Mirror Mirror

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Light green eyes opened quickly, taking in the surroundings. For a moment, the person felt panic, but they calmed quickly realizing the familiar surroundings. Deciding to get up now that he was awake, Evan slowly made his way out of bed, being careful not to wake Mir who was sleeping soundly at the edge.

Looking around, he could barely believe he was here. The bed had fine, silk sheets and was much more comfortable than his old bed at home. The room, while sparsely decorated, was still probably much fancier than anything he had ever seen in his life. The carpeting was incredibly soft on his bare feet, as he made his way across the room to a connecting washroom. Of course, nothing else would settle for the greatest thief in the world, Phantom, to be placed on his private airship.

The five heroes had awakened, and despite many complaints and begrudging from a few key members, a.k.a Phantom and Luminous, decided to travel the world together in the hopes of becoming stronger. The Black Mage was a powerful opponent, but they all knew that together they would stand a chance that separately would be impossible. Of course, they didn't always fly via airship, just when they had to cross distances to major towns too far apart to get to by walking. Each time, Phantom insisted on using his ship to travel, though Evan suspected that was mostly for some normality considering Phantom never had to 'rough it' before. As it was, currently the ship was on a set course for Leafre, and through they departed two days ago, they wouldn't reach the town until tomorrow.

Evan was an early riser; it came with the territory of having been raised on a farm. And normally he was one of the first ones up who would make them all breakfast with whatever supplies they had on them or could find from nearby. Aran was also an early riser, though for the life of her, she couldn't cook. Whether it was because she couldn't remember or that she never had the skills to begin with were debatable. But she always woke up soon after or just before Evan did to start her morning training routine.

Luminous and Mercedes usually awoke next, with the Light Mage doing some meditation to help keep his dark powers in check. Evan had initially been frightened of that power when he first saw it, but he did trust Luminous to keep it under wraps. Luminous, though he could understand the benefits of having such powerful magic at his command, was rather loathed to using them and only did so in emergencies. Mercedes though tended to help Evan cook, as she usually awoke halfway through the process. Evan had been surprised at this, as had Phantom. It seemed far below the standard a queen would set for themselves, but Mercedes had said she liked to do her own things from time to time. She never abused her power as the Monarch of the Elves, even if the temptation to was always there.

Phantom, of course, slept in the latest, usually only waking in time to eat breakfast. He had the most difficult time adjusting to the fact that they wouldn't be sleeping in fancy hotels under luxurious bed sheets. Still, he endured it for the sake of the group and after more than one occasion of Mercedes complaining about how Phantom made himself least helpful in the morning, he was assigned to clean up the remnants of breakfast. Of course, Evan helped in this task, seeing as how he had little experience in such manual labor.

Of course, all this changed whenever they boarded Phantom's ship, which had several maids and a private chef to cook for them and generally take care of most of their needs. As such, Evan was usually at a loss of what to do in the mornings, as there was little he could do. Once washed up and presentable, Evan was left to sitting in his room to do whatever he pleased until the maids came for him to announce breakfast. This usually meant only one thing for him.

He got introspective.

It hadn't been long that he had been deemed as a Hero, the successor to Freud. But despite this, he never really felt like much of a Hero to begin with. Of course, he had always had his dreams of being someone important, someone who made a difference. But those dreams had been dashed early on when he had learned how he was actually helping the ones known as the Black Wings in their goals early in his so-called 'Hero' carrier. It was a jarring blow to his mindset and shaken him a bit. He liked to think now that he was a little bit wiser do to the situation, but he still hated what it had cost him. And more than that, he never really felt like he was accepted as a Hero by the others.

Aran had constantly been trying to train him, by improving his stamina and learning to defend himself without magic in the event that his Mana would be compromised or that something would happen to Mir. Often though, it ended with her complaining that he couldn't keep up with her exercises sometimes and that he should 'prove himself as a man'. Of course, it could also be the fact that Aran hadn't yet fully forgiven him for the mess she had to clean up, do to his accidental involvement with the Black Wings.

Mercedes had often given him pointers about how Freud used to fight, going on what she remembered from seeing him train and on the battlefield, though it wasn't much. Unlike Aran, she had completely forgiven Evan for what happened with the Black Wings. Having seen firsthand their underhanded methods, she could believe that it wouldn't be above them to coerce a young and impressionable Evan to doing their dirty work, especially when they had so few morals as to resort to kidnapping defenseless children. But Mercedes often babied him, holding his hand a little too much for Evan's taste. Phantom had pointed out to her that Evan should be allowed to figure things out for himself from time to time, or so he had overheard. And while Phantom probably meant well enough, Evan knew that being independent wasn't entirely the reason. While he and Mercedes were friends, sometimes he felt she was more like his guardian.

