《Mirror of the Fallen One》


 Part 1

    She saw the house on the train ride there. It spoke of their wealth, even if they weren¡¯t technically a part of the nobility.


    That, and the amount of money they had offered her father to bribe him into sending her here before all her other tasks.


    She wasn¡¯t intimidated, nor necessarily awed, by its size or extravagance¡ªthe gardens filled with exotic flowers, the statues from various prolific artists. Casually, she spoke through the intercom by the glimmering gates, ¡°This is Officer Mernia Vacaryn of Maeqa. I¡¯ve been sent here to help investigate what happened.¡±


    It took a moment but, eventually, there was a soft click and hum as the gates parted. ¡°Come in, please,¡± a crackling voice said. ¡°Someone will meet you at the front door.¡±


    Mernia could see someone darting across some of the lower rooms through the window. By the time she reached the front door, a servant had pushed it open and was vigorously gesturing her inside.


    ¡°The master and mistress are this way,¡± he declared, though didn¡¯t wait long before rushing into a different room. She trailed after him more slowly, preferring to take in the unfamiliar surroundings as soon as possible.


    Everything seemed almost¡­ too perfect. The floor was polished enough to reflect anyone walking on it and the chandeliers above them, the walls decorated with silks and portraits of the family¡¯s ancestors. As she passed by, other servants fled out of sight or found somewhere else to spread their gossip.


    The servant she was following dutifully stood by one of the doors, then pushed it open for her when she came closer. She was motioned inside but he didn¡¯t go any further; this wasn¡¯t the kind of room he was allowed access to. The room featured a large painting of the current owners overtop a decorative fireplace. Two identical, quite frankly gaudy, sofas sat parallel to each other, between them a small table where a radio, newspapers, and a few books sat. The master and mistress of the house were sitting there, though the master stood up as soon as Mernia entered.


    ¡°I hope it wasn¡¯t too much trouble for you to come on such short notice!¡± he said, his voice resonating through the room. He shook her hand, smiling, until the door had closed again. His tone dropped lower as he continued, ¡°Thank goodness you¡¯re here. We couldn¡¯t think of anything else to do! We don¡¯t know where she could be. Do you realize the stresses my wife must put up with on an average day? Can you imagine what losing our daughter is doing to her health?¡±


    The mistress weakly nodded and mumbled something, holding a photo of their daughter. She was faking, though¡ªor at least, over exaggerating. Only her makeup suggested that she wasn¡¯t in perfect health, and even that looked like it had been intentionally done wrong.


    Neither of them must¡¯ve realized that Mernia was really just doing her job. And one that didn¡¯t get quicker the more they tried to make her empathize with them, for that matter.


    She managed a small smile regardless. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll make sure to find your daughter. Could you tell me more about what happened? Anything helps, even just as a starting point.¡±


    ¡°We already told you,¡± the mistress mumbled, ¡°in that letter we sent to the station.¡±


    ¡°With all due respect, ma¡¯am, you told the chief that your daughter had mysteriously disappeared, and illegally tried bribing him to make her a high priority case,¡± Mernia pointed out casually. Neither the master nor mistress even looked like they would deny it. ¡°For the record, I am not here because of the bribe. I¡¯m here because it is my job to help you find her. A job that gets a lot easier if you¡¯re capable of telling me anything else you know about what happened. Is there a chance that she¡ª¡±


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    ¡°She¡¯d never run away!¡± the master insisted, shaking his head. ¡°She has everything she could ever want here. Besides, we¡¯ve sent people to look¡ªno one¡¯s seen her. And, well¡­ you wouldn¡¯t think that, when you see the room she was last in.¡±


    He gestured for her to follow him through the house and to the second floor. Any servants they passed along the way immediately darted out of view. She couldn¡¯t place it, but there was something more foreboding here. Maybe it just came down to the view of the endless sea outside or the less impressive decorations compared to before.


    She was at least partially distracted from it as the master explained, ¡°Our dear Nebli had decided to play in one of our guest rooms alone. Now, she often likes playing alone¡ªit¡¯s the only time she will, in fact, so we let her. With servants outside, of course, in case she needed anything. She didn¡¯t come down for dinner so we sent a servant to bring it to her; she must¡¯ve lost track of time playing, no need to interrupt her from her fun. But she didn¡¯t answer when the servant knocked. He entered¡­ to find the room completely empty.¡±


    The master stopped at one of the rooms and pushed open the door.


    That was what made Mernia acknowledge what was wrong about this case. The room had no windows or appeared to have any other exits aside from the door. If there had been a struggle, there was no sign of it; the bed was neatly made, the dresser untouched, each and every one of the toys carefully put off to the side. She stepped inside to get a closer look at everything and shivered¡ªthere was something that just didn¡¯t feel right. The master nervously trailed behind her.


    ¡°Are you sure that there aren¡¯t any other exits?¡± she asked.


    ¡°This door is the only way,¡± he confirmed. ¡°There was always someone by it and no one saw her leave. In fact, a few of them said that they could hear her playing, up until a couple minutes before the servant came with her dinner. And when it stopped, it just stopped¡ªthey said it was simply complete silence.¡±


    Mernia started running her hand along each of the walls. ¡°When was this house built?¡±


    ¡°Some three hundred years ago, I believe. It has been my family¡¯s generational home for all that time.¡±


    ¡°You know the place pretty well? Some houses this old have hidden passages or exits somewhere¡ªit made it easier to get out if there was an attack.¡±


    ¡°I have the blueprints, if those are what you want to see. But I know this place inside and out and I¡¯ve never seen or heard of anything like that. We¡¯re a proud and forceful family, we had nothing to fear about demons. Even their temptation can¡¯t stop us.¡±


    She stopped when she got to a mirror. Standing this close to it, she realized this must¡¯ve been the source of foreboding she had felt¡ªeven if she couldn¡¯t really explain why. The carvings along the edges had a kind of craftswork she¡¯d never seen before; they weren¡¯t the standard styles nor ones being made popular through the Nivia nobles. It looked old, and yet¡­ there didn¡¯t seem to be a scratch on it.


