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Chapter twenty: Beyond the mirror. The other side of darkness.

They stood in the hall of beginnings. Shiro, Koji, Rosalyn, Nelo and Leon. While the rest of the academy slept, safe in the belief that tomorrow was just another day, they had prepared themselves for war.

"You know the academy better than any of us." Said Shiro to Rosalyn. "What's the fastest way to the heart?"

She thought about it for a moment. There were more than a dozen paths. The founders had wanted to ensure that should the need arise, they would not be caught unable to reach it. The problem was that they all took time. And time was something they had precious little of.

"The magic mirror gate." She said. "It can take you anywhere you want on the island. There's only one catch."

"There's always a catch." Said Koji. "What is it this time. Do we have to open up a vein? Sacrifice a few virgins maybe?"

Rosalyn scoffed at the very idea. "Oh please, nothing quite so mundane. Entering the mirror gate is easy. The problem is. If you lose your way in the mirror world . . . you'll be lost forever."

"Ooh, good catch."

"There's still time to turn back." Said Shiro. "If anyone wants to I won't hold it against them."

No one spoke.

Shiro took their silence as assent. "Rosalyn lead the way."

* * *

Held fast in the grip of twin silver dragons it rested upon a dais. The magic mirror gate was exactly what its name implied. A massive mirror. It dominated the room with its sheer presence. Only one thing marred its perfect surface.

It reflected nothing.

Shiro approached it cautiously. Climbing the stairs he reached out and touched it. The mirror's once still surface rippled like waves upon the water.

Shiro pulled his hand back, He had felt a stirring in the magics that made it. It had welcomed his touch. Moreover, it whispered its secrets to him. Should he wish to, He could have recreated it in any form. Such is the power of a chaos mage. To see magic once, is to forever unlock its mysteries. But what is the purpose of such a power? "Its safe." He said.

Stepping into the mirror's surface was like plunging head first into icy cold water. He gasped for breath even as he prayed that there would be air to breathe.

"We're in exactly the same place!" Said Koji as he stepped through.

Though the room had remained the same, the very air thrummed with power. It ran across his skin in waves. Shiro took a moment to orient himself before daring to look into the mirror behind him. What he saw took his breath away.

The dais they stood on was but one of many. A thousand islands. A thousand silver chains binding them together kept them from drifting apart.

It was as if every mirror in the world was a door, every reflective surface a path, and all of them were connected within the mirror gates surface.

Scintillating shards of broken glass drifted by on ethereal winds. Fragments of doors now shattered. Their paths closed forever, their final reflections were engraved eternally upon their surface.

It was a place of crystalline beauty, an ephemeral world as chilling as a winters day. For no sun shined in that light less place. The fires that warmed it came solely from a thousand crystal torches, their pale silver flames flickered faintly when compared to true light.

Shiro stepped forward. "Show us the way, to Avalon's heart."

The magic stirred, rising to his command. The silver dragons which held the mirror in place each let go with one hand. Together they pointed the way.

A single dais stood in the distance.

"How the hell are we supposed to get to that?" Said Koji.

"We walk along the chain." Said Shiro, setting out with all the confidence and balance of a cat.

Koji whimpered as he tread lightly behind him. It was along way to fall. If there was even a bottom to hit.

When the chain began to sway as their footsteps caused the links to bend in places, Koji almost jumped out of his skin.

"Relax Koji." Said Rosalyn. "Just think about something else and you'll be fine."

"Think about something else? All I can think about is how falling would really suck!"

"Your not afraid of heights are you?" Said Nelo. "A big bad wolf like you?"

"Well, no. . ."

"Just think what Sasha would have to say if she heard about this. I'm sure she would be impressed."

"She would wouldn't she." His steps became more certain. "I bet she'd want to jump into bed before I even finished the story."

Shiro had to admire her tactics. Koji was pure male ego. He would cross hell itself if a woman asked him to.

They reached the dais without incident. Each of them stepping into the mirror and passing through its reflection into the real world. All of them except for one.

Koji was the first to step foot on the dais. He looked around. "Where's Shiro?"

Nelo paled. "He must still be in the world of the mirror!"

"That's impossible. He was ahead of us the whole time!" Koji pounded on the mirror. "Shiro! Shiro!" His hands met only smooth glass.

"I'd worry about myself first if I were you." Said a familiar voice. "After all. Wherever he is. You'll be joining him soon anyway."

The ones who had spoken were Cassiopeia and Schroedinger.

* * *

As Shiro climbed the dais he felt the embrace of gentle darkness reach out to claim him. It welcomed him home, as old friends often do.

He stepped forwards. He had been running from his shadow for so long. Now . . . now it was time to embrace it.

The cat's needs were simple, lie in a sunbeam, eat fish, curl up next to Nelo and purr.

