Mirror Mirror

"Hey, that day…" Jake reminded Ying, "You mentioned that you needed to say something important."

"Did I?"

"Come on, lady!" Jake insisted, "You're the reason that I'm here wearing this waiter uniform," he shook his shirt sleeve, "I mean, it's true that you should REALLY take a break from your…Occult or whatever, nut that doesn't mean ruining a holiday with some shitty volunteering in some lousy rich parties."

Jake waved his hand around, he and Ying was standing at the front door, because Jake was so bad at serving dishes that he was given the task of gate-keeper.

"I can't even believe it," Jake kept whining, "I mean, it's NORMAL for a newbie to spill some wine on a drunken tycoon. But that doesn't mean I can't do anything better than to ask people to wipe their boots while entering…"

"Let me tell you," Ying said, "The book was traded with him by a lady."

"Oh, so you're on?" Jake said, "Okay, let's hear it."

"I actually knew her you know. There is a legend in our village, only a few people know the truth, like me. That friend of mine was the one who made the deal with Mephisto. HE gave her the Book of Bysterion, in return, he wanted a child. That deceiver, she didn't yet know what seeds he sowed in her. The people said you shouldn't visit the woods alone, you'll get bad omens. She didn't believe in such stuffs. Seems she got the results. The baby started growing inside her. She said that when the baby's born its father will come. People said that the devil himself was the father of the child. I couldn't believe it till then. But after the cute little thing was born, on that unholy night, IT came."

"What came?" Jake asked.

"The wind started howling, dogs and jackals started surrounding the whole village. All the lights went off, only the people remaining, engulfed in darkness. The room where the mother and the child were kept, a shadow started swirling in the walls. First, it resembled an animal, a HIDEOUS beast, but then it morphed into one that of a man. We couldn't see him, and in the next moment, he was gone, along with the child. All I can remember is the heart-broken sob of a mother, as the devil took from him more than their deal."

"You describe it as if you were there," Jake said.

"I WAS there, beside her, when it happened, and all I can say, is that baby is the girl that we're after, right?" Ying asked.

"Yep, that's why you were saying like that in the phone right?" Jake agreed, "Knowing her true identity made you soft…"

"Yes, my friend got many powers from that book. But then she understood that these powers aren't meant for humans. So, she gave that book to Murphy, to hide it from evil eyes…"

"HELP!" a shabby man, wet to the toe, ran over there and stumbled on Jake.

"Hey, help yourself there, mate!" Jake was annoyed, "Wait, Murphy, isn't it?"

"No time, SHE'LL kill me!"

"She?"

"My girlfriend! That's who SHE is!" he screamed, "Don't you still understand?"

He started running through the hallway.

"Hey, watch the carpet, you moron!" Jake called upon him, "You'll wet it with your muddied snickers!"

But he didn't answer.

Jake looked at Ying. She said, "I don't think he could bring that book in his coat pocket, go help him, and ask him where the book is! I'll keep an eye over the way."

"Crap!" Jake went running after him, "Hey, Mr. Murphy whatever! Where're you hiding?"

Inside the Party hall, there were uncountable number of people. Laughter and chattering sound filled the huge room.

"Shit! It'll be almost impossible to find him in here," Jake looked around helplessly.

"Hey, mister!" a female voice called him from behind, "Have you seen my boyfriend anywhere?"

"I don't know no BOYFRIEND!" Jake was still searching desperately, so he didn't look back, "Please, keep your boyfriends in sight."

Giggling sound, "Is that so? Alas, I thought you'd find our acquaintance interesting…"

Suddenly, a gush of wind blew in front of his nose, which shocked him, WOODROSES! He looked behind at once. But no one was there.

"Shit!" he pulled his hairs in frustration, "How could I lose her? I had this ONE chance to make this all RIGHT!"

Then he said to himself, "Anyway, I need to find this Murphy. Only he knows where the book is," he thought of calling Ying that she's already inside, but rejected it thinking it would waste time.

