Chapter 92 - Through the looking glass

— Leo, wait!

Aslan's request went unheard by his young master. Leonardo continued walking through the woods after leaving the mansion, determined to get to the damn train. His clenched fist trembled next to his body, his head was filled with uncomfortable thoughts of sheer worry.

He needed a plan.

He needed a way to finish off Diablo and save his friend.

When his wrist was grasped, Leonardo realised that Aslan was panting behind him.

— I'm coming with you.

— I thought I told you to stay in the mansion.

— That was my fault too, so I'm going with you!

Leonardo didn't want to waste any more time trying to convince Aslan to go back to the mansion. Turning his back, he silently sensed the manager coming, who followed him between the trees.

Night was falling and the lighting in the park wasn't much help to the two boys thanks to the heavy fog that surrounded the whole of Dreamland. Despite this, they could still hear the customers chatting and the announcement that daily activities were closing.

— What will you do if you meet the detective?

— Ignore him, of course.

A drop of water fell on Leonardo's face. Raising his head high, he felt another drop and another. Just like that, rain was starting to fall, despite the stuffy air.

— It's raining? Just now?

— Fog has always been a Diablo thing — commented Aslan, also staring at the dark sky.

Could a dark creature control a natural phenomenon? Leonardo was incredulous, although he didn't want to doubt it too much. There were many things he didn't know about.

— Why should it be his doing? Dreamland is between mountains, of course this kind of thing would be expected.

— No, Leo. The mist has always been Diablo's doing, because it's through it that we can kidnap people.

Hearing Aslan say those words was unexpected.

— Could you explain?

— Haven't you ever noticed that people seem too happy when it's foggy?

— No... Usually people are always happy having fun in the park. Is there a difference?

— Of course there is. The fog is like a toxic air that hypnotises people. They forget about the problems outside Dreamland and just concentrate on having fun.

Was Diablo behind such a trick?

Well, Leonardo remembers that his father always asked him and his brother never to leave the house after dark. Staying in Dreamland at night could only happen when they were with their parents or someone they trusted.

Despite being an Evilian, Diablo could do no harm.

Ha, what a joke.

No harm?

That demon crossed a line that night.

— I thought the mist was just used as a disguise. Giovani once said that he found the suspect, but that the fog didn't allow him to see clearly.

— It seems that the detective is also immune to Diablo's hypnosis. Not that that's something to be proud of.

Around them, the mist continued to spread. So Diablo used the fog to hypnotise his victims and then kidnap them. Did the same thing happen to your friend?

— I just need to find out how to get into this Mirror World.

— I once followed Vicente to the train — said the boy, gaining the young master's attention — I often saw them going to that area, so I decided to follow.

— And what did you see?

— Hm... I think Vicente just went through the mirror. I don't remember exactly, I was so terrified at the time that I fainted. When I woke up, I was back in the mansion.

That wasn't much help, Leonardo thought.

Although he was enraged by the previous argument, what Benjin had said was still true. Leonardo was just an ordinary bloke, no match for a demon.

Even more so the demon who was there that night.

Clenching his fists, he controlled the urge to flee. He had to be strong and ignore his fear for the sake of his friend.

— Leo, wouldn't it be better to take the detective along?

— What's the point?

— At least he can shoot, right?

Grinning mischievously, Leonardo laughed incredulously.

— A bullet in the head will kill that thing?

— Well... I don't know...

— I don't know what's going to happen out here while I'm inside. Giovani had better stay out of it.

The two boys quietly made their way through the woods. Little by little, as they approached the railway area, they found movement.

They had to hide behind trees and bushes to avoid the police who were searching the area. Because of the dense fog, they were able to walk freely, avoiding the uniformed police.

The area of the train was in an unexplored part of Dreamland. It would be thanks to the closed forest that made it inaccessible and unreachable for customers, even though it was so close.

The lights of the policemen's torches gave away their positions. Leonardo avoided bumping into them by heading straight for the train carriage.

Facing the overturned train, almost swallowed up by the trees, Leonardo kept remembering the bloody night he had experienced there more than ten years ago.

His hands were shaking. Slipping them into his trouser pocket, he took a deep breath as Aslan carefully opened the wooden door of the second carriage.

— I heard a sound coming from the train! — A policeman shouted.

Looking at each other, the two boys immediately jumped into the carriage and closed the door, listening to the hurried footsteps on the other side. Through the cracks in the wood of the door, they watched the lights of the lanterns come and go, searching incessantly for them.

— It's better to look for the mirror before we get caught — Aslan muttered.

— Where is...

Ignoring Aslan, Leonardo took a few confident steps into the dark carriage until he stepped on a piece of fabric. Using the torch on his mobile phone, he quickly saw that it was a white blanket covering something large.

Lifting the end of the blanket, he found the bloody mirror.

— Now what? Did you just see Vicente walking past it?

— Yeah, as if he was walking through a door.

It wouldn't be very nice to bump into a mirror. Reaching out to touch the smooth surface, his fingers disappeared. Wide-eyed, Leonardo crossed his entire arm before taking a step forwards.

It felt like stepping through a thick curtain, leaving him slightly dizzy and bewildered. When his feet touched the ground again, Leonardo opened his eyes and gasped when he saw Dreamland again.

