Trouble doesn't knock—it knocks the door off its hinges.
I spent most of the afternoon at Luna's place, trying to recover from the draining nights at the pub. Luna, with her ever-present serene smile, was tending to some bizarre flower in the corner, its petals a grotesque half-grown mess.
To me, it looked like someone had slashed it open with a knife and taken the buds out. For some reason, it reminded me of those carnivorous plants—the kind that bite. I half-expected the damn thing to lunge at her hand any second.
Curious, I asked Luna what it was called, and she smiled, her lips curving gently as she looked at me. "Do you like it?" she asked, her tone soft, as though she were offering me a rare treasure.
I hesitated, not wanting to hurt her feelings, though I wasn't exactly fond of the thing. It was clear that flowers were sacred to her, so I shrugged, trying to appear neutral.
She giggled softly, as if she understood my hesitation, and told me it was called a crane flower. Before I could muster a reply, the time to leave arrived, pulling me away from the strange beauty of the flower.
My night was going tolerably well until a familiar figure walked through the door.
Oh, God of Eternal Night, I'll devote myself to you if you spare me from this! Sun Goddess, have mercy on me! Despite the fact that I had prayed to all the deities known and unknown to me, Aleshio took a seat opposite me.
But, as if the heavens had ignored my desperate pleas, Aleshio slid into a seat across from me, flashing his usual mischievous grin.
"Hello, Shay," he said, and I could feel the urge to tell him to leave, to send him away. But I kept quiet. After all, what else could I say?
He ordered his usual drink—as if nothing were unusual. I slid the glass of wine in front of him, and without so much as a glance, turned away to busy myself with other tasks.
"Get ready," Aleshio warned, his voice tight with a tension I hadn't heard before. "The world is about to turn upside down."
And just like that, he stood up and disappeared into the crowd. It was strange. Up until now, he'd always stayed at least a half-hour, sipping his drink and talking. But this time, he gulped it down and left in a hurry.
I was left standing there, confused. What the hell had just happened? His voice had been different—strained. Something was off.
I shook my head. It wasn't my problem. With a sigh, I took the money he'd left behind, placed it in the till, and grabbed a couple of pints to finish out the night.
(...)
As soon as I got home, exhaustion hit me like a ton of bricks, and without a second thought, I collapsed into bed. My mind, though busy with swirling thoughts, couldn't hold me back as I drifted into a deep sleep. After a month of dreamless nights, I found myself once again in the realm of Lordling.
"How are you?" he asked, his voice cutting through the haze of my dreams. I immediately missed the usual arrogance that came with his trademark superior smile.
But this time, something was different. He looked unusually somber, his expression not as carefree as I remembered. It was as if the unease I felt was mirrored in him.
"I have a bad feeling," I muttered, not even trying to mask the weight in my voice.
"Probably for a reason," he replied, his nod affirming my instinct.
"What's happening?" I asked, my gut telling me he knew more than he was letting on.
He hesitated, as if debating how much to share. "There have been a lot of strange occurrences in my world lately," he said. "At first, they were small things—easy to overlook. But now... Wraiths are disappearing without a trace."
The Wraiths were a constant in his realm, an eerie yet familiar presence.
"There's something else," he continued, his tone darkening. "Look at the sky."
I followed his gaze, my breath catching when I saw it. The sun's disk hung ominously above us, completely black, a stark contrast to the usual warmth it offered.
"My sense of time tells me it should have been nightfall a while ago," he said, his voice tinged with a rare uncertainty.
"What does that mean?" I asked, my eyes still fixed on the strange sky, trying to make sense of it.
"I'm not sure," he muttered, his gaze narrowing at the sight. "I've never seen anything like it before."
The silence between us stretched, heavy with unspoken thoughts.
"Are you ready?" he asked suddenly, his voice sharp with urgency. Before I could respond, his presence surged into my consciousness.
I knew my defenses weren't strong enough, so I didn't bother to resist. Instead, I let him come, letting him reach the place where I had envisioned my mind to be.
The visit to Lordling's mind had made me realize how much work I had to do to fortify my own. I needed to divide my mind into distinct parts. Each memory needed to be strung together on the branches of a willow tree. My anxieties, nightmares, and doubts had to be banished to the depths of a lake. My mind needed to be hidden behind shields as layered and impenetrable as the dome of the sky or the winding paths of an ancient, tangled forest.
Lordling surveyed the small meadow with a critical eye, taking in every detail of the tranquil scene.
"Does this place exist in reality?" he asked, his voice laced with curiosity.
"No," I replied, the word tasting strangely hollow as I said it.
It was the same place from the nightmare that had led me to him — the same meadow, the same tiny lake, and the same willow tree along its edge. I stood and walked a few steps toward the water, watching as my reflection materialized in the glassy surface. Lordling's gaze flickered to my mirrored self, studying the black-haired figure that looked back at him.
"Try to stop me," he said, his voice filled with challenge.
"I don't need to," I grinned, feeling the confidence surge within me.
