Mirror, mirror on the wall…
Lauriam, Elrena and Ventus remained in Scala for four days. Mickey had said that he had found not mentions of Skuld during his research, and they did believe that claim. But the libraries of the city were extensive, with the King only scratching the surface of the stored information. Furthermore he had never been looking for Skuld specifically, since no one had asked that of him. There was every chance he had missed something. They spent their four days in almost nonstop study, going through tome after tome, hoping to find some mention of Skuld. But they ended up faring no better than the King.
The King left on the evening of the first day, leaving them the food he had brought here for himself, as well as any helpful tips he could think of. He wanted to go after Donald and Goofy, to find out just what they were up to. And while he hadn't said as much, there was a good chance he was going to inform Yen Sid about Aqua. The three of them only hoped that everything would work out for the best on that front.
On the fourth day the three of them decided to take a brief break and get Ven on his way. It was high time he returned to the researchers, before someone decided he was taking too long in getting there. And it was time for Lauriam and Elrena to prove once and for all that they could be trusted to keep their word. After they had returned Ven safely to Radiant Garden, Lauriam and Elrena replenished their supplies and returned to Scala ad Caelum for a while. They spent five further days searching through the records by themselves.
While doing their research they considered informing the rest of the Guardians about what they had already learned here. But after giving the matter considerable thought they decided against it for the time being. The others had enough on their plate right now. Elrena in particular had Aqua on her mind when making her decision. Blue had her personal difficulties to deal with. To add the burden of knowing that the reality they had fought so hard to protect might be on the brink of being consumed by darkness… it might cause a deterioration in her condition. If Aqua started to feel like she had no hope for the future, how could she have hope for herself? She didn't need the weight of the dead on her shoulders until she stood on steadier ground. The Guardians would get the truth, but in good time, when Lauriam and Elrena had had time to figure out how to word themselves, so they could break the news to them gently.
At the end of the ninth day Lauriam decided they were better off returning to their original goal. Skuld was his friend, and worth searching for. But Strelitzia still came first in his mind, particularly as their research into Skuld had yielded no results. If clues about Skuld were within this city in the first place it could take months or years to find them. Should it be here… it was not going anywhere. And if they were lucky this was just one more thing they could ask the mirror about.
They spent one more night in Scala. As before they stayed in one of the rooms in the tower. Neither of them really liked to do so. Their thoughts kept returning to who might have lived here before. While neither had noticed anything strange, the knowledge of other people having been here made this place feel strangely haunted. There would have been plenty of room for both of them to have their own room to sleep in, but their sense of unease ensured they holed up in the same room. Lauriam had brought a mattress and bed linens from the adjacent room for himself and had chivalrously tried to leave the bed to her, for which she had teased him. They ended up trading places each night, with one of them sleeping on the mattress, one on the bed.
Elrena was almost disappointed that the beds here were only large enough to fit one person at a time. Then again, maybe it was still too soon for that. She was… undecided for her part. She was happy with how things had been developing between them. More than happy in fact. And it seemed like Lauriam was glad as well. But this was all still very new for her. For both of them. There was still a part of her that was feeling strangely nervous. After keeping this to herself for so long, how could there not be? She supposed she still needed to build up her confidence before proceeding further.
It was kind of silly, actually. She was usually headstrong and confident about most everything she did. But not this apparently. Still, she was sure she would get there soon enough. This had been building for a very long time, and Lauriam's little gesture back in Avalon had set the ball rolling. No stopping it now. And the things they had learned here? Well, perhaps that was an incentive to keep working on it and not dawdle overlong. One needed to seize the moment while one still could, because no one could say how many opportunities there would be.
On the morning of the tenth day they finally left Scala ad Caelum and headed for the Dwarf Woodlands.
"So here we are again. Back where we started." Elrena commented on arrival.
"Right then. Which way to the castle?" She asked.
Lauriam spun around himself, getting his bearings. "I think… this way." Lauriam said, pointing, then heading out.
