43 | end; a sibling's wish

Subduing Snow White after his mind had nearly gone chaotic, a buzzing ever present as he lashed backwards, weaving his way past the dark shadows that reached for him, and silencing the girl in one swift chop of his hand.

His eyes had gone completely blank, the misty ocean stare deep and difficult to read. His sword danced skillfully through the air as he spun, twisting around.

At Snow White's defeat, everything collapsed at once in a puddle of bright colours, mixing together to create a dirty brown, akin to black. The lowlights flickered back to life.

Kane had appeared on a timely matter—first noticing the blood-stained man that slumped on the wall. An uncontrollable tremor ran through his body.

His face paled, and horror imprinted on his expression.

"...Lucas...?"

The terse voice trembled, wavering in disbelief and terror. His expressionless facade snapped in an instant, almost losing reason.

However, he was not foolish. He jerked his head painfully towards Elias' gloomy person, standing over the curled up figure. The man lifted his chin slowly, gaze flickering over coldly.

A smile graced his lips.

"Ah, so you've made it?" Elias turned away promptly from Snow White, and stalked over to Lucas' body. "I'll have to trouble you in grabbing the girl."

He bent down and scooped up the limp, faintly breathing man resolutely, not betraying any abnormality. He behaved in such a casual manner; it left Kane speechless.

But the hand that wrapped around the unconscious body was firm, tension in the hold.

Kane shook his head, reaching a hand out. "I'll take him."

"I can't agree to that." smiled Elias, though the curve didn't reach his eyes.

Kane narrowed his eyes suspiciously, moving a hand to hover over the sword at his belt. With Elias' weapon cast away to hold on to the body, Kane had confidence in winning—

"You may try."

Elias' relaxed smile never left his face, but something simmered in the depths of his gaze. Something deadly and dark, blacker than the abyss.

It wasn't a thing that could chase Kane away from the little brother he'd spent so long waiting for, though a fight at this time wouldn't be wise. Tentatively, he questioned: "Do you intend to harm the person in your arms?"

"The last thing I'm thinking of doing right now is injuring him further."

The answer made Kane's shoulders relax slightly, and he nodded reluctantly. Moving over, he grabbed Snow White and nodded again to move towards the mirror room.

Nothing was said between the quiet pair, their thoughts following similar wavelengths. They absolutely couldn't let this bleeding man die.

Elias furrowed his eyebrows, frustrated at the myriad of thoughts.

If Lucas died, that only proved that he lacked the ability to survive. Whether luck wasn't on his side, or his skills were subpart.

There was no reason for him to feel frantic.

His hands held onto the limp body tighter, feeling the escaping heat and the warm blood that smeared against his own skin. Lucas' eyes didn't flutter, remaining shut in a picture of slumber.

It didn't matter if he died.

It would be a matter of the inevitable.

Elias' steps became slightly more hurried, and Kane quickly followed behind with the same haste.

The mirror room provided to be simple to find with Snow White being unconscious, and Elias didn't hesitate to chant out the line.

"Mirror, mirror, on the wall."

Darkness clouded the room like fine smoke, and life breathed into the pulsing hands that surrounded the frame. The surface rippled, revealing a startled person clutching their stomach with a pale demure.

Elias noticed and instantly furrowed his eyebrows.

Lucas, on the other side of the mirror, stared in surprise and also... relief? Elias didn't question it, lacking time.

"Do you have Snow White?"

Lucas closed his mouth that was about to ask in wonder, 'you're alive?' and nodded expressionlessly. A hooded figure beside him stepped forth, holding a delirious, hazy-eyed girl towards the mirror.

Elias promptly explained the situation, including the scene in the abandoned cottage, as Lucas slowly nodded his head, piecing the information together.

On Elias' side, the unconscious Snow White's eyes flickered as she widened her gaze at her own wretched reflection.

She thrashed violently, unable to escape the firm hold of her captor.

"Hahahaha! Do you think I know nothing...?! I won't say the words!"

Lucas stumbled, feeling an extreme wave of pain wash over him. Tethering on the verge of passing out, most likely.

His present state was based on sheer willpower.

The 'good' Snow White smiled loosely, still slumped over. Her innocent eyes were glazed over, numb to any pain from the wounds over her body. Lucas sucked in a breath, pressing against his stomach more firmly before whispering.

"Do you remember your mother's favourite hobby?"

He had no choice but to make her say it instead, targeting her buried trauma.

The girl's eyes went wide and started to convulse with terror.

"Do you remember the words she often said?"

How could she forget, when those ghastly words that were the root of her mother's jealousy resulted in her torture?

