VI .   Catching The Devil’s Attention.

Elfric was barely hanging on to whatever was left of his sanity. After the voice gave him a break throughout his way to school, it only came back worse than usual. As if it was only having a power nap before coming back stronger than before.

'I'm you, and you are eventually going to be me,' it echoed in his head. It felt weird seeing the world around you move smoothly as it has always been while you are stuck in your head. The silence was roaming the class, with mouth shut and everyone was still. Yet, in Rick's head, it was even louder than it has been in the club.

His head was held low, his pale blonde hair was falling to his shoulder as he tried to keep his attention on the textbook that was wide open in front of him. The teacher's voice was muffled up in his ears that he couldn't make out a proper sentence.

'Look at yourself and you will see me,' it said. 'I'm the darkest part of your being.'

Elfric felt the adrenaline rush through him as he felt himself out of breath despite not moving a muscle. Thunder roared in his head at the same time that he jolted to his feet sending his chair to the floor, grabbing everyone's attention. The teacher was dumbfounded with her hands halting in midair, apparently, she was so into explaining today's class before Elfric decided to cause the ruckus that he did.

"I-Is there something wrong Elfric?" she stuttered from the shock.

"Can I go to the bathroom?" Elfric questioned with his head low.

"S-Sure," that was the only thing that she could say. "You should have said that a little more…quietly." She added but Elfric was already slamming the door behind him.

The class had his eyes fixed on the spot that Elfric just vanished through before the teacher cleared her throat loud enough to grab their attention back on her. "Carrying on," she breathed out.

Christopher was still staring at the door wondering what was going on. Ever since he came this morning he was so out of it. His bi-colored eyes were dazed as if they were looking into a world that others had no reach to.

"What the hell did you see down there, Rick?" Chris mumbled under his breath.

Elfric half ran to the bathroom before he got in and locked the whole thing wanting to be alone with himself for a moment. He walked towards the nearest sink, his footsteps were harsh against the tiled floor. Supporting himself on both of his balms as they rested on both sides of the sink.

His eyes were fixed on his reflection in the mirror as he spoke the words. "Here I'm…here I'm looking at myself! Now what the hell are you?" his voice was a yell in a whispered form as he tried to control his anger.

The more he stared the more he was hit with the realization that he was going crazing, that he finally lost his mind. Here he was staring at a mirror waiting to see something more than just his reflection. He snorted as he stumbled backward, feeling the strength abandon his knees.

'I'm here,'

He saw something move in the corner of his eyes. His head jolted upwards again to the mirror. He felt the blood leave his body as he indeed saw something other than his reflection. He saw the darkness that once approached him that night looking right at him. It had no facials but it was hard to believe something other than that. Almost transparent as he could see himself layered below the darkness of the silhouette.

"W-What are you?" Elfric breathed out as he heard his heartbeats echo in his ears. "Who the hell are you?"

It smiled. He smiled…for a moment, he thought that he was seeing himself hidden behind that dark form in the mirror but, taking a closer look at it... it wasn't him. Elfric wasn't smirking, he was anything but that at that moment. He was staring at the darkest part of himself reflected right back at him. A side that he never knew excited in him.

"I'm you," it said. "I'm Orathan." Elfric watched as his reflection in the mirror spoke the words that he didn't.

Elfric took a deep breath, there was no room for further panic. He needed to know what the hell was going on with him! "You still haven't answered…what are you?" he spoke every word with caution, his hands were fisted next to his thighs till his knuckles went white.

"I am the darkness of this world," Orathan stated. "I was called forth to give power to those who have darkness in them."

"Then you have clearly sought the wrong person!" Elfric almost yelled out as he kept his eyes fixed on the mirror, watching how Orathan's shoulder trembled as he giggled silently, clearly he was enjoying watching him in misery.

"Wrong," Orathon protested. "In the basement, I saw darkness in you that I haven't seen in any of the others down there…with you the ritual is complete."

Elfric leaned over the sink for support. "I haven't even taken part in that ritual!" he yelled out. "I was there because I was curious for fuck's sake!" he slammed his fist on the sink. The collision sent his arm trembling all the way to his shoulder.

"Just being there means that you wanted something," Orathon muttered. "Now what is it that you truly desire?"

The question fell harder than Elfric liked. What is it that he actually wanted?

'For my family to be happy. To live in a better place where my sister isn't scared of going out alone,' he thought. That's what he has always thought, what he has always worked for. But it was never to the extent of selling his soul to the devil. He had no idea how to do that in the first place!

But now here he is locking himself in the school's bathroom while having a decent conversation with the devil who apparently took his form in the mirror.

"I want nothing from you," Elfric finally spoke. "Now return to wherever the hell you came from." He narrowed his eyes at his own reflection.

Orathan raised both eyebrows as he lowered the corners of his mouth in disapproval. "That doesn't seem to be the case," said Orathan. "me being here is proof enough that you want something so much that you offered yourself to me."

Elfric was in a daze. He was indeed furious, angry at the situation that he found himself in but…there was something else. Anger that was subsiding in the darkest part of him fueling him with hatred. Hatred towards something that he had no idea to who or to what was it towards.

"I-I don't know," Elfric confessed. He couldn't tell what he wanted, or what was going on in his head that made the devil so interested in making his wish come true.

Orathan hummed. "Then I'll give you time to think it through," he stated. "Though that has never happened throughout my time. I will not serve a human who has no goal."

"I can't think with you always roaming around in my head like you own it," Elfric hissed through grind teeth.

"Then I shall leave you be for the time being," Orathan promised. "I needed you to give in to my existence."

"Wait…" Elfric interrupted as he was hit with the reminder of this morning. He couldn't believe that something like that slipped his mind. "This morning was it you?"

Orathan was quiet, almost ashamed. "I couldn't allow my vessel to just die," he said through a smirk. "There is no need to thank me as it's part of our ought. Now I shall leave you to your own mind…you will know how to get to me when you need me."

And with that everything was back to normal. It felt like a heavy rock was lifted of his shoulder. Elfric lost all strength that was keeping him on his feet and slowly sank down to the ground, trying to catch his breath.Orathan was gone along with the pain in his head that was going on since yesterday.

He replayed the conversation over and over in his head, before he could come to a conclusion, the vibration of his cellphone in his pocket grabbed him back to reality.

Seeing his sister's name displayed on the screen gave him some sort of comfort and worry at the same time. He picked up before the second ring.

"Hey Joanna, shouldn't you be in class now?" he said as soon as he answered. He helped himself to his feet once again, sparing one last glance at the mirror to make sure that *he* wasn't here…and he wasn't. Elfric sighed in relief as he awaited a reply from the other side.

"R-Rick…I-I'm kind of…" she stuttered, the static making her voice tremble more than it already is. "I think I got myself in trouble."