38 | game; swallowed by darkness

NOTE! this is the side of the mirror with the evil queen and good snow white, which is the opposite side from the last chapter. In this chapter, it's the 'real' Lucas, and the 'reflection' of Elias.

-

"...I'm going to have to rely on the other you."

The statement cut dully through their silence, and the unwilling voice of exhaustion fluttered into the air. Lucas' expression turned especially poor, impatient.

They stood at the open door of the small cottage, clean and tidy.

And empty.

Not a person in sight, or any corpses that had been seen in the mirror reality. Snow White's presence wasn't there in the slightest, with not a single piece of cutlery or items to state something had lived there.

It was devoid of life, much like a random, abandoned building one would happen upon within a forest.

Lucas had been certain that the wildest extent of clues hinting to Snow White's story, one that led to the details of her desire would be revealed in this location. Even now, standing before emptiness, he thought the same.

However, he realized, that although there was a single cottage, there were in fact two. One in this reality, and one in the reflection.

Perhaps the truth remained for Elias' vision alone.

It was a question whether the man chose to help him, as promised, or play more mind games to get a twist of reaction.

The Elias of this reality nodded. "That is rather likely. But I don't know if he'd be willing—I'm not sure if I would be."

An annoyed scowl plastered over Lucas' lips. "Irritating bastard."

"I'm only being honest. Regardless, it isn't 'me' that possesses the information you're looking for. You should be mad at the other one."

"Stop. It's all the same, you're both one person."

Elias smiled. "That's true, isn't it?"

Lucas eyed him warily, near prepared to get into a scuffle, to at least relieve some of his frustration. To make matters worse, Snow White wasn't even here, so he could complete the original objective either.

"You're forgetting the Prince."

"The Prince?"

Elias strolled inside calmly, glancing around and finding nothing notable. He walked over to the closed bedroom door, swinging it open casually. "The Prince—doesn't he whisk Snow White away?"

"His location is unclear. I don't think the Story would make us run in a wild goose chase, searching for a person without clues."

"What a reasonable conclusion."

Lucas frowned and followed Elias into the other room. The bedsheets on the yellowed bed were in a disarray, pillow tossed to the ground. Wind pushed against the old wood, making it creak out in protest.

The room hadn't been clear in the mirror world, covered in blood and corpses that one could not bear to stare at for too long.

But here, he could see everything.

The indents in the wall that seemed unnaturally smashed, as if somebody had crashed into it. The torn sheets, clawed apart.

Yet at the same time, there wasn't a single hair or thing to claim somebody had been here. Lucas once again became certain that the other side—where the original Elias roamed, would hold far more tales.

A jingle of bells twinkled outside, followed by light music, laced with airy laughter. Both men turned towards the outside door, wary.

Something rolled along the rooted grounds, rumbling over the rocks.

Lucas slowly walked over, minimizing his presence as he peered out the broken window. A carriage meandered through the unsteady path, stopping before the cottage.

A man poked his head out, vision shielded by a large hood. He stretched out a hand, slim fingers and sharp knuckled bending in welcome.

There was a momentary flinch as the hand retracted marginally before stretching out even further.

For some reason, Lucas felt his blood run dry, a chill spreading through his limbs and rooting him to the ground. Conversely, a warmth seemed to radiate from the tips of those fingers enticingly.

Lucas saw a sharp glint of black eyes, like the deep abyss, utterly drowning.

"Hurry!"

The familiar voice yelled out, and suddenly the cottage rumbled to life. The floors swayed, rising in unsteady bumps and the walls started to concave, a twisted illusion.

Lucas stumbled where he stood, and the cabinet doors in the kitchen creaked open. There was a pitch black inside, and he couldn't see anything.

But he had the unnerving feeling that something could see him.

Elias already left the bedroom once the strangeness overtook the building, making it warp and bend as if made from clay.

He glanced over at the swinging cabinets and the glint that came within. He laughed unpleasantly, and rushed out of the building, grabbing a distracted sponge and dragged him along.

Was this a sort of chase stimulation? Always having to run away from whatever weird happenings occurred in the Story.

Elias hissed, feeling the throb of pain at his neck pulse, a constant reminder of injury. Even if he could tolerate it, the insistence was a distraction. Not to mention Lucas' weight—he didn't know how long he could bear it.

And the pathway to the door became unbearably long, stretching out and taunting. He wasn't sure if he was even walking or running.

Everything blurred.

He didn't know what instinct overtook him, but his limbs reacted first. As soon as his mind concluded that he might not make it to the door, he acted.

