The Witch Within The Blood Of Grashalo Arc Part Three

 The Mirror Labyrinth

Loc looked around to see that she was standing in the centre of many copies of herself. She was confused and surprised to see that the place was very light. She looked up to see where the light was coming from but she just saw the light but she could not see where it was coming from. She then looked back at her doubles.

She stepped forward and saw that her doubles did the same, exactly the way that she did. She quickly realised that they were her reflections. She then walked up to one and reached out and placed her hand on the mirror. She soon realised that she was alone in the hall. This did not make sense, after all should Morgan and Ringer be behind her.

She looked behind her to see that Ringer and Morgan with their palms pressed against what looked like a glass wall. She ran back to them but it seemed as if they were unaffected by her movements. She was about to go back out of the castle but there seemed to be a glass wall separating her from them! It was all too clear that they could not go on and she could not go back either. The only option for her was to go on. Which was what she was about to do but curiosity kept her in place.

"Where-where did Loc go?" Morgan snapped. "And why can we not follow?"

Ringer looked at the glass and placed his hand on the glass. His eyes narrowed as he thought.

"She went into the mirror, although, I have the funny feeling that it is not a normal mirror or the ruler of the mirror domane would have shown up."

"What do you mean?"

"What I mean is, Grasharlo was far more powerful than we thought, after all, it is said that powerful magic users can create their own pocket world." He said. "Which means that she is on her own."

"What but-"

"Miss Mcain, you must believe that she can do it. She is your niece after all." He said.

Her eyes widened as she felt guilty about doubting Ringer and Morgan. She looked on and knew that it would be wrong of her not to continue, not to mention that she had no choice. She turned and looked at her reflections. She looked carefully at them and looked for the break. The moment that she found it she walked in that direction. She walked on as calmly as possible after all if she rushed through this she knew that she would hit her head and she would never leave this place. She walked on for some time but her head started to ache with all the mirrors and the bright light. She wished that she could close her eyes as she became dizzier and dizzier until she knew that she would have to sit down. When she did she found herself breathing rapidly.

That was when she heard a pounding, but she knew that it was not coming from her head. She then felt the ground shake again and again. She frowned and then she heard a very loud and metallic roar!

Immediately she was back on her feet and caught a glimpse of a pair of reflective hooves. Knowing what was going on she broke into a panicked run. She went down a corridor and she banged into one of her own reflections. She fell back and scrambled to her feet and then ran to the gap in her reflections. She then ran and ran but she could still hear the minotaur close on her tail. She could feel her lungs crying out for her to stop but she had to ignore those cries she kept running. Then she met a dead end. She had to kneel down slightly and catch her breath.

"Tell me what are you looking out for Lorra Cerburus?" Came a voice behind her that sounded a lot like hers.

She jumped and gripped her sword and looked at where the voice came from. She looked left and right but she saw none. She frowned as her eyes rested on a strange mirror with a strange reflection of her. She was wearing a strange armour the colour of purple and gold. She had a twisted look about her. She knew that this was not one of her sisters, it was her but not her at the same time. No, this was her but she knew that this was the her that had woken up and joined her sisters. Just looking at her gave her chills.

She was about to scream but the twisted reflection put her finger to her lips.

"Shhh! You don't want to alert the mirror minotaur of your presence, do you?" She asked with an ice cold tone to her voice, wearing a smile just as equally icy. 

Suddenly she felt an icy sensation of fear. She shook her head and she felt herself tremble slightly. This caused her twisted double to smile that ice cold smile unaturally wider.

"Good. Now, I have a question for you, if you care to answer it." He said.

She shrugged.

"Go ahead."

"Do you really think that they will let you go after they have found out the true lineage of Grasharlo?" She asked.

She looked aside. She could not bring herself to answer the question. Not honestly.

"Be honest, do you really think that they will let you go after finding out that or let you take down your other thirds?"

"What have I been doing all this time other than that? After all I hardly care what happens to me after that." She admitted. "Not to mention, I will have you know that they would not have rescued me from the Sunburners if they didn't care for me?"

She looked at her not phased by her speech even in the least.

"'Rescued'? Are you sure? What of it was the Sunburners that were doing the rescuing? After all,  with them you could see yourself not even having to think of or have your life revolve around those sisters of yours." She said.

She shook her head.

