The Source

They say every story starts from somewhere, like how light bursts from the source, or how the universe expands from the Big Bang.

My story starts here.

Lost in a spiral of mirrors, each one reflecting what I could be.

Nowhere to go. Nowhere to start.

I close my eyes, hoping to find an answer in the reflection of my eyelids, but nothing…

“Why am I like this?” I exclaimed, slamming my hand against the floor.

“Is there a way out? “Is there a way I can fix all this?

Nothing answered me but the silence of my thoughts, far from comforting, more like a reminder that I also don’t have the answers.

“I guess silence speaks louder than words”, I muttered to myself, hanging my head low in an attempt to avoid eye contact with my reflection. The world around me had gotten stale, all but a reminder that maybe I don’t belong here.

“Was I destined for something more? Or was I destined for Something less?”

I questioned it all, from the pile in the corner of the room representing dreams left forgotten, to the mirror that seemed to stare at me, like daggers aimed at the shell I had become.

“What’s left for me here? Why am I still here!?”

I often felt like I never really had a place in this world. Everyone else seemed happy and like they all had their lives in check.

Yet I stood here begging for something that I couldn’t even recognise.

“What’s wrong with me? What's Wrong WITH ME!”

I clenched my fist as if trying to grab hold of something that maybe wasn’t for me, my breath shallow and my face distorted with frustration.

My gaze meets the face in the mirror…

“Who even am I?” I say, forcing the words out between my teeth.

“I’m done with this…I…I HATE MYSELF!”

The mirror shattered as my hand went through the glass, as if reality itself had shattered. Pieces of my reflection lay on the ground like sharp fragments of a memory I knew I’d never forget.

“Experience a reflection you never knew…” whispered a strange, yet calming voice. The voice felt close, but before I could turn around, the world around me changed almost as if it had been flipped upside down.

When I opened my eyes I saw a world full of colour, a world full of wonder. The skies embrace the yellow glow of the sun, the pink blossom shrouding my view. This world seems full of life, a direct contrast…a reflection almost of my former world.

“I guess I should figure out where I am” I said reluctantly as I began to move, I noticed my body felt lighter then it normally does. My gaze shifts down as I start to take a look at why my body feels lighter than it normally does.

“I…I’m A GIRL!!!” I exclaimed, my voice shaken by the fact that my body has now been flipped.

“How did this happen?” I questioned, looking down at the goth-like frills at the ends of my dress.

“I..I mean it’s beautiful…” I stuttered trying to make sense of this reality that I found myself in.

“WHAT do I mean it’s beautiful!! I have more important things to be worrying about." I ran straight for the familiar-looking store that had always been right outside my house. How do I know where I’m going? It’s almost as if I've been here before. The world seemed different around me, and yet familiar in a way. When I arrived at the store, a sense of familiarity washed over me as I could feel my heartbeat begin to calm down. The books in the store were towering like skyscrapers of knowledge waiting to be read, each one posing intricate designs. Each book looked as though someone put all they had into creating them, the smell of coffee wafting through the air as people enjoyed a beverage with their books. I stopped in my tracks, taking in everything around me, from the smells, to the sounds and the sights.

“This reminds me of that cashier, Iris, I believe her name was”, I remarked as I could sense a feeling of nostalgia wash over me.

“She always said she wanted to run a bookstore,” I recalled. I wonder how she’s doing now.

After that pleasant session of remembering old words, I composed myself and embarked towards the counter. I needed answers about not just this world, but about that voice. I stumbled through the bookstore, ensuring not to knock down a skyscraper, but as I looked towards the counter, something caught my eye, like a reflection of something known.

“I..Iris, is that you?” I hesitated for a moment, almost shocked to find someone I knew.

“Of course it’s me, silly, who else could it be?” she smiled as she turned around, her hair flowing around her face. The white highlights in her hair hit my eyes like daggers of hope. I could feel my eyes start to fill up with tears. I didn’t know where they were coming from, but looking back, it was probably the relief of a familiar face that broke me. I covered my face as I tried to calm myself down, and a soft and gentle hand was placed upon my back.

“Are you okay…?” Iris questions with a troubled look on her face. Her highlights, dangling down in my view.

“Yeah, I’m okay, just glad to see you”, I reply, hoping to hide the pain in my voice. I took the time to come to my senses and then asked.

“Do you have a book on the history of this place?” The tears slowly dry up on my cheeks as I take my time to grab hold of reality once more.

“Y..yes! We do,” She said excitedly, though she looked puzzled as if trying to remember where the book was. The highlights on her hair began to glow with a light, as dots began to flow around her. Was this magic? I wondered to myself, pondering if such a thing could ever be obtainable, but that thought was for another day.

“It’s on aisle ten,” She exclaimed, her eyes practically beaming with confidence. I nodded and waved her goodbye as I walked towards Isle ten. I had no idea what I would find there; I could only hope that whatever was in this book would help me understand the reality that I had found myself in. The book itself was probably the least intricate out of all the books on the shelf, and judging from the dust on it, I’d wager that not that many people read it. As I begin to open the book, I feel my hands start to sweat and my heart begins to pound. I open the book to reveal the first page.

“This world is like another but unlike another”, I read, puzzled by the cryptic style message on the first page. I continue to flick through the pages, with all but one left to be filled. All this page has to offer me are these words.

“The reflection begins with the source”

I looked at this page, puzzled as to why every single one remains full, but this one, not able to find any answers in this book, I sighed and placed it back on the shelf. Unable to get any satisfying answers, I search the bookstore for a book on magic, something that doesn’t exist in my old world. Should be fascinating, I said to myself, excited at the thought that magic existed in this world. I headed to the counter and checked the book out, taking one last look at the store and at Iris. I headed out of the bookshop in search of a nice place to sit and read, the paths all looked well-maintained with plants, people and businesses flourishing all around. There stood a bench covered in plants, yet it remained unfazed by the vines wrapping around its legs. I sat down and began to read the book.

“Magic at its core is a refinement of one’s innermost thoughts…”

“The ones we hide from others, and often from ourselves”

“To Master Magic is to master oneself…”

I looked at the peaceful world I was surrounded by, children playing, people growing flowers with magic. It doesn’t seem like magic is used for violence, I pondered to myself, wondering how something so powerful hadn’t been used for harm. There lot of people practising martial arts in this world, and yet, no one is using magic for harm. This world seems to hold many things, and yet I can’t stop thinking that there's more to the light that meets my eye.

“I wonder what this book has on using magic?” I skimmed through the pages of the book and landed on a page that suggested that the first step was to find out what shape your magic took.