"You sure it's the right way?" Elrena asked as they walked, having noted his hesitation before he had picked a direction.
"Reasonably sure. I remember coming here during the Age of Fairytales." Lauriam replied.
"Oh, that's right!" This was one of the worlds that existed during that time wasn't it?" Elrena said.
Lauriam nodded. "I never went in, but I do remember noting the castle being there. And based on the descriptions I got I think it's the one we want."
"Okay then. I'll follow your lead in that case." Elrena said.
"When we get to the castle we will need to be careful. Terra said something about a Queen of some sort residing here. One that apparently has magical powers at her command. She might not take kindly to us trying to use her mirror." Lauriam told her. "But not to worry. From what I heard she is a rather bad person. Not someone you need to lose sleep over for having wronged."
"Wasn't planning on feeling sorry anyway. If she gets in our way we will handle it. She is not going to stop us. Not after we've come so far." She declared.
"Agreed. But we might not even have to deal with her. Terra did run into her, but Aqua came along later and found no sign of her. We can't say for sure until we get there, but there is a chance she won't be there to interfere." He added.
"In that case let's hope for the latter and prepare for the former." She said.
"Even if she isn't there another danger might be the mirror itself." He continued.
"How so?" Elrena asked.
"Terra did manage to displease the Queen during his visit here. And when he did she did something to the mirror. He was pulled into it and had to battle the spirit of the mirror to get free. And Aqua told him that when she visited the castle the same thing happened to her spontaneously." He explained.
"Wow. I guess we really do need to be prepared for anything there." She commented.
"Yep. Looks that way." He agreed.
It took them some time, but eventually they emerged from the forest, a castle before them. Or the ruin of one anyway.
"Huh. Not exactly what I was expecting." Elrena said. "Wait a second. How long ago was it that Terra found this place?" Elrena asked.
"Ten years or so, when he, Aqua and Ven had their own misadventures." He replied.
"And the place was occupied during that time? It's just that… I don't think a place like this could get into this kind of disrepair in ten years. No way. This looks like no one has been here for centuries."
"Yeah. I think you're right. It's certainly strange." Lauriam said, grasping his chin in puzzlement. And nothing here looked like it had been caused by an attack. Just the decay of time.
"But hold on. Time flows differently in each world. Perhaps ten years passing for the rest of us is actually a longer time in this world?" He then suggested.
"That… makes sense actually." She mused quietly.
"Well… at least this might make it easier to get to the mirror. Let's go." He said.
The front gate had been blocked by rubble, but after a bit of searching they found a collapsed section of wall and got inside the castle. Once in the courtyard they took in their surroundings. Elrena's eyes lingered on the crumbling walls and statues, vines snaking up them. A cracked and chipped fountain in the middle, its waters having turned murky green from the algae growing on it. It all filled her with a sense of melancholy. Another ruin, haunted by silence. At least it wasn't the darkness that had gotten this place…
That did it. If they ever managed to get through this alive and could actually start planning on having a home, she wanted to live in a city, or close to one. Somewhere where you could really feel the pulse of people living around. Somewhere advanced enough they wouldn't have to worry about smog or stench. She envisioned a home with airy rooms and big windows. Somewhere up high, with sweeping vistas and a rooftop garden for Lauriam and Strelitzia in addition to the plants they had indoors. Getting used to living in a city that likely was going to be bigger than Daybreak Town, but she was sure she could manage. And she was confident that Lauriam and Strelitzia would adjust too, particularly if they had the garden she planned for them to have.
But… maybe they should also want to have a cottage in the countryside. Somewhere where they could spend their vacations from whatever jobs they took, where they could go when they wanted a break from the bustle of the city. It would be lovely to have that option available.
It gave her some comfort to picture these things. It was nice to visualize her goals. It gave her something to focus on, something to concrete to reach towards. Everyone needed nice thoughts to retreat into during tough times. And these were hers. Odds were she would spend many of the available quiet moments dreaming up the details of their future lives.