"No,  I was there, I saw it happen." She said. "And if what you say is true,  then why did they leave my parents and my sisters and me roam around Underground Town?"

"Were you? Were you really?"

"Oh? And what do you mean by that?" She asked with mock cockiness. 

"Well how do you know that those people were your parents?" She jabbed.

"Easy, I don't see what the point would be giving the three of us false parents. Not if they had Morgan for a sister." She said. "So to me that hardly matters! And for your information, the only reason I want to know Grasharlos' bloodline is so that I can find a way to understand that witch. Once I do thatten I can take down my sisters, so if my freedom is the price, then it's one that I am willing to pay."

"You realise just how long that will be? I mean why don't you just wake up already? After all it is inevitable."

"No, I would rather die than join them." She said but she felt a strange pang in her heart as that strange longing to be with her sisters rose up. It was like a powerful drug that, try as she might, she could not quit. However she did not want to be like her sisters.

She cocked her eyebrow.

"Time will tell." She said as Loc slashed the mirror revealing the breathing minotaur which was not covered in fur but shards of mirrors almost as if the creature was made of mirrors rather than anything organic and its twisted horns looked the same. She saw that it had crimson red flames for eyes and smoke rose up from its twin nostrils. Behind it was a trail of cracked mirrors that looked like they were healing themselves behind him.

She then turned to the hall that she came down in only to find that there was a mirror there instead. She looked back as she felt the fear and dread kick in already knowing that the maze was not only sentient, but also wanted her to fight. She ran to it and took out her sword and went to slash it. It bent down and then felt a horn in her gut.

If only being immortal meant that I was immune to pain as well! She thought as ashepulled herself off and slashed the throat aria. Seeing that it had caused no damage she started to wonder if she could defeat the thing! She picked up her sword as she ran at it again and this time she tried to go for its eyes but all that did was melt the tip of her sword and slashed away but this did nothing. She then flew back and hit her back on the mirror and then fell down. 

She scrambled to her feet and ran back to the minotaur and hit it again.

Use magic girl! She heard a voice say in her head.

She flew back again.

How? She argued as the minotaur punched down and hit her. She flew the other way.andher head banged as she landed, causing her to break the mirrors and some of their shards dug themselves into her flesh, giving her a bloody mask. Her vision blurred and her ears rang. She felt the side of her face itch and the bones snap painfully into place. She then spat out some blood as she tried to get up but then she felt something sink deep into her gut sending her flying up as she tasted more liquid iron in her mouth. She spat it out. Yet she felt that she was flying higher and higher. Soon she could see the whole labyrinth and even where the exit was. Now she knew where to go. She soon felt herself falling and her body heat increased as she fell. She felt her heartbeat increase as she knew that she was about to endure a land that would kill most people. She dreaded the pain as she came closer and closer to the ground. She hoped that she would not land on top of a wall, for she knew that she would be cut in half and she was yet to know if the missing part would regenerate. Then she hit the ground chest first and she rolled over again and again until her head hit the wall ahead. 

She woke up with pain coming from her back and head. She felt her ankles at either side of her temples. She cried in pain as she pulled her arms in and pushed her legs down. She then rolled over as her stomach sealed itself up. She panted as she tried to get herself to stop crying. It was in this moment that she realised that one, that death was better than immortality and two, just how much she missed and longed for her parents.

She then gulped as she felt the ground shake. She felt her body seize up in fear. She tried to get up and run but for the life of her she just could not move! She could also feel herself trembling all over as she tried to get herself under control. She knew that none would come to save her yet even that would not be enough to make her body move! She might as well have been a helpless child! 

She looked aside as she saw the minotaur made of mirrors. Her heart sank as she knew that she was about to experience even more pain.

What do I do? What do I do? She thought as it kicked her in the side.

Trust me!

She opened her mouth as she got to her knees.

"Valeo speculum!" She shouted, even though she did not know what it ment. 

Then the minotaur shattered into millions of tiny pieces. She dropped where she was and she felt herself shaking all over. She then sat back and let herself take a break. She knew that she would have to get her strength back for she knew that the worst was yet to come. She let out a series of breaths as she waited for her to overcome her shock. 

When her body and mind were calm she got to her feet. She calmly, then made her way to the exit, not sure whether or not she was ready for whatever was yet to come.