"That mirror eats people," warned Ruhan, the old watchman with weathered hands and a head full of white hair.

Meera stood before the rusted metal gates of her family's old mansion. It had fallen into disrepair after her father had moved the family to the city. For some reason, he never returned here. He had even warned her never to come back here on his deathbed. One of the last things he said to her was never to come here and let the house fall.

But Meera had to see. She knew her family was wealthy but didn't fully grasp its meaning until she saw the mansion they had abandoned years ago. Also, mansion was not the word Meera would have used to describe the palace-like house before her. It must have been a hundred feet long, and the grounds were many times larger. In its day, the mansion must've been beautiful. It had intricately carved wood exteriors with various floral designs intertwined with other-like structures. It was hard to see it all in the ebbing light of the evening.

"Step aside," Meera said. "I'm going in there to find my brother."

"I saw him go to that room," the watchman said with a shake of his head. "I tried to stop him, but Master Neel said he had to see. Some idiot villagers had told him about the rumor of the man-eating mirror. I tried to stop him. I really did."

"Ruhan," Meera did her best to keep her anger out of her voice but failed miserably. "Neel has been missing for a whole day. I've searched everywhere in the village, and you said it yourself, the last time he was seen was in that mansion. In the mirror room, as you so call it. So, you will either step aside or take me to this room."

Without waiting for his response, which would have undoubtedly involved more warnings, Meera pushed the gates open to her family's mansion. The gates opened with a loud creak. A sudden gust of wind blew away the fallen leaves in the courtyard as if clearing the way for her.

Ominous was the first word that came to her. It also didn't help that Ruhaan whimpered a little as if they were going toward their death.

"It's just wind," Meera reassured. She wasn't sure who she was reassuring. She drew a deep breath, steeled her nerves, and walked to the ruined house. Her instincts screamed at her to run. That this was how people in horror movies ended up eaten by the monster, which in this case was a mirror, that thought gave her some comfort as everyone knew mirrors couldn't eat people. Also, she was sure Neel was in this mansion, most probably lost, given the size of this thing. And as far as she was concerned, she knew it to be Ruhan's fault for running away and not staying with Neel.

They reached the steps of the main door into the house, and Ruhan's whimpering became even louder. Meera threw a look at him and silenced himself. They went up the stairs and to the door of the house.

She pushed open the door, and a stale waft of air went up her nostrils. The house smelled precisely how she expected it to smell—musty with a tinge of rotting wood.

"Where's that mirror room?" Meera asked.

"On the top floor, mistress," Ruhaan quivered. "But I ask you again, don't do this."

"And give up on finding my brother…I don't think so."

He lowered his head at that. "It's this way, mistress."

She was about to tell him again, perhaps the fiftieth time, not to call her mistress, but he wouldn't listen anyway. He moved past her and led her to the stairs. He pulled out his torch and clicked it on. She turned on the flashlight on her cellphone, and they walked quietly into the dirty, old house. The sound of wood creaking under their feet was the only sound that could be heard.

Meera did her best to peek inside every room they passed but saw nothing. Most of them contained empty beds or dusty tables. Ruhan walked with purpose at a brisk pace. Then he stopped so abruptly that Meera almost ran into him.

He shined his light at a dark door at the end of the corridor. "It's that room."

They were still more than ten meters away. Meera frowned. "Then come, let's go see this mirror."

"No, mistress, this is as far as I go," he said firmly. "You wanted me to show you, and so I have. I will say one thing that will be hard for you to hear. Your brother went into that room and has not returned, nor will he ever. No one ever comes back from that room."

She glared at him.

The old watchman shrugged. "But what do I know, I'm just a simple watchman? Well, best of luck, mistress. I will pray that you return, unlike all others who had foolishly ventured into that room." He gave her a small smile. "I will wait for you outside." With that, he turned and began walking away.

"Wait! Where are you going?"

"I will not stay in this cursed house after dark," he replied.

Meera's heart thumped in her chest, especially now that she was soon to be all alone in this dark house, which was supposedly cursed and haunted by a man-eating mirror—a mirror that she was about to see.

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She gulped and walked toward the dark door. With a quivering hand, she opened the door, and as expected, there it was—the mirror.

"Mirrors can't eat people," Meera said as she stared at the supposed monstrosity at the end of the room.

Meera looked around the room and found no signs of her brother or that he had been there.

Wait! Are those footprints? She bent down to look at the prints on the dusty floor and gasped. There it was—boot prints. Neel had been here.

She got up and moved to look around the room, but there was nothing else besides the mirror, which had done nothing to eat her yet. Then she noticed something that made her blood run cold.

Her reflection was smiling at her.

Meera's eyes snapped open as she broke out into a cold sweat. She stepped back from the mirror, but her reflection stayed where it was, still smiling. The girl in the mirror looked exactly like her. She had the same hazel eyes and dark hair that went past her shoulders. The dimpled cheeks, the mole just above her upper lip. It was all there. She took another step back, shaking all over. But then the door behind her snapped shut.