    ¡°Is this a family heirloom of yours?¡± She turned to the master of the house.


    Seeming confused, he answered, ¡°No, we bought that a few weeks ago. Someone had found it by the coast and it was put up for auction. We all fell in love with its intricate border. It cost us a fair bit, you know. Do you like it?¡±


    She glanced at it, her reflection glaring right back at her. She felt a chill run down her spine. ¡°Are you sure this thing is normal?¡±


    ¡°Officer Mernia, what are you implying? It¡¯s a mirror.¡±


    ¡°Did you know that there are folk legends about mirrors? Well, technically lakes, but some say that it applies to all reflective surfaces. It says that if you ever encounter something that seems foreboding, that turns your friendly smile into a devilish grin, where the reflection shows someone behind you¡­ you should get as far away from it as possible. And probably burn it. It will swallow all those who come too close to it.¡±


    ¡°Mirrors don¡¯t eat people, Officer Mernia. I thought you were supposed to be the best investigator the Istrus police force has to offer. I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d believe in such folktales.¡±


    ¡°Well, if you think you can do my job better than me, you¡¯re welcome to try.¡±


    Silence.


    ¡°You can head back to your wife, let her know that I¡¯m not going to rest until I get to the bottom of this. I¡¯ll just need a bit of time alone here.¡±


    He hesitated for a moment but eventually left.


    Mernia kept staring at the mirror. As unsettling as it was¡­ she knew this was where her next clue was going to be. She took a deep breath and ran her hand along the glass.

 Part 2

    She didn¡¯t know what she¡¯d been expecting, but another arm pulling her in wasn¡¯t one of them. Nor was being immediately greeted with a world that was definitely not her own.


    An odd, floating head passed by her, mumbling something in a foreign language. It was when a horse¡ªwell, it had the head of a horse, but each of its legs and its torso seemed to belong to different beasts¡ªran past her that she began to doubt gravity. Was she walking on a wall, or had it been that horse?


    Mernia tried not to think about it. With each second she confirmed that there wasn¡¯t a point in trying.


    ¡°Ah, a visitor!¡±


    She whipped around to face the owner of the voice, but she saw nothing.


    ¡°You silly thing. You¡¯re not going to find me that way.¡± Every word came from a new direction. No matter what, she could never look to see who it was.


    It was a male voice, perhaps a young adult, and off-puttingly cheerful¡ªlike those kids who¡¯d sell the newspapers with a smile regardless of the headline. No matter who this voice was, though, it creeped her out way more than those boys did. She slowly reached for the gun on her belt.


    Then she realized it wasn¡¯t there.


    ¡°Play fair, now!¡± the voice taunted. ¡°Not everyone has those fancy tools of yours! I do hope you can understand why I took it away.¡±


    ¡°What the hell are you?¡± she dared to ask. She honestly didn¡¯t know if she wanted an answer¡ªgiven her surroundings, she¡¯d take ¡°a hallucination right before your sudden death.¡± It was certainly what it felt like.


    A hmph seemed to echo throughout the place. ¡°Watch your tongue! There¡¯s little ones here, you know. You¡¯re not going to be a good playmate for them if you aren¡¯t careful¡ªand trust me, you¡¯re going to want to be good.¡±


    She cautiously took one step, then jumped back as a bird with a cow head zipped past her. ¡°If you¡¯re hiding something,¡± she said in a surprisingly calm tone, ¡°I¡¯d advise you to tell me. You might have taken my gun but I have other means of force if you make me use them.¡±


    For a second, the whole world got darker¡ªeverything with eyes glared at her. And there were a lot of eyes.


    ¡°So quick to jump to violence! No, we¡¯ll settle things peacefully here. You won¡¯t get an answer like that. You¡¯re going to have to play by my rules¡ªwhich means waiting.¡±


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    ¡°Let me at least ask one more question. There¡¯s a girl I¡¯m looking for¡ªNebli. Is she here?¡±


    A laugh resounded through every corner. ¡°Of course! Though, unlike you, she was invited. She plays much nicer¡ªthey enjoy her company. I do, too. She¡¯s quite pleasant.¡±


    ¡°If you do anything to her¡ª¡°


    ¡°Woah, there! Do you think of anything other than spilling that mortal blood of yours? Well, I suppose you have to. You¡¯d die without it.¡± A beat, then, ¡°Extremely inconvenient, if you ask me. Do you know how many times I¡¯ve been stabbed in the back, literally? Well, only once, but still. It¡¯s an awful fate indeed, to be betrayed by your own creation.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s try this again. Just who are you?¡±


    There was a loud clapping sound. ¡°Oh! You know what? I¡¯ll tell you¡ªall you have to do is play along.¡±


    ¡°What¡ª¡° But she stopped there.


    Somehow Mernia knew that, whoever he was, he wasn¡¯t there any more. The presence changed¡ªthough whether it was a good or a bad thing she wasn¡¯t sure.


    She felt compelled to move; a bit like someone was pushing her and a bit like she simply felt unsettled standing still. As soon as she took the first step, she started to hear that person¡¯s voice again, though it was distant this time. While she listened, she tried to keep her eyes right in front of her, and not at the oddities around her.


    ¡°There we are,¡± the voice whispered softly. ¡°I will call you¡­ Simros. How do you feel, my creation?¡±


    It was just silent, enough time for a short response, before there was a laugh¡ªa maniacal one. ¡°My brothers said I couldn¡¯t do it! They thought I could never create a creature of my own! I¡¯ll show them one day. They¡¯ll see what I¡¯m capable of¡­¡±


    The scenery changed to something¡­ slightly more specific. It was a more organized chaos¡ªsomething that might have vaguely resembled a throne or altar. The pure white was stained with something, however. She would¡¯ve thought it was blood, were it not gold in color. It looked like gryphons were darting across the ceiling¡ªor perhaps that was the floor¡ªthough none ever got close to her.