Phantom had said nothing to Evan's mishaps, though for a time he had felt a somewhat cold indifference from him. He was also somewhat easy to strike a conversation with, especially when he was trying to get out of training constantly. But sometimes, Phantom would simply stare at him, almost as though he were looking through him or, worse yet in his opinion, looking slightly above him as if he expected Evan to be taller. Of course, Evan may not have much book smarts, but he wasn't stupid. It was these times where Phantom was lost in the past, seeing Freud rather than Evan, and not for the first time since he learned of his destiny in relation to the man did he question whether or not he was just a sub-par replacement for the man they really wanted.

Somewhat indirectly, Luminous reinforced this idea. Being the only other Mage in the group meant that Luminous took direct control of all of Evan's magic training. Luminous could be rather blunt at times, and Evan could feel that sometimes he was frustrated at the young man's slow learning speed for magic. Perhaps some of it was due to the Dark Magic within him, but Evan could also tell that Luminous had probably expected him to be a bit better at this like his predecessor. After all, the Onyx Dragon had chosen him for a reason, and it wasn't his looks. He expected perhaps that he would have shown some talent for magic, but most of his power felt like it came borrowed from Mir, even if they were technically working together.

Thinking of Freud often made Evan wonder if he really was ready to be a Hero. Despite all the preparations and everyone doing their part to help make each other stronger, he still felt like such a long way off from filling Freud's shoes. From what he knew based on his talks with Afrien and the other Heroes, Freud was a genius spell caster, a scholar who laid out the very foundations of the Magic that Evan used daily. If the Black Mage didn't exist, Freud would probably, easily have been the greatest magic user of his generation. And here he was, a simple farm boy who he was told looked slightly like his predecessor and simply found an egg seemingly by chance. For not the first time, Evan wondered what would have happened if his brother Utah had gone searching for that missing baby pig on that fateful day.

He would probably have been stuck at home; doing chores and helping his parents run the farm. Maybe one day take over completely; perhaps court a modest girl in Henesys. And all the while Utah would be here with the other Heroes, with Mir, learning magic in preparation to defeat the greatest threat ever to come to Maple World.

Thinking about it felt surreal to say the least. Even if it had only been a short time, he couldn't begin to think of his life without Mir.

Destiny was a strange thing indeed. Even if he did feel like it was mocking him.

While Evan thought about his life up to this point, Mir took this time to wake up, silently stretching his wings. "Good morning, Master," he said into Evan's mind, startling him out of his thoughts. Mir looked at the young mage curiously. "What are you thinking about so early?"

"Oh, good morning Mir," he said leaning over to pat the dragon on his head affectionately. The two normally communicated through thoughts, but Evan liked speaking to him verbally from time to time. It had been somewhat of a hassle at first, since there were times that their thoughts would filter through to each other without their knowing. But with practice, they could now keep each other out of their private thoughts, though it was only for certain subject matters. They were comfortable with sharing most of their thoughts with one another. "Nothing really… just wondering what's for breakfast."

Mir immediately knew that Evan was lying. Why, he wasn't sure, but he assumed that whatever it was, they would talk about it eventually. He knew that sometimes his master had a hard time gathering his thoughts, especially when it came to things that bugged him. But they always promised to look out for one another and they would stick to that promise. Whether now or later, Evan would speak up, but Mir chose to indulge in his Master's temporary escape. "Sounds good! I hope they have meat! I want meat! Juicy and hot!"

"Ok, ok Mir, calm down," Evan said enjoying the dragon's playfulness. Mir's personality was good at cheering him up. "I guess we can go the kitchen and ask one of the chefs there." Before he could get up though a knock resounded at the door. Evan turned to look at it confused. According to his internal clock, it was far too soon for breakfast to be ready. He wondered if it was one of the other Heroes. "Come in."

Instantly, Phantom rushed in clothed in his nightwear, closing the door behind him. "I was never here." Without pausing to explain, he ran across the room and rushed into the washroom, closing the door behind him. Both Evan and Mir looked to the door with an expression of disbelief as a single thought ran through their minds.

What in Cygnus's name just happened?

The answer, apparently, would come a few moments later when another knock resounded on the door. This time, Evan walked up and opened the door on his own, to reveal Gaston, Phantom's butler and according to the thief, one of his very few confidents. "Good morning, Master Evan. I trust you slept well?"

"Um, yes. Very well. Can I help you," he asked confused.

"Yes, I was looking for Master Phantom this morning. Have you seen him?" Evan thought to Phantom's hurried look and rather nervous demeanor this morning. Apparently, Gaston was trying to convince him to do something this morning that he just didn't feel like doing. Probably some early morning training. Deciding that perhaps he could do his fellow Hero a favor, Evan decided to help the thief out this once.

