“Always remember, Yuna. You must not look into strange or unfamiliar mirrors, ever. You understand?” My mother’s stern warning echoed in my head again and again. At that time, I thought my mother was just a superstitious woman who tried to impose her own beliefs on me.
“Mirrors can’t eat people, mother.” That is what I had said that time. Well said, like the fool I was. “Yuna, I know you don’t believe me and think of this as a joke, but you must listen to me. This is the only thing I ask of you as my daughter.” My mother was so desperate at that time. Why could I not see how concerned she was?
It was only now that I realized the gravity of the situation. I was on a camping trip with my college friends. It was fairly empty since the winter was reaching it's peak and it was freezing cold. Not that it was enough to break the hot-blooded spirits of college students in their prime.
The drinking went on for hours and I had gotten fairly drunk. “Hey, I’ll be back in a few minutes. It's nature's call.” Milli had offered to go with me, but I shrugged her off. It would only take a few minutes. That’s what I had mumbled to myself that time. I managed to find a decent spot where I would be hidden and crouched down to see if there were any poisonous plants, shining light on the area with my phone’s flashlight.
That was when I saw that cursed mirror. The reason I’m in such a stitch now. It looked utterly beautiful to me, with a unique design and a delicately carved ivory handle. I picked it up, wondering who would leave such a beautiful thing behind. In hindsight, I was dumb enough not to find anything suspicious about it at that time.
I picked up the mirror and put the phone down to illuminate my face a little. I looked like a ghost, straight out of horror movies with the bottom half of my face shining in the bright light. Just when I was about to stand up, I saw her. A black haired woman with a terrifying smile, looking straight at me.
I dropped the mirror instantly, a feeling of dread creeping up my spine. Even after that, I was foolish enough to pick up the mirror once again, my mother’s warning falling deaf on my ears. I couldn’t see the woman this time. I felt happy that it was just my drunk brain showing me things that didn’t exist.
If only it was true. My joy didn’t last for long, a boney hand crept out of the mirror and wrapped its fingers around my neck in an instant. I tried to throw the mirror away but the hand brought my face closer and closer to the mirror. I remember praying to God, hoping that I was having a drunken nightmare or that someone had slipped some hallucinogenic drug in my drinks.
It didn’t matter anymore. I would learn soon enough that everything was real. That was when I found myself falling head first into the pitch black void inside the mirror.
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“My Lord, why did you pick up this strange looking girl? I suppose your hobby of collecting strange things hasn’t changed one bit.” I could hear a man speaking. Where am I? I tried to open my eyes but the muscles just didn’t seem to cooperate.
“Well, you know me Izen. I found this strange thing in the middle of the forest, unconscious. Maybe I’ll make her my pet, if I like her.” Another man spoke, his low voice sounded like honey. What are they talking about?
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The two of them continued to chatter and I finally managed to open my eyes. The scene before me looked unfamiliar, a strange wooden roof greeting my blurry eyes. I turned my head around to see two blurry figures sitting on the floor in front of me. “Hello?” I tried to speak but my voice came out to be extremely hoarse.
The first thing I noticed: What I spoke was not English. Do I even know this language? My muddled brain could not come up with an explanation as to what I heard. Perhaps I’m still drunk.
One of the men got up and walked towards me carrying a glass in hand. “Here you go, sit up slowly.” He gently guided me in an upright position and I was starting to see things more clearly now. The man was tall and had soft blonde hair. His face looked handsome but friendly at the same time. The man handed me the glass and asked me to drink it.
“Eeek, it tastes bitter.” I mumbled but managed to drink the entire thing. It tasted terrible, like a concoction straight out of hell. The man gave a hearty laugh and took the glass away, leaving me with the other man who was yet to acknowledge me.
He turned his head sideways to look at me, and I think I stopped breathing for a second. The word ‘man’ did not do justice to him. He had waist length white hair that had a slightly blue undertone. His eyes were like that of a wild feline, they even twinkled brighter than the brightest sapphire.
He tilted his head, resting his chin on his hand and spoke in a melodious voice. “You. What is with those strange clothes?”
“W-what?” His question shocked me and I belatedly realized that the man was wearing what looked like a traditional Japanese yukata with a long robe on top of it.
“Where… am I?” I looked around and noticed the house was made of wood, not a single modern appliance was in sight and the light was coming from several lamps that had been lit in the room.
“We’re near the Ri forest, at the border of Gangja. I picked you up when I was traveling through the forest. You looked interesting, even for a human, so I brought you back here.” The man had a playful smirk on his beautiful face, making him look even more catty.
“Ri? Gangja? What the hell are you talking about? I was-” My memories flooded my brain and I felt as if I had been doused in cold water. The mirror. Those strange hands had pulled me inside the mirror. But that was supposed to be a dream. Am I still dreaming? I pinched my thighs but the pain felt extremely real, too real for it to be the part of a dream.
“Did you see a mirror near me, by any chance?” My voice was shaking. My entire body was so stiff that it felt as if it was made out of cement. “Mirror, you say?” The man laughed for a while before he regained his composure.
“My bad, I apologize. My dear, mirrors are banned from Ri. There is no way you would be carrying a mirror with you.” The man took a long pipe in his hand and began smoking. Surprisingly, the smoke did not smell pungent.
“Banned?” My brain was lagging and I could barely keep up with what was happening.
“Yes, banned. Mirrors serve as a gateway for Demons to travel to other spaces. Of course, being a country with Demons in it, the Emperor had banned mirrors hundreds of years ago. Only a select few people have them, and even then they are stored in blessed wooden cases at all times.”
“No-no way. T-this is a dream. I’m dreaming. I’m…” My heart was beating loudly and I couldn’t breathe. I’m going to die. I grabbed at my chest. This is the same thing I felt before any important recital or competition. The doctors had called it a panic attack. I felt myself lose consciousness and fell back into another dark slumber.