I don't own MKR.
Chibi Charizard: o.o you a GW fan, girl?
The Dragon in the Mirror
Chapter 5
The 'welcome back' held by those left behind in the castle was met with little to none enthusiasm by the returning warriors. Caldina scolded Ascot for acting rashly, yet the state he was in quickly made her feel worry over anger. Ferio was attended to, but as he wasn't injured, he was let off the hook. Clef wanted to help Hikaru, but the girl was too busy worrying over Umi, who disappeared upon returning to the castle.
"Did you see her? She came with us! Clef, look for her! Something's wrong!"
Clef nodded his agreement, and that was enough for the girl to calm down and allow her wounds to be tended to. Lantis stood next to her, worry in his eyes.
"What did you see there?"
Hikaru hugged herself before answering.
"I don't know. I guess it was a sort of demon."
"Demon?"
She nodded.
"Un. It seemed like a girl, though. But it had wings and a tail. Demon wings."
Lantis felt the blood drain from his face.
"Demon wings? …And tail. Are you sure, Hikaru?"
"Positive. Tail, wings… oh, and golden hair."
"Damn, damn, dam… wait. Did you just say golden?"
Another nod.
"Un. Why?"
It was an odd feeling for the swordsman, to feel both relieved and even more worried at the same time.
"No reason. Just… you should get your rest, Hikaru."
"Hai."
"Well…"
Ferio's cheerful voice then came in, shuttering Lantis's gloomy train of thought.
"We have the knights back, and they're already saved a village! I say the party tonight is definitely on!"
This certainly brought everyone's mood up.
"Well, if you'll excuse me, I'll go take care of something."
Clef said, looking meaningfully at Hikaru before walking off.
"Well, and here I thought he was getting better."
The dancer said, crossing her arms.
"He is. Trust me, he is."
No one dared question the pillar.
"Well then, we have a party to get ready for!"
"Yeah!"
No one also noticed the summoner slip away.
–
Clef walked through the halls, trying to come up with anything good to say to the bluette when he found her.
"If only I'd have went with them… I wonder what happened there."
As he walked deeper into the castle, the Mage found himself pulling his robes closer, the temperature steadily decreasing. He stopped a moment and exhaled, his breath becoming steam once hit with the cold air of the corridor.
"This is odd. The temperature never dropped this low, especially in the residential wing."
Taking a turn, Clef realized the cause of the bizarre happening. The next corridor's floor was covered with a thick layer of ice which came to a stop at the Mage's feet.
"This shouldn't be here."
A gasp escaped his lips when he looked away from the floor. The ice was on the walls as well, though it seemed to stay away from the torches' flames, as though the light was enough to scare it away.
Something on the Mage's inside felt wrong and he almost ran down the hall.
"Umi? …UMI!"
The ice became thicker the farther he went, but it didn't prepare him for what was before him now.
The door to Umi's room was completely sealed with ice, chunks of frozen water in any direction framing the door.
"Umi! Are you in there? Answer me!"
He began knocking on the door, but that obviously wasn't a wise decision. Sharp screams were heard, causing Clef to take a few steps back. Determination gripping him, the Mage began pounding on the door with his staff.
"Umi! Can you hear me? Umi!"
Slowly, without his noticing, ice began to form around Clef's legs, steadily crawling upwards.
–
The inside of the room was pretty much the same as the outside. Everything- frozen. The bed, the closet, the chair… the windows were opened, but ice blocked the path out. Umi sat on the bed, her knees up to her chest as she hugged them. Her eyes slowly opened, and the blue orbs reminded the surface of a raging sea far more than they did the calm lake everyone knew and loved.
"It's getting colder again."
Umi's voice was hollow and lifeless. The face in the mirror smirked, exposing a couple of fangs.
"Hai. Isn't it wonderful?"
The annoying knocking and banging on the door finally came to an abrupt end with a sharp cry of pain.