"Sorry I haven't. I only just woke up myself," he explained to the gentleman. "Ah, but if you could do me a favor, Mir wants some meat this morning for breakfast. Could you ask to have some for him?"

"Of course. I do wonder where he's gone this time. It wouldn't hurt to follow Miss Aran's example now and again." With that he walked off, Evan closing the door and waiting for a few moments to ensure that he was really gone. Once certain, he walked over to the washroom door and knocked on it. After a few moments the door opened slightly and Phantom's head peaked out.

"Is he gone?"

"Yeah, just left," Evan said reassuringly to which Phantom gave a sigh of relief and stepped out.

"I'm sorry you had to see that," he said brushing what seemed like invisible dust off his silk night-shirt. "I'm usually much more composed in the mornings, but Gaston seems to think otherwise." Evan resisted rolling his eyes at the statement. He knew very well why Phantom was 'composed' in the mornings. Apparently Phantom had seen something in his expression for his next words were surprising. "Mir, if you could please exit the room, there is something I must speak with Evan about personally." Both dragon and dragon master were surprised. They communicated with each other silently in their minds before Mir nodded.

"Ok Evan, I'll go visit Mercedes then. She's super friendly!" With that, Evan opened the door and Mir joyfully flew off. Phantom closed the door and motioned for Evan to sit, which he did. He was still confused as to what was happening.

"So, what's the matter Evan?" The young farm boy was surprised and it clearly showed on his face.

"I don't think I know what you mean," he said, trying to avoid the question. Phantom merely gave him a pointed look. If there were anyone who knew better about running away from their problems, it was him, though the boy didn't know that. It was only recently after meeting Aria's spirit, who had saved him from Lotus's possession, did he truly try to face the demons of his past. It wasn't pretty, or easy, but he knew that since long ago, he would have done anything for her sake.

"You can't hide it forever, Evan. What's on your mind, hm?"

"What brought this on anyway," Evan countered, trying to buy himself some time and maybe get Phantom to drop the subject. Phantom sighed, thinking of something to say. Truthfully, it wasn't just him; both Mercedes and Luminous had noted a subtle change in the boy. The three adults, being much sharper at noticing these things than Evan did, thought about what to do and agreed – Well, it was more like Mercedes and Luminous teaming up on him – that Phantom should talk to the boy. Phantom had tried to point out that Aran could talk to him, but as the warrior bluntly put it, there was really nothing she could say seeing as most of her memories were still too fuzzy to make out and really help make a connection with him other than their training.

"I notice things Evan, and don't try to change the subject," he said. "Everyone is worried about you…"

"Yeah, I'll bet," he said, perhaps more bitterly than he intended, but it was a start Phantom noted. With several more pointed looks, Evan finally decided to give in. "It's just… I feel like I'm not really a Hero. I know you guys are helping me train and all, and I really appreciate it. But… it still feels like it's not enough."

"Do you mean to be like Freud," Phantom guessed, and seeing Evan stiffen slightly at the mention of the name meant that he was on the right track. "No one is asking you to be him-."

"That's not true," Evan shouted suddenly feeling anger well up in him. "I'm supposed to be the successor, right? That means I need to do what he can do. But I can't! I just- I got- Ugh!" He griped his head in frustration, and immediately he could feel Mir's presence, trying to calm him.

Phantom frowned. This was, indeed, the heart of the problem. And if Phantom could be honest with himself, as heavens knows he rarely was, he knew that part of this problem was everyone else's fault as well. He supposed that he hadn't really completely gotten over his friend's death yet, even if he only allowed himself small moments to grieve. He supposed that wasn't enough however.

"Evan… I will admit that perhaps we do expect much more from you than perhaps we reasonably should at this point. I could make the argument that our time is short and you need to hurry to reach the level Freud and Afrien were at because it's important. But I do realize that would be unfair of me to do so, so I won't. What I will tell you though is this – You have, in one unique and important way, surpassed Freud already." Evan looked at him in shock. Not just because he was apparently having a heart-to-heart with Phantom of all people, but that he could ever have surpassed the great dragon master before him in anything. The look on his face was enough for Phantom to continue.

"I know it seems hard to believe. Freud was a great man, a skilled magician and-." The look on Evan's face caused him to stop for a moment. "Sorry. The point is he was a rallying point for us all. Our… well, 'Leader' for lack of a better word. But to be honest, even though we chose to fight together, it wasn't as if we actually cared for one another." Evan looked confused even more by this, so Phantom began again.