    ¡°I have made my Angels, but I desire something¡­ more. Let me see¡­ yes! This is perfect for my newest creation! I will call your kind gryphons and the world will know your might.¡± A pause. ¡°I should give you a name. From now on, you are known as Caeso.¡±


    Whatever lighting was in the room flickered and an ominous air settled around her.


    ¡°My Angels think to betray me? What do they claim I have done to deserve it?¡± A moment passed, then there was a huff. ¡°Perhaps complete sentience was something I should not have given them¡ªthe ability to think for themselves is a dangerous one. Oh well. They will learn soon enough what it means to disobey their creator. Caeso, I instruct you and your gryphon brethren to feign agreement with these traitors. Make them believe you are their ally. When their back is turned, do as they will do to me¡­ but assure that my return will come soon enough.¡±


    More of the not-blood was splattered across the room. All the gryphons in the air seemed frozen in time as whatever it was leaked from their eyes, beak, and claws.


    It wasn¡¯t until a bit of it dripped onto her skin that she heard the voice¡¯s last message.


    ¡°They should be grateful that I¡¯m a patient fellow. But this is a sure sign that my time is coming. The world my Angels put me in¡­ it was dark, empty. Yet now, there is light, there are things. In this, I will create my plan, train my little ones. Then once the play is over, everyone will know who I am. If there¡¯s one good thing about being the Fallen One¡­ it¡¯s that they believe I am too broken to fly again.¡±

 Part 3

    The longer she walked, the worse it got. Turns out the oddities before were nothing compared to this¡ªmore than just animalistic mutations, but vague humanoid figures too. Some of those¡­ things simply stood still, watching her every move with blank stares or eerie smiles. Some walked around, talking in a garbled tongue; she ignored every one that tried to speak with her, or acknowledged her existence at all.


    That not-blood practically covered everything, seeping out of every hole it could or splashed across her path when she blinked. More of it was on her now; it was hard to avoid after a certain point. It was cold, hardening a bit like dried mud, but not enough to prohibit her movement. If she didn¡¯t think of something else, she heard whispers coming from it, so she did everything she could to keep her mind occupied.


    She heard more voices; several that she only heard once or twice, though there were two that played more frequently. She hadn¡¯t heard that first person¡¯s¡ªthe Fallen One, it seemed¡ªvoice since the end of that fragmented story.


    At first she tried making sense of the things that they were saying. Eventually she decided that, just like this place, there was no point in trying. It mentioned names that she knew¡ªall of them were, actually, if not vaguely¡ªyet it matched nothing that she¡¯d ever been told or read. Something was a lie here and she wasn¡¯t quite in the state of mind to think it was generations worth of folktales.


    ¡°My brother, we will join you.¡± It was the voice that apparently belonged to ¡°Caeso.¡±


    Then came a related quote from ¡°Simros.¡± ¡°Our creator has gone too far. Our intent should not be to harm, but to help. We must stand for what we believe is right.¡±


    A cold laugh. ¡°Yes, we should.¡±


    Mernia passed by an intricate piece of stained glass. On one side, there were four gryphons, all similar to the artistic representations of Caeso, Opiter, Drusus, and Ninnia¡ªthe leader of the gryphons and his loyal siblings. On the other, there were four humans¡ªor at least what appeared to be humans¡ªdressed in matching white and blue robes. She recognized them as the Heralds, or the Fallen¡¯s Angels¡­ but she knew no more.


    She didn¡¯t want to consider what it meant to be able to read the ancient text written at the bottom.


    You may call yourselves Heralds, but you will only ever bring your own destruction.


    A young woman¡¯s cry immediately put her on edge. A name was shouted, but it was impossible to understand, as if the world didn¡¯t want it to be known.


    ¡°This is the price you pay,¡± Caeso¡¯s voice murmured, cold and uncaring, ¡°for your disobedience. All is as our creator wills.¡±


    ¡°You will regret this,¡± was an even quieter response from Simros, defeated.


    ¡°I won¡¯t. This is only your punishment for betraying your master.¡± A chuckle echoed through her head. ¡°And this is just the beginning.¡±


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    Mernia shivered. None of this was real¡ªwhoever this Caeso was, it wasn¡¯t the same. It wasn¡¯t the same gryphon people looked up to as a protector. It couldn¡¯t be. He¡¯d never do anything like that.


    At least, not by their understanding of him.


    But a place like this definitely wasn¡¯t in the stories, either, and the Fallen One wasn¡¯t meant to exist anymore.


    She heard a girl¡¯s giggle. ¡°Another story, please!¡± It was different than all the other voices¡ªit had one, constant direction.


    ¡°Nebli?¡± Mernia called, hoping that¡¯s who it was. She started walking in the direction of the voice, moving out of the altar-like area and into multi-colored fields taking the shape of random objects or animals. ¡°I¡¯m Officer Mernia Vacaryn of Maeqa! Your parents sent me here to look for you. I¡¯m going to get you out of here and bring you back home, okay?¡±


    She still couldn¡¯t see Nebli, but she heard her response. ¡°Aww, I don¡¯t want to go! Do I have to?¡±


    ¡°Your parents are worried about you. I have to bring you back.¡±


    ¡°Then just a little longer! I want to hear more stories. They¡¯re all so fun!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to¡ª¡°


    But when she took that step closer, the ground collapsed from under her. She fell down through it and, though she braced herself for something worse, she effortlessly landed in somewhere very dark.


    That is, until the lights slowly flickered on, revealing a very familiar place to her. The police force¡¯s break room. She was standing by the door, her father right beside her, the rest of the officers sitting or standing somewhere in the room.


    ¡°It¡¯s not official until tomorrow morning,¡± her father began, full of pride, ¡°but I wanted to tell you all first. Mernia is joining the force¡ªshe¡¯s coming in with more knowledge than any other new recruit, thanks to all of you.¡± He smiled at her but, when he touched the not-blood on her shoulder, his hand turned black and¡­ melted. She jerked away from him but he didn¡¯t seem to notice. ¡°You know what, Mer? I know you¡¯re going to do great things. Istrus will always remember you¡ªif not all of Vresta, or the whole of Aedrisea!¡±


    She nervously laughed, both now and in that memory. Then she had thought he was exaggerating¡ªshe still did¡ªsince she was his daughter. Now it was because she couldn¡¯t help but wonder what else might happen here.