But these thoughts were interrupted when she spotted movement around them. Moments later they found themselves surrounded by heartless on all sides. Elrena snarled and called her keyblade, Lauriam doing the same next to her. They nodded at each other and charged at their enemy. With her free hand she threw her knives, destroying four Heartless at once. Then she was among them, sweeps from her keyblade destroying two more. Lauriam was at her side the next moment, destroying several others that were trying to sneak up on her from behind. Then he closed his eyes and concentrated for a moment. Portals of some kind opened on the ground. Long, thick vines burst through and attacked the heartless, knocking them onto walls or snatching them and pulling them to the portals. All the while clouds of thorns erupted from the vines, piercing the Heartless like knives.
Elrena had to admit she was impressed. It looked like her partner had come up with a new kind of attack spell. The downside was that it took all his concentration to maintain it. Fortunately that was something she could assist with. As he maintained his focus she moved around him, taking out any Heartless that tried to get close enough to interrupt him.
As they battled on, more powerful Heartless began to replace the ones they struck down. In place of shadows Neoshadows began to appear. Large bodies, Parasol Beauties and many other varieties. Finally a large dark portal opened on the ground, a Darkside slowly rising out, its glowing yellow eyes on the two of them.
There was a momentary stand off as they met the gaze of the giant Heartless before them. Then Lauriam and Elrena glanced at each other.
"Distract it, and I'll pin it down." Lauriam told her with a low voice.
She nodded, then charged. The Darkside raised a fist, then brought it down, about to squash her. Electricity crackled at her feet, sending her sliding forward. As a sizeable fist slammed on the ground she had been only moments ago she glided between the legs of the Heartless, slashing at them when she came to a stop behind it. The Darkside turned and prepared to attack again. But before it could a vine appeared behind it, wrapping around its neck and yanking it back, causing it to almost fall. The Darkside raised a hand to its neck until two more vines caught its wrists, pulling them towards the ground.
"Elrena, now!" He shouted, straining against the struggling Heartless.
Borne by lightning, Elrena ascended higher and higher, until she hovered four times higher than the Heartless was tall. Then she changed direction, falling keyblade first towards the Darkside, her weapon wreathed with electricity. With a defiant shout she fell on the Heartless, burying her keyblade in its head. The Darkside shuddered, raising clumsy hands to grab her, but she avoided its grasp easily enough. Putting more energy into her blade, she pushed it deeper. The Darkside gave one final tremble, then disintegrated into puffs of shadowy clouds a, a large heart rising onto the sky.
Elrena touched down gently. Their exertions left them both panting, eyes darting around in case more enemies showed. But there were none. It was over.
"Whew. Quite a fight. Biggest one since we were recompleted I'd say. I seriously hope that isn't the new standard. We might be in trouble if every encounter is like that." She commented, wiping sweat from her brow.
Lauriam nodded somberly. A Keyblade wielder could expect to be ambushed by Heartless regularly. But this scale was unusual. He hoped it was just something about this place that allowed the Heartless to manifest more easily. But on the other hand all of them who had been among the worlds had noted an escalation in the numbers of their enemy. And combined with that they had learned in Scala ad Caelum… it all came together into quite a harrowing image.
"We should move on. The mirror is likely somewhere indoors, and we'd best not tempt fate by overstaying our welcome." He said.
"Yeah, definitely." Elrena concurred. The Heartless would return. They always did, sooner or later. And there were no promises the next encounter would go as smoothly. Best they be long gone from here when they came back.
The doors to the main hall had luckily been left open. Within there were cobwebs in every corner, and a layer of dust on every surface. There were small cracks in the walls, beams of light coming through. There were drapes as well, their colors long since faded, eaten through by moths. And on the wall farthest from the door…
"I do wager that is the mirror we are looking for." Elrena said, pointing.
"Yes. It must be!" Lauriam said with excitement, running the short distance to the mirror.
He examined the mirror, brimming with enthusiasm. But then his expression turned worried.
"This… this doesn't look right. Terra spoke of the mirror swirling with wisps of energy and color. And a face in the mirror that spoke. But this… this is just a mirror." He said, half to himself.