"Aran, from what I knew, was scouted out after Freud witnessed her prowess on the battlefield. She always fought to protect and promote peace, but she rarely interacted with us. At times, she would only report for hearing the battle plans then march straight into battle without a backwards glance. Mercedes obviously fought for her people. But little beyond that, since as you may know Elves and Humans really only ever interacted with each other because of the Black Mage. She used to rather dislike me back then. Still somewhat of a sore thing now. As for myself… well, you know that much," he said to which Evan nodded. Mercedes had told him about how Phantom had lost a loved one to the Black Mage, which is why he joined the Heroes. Of course, Evan didn't know that his loved one was the Empress of Maple World, or about the fact that he honestly didn't care about the fight against the Black Mage until he selfishly followed his path of vengeance. Even in the beginning, Freud was nothing more to him than a pawn, a tool he could use to get close to the Mage and enact his revenge. Only in the later stages of the fight did he actually manage to truly befriend him, just before he had been ripped away from his life like everyone else he got close to. "As for Luminous… well, he felt it was his destiny to fight the Black Mage. At least, that was the feeling I got from him. He was never really forthcoming with his reasons, even to Freud, but at the time we accepted his help because we needed all the help we could get.

"So we united, but it was a fragile alliance. As I said, Freud was the reason we gathered, but we were all selfish to an extent. Perhaps had we united better and put our petty differences aside we would have stood a better chance. A shame that we really only realized that now because of you."

"Me," Evan asked bewildered.

"Yes. Seeing you grow, and your uncanny appearance to Freud, really was a bit of an eye opener. Of course, we really had a hard time adjusting ourselves. I can understand if you've become a bit frustrated as a result," Phantom said. "But with you, we understand that it's different. We all knew Freud could take care of himself. None of us really felt the need to connect with him at first. With you, it's different. We have to connect with you, and each other, in order to help you be ready. I know we're pushing you hard, but please understand that it's for your own good."

Evan stared ahead in silence. It seemed so surreal to him, that Phantom was talking to him about it all, right now. Surreal but comforting in a way. His mind felt lighter. He wasn't just some replacement for a friend they lost. And he understood, now, what Phantom meant when he said that he had surpassed Freud. Freud had brought them together, but Evan kept them there. Of course, they would have all fought the Black Mage, regardless of whether Freud had been there or not, as they were all tied to him in some way. But now, they also had ties to each other, brought about by their interactions with Evan. He supposed he could understand somewhat. Just as he went through his own moment of facing something he didn't want to admit to with the Black Wings, the other Heroes had to face something they once hid behind the guise of befriending Freud.

Deciding to take his leave, now that he was certain Gaston wouldn't be looking for him anymore, Phantom stood and walked to the door. "So… it's like a family?" Phantom turned to regard the boy who spoke. He couldn't help but smirk at the rather simplistic take on this whole complex situation.

"I suppose so. A rather dysfunctional one, but a family nonetheless I suppose." Phantom walked out the door, leaving it open. A few minutes later Mir appeared and flew gently over to his master. Evan had been aware that Mir had heard everything through the mental link, ever since he had helped comfort him.

"You don't have to change. I like you just the way you are, Master," the dragon said, nuzzling Evan. Immediately he felt much better. There was still a lot that Evan wasn't sure of, and he knew that expecting them all to change wasn't going to be easy or happen overnight. But he felt less burdened than before, and maybe, just maybe, felt like he was truly taking a step in the right direction to be worthy of being Freud's successor.

"Come on Mir, let's see if breakfast is ready," Evan said, leading the way out the door.

"Coming Master! Food, food, yum, yum!"

Running off through the corridor, Phantom reemerged from the shadows, smiling. As he watched the two run off, he couldn't help but picture a different scene, of another man and a dragon who had risked their lives to change the world. "I suppose I've done my small part to make amends, eh Freud?" With that, he closed Evan's door, the boy having left it open in his haste and went off to find the other Heroes.

He had a feeling today was going to be a great day.

A/N: Hello! This Author's Note is to talk about something important about the continuity of this story (as well as others involving the Heroes). For those who may not know, we have a new Hero emerging! Called Eunwol, she is supposed to be the Pirate Hero, and the true '5th' Hero that fought with the other Heroes against the Black Mage. This sort-of downgrades Evan's role as a Hero since he is someone from the 'current era', as opposed to the others, and makes it seem his role is only as Frued's successor.

In my eyes though, this does not remove his importance or significance. Frued was an important part of the Heroes, especially with his involvement in both Mercedes and Phantom's storylines (Mercedes fought with Frued to weaken the Mage for Luminous to seal him, and Phantom approached Frued in order to join the Heroes). As the successor, this also makes Evan an important figure in the Heroes lives and thus, I still consider him to be a Hero with the others. Moreover, Eunwol's English Translation name may hint at another possibility, but that is only speculation at this point, so I'll refrain from spoiling too much.

In other news, thanks very much for the overwhelming responses to my stories! I applaud all of my Reviewers, those who favorite and the general readers who pop in and out to read what I offer. Look forward to the next story!