    To that end, she immediately regretted looking at the others.


    Those who had been sitting stood up and all of them clapped or gave their congratulations. But it wasn¡¯t right. Their smiles were wider than they should¡¯ve been¡ªthan what was naturally possible. Their hands turned black and began to deform the longer they clapped. They were crying the same not-blood that, in a blink, now covered the walls here, too.


    She wished, if this was a nightmare, she could wake up now.


    No matter how much she willed it, she didn¡¯t wake up.


    ¡°Something wrong?¡± her father asked. He tried to reach for her again but she stepped back. He noticed this time, meaning that they were no longer following something scripted. ¡°Mer, this isn¡¯t like you. What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    He didn¡¯t have eyes anymore, just black gaps crying that not-blood. More than just his arm was melting¡ªnearly his entire body was. Everyone was the same way, no longer the friendly faces she considered friends. She only half-believed that, despite all that not-blood on her, she still seemed to be exactly like she was when she came here.


    When she didn¡¯t answer, her father repeated, ¡°Mer?¡±


    She just vigorously shook her head, avoiding directly looking at any of them. She couldn¡¯t stand to be there.


    Partially against her better judgment¡ªshe had no idea where she was going or what else she¡¯d find¡ªshe simply backed out of the room and ran. Anything to get her away from them. She didn¡¯t want to be with them and that not-blood any longer.

 Part 4

    Of course she didn¡¯t know where she was going. But, for the first time in her career, only half of her mind was telling her to slow down and pay attention to where she was.


    The rest of her¡ªand the much louder part¡ªtold her to get as far away from that room as possible. Even the image made her sick if she dwelled on it for too long.


    As soon as she got out of here, the first thing she was doing was checking on them. She needed to make sure there truly was nothing real about this place.


    Eventually she forced herself to slow down and took a deep breath. She needed to think this through. Neither she nor Nebli were going to get out of here if they couldn¡¯t find each other; it was Mernia¡¯s job to make sure Nebli got out, so she wouldn¡¯t leave without her. Mernia hadn¡¯t abandoned a case so far and she definitely wasn¡¯t interested in starting now.


    Assuming that would really be an option¡ªthat there really was an exit.


    Mernia tried looking up at what was supposed to be the sky, where she¡¯d fallen down from. But there were no hints of the fields that she had been in before. Instead¡­ it was the sky and cityscape she knew to belong to Istrus. She looked around more to realize that it all looked like Istrus, with each building and little detail from her home. The street lights and the various posters hung up on them; the market street where kids would chase each other, or the adults would gather to listen to the news; all the little shops and stalls, promoting their wares through the windows¡­ It would¡¯ve been comforting if it wasn¡¯t completely empty and that not-blood wasn¡¯t covering half the street.


    ¡°Look at that, you¡¯re still here! You were so excited, I thought you would¡¯ve run off to go do something more interesting.¡±


    Mernia didn¡¯t say anything, yet still she heard her younger voice remarking, ¡°You say that like you would¡¯ve let me do anything else if I did.¡±


    The oldest officer of the police force laughed as he walked up to her. ¡°Well, I didn¡¯t come without a reward for your waiting¡ªeven if it probably wasn¡¯t patience. Here, your dad said you liked these.¡± According to her memory, it was supposed to be a little pastry. Now, though, it looked like it was made of raw meat¡ªand she wasn¡¯t interested in knowing what kind.


    She somehow managed a small smile and broke the script by saying, ¡°Thank you, but I think I¡¯ll pass¡­¡±


    When he blinked, his eyes disappeared, leaving only black gaps and golden tears. ¡°What? Did I get the wrong one, is that what it is? I couldn¡¯t tell, there were so many there.¡±


    ¡°N-no, it¡¯s just¡­ I¡¯m not hungry.¡± Actually, she thought she might get sick, but saying that wouldn¡¯t make things better. It seemed like, whoever these messed up versions of the people she knew were, they still shared the same traits.


    She looked at the officer¡¯s face and hoped they didn¡¯t share a body, too.


    ¡°We¡¯re going to the shooting range, right?¡± she asked. ¡°To practice? I¡¯ll meet you there in a little while. There¡¯s something else I want to do.¡±


    He frowned. ¡°No, I think I¡¯ll stay with you. Your dad wanted me to keep an eye on you, so that¡¯s what I¡¯ll do.¡±


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    ¡°Then I¡¯m sorry, but I can¡¯t be here right now.¡±


    ¡°Mernia¡ª¡°


    She darted off, though not without a sense of direction this time. Luckily, even the streets were identical to Istrus; she could navigate the entire city with her eyes closed. She was thankful for some little piece of complete familiarity, at least, so that she could lose the old officer.


    Her brief moment of relief was soon gone when she ended up on her street. She was just about to pass her townhouse when someone phased through her¡ªa younger version of herself, apparently unaware of a lack of eyes and apathetic to being covered in blood. This younger Mernia bounded up to the door and was soon greeted by her parents¡­ who seemed completely calm, despite the fresh wounds that were responsible for all the blood on them and the barely-hanging limbs.


    Mernia blinked to find all four of them now in the kitchen. None of the participants from this tainted memory must¡¯ve realized she was there¡ªor, if they did, they didn¡¯t make any mention to it. The young Mernia climbed onto the chair, placing the dog plush she¡¯d lose two years later beside her on the table. Her father sat down as well, looking over some papers he¡¯d brought back from his office which would later all become solved cases. Her mother started working on dinner, humming along to a song barely distinguishable from the radio static, something state-of-the-art at the time they bought it. What resisted the test of time were the drawings pinned on the wall, both from Mernia and other children who wanted to thank her father over the years.