She might have corrected him by pointing out the surface of the mirror was opaque and showed no reflection. But his tone of voice made her realize this was not the time to be nitpicky.
"I don't understand. This is clearly the right mirror. This is too conspicuous a location for it to be just an ordinary mirror. But then why...?" He continued.
He closed his eyes and concentrated. "There are stirrings of energy. Old power. But it feels like its just echoes."
He put his hand on the surface of glass, bowing his head. "Are we… too late? Did we come all this way only to find another dead end?" He wondered aloud. He sounded crushed. She did not blame him. To come this far only have their best, perhaps only lead come down to nothing…
She stepped closer, putting a hand on his shoulder. She could feel the same thing Lauriam had. There were remnants of power in the mirror. But it felt like it was long gone.
"Or… maybe not gone exactly." She corrected herself as she took a closer look. It felt more like it was dormant. Like it was asleep. That gave her an idea.
"Wait. What you said was that the Queen was able to manipulate the mirror somehow. For all we know she may even have been the one who created it. Maybe some of that knowledge is still here in the castle. If we are lucky there might still be a way for us to restore the mirror." She suggested.
"You think that might be possible?" He asked, hope reigniting in his eyes.
"It won't cost us anything to find out." She pointed out.
He nodded, smiling at her. "Indeed it won't. If there is even a chance that we could find a way to fix this mirror I want to try it."
"Then let's get to work looking for it." She said.
They searched the castle, eventually discovering a secret area where the Queen had kept her magical knowledge and had conducted her rituals. There were many spells, each more disturbing than the last. The Queen had been dabbling a lot in alchemy. There looked to be a little bit of research about the darkness, but she did not appear to have a good grasp of its nature. To Elrena it looked like the Queen's interest in it had been a passing curiosity, something given a cursory examination to see if it held any value to her. Most of her efforts looked to have gone into enhancing her appearance. There were other note notes too, her private thoughts written down. They spoke of the Queen's obsession with being the most beautiful in the world. About the fierce jealousy she felt towards anyone who she felt was a rival to her in that regard. Someone called Snow White featured most prominently in her writings. The name sounded familiar to her. After a moment Elrena remembered that Snow White had also been one of the earlier Princesses of heart. Maybe that in part was behind the intense jealousy the Queen felt. She had heard it said that bright lights cast dark shadows. But even so…
"Vanity personified this one…" She muttered as she examined another fistful of notes, reading through the Queen's ramblings.
"My thoughts exactly. A real nutcase." Lauriam agreed.
The Queen's notes were far from orderly, and much of what they found was of no use to them for what they were trying to do, so a lot more time was spent sifting through it all. But to their relief little by little they began to piece together the clues they needed to hopefully reawaken the mirror. They learned of a potion that could enhance the spirit of the mirror, revitalize it, as well as an incantation that could be used to summon it.
They searched for the potion, and while they did find a great many vials and bottles, the potions in them had long since degraded to dust and multicolored mold. But there were ingredients, and alchemical equipment that looked to still be useable for the most part. So they got to work in recreating the potion.
Finally Lauriam lifted a vial in his hand, thick green substance gently sloshing within as he gave it a shake.
"Alright, I think we have it." He said, glancing at a book on a table right behind him to make sure he wasn't about to miss a crucial step. "Let's get back to the mirror."
"And hope this works." Elrena added as they headed back the way they had come.
Moments later they once again stood before the mirror.
"Right. The instructions said the substance must be smeared on the surface of the mirror." Lauriam said. He uncorked the vial and began to pour, grumbling a little at the slowness of the thicker than honey concoction moving towards the mouth of the bottle.
"Wait up. There's a quicker way." Elrena said after a few moments of watching, taking the vial from him.
"What are you-" Lauriam began to ask, cut off when Elrena promptly smashed the vial against the mirror.
"Oh. Efficient." He complemented.
"Should save us a few moments." She said with a shrug.