The man grabbed Lucas, straining his shoulders that roared out in flaming pain, and flung the other forward like a football, shooting across a field.

The other's weight was by no means light, and Elias collapsed to one knee.

Lucas, only able to react when he was crashing and tumbling onto dry grass after being crudely handled, skidded to a stop. His clothes were torn, and blood seeped from his skin.

He flung his head up from where he laid, blinking away his daze as he frowned, eyes widening.

Elias coughed, but raised his head to smile that foolish, unlucky smirk.

And Lucas watched, with open eyes frozen on the scene, as the entire house swallowed him whole and the front door slammed shut.

There was silence.

And still silence followed Lucas' daze as he was pulled frantically by the arm, pushed into the carriage that slowly jolted into movement again. The scene played once more in Lucas' mind, leaving a foul taste in his mouth.

He thought of stopping the carriage, running out and—and what? What could he do if the house claimed Elias, locking that man away?

A stubborn weed like that man wouldn't be killed so easily.

Right?

"Hey."

Lucas blinked, and turned to the side, belatedly realizing that he'd been dragged inside by some unknown man.

Politely, he responded, "Hello."

The man pulled his hood down further, a little flustered as he rummaged around and came back up with nothing. He turned back to Lucas, staring for a few moments, before shuffling into the seat.

His posture was very proper and straight. Had it been in a classroom, Lucas would've praised it more.

A loud swallow interrupted the silence, and Lucas stared pointedly at the man. "Did you want to ask something?"

"What is... your name?"

A mature and smooth sound left the strange man's lips, flowing elegantly with a note of anxiety in the tremble of words. Deep and relaxing, the sort of voice one would fall asleep to, sinking into a daydream.

Lucas stared some more. He leaned closer, frowning as the man shuffled back hurriedly. "I was taught not to tell my name to strangers."

"......"

"Although if you're so desperate to know, you can introduce yourself first."

What a roundabout way of asking for an introduction, thought the hooded man with an airy chuckle.

Some people never changed, even though they grew up a long time ago.

Watching the man's position, which had scrambled into the furthest corner, long legs protruding uncomfortably, Lucas' frown deepened. Did he smell? Was there something written on his forehead?

The hooded man blinked, and Lucas could make out a sharpened chin connecting to a powerful neck. A good-looking man, perhaps.

Not more good-looking that him, of course.

Lucas knew his priorities.

However, his lazy and random thinking grew bored after receiving no further response. He peered out the window instead, watching the rushing trees.

He could be rushing right to his death in this moment, in a strange carriage with an even stranger man—or ghost. Lucas still wasn't sure, except for the fact that the other person acted extremely carefully around him.

"Hey. Where are we going?" Lucas asked finally, slumping back in his seat.

The other man straightened. "To the prince's castle, unless there's somewhere else you'd like to go? The carriage delivered me straight here, and I saw signs of it warping. That is why I called out."

A curt nod was the response. "I see."

"Are you looking to complete the objective, or to find the True Ending?"

Lucas lifted his head, not expecting the question. Although he sought the True Ending, he wouldn't drag a random passerby into his troubles. "I will go my way when we arrive at the castle. Do you know where Snow White is?"

"Yes."

"Where?"

"In my castle."

The word echoed in Lucas' head before he realized earlier the man hadn't said 'the castle' but specifically referred to the prince's. His gaze deepened.

"Your role..."

The man understood what he was asking. "I am the prince. According to the Story, Snow White is saved by him."

Mn... the house which became something to run away from, and the prince who saved her from such horror. But why did she want to run away from that cottage? And who was the prince to her, really?

He sank further into the cushion as his thoughts wandered. There was something that Snow White wanted to run from, and she was saved by the rich youth, a man charmed by her beauty.

There was something significant he still missed.

"What condition is Snow White in?"

"I haven't checked yet. I am a reflection. Originally, my real self had seen a note claiming that she was nearby, but decided to examine the Queen's castle first due to unease."

Lucas listened, nodding slowly. He also found that this stranger was surprisingly agreeable to him, answering every question obediently, like a lost dog.

If a certain older brother knew his siblings' thoughts, a beating would be in order.

"Then we'll head straight to the castle?"

The man nodded in agreement, and they lapsed into another stiffing silence. Typically, Lucas didn't mind such quiet; on the contrary, he deeply appreciated them. A peaceful air with no bothersome chatter to disrupt his flow of thoughts.

And yet, he felt the unnatural word to talk. But for a man with few words to say, conversation didn't come easy.