    ¡°Mer, you¡¯re growing up so quickly,¡± her mother remarked. She went to bring a pitcher of water to the table, but her hand fell off, so it just clattered to the floor. She paid it no mind. ¡°Soon enough you¡¯re going to have to find something to strive for¡ªa way for the world to remember you.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s got time,¡± her father mumbled. ¡°No need to pressure her.¡±


    ¡°But I know!¡± little Mernia insisted. As she enthusiastically waved her hands, she got blood everywhere. ¡°I know what I want to do!¡±


    Her father gave one of those far-too-wide smiles. ¡°Oh really?¡±


    ¡°Yeah!¡± she said cheerfully, her smile growing far wider. It was, almost literally, ear to ear. ¡°I want to be just like you! I want to do cool things and help people!¡±


    Mernia watched all of this and, slowly, muttered, ¡°Why am I seeing this..? Why these memories?¡±


    Now they all acknowledged her. All three gave deep, deep frowns and glared right at her with their empty eyes. ¡°Well, you must¡¯ve forgotten something,¡± they said together, ¡°because you keep running away.¡±


    They stepped closer to her, but she stepped back. ¡°I¡¯m not running from anything,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯m trying to find Nebli¡ªlike I¡¯m supposed to.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re running away from us, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not them! You¡¯re not actually people I know, you¡ªyou couldn¡¯t be. You aren¡¯t real.¡±


    ¡°You know something funny about illusions?¡± The younger Mernia rushed up to her, tried to pull her closer. Where her blood and that not-blood on Mernia¡¯s arm mixed, it felt like it was burning. ¡°Sometimes, they¡¯re just like reality, only just a little¡­ off.¡±


    Mernia pulled her arm back as soon as she could, then kept trying to get as much space between her and the other three. They kept coming closer, quicker, and once the younger Mernia was almost quick enough to touch her again.


    Then she must¡¯ve tripped over something, because she fell down, but didn¡¯t stop at the floor. She sank right through and watched them shake their heads sadly before walking away.


    Once that little light was gone and she was left to sink into darkness, she heard her father¡¯s laugh. ¡°Maybe when you¡¯re a little older, you can come with me. Some experience beforehand definitely wouldn¡¯t hurt.¡±


    If only all that training and experience had prepared her for this.

 Part 5

    Eventually she fell into something that she hoped was only water and didn¡¯t dare to check, emerging again on the other side of it. The world had changed itself once again¡ªthis time, brighter and more colorful, everything with eyes and mouths like a children¡¯s book. It felt like every one of the trees and animals watched her as she got out of the water and tried to figure out what she should do from here.


    She slowly realized that not-blood wasn¡¯t on her anymore, though it looked like there was a burn mark from where the younger Mernia touched her. It didn¡¯t look too bad and she didn¡¯t have anything to wrap it with, anyway. If it wasn¡¯t just another of this place¡¯s illusions, it could wait until all of this was over.


    ¡°Ooh, another, another!¡± Nebli¡¯s voice rang from every corner here, along with her joyful giggle.  ¡°Your stories are the best, ¡ª!¡±


    Mernia had heard the name but, whatever it was, it erased itself from her mind soon after. All it left her with was a chilling sense of foreboding¡ªshe¡¯d heard a name that was never supposed to be spoken.


    Then there was the laugh of the Fallen One. ¡°Oh, little one, I wouldn¡¯t call them that interesting. I just have a lot of inspiration, that¡¯s all. Not a lot else to do here.¡±


    ¡°It was pretty mean of them,¡± Nebli remarked, ¡°to leave you here. They never apologized?¡±


    The response was a mix of grief and anger. ¡°No, not once. But they¡¯re just disobedient children¡ªthey¡¯ll understand what they did, in time. And once they do, I¡¯ll make sure they never do anything like it again. After all¡­ if they¡¯re willing to betray their own father, are they really going to be better to the people they¡¯re so-called ¡®protecting?¡¯¡±


    ¡°Mhm! They¡¯re rude. Papa says the rude kids deserve whatever happens to them¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a good girl, though, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    Another giggle. ¡°Of course I am! Mama says I¡¯m the best!¡±


    Mernia couldn¡¯t determine from their voices where they were, she just knew that they were close. She kept wandering until she saw them through the multicolored trees¡ªa little girl, matching the age and description of Nebli from the initial report, and¡­ a male figure, pure white, with a single, large eye taking up most of his head. He had no mouth¡ªor at least not any visible¡ªyet he still talked.


    Everything with eyes glared and mouths frowned when Mernia started getting closer to the two of them.


    ¡°I¡¯d like to request that you stay away from Nebli,¡± she warned, slowly, as she approached them.


    ¡°Ah, you finally came to join us!¡± The Fallen One clapped his hands together, then gestured to an empty spot on the picnic blanket. Fragments of what she¡¯d left lingered here, too; eyeballs seemed to replace grapes and more of that ambiguous raw meat made up most of the food there. ¡°Why don¡¯t you have a seat? Did you have fun?¡±


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    ¡°I¡¯m not staying here,¡± Mernia said confidently. ¡°I¡¯m here for Nebli and that¡¯s it. I don¡¯t know what your definition of fun is, but it definitely wasn¡¯t anything that I saw¡­¡±


    Nebli frowned. ¡°I thought you said you were an officer. They always looked cool¡ªhelping people and everything. But you¡¯re just boring.¡±


    ¡°Sometimes, doing the right thing means being boring.¡± Mernia held out her hand to the child. ¡°Now, how about I bring you home? Your parents don¡¯t know where you are, they must be worried sick at this point. Why don¡¯t we bring you back and show them that you¡¯re okay?¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Nebli smacked her hand out of the way. ¡°I want to hear more of ¡ª¡®s stories! He has a lot of good ones and he¡¯s the best storyteller! Better than Papa! I¡¯m going to stay to hear more of them. There¡¯s nothing you can do to change that!¡±


    Every eye was fixed on Mernia, giving the clear message that she had to be careful¡ªshe may have already far outstayed her welcome. But, after a moment, Nebli turned back to the Fallen One, with the same look she had had before Mernia suggested they leave. Then something clicked.