Lucas' words were like a dangerous lull, digging and probing deep into her unwilling mind. Because of his pain, his voice was a mere whisper, a hoarse question.

"Say it."

"No... no, no, no, no!"

Lucas swallowed with a struggle, stepping closer. His throat burned... or maybe it was his body. He didn't know. He didn't want to use Snow White's trauma against her, but they had no option at the moment.

His voice was a persistent taunting, rousing her deepest memories.

"Mirror, mirror..." whispered Lucas, as the girl's movements became more erratic.

"Mirror, mirror, on the wall! Who's the most beautiful of them all?" screamed Snow White, before she repeated in several times and then muttered. "Not me, not me... leave me alone...! Go away!"

"Please!"

But as always, her pleas were left unanswered.

The 'evil' Snow White gritted her teeth upon seeing her reflection scream, and made one more attempt to run away as the mirror lit up, and the shriveled human hands started to stretch towards her.

"Move! Let me go!"

Kane dropped her hurriedly onto the ground before stepping out of the mirror's vision. Snow White gasped, but a hand snaked around her ankle, tugging her towards the mirror, towards damnation.

She clawed at the frame, ripping off a few strips of flesh with her futile attempt.

However, she couldn't resist the mirror's hellish pull, and was dragged through it despite her desperate struggles.

A few moments later, a 'new' Snow White was ejected on both sides, wearing a twisted expression. Kane hurriedly placed the blood-stained crown on her head, officially deeming her the new 'Evil Queen'.

Lucas strode forward, unhesitant, driving the sword down.

The wrinkled hands still clung to Snow White's body that was emerging from the reflection and her wide eyes brimmed with unshed tears, before she threw her head to look into the distance, behind where they stood.

Looking at an illusionary figure that watched her sadly.

The Teller's soft words entered the air. "I'm sorry, little sister."

Snow White laughed loudly before it melted into sobbing and her twisted smile softened, and her eyes curved. "...I never blamed you."

Her body crumpled at her trailing words, and Lucas pulled the dripping sword from her body, calmly gazing at the pooling red. He stood at a still for several moments before his body suddenly wavered.

Kane rushed out to catch him, while Elias, in the mirror's reflection, could only watch with gritted teeth.

Lucas slumped against the hooded man's arms, raising his eyes with difficulty at the Teller.

The Teller's eyes drooped towards his dead sibling's body before he took a gentle breath.

"She wanted to be saved by her most trusted brother."

Lucas' steady answer rung out in the ear, and the Teller's eyes widened in disbelief as he received confirmation to the answer.

But he could not deny it when the truth rang in his ears.

The boy snapped his fingers, and the mirror shattered into thousands of splintered shards. The entire world shimmered before the walls crumbled to the ground and Elias' figure soon appeared.

The limp body had disappeared from his arms, and the 'real' Lucas fell to one knee, blood pooling out of his stomach as he groaned.

[A conclusion has met the requirements!]

The two worlds had merged into one again.

Elias widened his eyes before a pounding pain erupted in his head, a frigid chill spreading through his entire body as if he'd been wandering in the snow for hours.

[The story 'Mirror' is closing...]

Lucas, through his blurred vision, turned to the Teller. "Your... part of the deal... fulfill the agreement..."

The boy moved towards his crouched figure, carefully taking the apple necklace off his own neck, and placing it around Lucas'.

After saying that, the lonely, small boy walked past to crouch beside Snow White's corpse, holding her hand with a nostalgic gentleness. He closed her vacant eyes, rolling her onto her back.

At a glance, it seemed as if she were in a deep slumber, waiting to be awoken.

The boy lowered his head, whispering apologies.

The ground had begun to separate into a million small, hardly discernible words, like a story falling into pieces. It rushed out, consuming the Teller who glanced back mildly at the group of people, disappearing from sight.

Lucas didn't take his eyes off the area of the young Teller, and the dead Snow White, even as his sight blurred further.

Elias stood by his side, crouching down to pull the limp arm over his shoulders.

"Take it easy, darling."

Lucas stared at the clouded eyes, hazy with pain as he recalled how the man sacrificed himself in that dark house. "...say that to yourself."

Kane watched the pair cautiously, frowning a little at the familiar attitude Elias behaved with Lucas. However, he would meet with Lucas soon, properly. Without the guise of a hood—a true reunion.

A soft smile curled on Kane's lips at the thought, despite the terrible truth of the Story he'd witnessed.

His mood was sour—a Story like this, based off horrific events that did occur in reality, though often unheard, really left a bad taste in his mouth. He closed his eyes, his mind slipping before he allowed the darkness to swallow him whole.