Lordling's eyes narrowed in suspicion, and that's when he noticed the tendrils wrapped around his body, one of which had a crane flower blooming at its tip. I wasn't surprised he'd noticed immediately — the creature I had created was draining his energy. In an instant, the plant disintegrated into nothing, reduced to ashes.
"That won't be enough," he said, a dangerous grin spreading across his face.
"I know," I replied, my own grin matching his.
In a flash, I appeared before him, and I could see the surprise in his eyes. I knew he could only partially track my movements. I circled around him, the air thick with tension, before stopping to face him once more.
"You wouldn't be able to beat me in my own mind," I declared, my voice steady. "It took me a while to realize that. The best defense isn't a monstrous plant, or a blood-red lake meant to trap you. Those are just illusions, figments of my imagination. And since nothing imagined can be perfect, they're easy to break. But what I do know are my own abilities — and here, in this space, I'm not bound by the limitations of a human body."
Lordling's smile softened, a glint of respect in his eyes.
"You pass," he said, a hint of approval in his voice.
A satisfied curl of a smile tugged at my lips as I gave him a playful shove on the shoulder. He stumbled backward and fell into the crystal-clear waters of the lake, his presence rippling the surface as he was pulled back into the reality of the Mirrorworld.
"So, did I impress you?" I asked, my grin widening.
He returned my grin with that signature superior smile, the one that always made him look untouchable.
"Now you can protect your consciousness," he said solemnly, as though bestowing a great honor upon me.
I glanced down, the weight of the truth settling in. "However, I'm still unable to fully control the monster inside me."
Lordling's lips curved upwards slightly.
"Creatures, like us, exist in three states," he said, his voice smooth, almost clinical. "The first state is the resting one—the Baseline. This is when you're not using up any energy. It's when everything is balanced. You walk through the world without exerting any unnecessary force, conserving your strength for when you'll need it most."
I nodded.
"But when you fight," Lordling continued, his tone shifting slightly, "you fluctuate between the resting state and the second. The Ember State is when you're pushing yourself. Using more energy."
"And the third state?" I asked.
Lordling's smile curved just slightly, his eyes glinting with something almost... dangerous. "The third state is where it all changes. You transcend the limits of your form. When you've burned through your energy reserves, when your body can no longer keep up, you step into the third state. This is when you become something more than human. More than creature. You become the instinct, you become life itself."
The air around us felt charged as I processed his words.
"It's not just physical—your very life force is tapped into," Lordling added. "You become faster, stronger, more lethal than any other creature."
I clenched my fists. I'd felt that before. That surge of power, that moment when everything felt sharper, quicker.
Lordling's smile was colder this time, sharper, like a blade hidden beneath a façade of calm. "In the Sovereign State, you become more... primal. And the worst part is, you may not even realize what you've become until it's too late."
I felt my stomach tighten. "And how do you control it?"
"Most don't," he replied, his tone almost pitying. "They survive it. Or they don't. Most don't."
His words lingered in the air, the weight of them sinking into my bones. I frowned, not sure whether I should be scared or intrigued.
"Only a handful of people are able to control it," Lordling's gaze met mine, intense and knowing "They are the ones who rule over the others—who bend the world to their will."
"You have the potential," Lordling's lips quirked slightly, "Not many are born with it. It's something that runs deep in your veins, in your essence. Some people are born to lead—born to take dominion over all."
He gave a slight, almost imperceptible shake of his head. "I cannot tell you exactly how to control it," he said, his tone shifting to something more distant, as though the subject was one he had long since accepted as part of himself. "Everyone is different. Everyone's instinct is different."
"Instinct?" I echoed, still processing what he had said.
"Yes," he replied, his voice steady but laced with an edge of something ancient and knowing. "For me, my instinct was to conquer. To claim everything that stood in my way, to bend the world around me until it reflected my will." He met my gaze, his eyes flickering with an almost haunting intensity.
For the first time since meeting Lordling, I felt a pressure so intense it knocked the breath right out of me. My skin prickled, every muscle tensing. It felt like the air itself had thickened, leaving nothing but the oppressive weight pressing down on me.
My heart thundered in my chest, each beat a drum of warning. This suffocating presence I felt meant that Lordling had let his guard down; his desire to conquer had bled through for a brief moment. The same hunger, the same drive that had made him the dangerous being he was.
But it wasn't just me that felt it. The monster inside me stirred.
A low growl rumbled in my chest, deep and primal. The desire to conquer, Lordling's need to claim—he wasn't just testing me. He was challenging him.
The monster inside me raged, furious and wild. He felt the threat in that moment, the pressure of Lordling's power, and he wanted to devour him. Tear him apart. Show him that he could never, ever be conquered.
Then the moment passed and the pressure of Lordling's presence vanished. I shook the residual feeling off, blinking rapidly, forcing myself to breathe, to focus.
"I found my control in conquering myself—to turn my need for dominance inward," Lordling explained as if nothing happened. "By ruling over my own impulses, I learned to control the chaos within. That was how I controlled it."