— What the...

— Wow, that's... Unexpected — murmured Aslan, coming to Leonardo's side — I hear this is the real Dreamland.

— The real Dreamland?

Aslan shrugged, not knowing how to answer.

The sky was grey, the trees were dark, there were no bright colours coming from the park... It was the complete opposite.

Entering that sombre Dreamland, Leonardo continued to be impressed. The same rides, tents, attractions... Everything like an abandoned, haunted park.

The tents were torn and some even broken. Glass was scattered all over the ground and huge fallen trees were spreading roots all over the courtyard. Stepping into a puddle, Leonardo lowered his head in horror to see a little girl in a unicorn jacket with a ballerina dancing on her outstretched palm.

Leonardo remembered her...

— That girl... Giovani showed me her photo when he arrived in Dreamland...

Aslan didn't answer, but Leonardo knew the answer.

So she was dead, and inside that dark world.

— What kind of dancer is that?

— The new attraction — Aslan murmured regretfully — In order to create a new attraction, Diablo needs to be fed. This girl probably dreamed of being a ballerina or liked ballerina dolls.

Viola loved to dance, she always rehearsed to dance and be applauded.

His stomach churned at the sight of it.

— Come on, Leo.

Pulled along by Aslan, the two boys made their way through the horrendous Dreamland. Everything that came their way was frightening. Was there an apocalypse? An earthquake? Alien invasion? Monsters? Something has destroyed this place.

— Where do we have to go? — Aslan asked, stopping at a fork in the road — Damn, I should have asked that arsehole Ray before I came...

He remembered that place.

His brother had pulled him somewhere...

Had he stopped there that fateful night?

His feet moved on their own, following a narrow alleyway lined with abandoned tents. All along the way, Leonardo heard laughter and the feeling that he was being watched.

What kind of place was that...?

Walking for a few metres, they arrived at the circus area. The Dreamland Circus sign was broken, with a few light bulbs flashing. Swallowing dryly, the two boys continued towards the foremen's area, through the mist until they reached a black and white striped tent.

— Leo... I have a terrible feeling.

— So do I. Then we're heading in the right direction.

About to take a step forwards, Leonardo suddenly had his shoulder pulled. Without his voice coming out to shout, and without reacting in time to push away whoever was pulling him, Leonardo felt his life drain from his body when he saw Benjin behind him.

If it had been his usual appearance, Leonardo wouldn't have been so frightened. However, what stood behind him was a face he saw from time to time, those dark eyes and golden irises. His greyish skin turned him into a porcelain doll cursed by ten different capes.

— Leo!

— You fucking puppet! — Leonardo shouted, bringing his hand to his chest — Do you want to kill me by heart? Bloody hell...

— Ben, did you follow us?

— Do you really think I'd let you come here alone? — The trapeze artist mumbled, lowering his head — I know you're angry with me for what I said, but I can't let you go to Diablo.

— Haa — Leonardo sighed, putting his hands to his face — Can we talk about this later? I really don't want to fight right now.

— If you want, I can save your friend... Even if I don't want to.

— That last part was unnecessary.

— Just follow me — Leonardo ordered.

Benjin's whole face lit up, with the puppet quickly embracing his arm. Leonardo was surprised to see wires trailing along the floor, attached to the trapeze artist's arms. Grabbing them, he pulled, seeing Benjin's arm being lifted.

Now he really did look like a demonised puppet.

He'd seen him look like that before, but to see him inside a world that looked like a box of broken toys, and about to fight a demon...

— You're not scared of me...?

— Wait, I'm finding a use for that ugly face of yours.

— I'm not ugly, Leo!

— You both know why we came here, don't you? — Aslan argued with his arms crossed.

Pulling the string, Leonardo carried Benjin like a pet as he made his way into the haunted circus. The puppet directed him without complaint, after all, his joy was evident on his face. As long as his young master wasn't afraid of him, he'd be happy, wouldn't he?

Not that Leonardo was going to worry about that.

— What could Diablo end up doing to Gustavo? — Aslan asked.

— Probably use him as a threat to get Leo to leave Dreamland — Benjin shrugged — The contract in the Vicente states that Diablo can't hurt an Evilian.

— If he can't hurt me, then why did you make all this drama so I wouldn't come?

— He can't hurt you directly, but there's nothing to stop him torturing you in some other way.

That kind of calmed things down, Leonardo thought. As long as he didn't stop being affected by Diablo, he could sort everything out, right? The problem would be what an Evilian could do with Diablo?

In the contract written on Vicente's body, there was nothing that mentioned a weakness of the demon. Diablo probably never thought that an Evilian could go against him.

But surely he must have a weakness.

What weakness?

— Well well, look who's come to visit me.

The velvety voice petrified the three of them on the spot. Looking back, Leonardo was amazed to find such a diabolical and malicious face pretending to be human.

Identical to Vicente. Tall, with a circus tuxedo and eyes as red as blood. That creature smiled, enjoying the dread Leonardo felt. 

Now he remembered that bloke who laughed in amusement at the bloodbath taking place in front of him years ago.

— Diablo.