    ¡°We¡¯re not seeing the same things, are we?¡± Mernia mumbled, though she wasn¡¯t sure she wanted to know the answer. At the question, the whole world grew darker, flashing into rolling fields of bodies, blood, and the not-blood¡ªyet Nebli was still smiling.


    ¡°Of course she isn¡¯t,¡± the Fallen One remarked. ¡°She was invited, being one of my children and all. I let her in, so she gets to see whatever she wants. You, though¡­ you¡¯re not supposed to be here. You¡¯re not one of mine. Unfortunately, there¡¯s nothing I can do for you¡­¡± He didn¡¯t sound regretful, though; it was closer to annoyance, a desire to get her gone as soon as possible.


    She had to prove that she meant everything she was saying¡ªshe wasn¡¯t going to give up on her mission now. ¡°I¡¯m not going anywhere without Nebli.¡±


    ¡°Mama and Papa know exactly where I am!¡± Nebli insisted. ¡°They know I¡¯m safe right here, and they¡¯ll let me listen to ¡ª¡®s stories! Right, ¡ª?¡±


    The Fallen One nodded, sounding more caring as he said, ¡°Yes. In fact, they were invited, too. They¡¯ll come around eventually¡ªand then no one has to be alone.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡± Mernia gently took Nebli¡¯s hand. ¡°We have to leave.¡±


    Nebli pulled it away again. ¡°I¡¯m not going.¡±


    Mernia glanced at her surroundings, growing grimmer by the second. The Fallen One voiced her deepest thoughts: ¡°What makes you think that you can leave here without my permission, anyway? You might not have been invited, but I¡¯m rather kind to all of my guests. I wouldn¡¯t want you to leave before experiencing the full tour.¡±


    The last fragment of the colorful forest was gone, replaced with nothing but barren and bloody lands. She paled to see so many familiar faces¡ªfriends, family, and acquaintances she¡¯d met over the years¡ªamong the scattered corpses.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to find a way,¡± she said with a burst of confidence that even surprised herself. She picked up Nebli, grateful she was as light as she looked and not too hard to contain when she started fighting back. ¡°And Nebli is coming with me. I haven¡¯t failed to complete a job yet and I¡¯m not about to start today.¡±


    The Fallen One slowly began to stand up. Mernia made sure to start running with Nebli before he had the chance to truly give chase.

 Part 6

    She had to keep telling herself that, no matter what, she shouldn¡¯t look back. She didn¡¯t know how, exactly, but she could perfectly imagine what it looked like.


    After all, if it looked like hell was crumbling in front of her¡ªwith all its bodies and blood¡ªwould behind her be any better?


    Nebli¡¯s attempts to free herself got weaker over time, though that didn¡¯t make anything necessarily easier. Mernia still had to fight with their surroundings¡ªa place that kept changing to ensure that she couldn¡¯t leave.


    There were two main areas she seemed to swap between, almost at each step she took. The first was a grand, sprawling temple, with stained glass and paintings depicting scenes out of place even in nightmares. They were of the gryphons standing triumphantly over the mutilated bodies of those similarly-dressed humans from before; of the Fallen One, overseeing a world worse than the one she was currently in. The other area was the field from before, except it seemed to only get worse¡ªafter a while, every time it switched there, she had to be careful not to trip over the bodies. Any time she thought she might¡¯ve seen someone familiar, she quickly told herself she was wrong. In both, she forced herself to only look forward. Even that was hard, frankly, but it kept her from being dragged down by what was around her.


    ¡°Why do you keep running?¡± a voice, composed of those she knew and some she didn¡¯t, whispered. It had been saying that for some time now, but it was the first time that Nebli wasn¡¯t crying louder than it.


    It wasn¡¯t the only voice, either. Some of them were made up of many voices, those she found familiar and a few that she¡¯d never heard before. Others seemed to belong to the Fallen One, Caeso, or Simros¡ªthose echoed through every corner and seemed more distant, still speaking of matters in the past.


    ¡°Children are very strange things,¡± mumbled the voice of the Fallen One. ¡°You give them everything they could ever hope for; a home, a family, a purpose¡­ and yet, when it comes time for them to repay you, they fight back. If they were worthy of these gifts once, they are no more. There¡¯s only one thing a parent must do, no matter how hard, to a child who refuses to listen.¡±


    Even quieter than the voices, Nebli cried, ¡°I don¡¯t want to leave yet. I don¡¯t want to be a bad girl.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not a bad girl,¡± Mernia tried telling her, in case it would help her snap out of whatever trance she was in. ¡°Your parents are going to be glad to see you.¡±


    Nebli broke down into tears. ¡°But Father will give me the punishment I deserve!¡±


    More voices rang through the space, louder each time, while Mernia was thinking of a different way to reassure her.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± It was the voice belonging to Simros, mortified at whatever he must¡¯ve been seeing.


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    ¡°I¡¯m following the orders of our master, of course,¡± was Caeso¡¯s simple answer. ¡°He will need a vessel when he returns, after all, given what you have done to him. I¡¯ll make sure that, when the time arrives, he is able to fulfill his desires for this realm.


    ¡°Why are you doing this? You killed her, Caeso. I thought that when you swore to protect these people, you had meant it.¡±


    A cold, chilling laugh. ¡°Well, it¡¯s simple, Simros. I, too, know what it feels to live in the shadow of older brothers. Perhaps this way, both of us will have our desires fulfilled. Our master will get the admiration of his far-away brothers, showing that he is just as capable as they are. Then, with you gone, I will stand beside our master¡­ as if I was the only son he ever truly had.¡±


    ¡°Caeso, this is foolish! You¡¯re putting more on the line than you know!¡±


    ¡°Am I? So then, what are you willing to do to stop me?¡±


    Silence.