They both felt a surge of magic within the mirror. Lauriam nodded. Now for the incantation.
"Spirit of the mirror, come from the farthest space. Through wind and darkness I summon thee. Speak! Show me thy face." Lauriam said, drawing on magic as he said the words.
There as a stirring of something within the mirror, but nothing definitive. Lauriam motioned at Elrena, who nodded and also began to call on magical energy. Their next words they said in unison:
"We summon thee."
Their incantation was clearly working, tugging at something in the depths of the mirror. But there was resistance too, something pulling back at them. Curious.
At that same moment she felt a momentary sting in her heart. Even before they had started they had known this wasn't the safest spell to attempt. The kind of arts the Queen had been dabbling with… they had realized there was a good chance some of it tapped into the darkness, however unintentionally. They were hoping to keep the exposure as small as possible, so they'd hopefully avoid any lasting complications. Even so, it was not wise to tinker with such things by any measure. Especially for people whose hearts had been taken by darkness twice over. For a lesser goal they would not have bothered with this. But if this could get them the answers they had been searching for so long… it would be worth the cost. They wanted to believe it would be. She redoubled her efforts, pouring more power into their spell.
"We summon thee!" They repeated, louder.
This time they felt a powerful surge of energy in the mirror. Lightning flashed across the mirror and colors began to swirl on its surface. Moments later a strange looking face appeared. A face twisted in anger they noted.
There was an angry growl from the mirror that shook the hall, making both of them retreating back several steps. It seemed they had met with success. But clearly the spirit of the mirror was none too pleased about their efforts. On instinct they had their weapons out, though neither knew what to expect now.
"YOU DARE WAKEN ME!?" The mirror shouted at them.
"Be calm. We don't mean you any harm." Lauriam said hurriedly. He dismissed his keyblade and nodded at Elrena to do the same. Reluctantly she sent her weapon away as well. The mirror still fumed with anger, but did not attack. Or maybe it just couldn't.
"Why have I been summoned?" It demanded, glaring at them.
"We came to you for knowledge. I have heard that you know true answers to any question. So I would only ask that you answer the questions that I have. That is all. Then we shall leave you in peace." Lauriam explained.
"Will you agree to that?" Lauriam asked.
For a while the mirror was silent. "Nay." It then declared sullenly.
"What? No? What do you mean no? Now listen here you stupid hunk of glass. We've been at this for far too long to put up with any kind of nonsense. Either you tell him exactly what he wants to know or I'm going to-" She said, pointing her finger at the mirror. But she was cut off by the mirror laughing, leaving her confused.
"What wouldst thee do unto me, Child of Storms? Naught can thee threaten with. Naught I have to fear, for only one thing I desire. The only thing thee can give is what I do crave. The oblivion you would deliver would be the sweetest of release. So by all means, unleash thine wrath on me, so that I might be free." The mirror said.
She blinked. "Oblivion? You mean you wish to…?"
In that moment Elrena saw the mirror with new eyes. The glass was dull from age, caked in a crust of dirt. She turned her eyes back to the hall, seeing the dust and the crumbling walls. In a curious way this mirror was a living thing. It had a heart. But its existence was limited to this one room, this mirror that was its body. Once the spirit might have been content in its role. But that was long past. Since it had been stuck in this castle for who know how many centuries. A decaying home, and a decaying self. Its existence was bound to the mirror, so it could find no release. At least not the kind where interlopers like herself and Lauriam could not simply force it to come back. The spirit of the mirror was tired she realized. Of everything.
"…A bargain then? Answers for us in exchange for the release you seek." She offered.
"A release? You mean… Elrena, are you sure that would be the right thing to do?" Lauriam asked.
"It seems to be what the mirror wants from us. I… think it would be a mercy." She replied. "Isn't that true?"
"…Aye." The mirror said, voice full of melancholy.
"Then if we give you that… will you help us in return?" Lauriam asked.
There was a second lengthy pause as the mirror seemed to consider. "One question shall you have. And one only. Then the release I seek will thee grant." The mirror said.