He realized the stranger still hadn't given his name.

"Your name."

"Yes?"

"What is it?" Lucas abandoned the roundabout, cheeky way of asking from earlier, and decided to be straight forward.

However, despite his gallant efforts, the other shuffled uncomfortably, hesitant. The man didn't respond, and Lucas felt himself growing impatient.

"You don't want to tell me?" He confirmed.

With uncertainty, the man shook his head. "I do, and I will. Not at this time."

"Why not?"

"Have patience, littl—"

Lucas zeroed his gaze, scooting closer with no heed to personal space. Something lurched in his stomach, and he swallowed. "Little?"

"A slip of the tongue."

"It wasn't."

The man stared at him blankly, as if wondering why this commanding younger man spoke with such tenacity. But Lucas was persistent, a buzzing fly that you could hear but never chase away.

Before Lucas could bully the man into revealing any further detail, the carriage lurched to a full stop.

The man flew out of the doors before Lucas could even blink.

"....."

Sure, he was a little annoying, pressing for answers, but he wasn't so scary that a person would flee as if being chased, right?

He contemplated his actions before exiting. Although the man earlier had fled at a terrifying speed, there he stood, waiting patiently. His face was shaded by his hood, but Lucas felt as if the man should be a little... embarrassed?

The correct answer would've been uncomfortable.

Kane waited for his brother, feeling rather conflicted. It wasn't really a moment to have some long awaited reunion, and he also wasn't sure what Lucas' reaction would be.

Happy? Sad, or tearful?

The young Lucas, before he grew up way too fast when their parents died, was very attached to his older brother. A small figure waddling around with a blank expression, clinging onto Kane with chubby hands.

Even as a child, he rarely voiced his complaints, but instead spoke in an arrogant way during the rare times he opened his mouth, often insulting and bland.

Kane felt a euphoria of emotions at that time, being relied on by the little child who was cold to everyone else.

If only things didn't end the way they did.

Standing, watching as Lucas jumped out of the carriage calmly, Kane felt something lodge in this throat, making breathing strained.

Look at his brother, once young and now old.

Look at all the years he hadn't been able to witness.

If Lucas decided to abandon him once again, could he really bear it?

Lucas glanced at him oddly. The man's shoulders had hunched slightly, dimming the air of prestige. "Something wrong?"

Kane shook his head. "No, there's nothing. Let's head inside."

He wanted to say, let's hurry. Hurry, so that they could have a proper reunion, whether it be a success or failure. Hurry, so he could claim the forsaken title of older brother once again.

They entered the wide, double doors to reveal the magnificent entrance, of glittering golds and silvers, and complicated designs running the span of the wall.

Unlike the castle, that was both threatening and full of horrors, the castle seemed to represent warmth and wealth. A safe haven.

Lucas kept his eyes peeled, careful not to miss anything.

The human story behind the tale was this; Snow White escaped from the Evil Queen's clutches and entered a scuffle with her brother before he decided to allow her escape. She ran to the cottage, the seven dwarfs, but something had happened.

Something that made her run away once again, always running with nowhere to go. And at some point, she'd been saved by the beautiful carriage, by the prince of her dreams.

And what if that, too, had been an illusion?

There was just something that didn't settle well with Lucas' intuition.

"Do you know the location of Snow White?"

The stranger shook his head, wary. He seemed more alert than before, almost taking a protective stance in front of Lucas. "I saw a note that said she was located here, and confirmed it when I went to the cottage. However, I do not know her exact location."

A game of hide and seek, then.

As soon as the thought entered his mind, a voice boomed in the air. Full of malice, and rolling with a regal flow.

They were plunged into darkness in an instant, all lights ushering to a silence.

The voice laughed maniacally, a deep rumble that vibrated the ground.

Kane and Lucas glanced at each other before acting immediately. However, when Lucas heard a patter of footsteps following behind, he stared back in confusion without stopping.

"Why are you following me?" hissed the man, certain that they'd originally been running in opposite directions.

The hooded man was insistent. "Being caught might not mean to be found, but instead to get tagged. If we stick together, one of us can serve as a distraction. If we're apart, he can pick us off one by one easily."

The logic made enough sense to Lucas. But hearing the words caused a frown to settle on his lips. "You're trying to sacrifice me?"

"No, I'll sacrifice myself."

"...?" Lucas blinked, making sure he heard correctly. "What?"

The other man lifted his head, radiating a poised air of unbending confidence. "I'll be the sacrifice."

"...??"