But the demon. It thirsted for violence, hungered for blood. It was his antithesis. The anathema in his soul. And it was staring him right in the face.

They were standing in a cage, surrounded by iron bars. The way to the real world lay just beyond his other half.

"Hey me." Said his reflection. "Long time no see." Shiro's hand went to draw his sword. His copy ignored him as it paced the cage. "You know its about time you bothered to show up. Do you have any idea how long I've been forced to live in this stupid cage you stuck me in? You don't even let me out to play anymore." His doppelganger's tails were lashing back in forth in agitation. "Its boring."

"Why should I let you out? All you've ever wanted is."

Shiro's copy lifted his chin with a clawed finger. "I want exactly the same things you want. You're just afraid to admit you want them."

"Shut up."

"Like the female." It licked its fingers. "Mmmm, you should let me play with her more often. Hearing her scream would be so much fun."

Shiro growled low in his throat.

"We are what we are." Said his duplicate, paying no heed to Shiro. "So why do you try to deny it? Why do you fight so hard against your own nature?"

"Because you're evil. Because all you ever want to do is destroy." Shiro hesitated. Was that really the truth? It was such an old argument. And it was one that had never seemed to fit.

"Such hurtful words." His copy feigned wounds to his chest. "And that's why you're weak. All it ever is with you is words." He looked longingly at the world that waited just beyond the mirror. "Why should I give you my power? Why should I relinquish myself to you! Look at you. Quivering there. You're nothing but a weak sniveling coward. Afraid of even his own shadow."

"What about Nelo? If we . . . if I can't protect her. You'll never get her either."

"You're bargaining with me? When we both know that you'll never give me what I really want? How pathetic." Shiro watched as He reached out and touched the mirror, the surface rippling like disturbed waters. "I'm tired of living in this cage. It's time I visited the real world again. It'll be nice to borrow your body for a while. Who knows. I might even give it back someday."

Shiro looked upon his own reflection and finally saw it for what it truly was. What it had always been. "They live in a world of light. And are born from a world of shadows. They are the parts of ourselves we seek to hide. The darkness that defines that which is and that which isn't." For too long I have hidden from my own shadow. Denying the very parts of myself that I have been afraid to accept. But it is impossible to run from one's shadow forever. It follows us with every footstep, and waits for us amongst even the shade. "You were born on that day. Born from my feelings of powerlessness and despair. In the end I had protected myself in the only way I knew how. But by sacrificing everything to keep the core intact, I gave rise to you."

The counterfeit was slowly beginning to be absorbed. It looked at him in horror. "You can't!"

"I am." Shiro had begun to reclaim the lost parts of himself. The feelings that he had always held back wer becoming a part of him once more. "You said it yourself. You are my shadow. Kurotama was the one who gave me the answer. 'The feelings that surround you can be exchanged for power. Your hatred, your wrath and anger.' I see it now. I threw them away out of fear. Fear of becoming no better then the monsters who gave me these scars. But in the end, all I did was give them power over me, a power that now I'm taking back."

More than half of his shadow had already been absorbed when it said. "Maybe you're not so useless after all." He tried to cross what little was left of his arms. "Make sure to put my, your power, to good use. I look forward to seeing what you can do."

In a matter of moments only his smile remained.

"And remember," it said, "Nelo is one fine woman. So make sure the only one who gets to taste her is you."

And then it too disappeared.

Through the surface of the mirror Shiro watched as his friends walked straight into an ambush. Only to bear silent witness to Cassiopeia spreading her hands as a wave of force spread outwards from around her body.

In that moment Shiro pushed against the mirror. He would save them through sheer force of will if he had to.

* * *

Nelo felt the wave like a physical blow. It swept away her defenses. Before she could begin to gather the power to attack a magic circle spread across the floor. Midnight black chains, like forged starlight, erupted from the ground and bound them tighter than any real chain ever could. They had been caught by a flytrap spell.

"I'm sorry, but master Kuro isn't in the mood to entertain guests right now. I guess that means you came here for nothing." Cassiopeia stood frustratingly out of reach.

As long as the flytrap spell was in effect, they wouldn't be able to move. But apparently, neither could the one who cast it. It was taking all Schroedinger had and more just to contain the four of them.

"Since Master Kuro no longer needs us. We have been given one final command. To get rid of you." Cassiopeia shattered the mirror gate. Shards of glass scattered across the floor. "Oops. Did I do that? So much for Shiro. I'm sure he'll enjoy an eternity of bad luck." She stepped from the dais. "The rest of you will have the distinct privilege of watching as Master Kuro recreates the world. You should feel honored to bear witness to such a momentous occassion."

