering Heights, and, as ghosts, they have achieved happiness with each other. Upon catching a glimpse of this world, Erlking Heathcliff was forced to accept that his belief that all Heathcliffs and Cathys were doomed to never understand each other was incorrect, and that it was possible for their hearts to connect all along. |
 The World of H Corp. |
In this Mirror World, the Sinners are living out lives far different from their LCB counterparts, but still within the typical patterns of other Mirror Worlds. The notable exception to these patterns is Ishmael, who in this world was born to the Jia family and is Jia Baoyu's younger sister. During the Identity Story, Carmen breaks away from her typical narration to comment on the oddity of this world. Carmen describes the differences between this Ishmael and the one seen in other worlds as a "trivial issues" that are a result of "an observer, a wishmaker" who, by witnessing these Mirror Worlds, makes them more clear to the Mirror.[23] |
 The World of a Distant City |
In this Mirror World, the world is vastly different from the City and extended world that serve as the main setting of Project Moon's works and the Mirror Worlds typically observed through the Mirror. It does not have Districts or Wings, and seems to be based on the real world and lacks any of the fictional technologies of the City.[24] This world also notably has real world inventions, such as airplanes, which do not exist within the City.[25] |
References
- ↑ Canto 4-54 - Yi Sang (speaking to Sang Yi): "Is it not abundantly clear? There is nothing I am capable of. Unlike you, I have no wings to fly with."
- ↑ Canto 6-45 - Faust: “The knowledge of Mirror Worlds can suck the meaning out of every struggle, everything that one has worked for their entire life... ... and plants the seeds of doubt in their heart. Doubts about the very path one seeks to take in their life. It's… … enough to make them attempt to meddle with the selves in other worlds. Believing that it is the right thing to do.”
- ↑ Canto 4-54 - Young-ji: "There are simply too many transient things that wilt all too soon, don't you think? The butterfly only wanted to lightly flutter, but to be punished with death for that crime... That felt too unfortunate."
- ↑ Canto 4-54 - Dongbaek (speaking to Young-ji): "But this... It doesn't look like a simple hobbyhorse to me. Are you still... not over what happened then..."
- ↑ Canto 4-48 - Dongrang: “When we peeked through Brother Young-ji's glass window… and when we got a glimpse of worlds reflected in Yi Sang's mirror… We felt the euphoria and schism we would never be able to recover from.”
- ↑ Canto 6-48 - "Millions of worlds made real by Catherine and Heathcliff begin speeding by before us."
- ↑ Dante's Notes (Walpurgis Night, Record #1): “It’s not like we’ll be extracting random Identities and E.G.O from all over the place. Faust explained that whoever we end up extracting during this period will be relevant to all of us. Relevant… to Limbus Company’s current state in some way.”
- ↑ Dante's Notes (Mirror Worlds, Record #1): "If there really are worlds of infinite possibilities, then… there must be an infinity of time they have to observe, right? So, can we really say that they saw every possible future? In other words, is it even possible to do something like that? It makes me wonder if we can actively interact or something with the Mirror Worlds."
- ↑ The Pequod Harpooneer Heathcliff/Identity Story - [Carmen]: "There once was a woman whom he loved dearly."
- ↑ Dante's Notes (Identities, Record #1): “The identities themselves are found via the engine of Mephistopheles. Not sure how it works, but it looks like you can’t just find and grab the identities you want. Trial and error can sometimes stumble upon previously unseen versions of the Sinners, too.”
- ↑ Canto 4-3 - Faust: “Those were glimpses into the Abnormalities’ mental spaces and habitats viewed through cracks in the mirrored world.”
Yi Sang: “It is a chasm, incredibly narrow and unstable.”
Faust: “Indeed. Which only allowed for limited interaction. - ↑ Dante's Notes (Identities, Record #3): “I asked if events differing from our timeline happen in the worlds from where the Identities were extracted as time passes.
I’ve been told that we can’t know for sure and that it doesn’t matter anyway. Limbus Company is only interested in enhancing the Sinners’ capabilities in battle, so they don’t care about what happens with the Identity or its world as we uptie them.” - ↑ Takeoff Module - ID Uptie - “While those outside the mirror may not know, this devastating injection sweeps short-lived destruction through the mirror.”
- ↑ Canto 4-54- Hermann: “Do you know of a way… to destroy all the worlds and the myriad possibilities they represent in the mirror and the glass window?"
- ↑ Canto 4-54 - Sang Yi: “…Destruction of the mirror worlds, huh. Gubo and Hermann seemed pretty serious about it.”
- ↑ Canto 6-28 - Aseah: "Well, perhaps I may one day allow myself to use the Mirror as you do."
- ↑ Canto 6-37 - Aseah: "Any kind of Identity could safely and securely be applied to it, as long as the 'dough' is in its purest form."
- ↑ Canto 6-37 - Yi Sang: “The 'dough', the being you refer to as a human… I presume that one could apply any Identity from any possibility, no matter how distant and irrelevant the world, to that being…”
Aseah: “Yes, Yi Sang. I knew that you would be most overjoyed to hear of this breakthrough. This is the apex of what the Mirror technology is capable of.” - ↑ Canto 6-37 - Faust: "Their ultimate goal must be to go even further beyond that 'dough'; they seek to reach the very origin… the primordial human. This is but a part of that process, merely an experiment along the way."
- ↑ Canto 8-33 - Gubo: "Even half dead, it is extremely close to the form of the pure human she seeks."
- ↑ Canto 4-54
- ↑ Canto 6-48
- ↑ Family Hierarch Candidate Ishmael/Identity Story - Carmen: “Too early for that observation, I suppose. But it's alright. Nothing to worry about. That's not what the observer of this possibility is… curious to learn, is it? (…) They're all trivial issues… as long as there was an observer, a wishmaker. With the mere act of witnessing, and only witnessing… … the world reflected on the mirror will only grow clearer. Yes, as it does now.”
- ↑ Leviathan Book14, Reflected Worlds - Garnet: "What District of the City did I think I was in? A wave of nausea rises in me as the strangeness of myself existing in this foreign place as if I always belonged here becomes apparent."
- ↑ Leviathan Book14, Reflected Worlds - Garnet: "I couldn’t seem to recall the last time I saw that thing called an airplane fly above the City. More importantly, I can’t tell for sure if I knew what an “airplane” was in the first place."
Wiki Navigation
#1 
#2 
#3 
#4 
#5 
#6 
#7 
#8 
#9 
#10 
#11 
#12 
#13