A Cracked Mirror

[Wynne Kuchiki]

“How can you live for others, when you can’t even live for yourself?”

Striking at her reflection with a powerful jab, Wynne watched angrily as her attack was deflected with a smile. “Why so angry? It’s merely the truth, just one you didn’t want to hear.” A mockery. That was what this was. What this thing was. Staring back at the Kuchiki was another her, in all her remarkable glory. The only difference was in the gaze. While the two had the same eyes, her replica’s dark black orbs threatened to devour the nearby surroundings at any moment. The sheer intensity in the stare was unnerving, yet Wynne withstood it still. She had no other choice.

“Why am I here?” There were other questions that she could ask, but Wynne wanted to get directly to the point. She shouldn’t be here. The last thing she remembered was having one of her episodes before her mind was yanked downwards. And then here she was. At first she had naively assumed this was her inner world. A clearly wrong assumption. Something she realized after only being here for mere moments.

Her normal inner world was studious. A remnant of her younger self. Books lined the wall of her castle, each holding precious information she had memorized. It was perpetually night, always with an iridescent moon floating gently above. Visiting that place was always a pleasure, one she rarely took anymore. Yet deny it as much as liked, this new location she resided in had its similarities. Darkness was perpetual as well, but it was much more foreboding here. As if something monstrous lurked just at the corners of her vision. She clearly wasn’t welcome here. Therefore it was impossible for this to be her inner world. And if she was wrong, she feared where the other conclusion would lead her.

“Why, you ask?” All the mirth vanished from the other Wynne’s face as she made her next remark. “You know full well why. Just look at yourself. Pitiful.” Closing her eyes briefly, Wynne winced from the piercing remark. It was obvious what her other self was referring to. Everything about her had changed. Her mind, her body, and even her soul. No longer was she the innocent youth who only dreamed of making friends. …..Yet……..She had actually made one. Just the one. And she was taken away. A woman she had promised to face the world on with. A bright future she could have had, if not for her weakness. And that was why she was here now. For only one thing mattered to the Kuchiki now. Power.

Opening her eyes with resolution, Wynne snarled at her other self. “And it was worth it. Nothing will convince me otherwise. This new power I have…..With this, nothing will ever be taken away from me again!” As a dark tar-like substance began to leak from the other Wynne’s orifices, silence reigned in the area after the speech. A silence interrupted with a small smile coming from her reflection. “Yes, a worthy goal. But even with all that bluster, you are still far too weak. And that is something I cannot afford.” And with a mere stretch of her hand, Wynne’s world was smothered by darkness.

[Wynne Kuchiki]

Whistling, all around her. Black hair obscured her vision, ruffling wildly in the wind. Her descent had happened so quickly that it was still taking a moment for Wynne to regain her bearings. What was going on? Was she falling? Turning to what she assumed was downwards, she looked around for anything helpful. Yet the only sight that reflected in her eyes was complete darkness. She was blind here. Yet in mere moments another color stood out amongst the darkness. White spots erupted from her surroundings, surrounding her in a bleak monochromatic scene. Black on white, then white on black. Until the only thing surrounding her were eyes. Eyes that held malicious intent.

“Show it to me. Show me the depths of the strength you’re so proud of.” In a single blink, teeth began to emerge from the nearby eyes, turning their features into a twisted abomination of an eye and a mouth. And in another blink, she was elsewhere.

Slamming into the ground facefirst, Wynne let out a groan that echoed from the depths of her soul. Ignoring the stinging sensation that covered her face, she picked herself up with a huff. What a pleasant start to whatever messed up situation she was dealing with here. From the looks of things around her, she was in some sort of courtyard, with a weird whistling sound in the distant background. Was she still in her castle or elsewhere? Her mind was an enigma to even herself, and she wasn’t sure how far down this rabbit hole went.

Stepping over the dilapidated ruins, Wynne began the slow and arduous process of figuring out where to go. She needed to find a way out, but judging from the way things were looking, she was in this one for the long haul. There were a few broken pillars nearby, some more intact than others. And judging from their size, if she scaled one she’d be able to get an overview of her surroundings. As she walked, she kept her eyes peeled for anything suspicious. There was a reason she was brought here, she just needed to figure out why.

It didn’t take long for her to scale one of the more stable pillars that she had found. Although it creaked suspiciously beneath her, it would be fine. She wouldn’t be up here for long. Turning her gaze outwards, Wynne tried to comprehend what she was seeing. She was somehow still falling, same as before. Except this time around the land surrounding her was plummeting. It wasn’t a gigantic piece of land from the looks of it, but one large enough to hold a castle and its surrounding lands. A castle eerily similar to her own. This spoke volumes about her mental state, but she would deal with that at another time. She had a demon to find.