Cassiopeia was cut short as a dazzling brilliance gathered in the center of the room. Pinpoint beams of light shot out from the surface of the shards.

Shiro screamed in worldess rage as he coalesced in the real world.

Cassiopeia wasn't impressed. "So you survived by transforming yourself into light. You never let up do you?"

"Not for a moment." Shiro plunged his sword into a mirror fragment. Light burst from the shattered mirror shards, filling the room with afterimages. The real Shiro stood amongst dozens of copies.

"You really think your pathetic little magic tricks will work against me!" Cassiopeia activated her magic-canceller. "The effect of the canceller only needs to be sustained for a brief moment to deal with the likes of you."

For the space of a single heartbeat a shining blue stone was visible in her chest.

Shiro closed his eyes as his doppelgangers were erased by the wave of force.

He appeared on the ceiling directly above her, and angling his sword to pierce the stone, Shiro used the inertia generated by his teleport to further increase the speed of his dive.

Both Road to the Dawn and the negacite crystal exploded in a blaze of light.

Shiro landed a few feet away. He stretched out his hand and Road to the Dawn appeared once more. "I can summon my sword a thousand times and more."

Cassiopeia clutched at the now useless shards. "You'll pay for that." With one hand she reduced the fragments to dust. Shouting, "I'll make you pay!" She charged at him recklessly.

Shiro met her strike with his own. Shearing her arm from her body.

Cassiopeia clutched at the useless stump. "Even with all your tricks you still haven't struck a fatal blow. Master Kuro was right. We don't even have to defeat you, merely delaying you is enough."

"Even if he were to succeed, you'd only be destroyed as well! So why serve someone like him?"

It was Schroedinger who spoke. "Shiro. We never truly existed to begin with. If master Kurotama recreates the world. Then maybe even golems like us will gain souls."

Cassiopeia spread her arms, leaving herself open. "You said you wouldn't hesitate. Where has your resolve gone? Why do you still waver?"

More than ever Shiro stood at a crossroad. "Because even if your lives are artificial ones. To me you still exist. To me you are still people." There is no other way. I will have to dirty my hands. Shiro lifted his sword.

"I'm glad. I'm glad that someone like you appeared in this world of ours." Schroedinger smiled. "Even at the end you made us feel like even we had hearts." His hand transformed into a cannon. "And that is worth more than you can ever know."

Shiro was left staring down the barrel of a magically enhanced weapon when a massive sword went spinning past his face and slammed into Schroedinger's arm. With His shot gone wide the blast of energy reduced a wall to a pile of rubble.

"Kiara!"

She retrieved her sword. "And here I thought we had taught you better than this." She clicked her beak in dissaproval. "Letting your guard down during a fight."

"It seems we did not teach you as well as we hoped."

"Zeyd."

Cassiopeia raged at being denied victory. "Who the hell are you!"

"We are their teachers." Said Kiara. "Perhaps you might enjoy fighting with us instead."

Zeyd spared a moment to break the flytrap spell. "Your fight lies ahead. Now go. We will hold them here."

They needed no further urging. Too well had they learned the price price of hesitation. Too high would be the cost of failure.

Shiro spared a moment to pass on a warning. "Watch out for their tricks. They like to play games."

Kiara ruffled her feathers. "Chastised by one of my own students. I really must be getting old."

* * *

Every step of the way Shiro longed to turn back and help. Every step of the way he placed one foot in front of the other. They were traversing the endless passages leading through the halls of destiny. Where only fate awaited at the end.

Shiro and his friends traveled the corridors of time that led to the islands heart.

Marked with transparent glowing runes; words left behind by ancient builders, they spoke of Avalon's long history. Of the founding. Of lifting an Island into the skies. More, they spoke of the nexus that lay at its heart.

Shiro gathered what knowledge from them he could as the sounds of fighting grew at first distant and then still. Only one would remain to claim victory in the end. But if they lost to Kurotama. The result would matter naught at all.

* * *

No one can truly live alone. Having touched Kurotama's mind, perhaps I am best able to understand him.

We all of us depend on others in some small way. The comfort of a welcoming hand. The sympathetic ear of those who will listen. A shoulder to lean upon in times of struggle.

These are not the things which are necessary to our survival. But they are all things that only others can offer us.

Kurotama has cast even these things aside.

In his eyes, he has freed himself from the bonds of family. The connections that join us to others are to him, as alien as the concepts of loneliness and despair. He simply cannot feel them.

Unfettered by the needs that companionship requires, he chooses instead to surround himself with those who would follow him simply to further their own agenda.

Using them even as they use him . . . truly he lives in a world devoid of even friendship.

To him, others exist only as a means to an end and when they have outlived their usefulness; they are discarded.

He alone stands on the brink of an infinite abyss. And intends to drag us all in with him.