    ¡°Look, Nebli,¡± Mernia began before she could be interrupted again, ¡°I¡¯m not going to let anything hurt you. Okay? You¡¯re going to be alright, as soon as we both get out of here.¡±


    Nebli mumbled, ¡°I want to go home.¡±


    ¡°And I¡¯m going to¡ª¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not taking me home. You¡¯re running away from it. Home is where my Father is, with ¡ª. One day, he¡¯s going to make our world perfect, just like this one. You¡¯ll be sorry that you ran then. Everyone will, repenting when it¡¯s already too late for them.¡± Nebli¡¯s voice got quieter, though she kept repeating those words, over and over. Given the fact she wasn¡¯t fighting or crying anymore, it was practically the only hope Mernia had that she¡¯d be alright when they left.


    Yet the fact remained that Mernia had no idea where she was going.


    She didn¡¯t want to, but¡­ she had to try to make sense of this place. It was the only thing that she could think of that might give them a chance of leaving it. This was the kind of chaos she didn¡¯t want to understand.


    She just had to hope it¡¯ll be worth it.


    Honestly, she didn¡¯t trust any sort of sense of direction she might¡¯ve had. The landscapes didn¡¯t seem to care; each flash was either in areas too close or too far away for the distance she covered between them. She had to pay attention to other signs.


    There was a lot of not-blood in the temple, nearly bleeding out of every corner of stained glass by now. In the fields, there was human blood. She hadn¡¯t encountered any of the not-blood until after she¡¯d first heard the Fallen One¡¯s voice. It was what showed Simros¡¯s betrayal. The human blood didn¡¯t mix with it.


    They weren¡¯t related to each other.


    Mustering some form of confidence, Mernia ran with intention. When it was the temple, she followed whichever path led away from the not-blood. While it showed the fields, she went to where the most bodies were gathered¡ªwhere there was more human blood.


    ¡°You¡¯re really trying, aren¡¯t you?¡± That was the voice of the Fallen One, more than an echo of the past.


    She ignored it. Even though Nebli started crying again¡ªlouder, sobbing, ¡°Repentance is impossible for the ones that run!¡±¡ªMernia felt that she was close. She had to be.


    But she was forced to stop as soon as she saw the Fallen One in front of her, gathering what resembled tendrils of shadow around himself.


    ¡°Do you remember what I said about playing nice?¡±

 Part 7

    ¡°Repentance is impossible for the ones that run! Repentance is impossible for the ones that run!¡± Nebli was nearly screaming the words, sobbing and fighting.


    Then, in a moment, there was complete darkness¡ªand silence. Mernia felt something pull Nebli away from her before she could figure out what was happening. In a blink, she was back to the streets of Istrus.


    They weren¡¯t exactly like the ones from before; that not-blood was nowhere to be seen now. But it was still quiet¡ªfar too quiet for it to mean it was real. Mernia walked around cautiously, deciding against calling for Nebli. She had a feeling that she didn¡¯t want to be drawing attention to herself here.


    She started to hear faint requests or praises, cried up to the heavens for whoever might listen; a kind of dedication near impossible to come across nowadays, to a completely foreign god.


    It was a name that was never supposed to be said.


    Mernia started heading in that direction, preparing herself for whatever she¡¯d end up seeing there. As she got closer, each person¡¯s voice became a bit more distinct. When she was able to see the gathered crowd, it looked like it was everyone in Istrus, packed together to get closer to whatever they saw in the center. She wasn¡¯t close enough to it to tell what it was for herself yet.


    ¡°Oh, Father ¡ª, you are a mighty one indeed!¡±


    ¡°Father, guide us, and show us the world that you have planned.¡±


    ¡°Help those of us who don¡¯t understand.¡±


    ¡°Grant us your wisdom and power!¡±


    ¡°Hail our Father, our creator.¡±


    ¡°Hail our Father, the cleanser of our tainted lands!¡±


    She must¡¯ve been the only one that wasn¡¯t saying anything, even if she saw a few familiar faces that, realistically, wouldn¡¯t have either.


    Then again, everyone else showed taintings of this place; though the not-blood wasn¡¯t present, most of their eyes were empty hollows, and many of them had blood on them.


    Eventually, Mernia shouldered her way through the crowd to see what was at the center. She was only half-surprised and mildly disturbed by what she ended up seeing there.


    The Fallen One, taller than he¡¯d been before though perhaps not by much, sat on an elaborate throne-of-sorts; a throne made of gold, looking like it had begun to deform slightly before it cooled and dried. Several children were seated around him, staring up at him and intently waiting for whatever his next words would be. Nebli was on his lap, recounting something with a bright smile and cheerful tone.


    ¡°The traitor went snap under the weight!¡± she was saying as Mernia got close enough to pick her voice up among the others. ¡°He cried, but I told him traitors didn¡¯t have the right to cry, ¡®cause they were the ones that decided to be bad. I think he learned his lesson. He¡¯s not going to do anything to anyone anymore.¡±


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    The Fallen One let out an amused laugh. ¡°That¡¯s a good story, indeed, my little Nebli. I¡¯m quite proud of you.¡±


    She beamed at the praise, then frowned when she noticed Mernia. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re back already.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m done with whatever this is,¡± Mernia remarked. ¡°All this weird crap¡ªwhat it looks like he¡¯s doing to those people. I don¡¯t want to stay here and I¡¯m not going to leave without you.¡±


    The Fallen One sighed. ¡°You¡¯re awfully persistent, for a rude, uninvited guest.¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t blame her,¡± Nebli said casually. ¡°She doesn¡¯t understand.¡±


    ¡°I understand this well enough.¡± Mernia tried reaching for Nebli again, but all the heads snapped to glare at her, and she had the feeling they wouldn¡¯t stay still if she didn¡¯t do the same. She just had to try to use her words. ¡°Nebli, I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re seeing, but it¡¯s not real. Whatever this is, it¡¯s not what you think it is.¡±


    Nebli shook her head. ¡°You might be right, this isn¡¯t real¡ªbut it¡¯s going to be. One day, the world will be just like this.¡±


    ¡°A chaotic hellscape?¡±


    ¡°A sanctuary¡ªfor all of our Father¡¯s faithful children. We will leave in peace, in a land where everyone will acknowledge Father¡¯s gifts for us. It will cleanse our nation of its past sins and the transgressions of the ¡®Heralds.¡¯ Most importantly, we¡¯ll be together with Father, forever¡­¡±


    The Fallen One pulled her a little closer and, mournfully, mumbled in a not-so-quiet voice, ¡°There¡¯s no use, little Nebli. She wouldn¡¯t be able to understand it, even if she tried. She isn¡¯t one of my children¡ªshe¡¯d never be able to have or grasp the kinds of things I have planned for you.¡±


    ¡°Oh, but I definitely will, won¡¯t I?¡± Nebli asked. She must not have noticed the shadowy tendrils coming out from under the Fallen One¡¯s throne and the crowd¡¯s feet.


