Into The Mirror

After Julian sees his sister get dragged into the mirror with an obsidian wispy arm snaking around his little sister's waist while the glass ripples, the mirror returns to its original state when its objective is done. He curses in French and German, and he didn't hesitate to run downstairs as a logical thing to do.

He will not approach that strange antique because he might break that mirror with his fists accidentally. He would rather tell this to someone else like his parents or his childhood friend.

His slick black short hair is messy when he runs, and his eyebrows furrow while his expression is filled with worry.

Unfortunately, he didn't find his parents, but he did find Aksel, his childhood friend, cleaning the small living room by wiping the wooden coffee table with a cloth.

Aksel Sanchez, the half-Hispanic and Japanese olive skin male, has short black hair while wearing a ponytail, and his eyes are golden. His signature black cross earrings adore on his ears and a silver scabbard strapped over his left hip while it glints in the light, and his leather sword belt snuggles around his waist. Inside his scabbard, he has a Japanese wooden sword as a weapon.

He's 3 inches taller than him, being 179.9 cm while his childhood friend is over 177 cm, and Aksel volunteered to help his family to tidy up his deceased grandmother's humble home.

"Aksel!!" He calls his friend loudly while he pants breathlessly, standing in the open doorway while his hand leans it in support.

Aksel jolts in surprise, glancing at his German friend in confusion and curiosity.

He gives him a warm, welcoming smile, not knowing what his friend is worried about.

"Julian!! You surprised me. What's going on? And where's Evan? I thought you were going to get her." He asks him curiously.

"That's the thing. Something strange happened in the attic, and you won't believe me if I tell you."Julian deeply sighs in frustration. When his breath is stable, he combs his sweaty hair with his fingers.

Aksel approaches his friend, comforting him by placing his hand on his shoulder while he leads him toward the clean, creamy sofa.

"Try me." He challenges him calmly, and he knows that his dear friend wouldn't lie because he's a serious and honest person.

They begin to sit on the sofa, and Julian glances at his golden irises to assure himself.

Seeing that he won't mock or tease him like he usually does to him, he relents.

He spills out what happened so far. Evangeline faced in front of him in relief until the shadowy arm stretched out to drag her in the mirror until she was gone.

Julian looks worried, and his body trembles in shock while his instinct tells him to jump into the mirror and get his sister as quickly as he can.

He's afraid of the unknown deep into the mirror, but he won't mind endangering himself to save his sister. After all, she's one of his precious family, even though they don't have any blood ties.

Aksel holds his hand that is resting on Julian's lap, squeezing it gently to comfort him. He smiles at him while nodding in understanding.

"I believe you, Julian. I know you're an honest individual. How about we investigate it first? After our findings, let's tell your parents. You know that I'm always by your side!" He grins at him to cheer him up.

Julian softens his expression, giving him a weak, small smile. He feels truly grateful to him.

"That's a brilliant idea. Let's go." He replies, and he's eager to help his sister out of the mirror.

The two of them decide to go to the attic together, and not knowing their fate starts to move in a different direction.

When they arrive in the dusty attic, they are inspecting the antique in circles, checking if there are any clues left behind carefully.

"I don't see anything." Replies Aksel, tapping the dusty glass gently with his index finger until he leaves his fingerprint.

Like what Evangeline saw, there's still no reflection. Aksel and Julian thought that the mirror was broken after looking at it for the first time earlier.

While Aksel is investigating from the front, Julian is checking from the back. Aksel begins to examine the complicated lattice wooden frames with the Iris flower design closely.

"There should be some kind of portal somewhere," Julian says in desperation, looking nook and cranny behind the body-length mirror, but he finds nothing.

"It looks nothing special to me." Aksel frowns while he keeps a distance, glancing at the mirror in confusion while he rubs his cheek with his clean finger.

Julian finally shows up, approaching his friend until they are standing each other side-by-side.

"Maybe we should just body slam it." The half Spaniard comments, chuckling lightly in amusement. Maybe the mirror would let them in like the movies he watched.

Julian looks at him in exasperation.

"Aksel. I don't want my baby sister getting trapped in there for eternity if we broke it accidentally. It's too risky!" Aksel peeks at him, wrapping his arms around his friend's broad shoulders carelessly.

"Evangeline would be fine. She's a tough girl! Unlike you." He teases him. Julian glares at him in offense while he pushes his arm away from his shoulder, and they start to bicker.

"Excuse me? One, I'm a masculine individual, and two I could kick your ass anytime." Julian retorts, poking his index finger roughly on Aksel's chest in agitation.

"Oh? But you never won in our kendo match even once." The half-Asian male gloats and teases him simultaneously, puffing up his chest.

While they are busy bickering, the mirror starts to ripple with dark mist coming out of the glass.

"Come…" A voice echoes in a whisper, enticing them sweetly.

The both of them stop arguing, and their eyes begin to glaze while their bodies grow stiff after hearing its voice.

"Come inside the mirror." This time, it's an authoritative tone.

Aksel and Julian start to step forward quietly, obeying the mysterious voice. Aksel enters the mirror first until he disappears while Julian stops, staring at the void.

Inside Julian's subconsciousness, he is fighting to control his body.

"How admirable. The darkness inside your heart is stronger than the two. Let me reward you with a parting gift." A black chain suddenly whips out into his chest from the mirror, squeezing his heart painfully.

Julian's glazed blue eyes widen open in surprise and pain while his mouth slackens in a silent scream.

Physically, there are no open wounds or injuries. The black chain just passes through his chest abruptly and harmlessly.

"Come. You will see your gift in the future." It laughs in a chilling and dark amusement, and Julian doesn't struggle anymore as he comes into the mirror submissively.

After the boys join into the body-length mirror, the dark mist and the rippling stop.

Inside the attic, everything is quiet and left undisturbed, except for the footprints and a fingerprint that are left behind.