Lordling's words hung heavy. "But for you, Shay, it will be different. It always is. That is something only you can discover."
I felt a flicker of frustration. "So, you're telling me I just have to... figure it out?"
Lordling's lips twisted into a faint smile, but there was no mockery in it, only an understanding that I was beginning to grasp the weight of what he was saying. "Yes," he answered quietly, "figure it out."
"And if I don't control it?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.
"Then it controls you," Lordling replied simply. He paused, his gaze thoughtful. "But I believe you will find a way."
"It's time for you to go," Lordling added abruptly.
I barely had a moment to process his words before everything shifted. When I opened my eyes again, it was morning—and I was flat on the floor. I groaned, wincing as I pushed myself up from the cold, hard ground. The dull ache in my head refused to fade. Shit.
And then, I noticed it—no cocoa. Why had I even come back? My gaze drifted to the clock. 3:30 a.m. What the hell was going on?
On my way to school, I crossed paths with someone I really hoped wouldn't show up until at least Monday. Mose, with his ever-present misfortune, was sitting on a bench, waiting for someone. When he spotted me, he jumped up, and I immediately knew that hope was lost—this someone wasn't some other weakling he'd befriended.
He sprinted toward me, and I cursed my luck. Alex was already in his first class, leaving me flying solo. Seriously, why wasn't that idiot here when I needed him as a social shield?
"Hey, uh..." Mose began hesitantly. "I really appreciate what you did yesterday."
"What are you talking about?" I raised an eyebrow. "I slapped Brushhead by accident, not to help you."
"But you had my back!" he insisted, looking at me like I'd just saved his life.
"Whatever," I shrugged, uninterested.
Finally, he dropped it. "I brought the sketch I started."
He proudly presented his drawing, which looked like a chaotic mess of colorful lines, glasses, and fruit.
"Mm-hmm," I muttered in a disinterested tone. "Quite good."
"You really think so?" His eyes lit up like I'd just praised a masterpiece.
I simply nodded, praying he'd take the hint and finally leave me alone.
"I'm off to class," I said, picking up my pace and putting as much distance between us as possible.
I was already at the door when I heard the familiar sniggering of the IQ champions. Damn it, they were hanging out at McD's this early in the morning! And they didn't even bring me fries...
Moses, as usual, spotted them too late. Predictably, it seemed like one of those oversized glasses of Coke was about to end up on his head. I could hear the ice cubes clinking, followed by his soft whimper as the chill hit him. I paused, watching him stand there, arms wrapped around himself, practically wishing he could sink into the ground and disappear.
Meanwhile, the football team just laughed and kept walking. As they passed me, my foot—by pure accident—caught Brushhead's leg, sending him sprawling face-first onto the pavement.
"Oops, sorry, didn't see you there," I said with a grin, watching his face flush with rage.
These assholes had messed with the wrong person. How dare they ruin his drawing? Now Mose would have to start from scratch! He wouldn't even have time to do my part!
Six furious glares were aimed at me, but I loved being the center of attention.
"Kill 'im!" Brushhead barked, and immediately two of his goons grabbed me and dragged me behind the school.
Now, if I really resisted, they'd fail miserably. But I enjoyed playing along. With a cheeky grin, I let them drag me to a less visible spot, where I could finally get my hands dirty.
Brushhead shoved me up against the wall, but I was still grinning. He raised his hand to strike me, and in the blink of an eye, I slammed him backward with such force that he practically flew through the air. After that, it wasn't so much a fight as an execution. It was one-sided, and I made sure Brushhead got a good stomping in the end.
Mose, the poor guy, watched the whole thing from behind a bush, shivering like a leaf. As soon as I was done, he jumped out of hiding and practically launched himself in front of me.
"Wow, that was amazing! You're so strong! Where did you learn that? Can you teach me too?" he blurted, eyes wide with admiration.
"Mose."
"Yes?" His gaze was full of hope and wonder.
"Shut up," I growled, annoyed by the flood of questions.
I decided that Moses could figure out how to dry himself off and leave me out of it. With that, I smoothed my shirt and walked into the school building, leaving him standing there, still shivering.
I spotted Alex barreling down the stairs at full speed, looking like he was being chased by a whole herd of mountain trolls. But then, I saw the wild grin tugging at the corners of his lips, and I realized—Alex was just being Alex. Crazy again.
He jumped the last five or six steps in one go, landing with a thud that made the girls nearby nearly fall into their lockers from the shock. Not that Alex cared. He just kept running toward me, as if he expected me to somehow save him from whatever madness was brewing in that crazy head of his.
"Shay!" he yelled, even though he was already standing right in front of me.
I sighed, my enthusiasm for the whole situation already waning. "What?"
I knew exactly what this was about. Whatever had him this hyped up was guaranteed to be a pain in my ass.
Without warning, he shoved a flyer into my face—advertising a Halloween party. Yeah, figured. If it brought him this much energy, it was definitely something I didn't want to deal with.