Suddenly, from both sides of the small mirror in Alvin's hand, a gray, infinite, empty space appeared.
Everything was gray—gray and empty. It was as if it was an endless void stretching into infinity.
Alvin, with a calm and serene expression, suddenly broke into a wide smile, showing all his teeth.
And his eyes, with pupils glowing in purple, which had been slightly narrowed, suddenly opened wide with the shift in his expression.
He had truly embodied the abstract form of what could be called a psychotic grin.
After this sudden change in expression, not even a second later, Alvin let go of the mirror with the gray and empty space.
But something strange happened. Even though the mirror had been released from Alvin's hand, it remained in the air, suspended without moving.
And Alvin, with his head tilted upwards as if finding even more peace, lifted both arms, opening them at a ninety-degree angle.
At that moment, with a quick motion of his left hand, using his index and middle fingers, he began to manipulate the mirror in the air.
Alvin's hand, controlling the mirror in the air, moved it delicately, almost poetically, as if dancing, guiding it in front of him, just slightly above the center of his chest.
The mirror, moved by Alvin's poetic and delicate fingers, reached the spot he desired.
In the small room with stone walls, lying motionless on the ground and directly in front of Alvin, was a bald and almost elderly man, a slave doomed to his fate. His face, turned towards the stone ceiling of the room, bore a serene expression with a slight smile. Both of his arms were extended, and his eyes, glowing with purple pupils, looked calm.
The small mirror, now perfectly aligned with the center of Alvin's chest, hovered slightly above him. It displayed the same gray, empty, and infinite void on both sides.
Then, with delicate and poetic movements of his left hand's fingers, his right hand began to mimic those graceful actions.
And the body of the poor man lying before him, Teyat, began to move upward.
It was as if an invisible force was controlling Teyat's body, lifting him into the air.
Unbeknownst to the unfortunate Teyat, his body was being manipulated by Alvin.
•
Alvin's hand, dancing gently, lifted Teyat's body from the ground with rhythmic gestures.
But even as he did this, sweat trickled down his face, as it was a struggle.
For he was attempting to manipulate Teyat's soul.
Because of this, he could only barely move the body to his will.
Yet he did not let this struggle show on his face. He continued looking up at the stone ceiling with a peaceful smile.
Teyat now stood, upright and rigid, directly in front of Alvin, unconscious and motionless.
Between the two slaves, aligned with the center of their chests, hovered the mirror with the empty gray space.
Alvin's two dancing hands stopped, and his smiling face, still looking up, turned towards Teyat, gazing at him.
His purple-pupiled eyes were narrowed and sharp. With a small, sincere smile, he said to the unconscious slave standing before him, sharing the same fate:
"You and I, we are the same, two slaves of the same destiny... I wonder what he feels now?
Probably pain, regret, and…"
He paused briefly, whispering softly to himself.
"The fear of losing."
With a smile, these cryptic words escaped his lips, and once again, his left hand's index and middle fingers began to move.
With the same poetic motion, he quickly raised Teyat's left arm in front of the mirror.
At the same time, he raised his own right arm towards the center of the mirror, aligning it with Teyat's left hand.
And suddenly, Teyat's lifeless hand seemed to spring to life, opening wide, its fingertips entering the mirror.
Yes, the tip of Teyat's left hand, as it opened, entered the mirror.
And with his hand now fully open, Alvin also extended his right hand into the mirror alongside Teyat's.
And shortly after, both of their hands had entered the mirror with the gray void.
Then, without hesitation, their arms were pulled into the mirror as well.
And soon, as if the mirror was devouring the two slaves, it pulled their bodies into itself with sudden speed.
But just before their bodies were completely pulled in by the mirror, a tear fell from each of their eyes, as they were dragged into the void.
Neither had let these tears fall knowingly.
Teyat, after all, was unconscious. And for Alvin, there was no event to shed a tear over, as he was merely fulfilling his task unconsciously.
And now, with both of them drawn into the mirror, only the small mirror remained, hovering in the room.
Both slaves had vanished.
They had gone to the gray space, to fight each other in that place.
Two souls, unwillingly, were now destined to battle.
But both souls would fight to survive…
Unaware of what was happening.