Sora turned on the fluorescent lights of the bathroom and looked at himself in the mirror.
It was something he did every morning. He wasn't really certain why, anymore. He knew what he looked like and it wasn't a pleasant sight. His face was like a crumpled flower, beautiful and smooth on one side and caved in and deformed on the other.
It had happened when he was only six. A tumor had started growing there, and had turned out to be a malignant cancer. He'd had to undergo urgent surgery to remove it, and he was lucky to have survived. After years of radiation treatment, the doctors were confident that he was cancer free.
For a while, it had seemed to make no difference. He'd recovered and his friends had been glad to have him back. They were children, and everyone seemed to accept it. He'd smiled a lot, even though it made his face tighten and look more crumpled.
He would always remember the day that had changed. Sora had been twelve when he'd felt the fluttering beginnings of his maturing sexuality, and he'd had a shy crush on Riku. The silver haired boy had always been his best friend. They'd competed in everything, played on the beach every day and gone to school together. He hadn't really expected Riku to return his feelings, but he hadn't expected to have them crushed so brutally. He'd gone over to Riku's house, casually letting himself in without knocking… they all did that with each other… when he'd heard Riku and Kairi talking. He'd paused to listen.
You know, Riku, I think Sora has a crush on you.
Ha! You must be kidding, Kairi. Who could love a face like that?
And just like that, the bottom had dropped out of his world. He'd fled the house, holding back tears until he was safely alone in the woods. Once he was safely alone, he'd wept until he couldn't cry anymore, until his nose and eyes were swollen and aching and he could hardly breathe. And he could still hear the words in his head.
Who could love a face like that?
A day didn't go by where he didn't hear those words. After that he had pulled away, hardly able to even look at Riku. He'd stopped meeting them on the beach. Stopped joining them after school. At first, Kairi had tried to reach out to him, but he had ignored her until she finally stopped. Riku tried a few times, but Sora had snubbed him even more firmly. He knew it had been rude, but at least the pain had stopped.
He still went to the beach, but only when he was sure no one would be there. He still played in the water, but only alone. Alone was safe. Alone alone alone.
Who could love a face like that?
Then the darkness had come to the Destiny Islands, and what little he had was taken away.
Sora watched, expressionless, as the gem dealer rolled the stones through his fingers, and reached up to adjust the scarf that hid his face.
When the darkness had eaten the Destiny Islands, he had been spit out here in Nazarethim. It was a dark city in a dark land, but perhaps that was what had spared it from the darkness. He knew Riku has passed through it on his quest to save Kairi. Sora had spotted the silver haired boy, and had eavesdropped just enough to know what he was doing. For a moment, he had contemplated offering his help, but hadn't worked up the nerve to talk to Riku before he was gone. And mostly, Sora was glad.
He had no idea if Riku had succeeded or not, and finally decided not to care. Nazarethim was his home now, insofar as he had a home. Curiously, his deformity had been a shield when he first arrived. Slavery and boy brothels were common here, but a slaver couldn't expect to get enough profit out of a slave as ugly as him to make up for feeding him. And as attractive as his body might be, no procurer could overlook his face. You might not have sex with the face… well, most of the time… but you certainly couldn't hide it.
So he'd been left unmolested long enough to get the hang of things and ended up apprenticed to a thief. So far, he hadn't been caught, although Sora had no illusions about his eventual chances. And the penalty for getting caught was usually a broken hand. Or it could be your life. No one really cared.
His main goal right now was to put together a big enough stake that he could afford to take lessons in magic. He'd already discovered he had a knack for it and if he was good enough he could get a scholarship. Nazarethim's mage academy was second to none and renowned all through the worlds. But he couldn't count on the scholarship, so he needed enough cash to see him through.
The gem dealer finally stopped playing with the stones and quoted him a price. Sora's lip on the good side of his face curled, and he immediately made a counter-offer. He finally had to settle for what he thought was perhaps an eighth of the stones market value. It was always like that. He preferred stealing gold and silver… the markup was better… but sometimes you had to take what you could get.
Now he would have to pay a cut to the big boys. That was how things went, too, and he wasn't about to hold out on them. He'd seen what they did to people who tried. That one girl made him look pretty.
Who could love a face like that?
Grimacing slightly, Sora stamped on the voice, although he knew the echo of Riku's words would never go away. Then he looked around with a frown, slowly turning.
Someone was watching him. He could feel it in his bones, and he didn't ignore feelings like that. Pulling out a shiv, he waited a moment… but then the feeling suddenly vanished.
Odd. That would have to mean it was magic. But he hadn't pissed off any wizards recently that he knew of. He'd have to keep a watch out. He wasn't afraid of magic, but he was cautious.
Maleficent looked thoughtfully at the mirror in front of her.
She had acquired it just recently, at no expense but considerable difficulty. It was reputed to be the mirror that Snow White's wicked stepmother had spoken to. Maleficent had her doubts about that, but whether it was or wasn't, it was a powerful relic. And it was capable of indulging far more than stupid vanity. She'd used it already to find a broach she thought was lost forever.
But now, she had in mind something considerably more difficult.
"Mirror, mirror, doing what you can… show me who can help with my plan." She finally said, almost gagging on the rhyme. But the mirror seemed to have some old fashioned ideas and wouldn't respond to anything but couplets. Shadowy mist filled the mirror for a moment, and it finally cleared to show a boy dressed all in black and grey, with a grey scarf wound around his lower face. Maleficent's eyebrows shot up as she recognized the spiky brown hair and blue eyes… surely two people couldn't have the exact same, pointy hairstyle… and it took her a moment of studying before she realized what she was seeing.
The picture wavered in a way that was familiar, and it helped her figure out that she was looking at a shadow world. The name was a bit of a misnomer. Shadow worlds were actually entire universes that operated on similar rules, but had gone slightly different. Alternate timelines, alternate realities, they were generally far more trouble than they were worth. There was a magical transmission from one that had caused a bit of a sensation a while back. Maleficent had seen it. It had mostly consisted of several powerful wizards showing their buttocks and giggling. Magic was wasted on some people.
The boy seemed to feel her regard, and looked around suspiciously, pulling out a very sharp knife. She raised her hand and dismissed the image, then regarded the mirror thoughtfully. It had been hard to see with the scarf around his lower face, but there had been something… odd about the child's face.
She would have to look into how to reach a shadow realm. This could prove useful.