———XXX———

Nora tapped her finger against the side-door with unease, waiting for the pair of people who'd disappeared to return.

Wren had told them to find the mysterious Kane instead of waiting around, and they did—but who'd have thought that no person could be found at the location? Lucas, privy to the man's number, had vanished which left them no other option but to return.

"Hey, stop doing that." said Wren, lazily slinking back in her seat as she chewed a piece of jerky she'd gotten from god knows where. "Idiots don't die easily."

"It's normal to be concerned about the whereabouts of your companions."

"I thought you were the little miss who didn't care if that idiot bond of mine died or not?" Wren recalled their first conversation, when Nora had readily escaped after claiming she didn't know Lucas well enough to sacrifice her life for him.

Rome butted his head between the two front seats, pouting irritably. "Don't talk about mister like that!"

"Ah yes, I forgot about the little child he coerced."

Elliot was even more impatient, with his body parts on the line if that man didn't reappear. He curled up a leg, frowning as he sighed dramatically. "That's it, I'm ruined. Nobody will want me anymore."

Wren shot him a look. "Do you think anybody wants you now?"

"In comparison to a snarly, murderous lady? Yes."

Wren smiled, a chilling sort of smile that made the person on the other side inexplicably cold. "Are you picking a fight with me, brat?"

Nora stretched out a slender hand, spreading it out between them. "Stop."

Wren's eyes flickered over, and the woman's smile relaxed slightly into a casual, indifferent grin. "As you command."

There was a look of exasperation on the gentle woman's expression.

The child in the backseat was genuinely worried that the person he'd followed would be killed again. Taken away from him until he was alone.

Again.

Depression clouded his face as he lowered his head, eyes drooping.

Wren noticed the look and reached a hand out to flick the boy's forehead. The latter yelped in surprise, clutching a small palm over the red mark, frowning.

"If you keep frowning, you'll age faster."

Rome furrowed his eyebrows, blinking slowly. "That's not true."

"If I say it is, then yeah, it is." Wren grinned, showing a pointed tooth. "Do you want to age like me? You'll end up looking like this if you frown too much."

The boy paled in horror. "No!"

"......" Although she'd been teasing the child, the reply came a little too fast, didn't it? She thought of herself as reasonably attractive.

However, it was also said children were the most honest creatures...

The fog dispersed in the distance, faint sunlight streaming through the thick clouds. It was still a little dark out, approaching nightfall, and the mist in the air brought a settling gloom.

Nora turned her head to reassure Rome, before noticing a dark shadow in the fog steadily approaching. It was distorted, portraying a sole standing man... carrying something?

She moved a hand towards her gun cautiously, pushing the door open a crack in case it was somebody with hostile intentions.

The figure stepped closer, and the mist dispersed from their face.

She saw Elias, smiling as he waved one hand from under the body he carried, but there was something somber about his darkened gaze.

Her sight trailed down to settle on the body in his arms, and she lost her gentle smile that had been on her lips habitually.

"Lucas?"

Elias' footsteps hastened, in a rare rush. He settled the man down on the ground, tossing his expensive jacket onto the wet pavement. "He got injured in the Story."

Blood seeped from Lucas' shirt, completely dying Elias' fingers. Nora hurried out of the car, but also took a second to observe the sickly demure of the standing man, despite his acts of normalcy.

"Were you also injured?"

"Am I not standing perfectly fine?"

Nora frowned, the instinct of an older sister rising to surface. "Don't pretend if you are injured, you'll only hold us back later if there are repercussions. Sit down, and I'll check on you in a moment."

Elias laughed in surprise, an abrupt chuckle. "My problems are more mental than physical, so I don't believe that'll be necessary—"

"Sit down."

"...very well."

Obediently, the man pushed open the car door and sat beside Elliot while watching Nora turn away with a serious face, moving her attention to Lucas. Wren snickered at his display, but Elias shrugged.

Indeed, it was a little hard to go against the strict, scolding tone of the woman.

Elliot whined loudly, shoved to the middle and most unpopular seat in the car. "Hey, hey... I'm really running out of time, y'know?"

"We already went to the hospital, but there weren't any signs of anybody." Rome said reasonably, tugging at Elliot's sleeve. "Be patient."

"......" Why did he have to listen to the teachings of some brat?

Rome stared at him calmly, and they had a staring contest for several minutes before Elliot gave up, leaning back with a sulking frown. Of course, although he was anxious about losing his precious body part, there was nothing to be done.

"You better hurry and wake up, ghost." muttered the miserable man.