Meera jumped at the sound. Her heart thundered in her chest, eyes tearing up. She ran for the door and pulled on its handle, but it wouldn't budge.

"Welcome home, Meera," a voice spoke. It took Meera a moment to realize it was her voice.

Meera shut her eyes and didn't turn around, hoping it was all a mistake. She hadn't actually seen her reflection smile or heard her talk.

"Do not be afraid. I knew you would return one day. I've waited so long to meet you."

It took everything Meera had not to faint. Every instinct screamed at her not to turn around, but she had to see. She fully expected the mirror to be right behind her, ready to make a meal of her. Why didn't I listen to Ruhan? She gasped.

"Ruhan!" She screamed at the top of her lungs. He could still be in the house. "Ruhan!" She hollered while banging her fist on the door again and again.

"He cannot hear you," said the mirror in Meera's voice, which was the most frightening part. It spoke in her voice. "He's already left the house."

Tears welled up in Meera's eyes as she rested her head on the door. She took a few deep breaths, and with nothing else to do, she turned around to face the mirror.

A scream escaped Meera's throat as the mirror had closed the distance between them and now stood only three feet away with a smiling yet terrifying reflection of Meera.

"There is nothing to fear," Meera's reflection said. "I do not actually eat people. It's like you said, mirrors can't eat people."

Meera was not convinced. She was hyperventilating as she stared at the girl in the mirror who had her face and spoke in her voice but was not her. It waited for Meera to calm down. The smile never wilted off her face.

Meera gathered all her courage and asked. "W-Where is my brother?"

"He's fine, or was, the last time I saw him."

"Was that before you ate him?"

Reflection Meera chuckled. "No, after."

Meera's eyes snapped open, and her breath caught in her throat. "So, y-you did eat him…"

"Not in the way you're thinking," the reflection said. "I'm sure you know by now that I am an exceptional mirror."

Either that or I've gone insane from fear. But Meera did not say that.

The mirror continued. "I knew you would come ever since Neel decided to step through me, but even still, this is where you were born. It was your destiny to come back here."

Meera didn't believe in all this destiny business, but the part about Neel gripped her attention. "What did you say about Neel?"

"That he came to this room and stood where you are standing and decided to step through me."

"To where?"

"You will soon find out, but that is not important. What is important is that Neel is in trouble."

Meera frowned, fear giving way to worry. "What kind of trouble?"

"The bad kind. He has a lot of people coming after him. For what he possesses."

"What does he possess? Where is he? Tell me, and I'll call the cops."

The reflection chuckled once more, making Meera angry every time she did that.

"Your police have no jurisdiction where he is." Reflection Meera tapped a finger on her lips. "They cannot even if they tried."

"In the mirror?"

"In a way, yes."

Meera frowned. "So, you're saying my brother is in the mirror with you?"

"No, he's not with me," she replied. "And it's really hard for me to track his movements since he got that ability."

"Ability? You're not making any sense." Meera held her head in her hands. "I've gone crazy."

"I promise it will all make sense once you place your hand here." The reflection placed her hand on her side of the mirror.

"If I do this, I will be able to find my brother?" Meera asked.

"It is imperative that you do, or it will have dire consequences for many people, not just your brother."

Meera took a deep breath and weighed her options. She was sure that this mirror was most likely a demon mirror, and this was her way of getting to eat her. Maybe it cannot eat me unless I place my hand on the mirror.

The other option was she could try smashing the mirror and breaking its spell, thus letting her walk out of the room.

The last and most straightforward option was that she had gone crazy and was hallucinating from fear. Then something came to her.

"Why did my dad decide to leave this place with you here?" Meera asked.

"Because he saw what was on the other side, and it scared him."

"And what is on the other side?"

"Beauty and magic."

"Not hellfire."

Reflection Meera chuckled. "No, I am not a demon, more like a gateway, but also a watchman. I cannot say more about this. I'll say this without hesitation or malice, Neel is indeed in trouble and will need you, for he cannot do this alone."

"What can't he do?"

"I cannot tell you. You'll have to find out on your own."

"Why can't you tell me?" Meera practically shrieked. All this secrecy was grating on her nerves.

"Calm, Meera. There are some things that I cannot divulge. Suppose you refuse to come with me. I cannot have you talking about my secrets."

That almost seemed like a threat. But Meera was sure about one thing. She could not trust this thing, whatever it was. But she also had no other option but to accept. If she were telling the truth, Neel's life depended on her, and after her father's death. Neel was the only family she had left.

Meera gingerly took a step forward, said a silent prayer, and placed a hand on the reflection's hand.

The reflection smiled as her hand clasped Meera's. She felt a gentle tug, and Meera walked through the mirror into complete darkness, and a breath later, bright lights assaulted her eyes. She squeezed them shut and then heard a feminine voice in her head.

*ding!*

[Welcome to the Worlds of Mirithia]