    ¡°Yes, of course. You and all your family. After all, you¡¯ve all been chosen by the gryphons. You will be a part of greatness.¡±


    The tendrils moved closer to Mernia, but she couldn¡¯t will herself to get away from them. She continued to watch the Fallen One and Nebli, somehow certain of the fact that there was nowhere she could possibly run to now.


    ¡°Do you think I¡¯m going to be the greatest?¡± Nebli asked. ¡°Will I be your vessel, so that you can return to the world you were wrongfully banished from?¡±


    ¡°I appreciate your enthusiasm, but Caeso has another picked out for me. As I understand it, he¡¯s practically perfect for all of our needs¡ªthough you¡¯ll be a close second, I¡¯m sure.¡±


    ¡°Will I get to meet him, then? I want to be a part of this perfect world¡¯s creation!¡±


    ¡°I believe you will. By the end of his training as my vessel, everyone will surely know who he is. When you meet him, let him know what you saw here. He needs to understand the importance of his role.¡±


    ¡°Can you tell me his name? Or what he looks like?¡±


    The shadows shot out and pierced Mernia from all directions. She could feel the pain, but¡­ her mind was already blank, completely indifferent to the possible death it was supposed to be experiencing.


    Her vision blurred and faded just as the Fallen One said, ¡°His name is Emeron. As for his appearance¡­ you¡¯ll know, when you see him. Remember that not all of my children readily accept the fact. Make sure he understands it, without being too mean¡ªafter all, at the end of the day, he is still your brother.¡±


    ¡°As you will it, Father.¡±

 Part 8

    Her senses came to her slowly. She was gradually trying to push herself off the floor, head pounding, as the ten-year-old beside her practically hopped up.


    They¡¯d made it out¡­ somehow.


    All the voices started out as quiet and unclear, though became more distinct after a couple of seconds.


    ¡°Mama! Papa!¡± Nebli was alright, at least. She rushed up to some of the people at the door.


    ¡°Oh, thank goodness you¡¯re alright!¡± the mistress of the house cried. She pulled Nebli into a hug, the master joining them.


    ¡°We were so worried about you,¡± he said, continuing to mumble thanks to whatever spirits might be watching..


    ¡°I played in the best place!¡± Nebli went on. ¡°I want to tell you about it! Can you listen?¡±


    Mernia didn¡¯t pay attention to the responses of her parents, if they gave a response at all. Instead, she focused on the hand that touched her shoulder, and a voice she was overwhelmingly grateful to hear.


    ¡°Mer, are you alright?¡± Her father was looking at her, concerned, but she somehow managed a small smile. He wasn¡¯t anything like the versions of him from that place¡ªhe was whole and healthy, aside from perhaps not getting quite as much sleep as he was supposed to.


    ¡°Y-yeah¡­¡± she mumbled, though she wasn¡¯t exactly sure how much she believed it.


    ¡°Come on, I think it¡¯s safe to say that you¡¯ve done what you needed to. Let¡¯s get you back home.¡± He helped her up, a support she willingly accepted in her unsteadiness.


    What she didn¡¯t realize, though, was that she was more than just a little unsteady. As soon as she was up, and nearly about to continue on her own, she fell back into her father and blacked out.


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    ¡­


    She processed everything around her quicker this time, with special help to the annoying song blaring on the radio. As soon as she mustered the confidence and strength required to, she mumbled, ¡°Can someone turn that damn thing down..?¡± She opened her eyes a moment after to find herself in the hospital; her parents were sitting beside her and a nurse fumbled with the radio on the other side of the room.


    Mernia¡¯s mother smiled. ¡°You¡¯re awake now! That¡¯s good. Leave it to the doctors of Istrus to work their magic!¡±


    Mernia slowly sat up, well aware that her headache had yet to go away. ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s been two days since you went to find Nebli,¡± her father began. The nurse slowly made her way over to them as he spoke. ¡°I¡¯d assumed, when you didn¡¯t send us anything, you were just in that determined work mode of yours¡ªbut you¡¯ve actually been missing since then. For some reason, though, it was only a couple of hours ago that Nebli¡¯s father contacted me about it. I don¡¯t know why he thought lying to me about the whereabouts of one of my officers and my daughter was a good idea, but that¡¯s what he did. I came to take a look myself and, nearly as soon as I got there, you and Nebli reappeared through that mirror. You passed out soon after that, though.¡±


    ¡°Doctor said it was exhaustion, maybe some kind of shock,¡± the nurse commented casually. ¡°I¡¯ll get one of them to check on you, but they¡¯ll probably just send you back home.¡± Then she walked away again.


    ¡°I¡¯m hesitant to ask this so soon, but do you remember what happened to you?¡± Mernia¡¯s father asked. ¡°One of the other officers are interviewing Nebli and her family now, but I want to hear your side of the story, too. Given its apparent correlation to the events, we¡¯re sending the mirror off to Aecara¡ªwe¡¯re not necessarily equipped to deal with that kind of thing on our own.¡±


    She thought back to the things she saw¡ªthe oozing, golden not-blood, the bodies of friends and family barely held together, the single eye of the Fallen One. To consider it brought flashes of unease and distress, which she tried her best to beat down in front of her parents. ¡°Could I¡­ do it later? There¡¯s still a couple of things I have to process for myself¡­¡±


    ¡°Of course. Take all the time you need¡ªjust worry about resting for a while. Work can wait until you¡¯re ready.¡±