He ran towards the center of the room for getting a good view, "Think quick!" he jumped on a table with a giant cake, almost three to four stories high. A man called him, "Hey, you! Get down HERE!"

He didn't pay any heeds, "What can I us to differentiate him from others?" then it hit him, "Got it! He was wearing muddied boots. I gotta find tracks!"

It wasn't tough to find the boot prints, they led him straight tk the lavatory.

"Shit! What do I do? What do I…" the guy was muttering to himself while standing in front of the mirror, Jake saw him and quickly ran into a toilet. He pushed the door closed,  keeping a tiny bit of space left to see what was happening outside.

"Damn! Why on earth did I ever take the book from her?" he was still panting, "Not only have I disgraced myself, also I disgraced the Joseph! And how the hell could I not…!

"Grrgh!" a roar came from outside and Murphy screamed. Jake quickly opened the door and could see a clawed hand grabbing the guy and pulling him inside the mirror. Without hesitation, he also dove into the mirror.

Immediately darkness engulfed him, he could feel he was falling but no wind passed by his ears. Then he landed on the demon grabbing the guy. Then rolled on a field of broken glasses. A scream, and the guy, Murphy, also fell on him. The demon roared very near to them. He had very less doubts if it could see in dark, because they couldn't see in this pitch black darkness.

"Hey, get up!" he called Murphy, "We gotta hide!"

"What is this place?" he asked.

"Seems like a huge cave," Jake answered, then he started running while pulling Murphy's hand.

The roar boomed again, Jake ran as fast as he could, the cave seemed to be endless. After a while, the roar seemed to lessen. Then he stopped, panting and catching breathes.

"Who knew she'd be a monster like this?" Murphy said, "And I don't understand why Ying is wanting that book, it has no dictions on how to make a human out of a demon or how to make a demon out of a human!"

"There isn't?" Jake was surprised, "And doesn't Ying know this?"

"I reckoned so…" Murphy scratched his beard, or so Jake thought in the dark, "After all, she's the one who…" before he could finish, he got pulled in the dark, by that demon.

Jake waited a while alone in the dark, before he heard Murphy give a death scream out of pain. Then he moved and went to the side of the wall of the cave, trying to hide from the demon.

"Ah, that one was a real JERK!" Ada's voice floated over from the darkness, "After you conspire to kill me, then you try to hide from me?"

"Is that what your father has told you?" Jake was still moving holding the cave-wall.

"My father told me about the people who are my enemies, and he has taught me how to kill them."

"Oh, so he's turned the demon side of you out!" Jake understood, "And what deal has he made with you?"

"He's promised to help me rule the world, along with him," pride emitted from her voice.

"Oh, so much praising of that DEVIL!" Jake taunted, "Without even knowing his true identity!"

Suddenly, his hand caught a thread of some sort. He pulled it and it snapped. Bright light emitted from it and for a split second, all the pieces of glasses reflected the light like mirrors, enlightening the whole cave, in which he could see the demon form of Ada. A deformed face, like a dog or wolf's, with sharp teeth-just the eyes, they were humane, but like a dead man. It was only a few feet away from him. It growled seeing the light.

The light started to close itself. As soon as the light was gone, he jumped forward and started running. The voice growled and chased after him. While running, he suddenly sat down and it jumped over his head. He understood that running will not help him here. He moved closer to the cave, making as less glass snapping sound as possible. Then he took an amulet, from it's shape, he could understand that it was the Statue demon's. This was added to his collection, except the one of Bill's. Ying said Bill was too dangerous to keep around him, Lady, I've kept him at bay since I was a KID! Jake thought.

He took the amulet in his cross-scarred hand and kept it close to his chest, then he channeled its power throughout his whole body hoping for a miracle. He had a strange feeling, like nothing's changed.