Lauriam considered, then nodded. "If that is truly what you want, then you have a deal."
"With care you must choose. For the final time I shall ask: What wouldst thou know?" The mirror asked.
Elrena turned her eyes to Lauriam, who grasped his chin, carefully considering how he should word himself. It sounded like he was only going to get one shot at this. He had to make the best of it.
"Very many years ago I lost my Sister. Struck down by a terrible Darkness. But things happened that made me believe she might still be found alive. That we might be reunited. I have been searching her ever since. I… I wish for that reunion with all my heart. More than anything else. So I ask you: If she still exist anywhere at all, where can she be found? What must I do to find her?" He asked.
The expression of the mirror became thoughtful. "Hmmm… I see her. Beyond our world does she linger. Her bell hath tolled, but not yet for the final time. Beyond the endless sea and sky. Beyond the light and the dark, in the strange lands in the unreal. Amongst a forest of towers as tall as mountains she resides. With the child of destiny she converses, her story to him she confides. If with her you seek a reunion, a bridge you must have, to bring thee to her, or her to thee as the case may be. One that spans the great between and the vast abyss, to the edge of the furnace from which all comes to be. Alas, no easy task would it be to build such a bridge. Or to find one." They finally said.
"But… what does any of that mean? I don't understand. Where is this place that she is at? Who is the Child of Destiny? And what on earth is all this talk of a bridge?" Lauriam asked, frowning.
"An answer to a single question you requested. An answer you received. No more there is to say. Now… honor your bargain, or be gone and be cursed." The mirror said.
For a moment Lauriam looked annoyed, about to argue. But then he realized doing so would not get him anywhere. There was nothing more to be done with this stubborn mirror.
"Alright then." He said, summoning his keyblade once again. He raised it to strike before hesitating.
"I know we have a deal. And I don't mean to break my promise. But there are others who are also looking for people they care about. And we have another missing friend too. So… would you not reconsider? Wait for a bit longer, so they can get the answers they need as well? Please?" He asked.
Silence was all he got in response, the mirror's empty eyes staring at him. Lauriam waited long enough to be sure the Mirror was not about to change their mind. Then he drove the tip of his weapon to the center of the mirror. A spiderweb crack appeared on the glass where he had struck, the face in the mirror disappearing instantly. Then one by one the fragments tumbled off the frame and onto the ground.
"Thank youuuu…" The voice came as a rolling sigh, for the final time.
With the deed done Lauriam sighed heavily, staring down at the shattered fragments of glass on the floor. "Lea and Isa are going to be disappointed."
"Yeah. Most likely. But there was no way we could have predicted the mirror would end up being as ornery as it did. We can try to make it up to them. For what it's worth you did remember to ask the mirror about that at the end, to have it cooperate a bit further. But once it refused to do so… that was pretty much it. It would not be like you to go back on your word at the end of the day. The most important thing was that you go the answer you wanted.
"After a fashion. I just wish those answers had not been so insufferably vague. I'm not sure how much better off we are after this discussion."
"We do know now that she is somewhere with lots of really tall buildings. That might narrow down the search for us a little. Not sure about the rest of that admittedly. But I'm sure we can figure it out if we put our minds to it." She said.
"There is nothing left for us here now. We should leave before more Heartless show. Let's get back to the others and figure out our next step." She
"Since we spoiled their chances maybe we can do something to help them find another way?" Lauriam suggested.
"Maybe we can at that." She agreed.
She turned to leave until she noticed Lauriam was staying put. She followed his gaze to the ground, to the broken pieces of glass.
"Didn't want to do this I take it?" She guessed.
"No, not really. Even if this was what the Mirror wanted it's still a grim thing to do." He said quietly.
"Yeah…" She said. "Could have had me do it…"
"Wouldn't change a thing. And I wouldn't ask you to just to spare myself." He replied.
She smiled faintly. "I suppose I wouldn't either."
"Come on." She told him. Lauriam nodded, and together they left the castle behind.
