A mass of black mist descended, hauling a more menacing presence.
Mirrors of various colours, sizes, shapes and designs manifested all around Eli.
Her own petrified expression was splattered on their surfaces, which were eventually replaced by different scenes of someone's life. Like film strips of an old cinematic setting, they show vivid mirages of past events, along with distant voices, that are bizarrely familiar to the bewildered girl.
"Long live, Her Majesty, the Empress of Aristia...!" the subjects cheered before their leader.
"We're honoured to serve you, our Queen..." the knights proclaimed, bowing in great respect and reverence.
"The lady of the prophecy had been renowned as ruler of the empire..." the townspeople murmured.
Then, the images whirled, spun out of sight, and were replaced by her own memories which she cherished profoundly.
Baffled and surprised, Eli continued watching as each of them played out.
"I figured I'd like to try attending one. A private school, I mean..." a younger Eli mumbled dreamingly.
"Congratulations, dear. You passed the scholarship exam!" her mother squealed in delight.
"Let us give a round of applause to Ms. Claes, our Valedictorian," the school's principal proclaimed during the graduation ceremony.
Eli was still looking around when they blurred out again.
This time, both the first and second sets of scenes flew into view together. She's aware that the first one wasn't hers, yet still recalled the events as if they're her own experiences.
The gears in her head turned rapidly as she desperately tried to make sense of all that's happening. With saucer eyes and mouth agape, she took in the sight before amidst her disconcertment.
There's a scene where she's alone in a throne room full of falling debris.
There's the time when she was all by herself during PE class while everybody else was playing dodgeball.
There's a setting where she was confronted by four heavily armoured men.
There's the bullying incident yesterday at the hallway.
Then, there's the replay of her bloodcurdling, peculiar dream the other night.
And there's her memory of eavesdropping on a group of students who'd been talking behind her back.
Everything was too much for the mystified girl as she drowned further into this ocean of memories, resulting to an impending mental breakdown.
At her vulnerable state, Venus finally stepped forward, appearing on a full body mirror with exquisitely-carved antique designs on its silver frame. Turning her tottering body around, Eli came face to face with Venus's impassive expression.
In that very second, two whole persons of contrasting features overlapped with each other.
"Angelica Claes, you're just as miserable, as lonely, and as crestfallen as me. Persecuted, isolated, neglected and underestimated – we've had our fair shares of tribulations and adversities. We took them all to heart despite our reserved dispositions. We've brooded over them despite our pretentious fronts..."
Eli just continued staring at her, flummoxed, while Venus only smiled ominously.
"...However, from now onwards, I shall release you from the chain of solitude... I myself shall pave a way for you – a path which you can freely trace without holding back any longer."
Venus's voice, honeyed but vehement, came out like a breeze agitating the still water. While her words sting and uplift at the same time, it's irrefutable that the fictional woman's influence and driving force are starting to unnerve her.
She's rapidly invading her conscious mind as well as her feelings.
Eli remained motionless from the outside, but her inner core is shaking tremendously in stupor.
It's as if the woman's some sort of a witch casting a soul-sucking spell on the distraught.
"You felt them, didn't you? My undying wrath. My zeal to plot doom. My fervent enmity – all of these that brought forth such exuberant and vivacious expressions from you. For a very long time now, I burdened such emotions even after meeting my demise. But by the will of the goddess of fate, I found my other self in another world, realized my dearest wish, and gained a chance to fulfil it. You paved a way for me as I am about to pave one for you... If you'll have me, I'll give you your much awaited breakthrough."
Tears started flooding in.
Eli is now being consumed by a hazardous storm, torn between fiction and reality, and helpless in the hands of an enticing bewitcher. She weakly fell on her knees and curled into a ball. Her body broke into a cold sweat as she trembled.
The ash-haired girl was too lost in disquietude and perturbation that she didn't notice an approaching figure.
Eli was on the verge of losing consciousness when something warm caressed her back.
A moment later, she felt as light as a feather – a feeling like being carried by a gentle wind. She struggled to focus her vision and squinted at the presence of light. Relief washed over her when she saw her surroundings turned back to normal.
Venus already vanished without her knowing it, along with the mirrors.
Upon tilting her head upwards, Eli gasped in surprise, eyes flying open.
Smiling down on her is the ever dependable Hal, who's also currently carrying her limp body bridal style.
Fatigued and nauseous, all Eli could do was gawk at him. Hal scrutinized her expression before sighing in relief.
"It looks like it wasn't that bad..." he mumbled, much to her confusion.
Eli chose not to ask what he meant by that and blanked out to check her sanity. With Hal's presence, her inner turmoil seemed to halt. She, once again, felt at ease in his company.
But at the same time, she's also ashamed of the fact that he always finds her in jeopardy.
"H-Hal, you don't have to do this..." she stammered, blushing in embarrassment.
"It's fine. You're not that heavy. More importantly, what are you doing there? I was surprised when I learned how you stormed out of the library. Did those guys bully you? Is that why you're crying?" he asked softy with an amused smile, much to Eli's chagrin.
"Ugh, no, it's not that-"
A sudden painful throb in her chest made her pause. She then felt her insides on fire – a sign of a forthcoming danger.
Much to Eli's horror, Hal's appearance was actually just a calm before the storm.