Suddenly someone breathed woodrose scent on him. He could feel it, the warmth and change in air. He shut his breath, fearing she would even hesr this. He wished that he would merge inside the wall. But the demon couldn't seem to notice him. It stayed there for a second and then it turned back, starting to walk away.

Jake let go a sigh of relief but horrifiedly he discovered that he couldn't.  He tried to move but couldn't do that either. He could just move his eyeballs and saw that whole body had been engulfed by the wall.

"Jake,!" Ying's voice echoed inside the wall, "Jake! Do you hear me?"

"Shit! Is she here?" Jake thought, "What's she doing here? And how did she even get IN?"

"I'm not inside yet! But I'm finding a way!"

"Damn, woman! Can't you see if I answer to you then that demon will hear me?" Jake tried to move, he willed the amulet to take back its power. Maybe it worked because a stone slab dropped from his body and immediately the grunt of Ada was heard.

"Oh, shit!" Jake screamed and got free from the wall.

"There you are," Ying said again, "Listen, a while ago, you did something which caused the mirror to open for a while. If you do that again then I might be able to come in or even YOU might get out!"

"What? What did I do?" Jake dodged a feral blow and looked around, "Oh, I get it! The strings!"

He took out his scythe but he couldn't see anything in the darkness, "Shit! I need some light!"

The demon's roar again started to advance him. He, for protection put up his hands in a cross position and suddenly the scythe snapped into two short blades. Immediately Ada launched a blow which was deflected by the daggers. As a result, some sparks cane out which, in the mirror's reflections illuminated the whole cave for a second.

"Holy shit! What was that?" Jake was amazed, "Let's do that again!"

He dodged another attack and hit the blades again. This time he could see the strings clearly, "I see you strings. Say HELLO to the twin devils!" he slashed with both blades at once and the string tore apart. Immediately bright light flashed the cave's inside.

The demon bit him on his shoulder and threw him on the wall. He groaned in pain, as mass of debris fell on him. The searing pain on his shoulder was like someone stabbed him with s blazing hot knife.

It came again, and pressed its foot on his chest. All his breathe came out in a second

The suffocating pain was more tremendous than the bite wound. He felt that he was passing out. At that time, Ying's voice woke him up again, "Jake, you gotta hurry!"

He trued to look at the wall and saw the light. With his remaining strength he held the knife in one hand and the amulet of Ketesh in the other hand. With a scream, he sliced at the heels of Ada and immediately the leg was lifted in the air. Immediately he morphed into wind and flew back through the opening.

Bright flashes of the lavatory blinded him, he covered his eyes and looked around. He came back through the same mirror.

"Jake!" Ying came running, "Are you okay?"

"Yeo, pretty much!" he never saw Ying so much anxious before. It's like, he was revisiting his mother again.

Then he cane back to the reality and remembered what was important, "The mirror! We need to break it!"

He got up and hit the glass with his blade. It got cracked. He tried to hit again, despite Ying's protests. But  a clawed hand came out of the shattered glass and grabbed his blade. He stepped back immediately.

The hand extended out, and the demon came out slowly, gasping and growling, inch by inch, limb by limb. Terrifiedly, Jake took a few steps back. The demon slowly gained balance and stood up straight on its legs, the limbs slowly getting attached and reforming the body.

Jake showed the blades as defense, standing before Ying so that no harm befalls her. Indistinct chattering started to come closer to the lavatory. All of them looked at the door at once. Then Ada, in her demon form, looked at them and growled, "Till we meet again!"

Then she dive out of the window, Jake ran after her but saw that she developed giant bat like wings and flew off in the dark sky.

A couple entered the lavatory while smiling and got stunned seeing them in this situation.

"Uh, sorry! Everyone's okay" Jake said and took a step back, but his foot landed on something, he looked and saw that it was the head of Murphy. The boy got unconscious at sight and the girl started screaming.

"Gotta get out of here," Ying pulled Jake's arm.