Chapter 10: Through the Mirror's Veil
By Joy Daud
A thin crack split the mirror's surface like a spiderweb of shadow.
From it, something moved.
It slithered silently, unseen at first—until the shape solidified.
A creature. Half-smoke, half-shadow, eyes glowing violet, limbs too long for comfort. It stepped into the chamber without sound, its presence chilling the air like winter's breath.
Kimo stiffened.
"Oki," he said, turning sharply. "Behind you—"
But the creature vanished just as Oki turned.
"What? I don't see anything."
Kimo narrowed his eyes. "You didn't feel that? The shift in the air?"
She looked confused, almost… distant.
"No," she said slowly. "You must be imagining things."
He stepped forward, studying her face. Something flickered in her eyes—something she quickly masked.
"Oki," he asked carefully, "are you hiding something from me?"
She blinked and forced a laugh. "Me? What would I have to hide?"
Kimo stared for a long moment, silence thick between them. But he didn't press further.
Not yet.
---
Later that day, Oki walked freely through the palace grounds, smiling, greeting every maid, guard, and even the older cook who always gave her extra bread. Her warmth lit the cold corridors like a second sun.
But Prince Kimo watched from a high balcony, his jaw tight, blue eyes stormy.
He didn't miss the way the male guards laughed too long when she passed.
He didn't miss how she touched one lightly on the arm when thanking him.
His hands gripped the railing.
He didn't understand why it bothered him. Why her laughter with others felt like betrayal. Why every kind glance she gave them felt like thorns in his chest.
She's a maid, he told himself.
Just a maid.
But deep down, he knew—Oki wasn't just anything.
---
That night, she came to clean his chamber as usual, her basket in hand.
"I'm here to sweep—"
"You spent a lot of time with the guards today," Kimo interrupted coolly, without looking up from the scroll he wasn't actually reading.
She tilted her head. "What?"
"Laughing. Touching their arms. Smiling like you always do."
Oki raised a brow. "Since when do you care?"
He met her gaze now, icy and unreadable.
"I don't."
She folded her arms. "Right. That's why your voice sounds like it's dipped in frost."
Silence.
His eyes flicked to her again. "You're not like them."
"Like who?"
"The others," he said sharply. "The ones who only see this palace as a place to serve or survive. You… you're different."
She frowned. "So why are you acting like I've done something wrong?"
Another pause. Then, unexpectedly—
He stood and strode toward her. His hand brushed her arm.
The contact was brief—but it burned with meaning.
"I'm not used to people like you," he murmured.
Oki blinked, heart racing. "People like me?"
He didn't answer.
Instead, he stepped back—masking whatever had just cracked through his usual ice.
---
That night, the mirror cracked further.
The shadow-creature stood again in the corner of Kimo's room.
But this time—it smiled.
---
Elsewhere, deep beneath the palace where no one dared go, the queen knelt before a black pool of water, chanting.
Within the water, a faint image shimmered.
A woman with long silver hair. Her face hidden. Her voice silenced.
And though no name was spoken aloud, the queen's next words were venom:
"Soon, Elira… very soon."
---
To be continued…
In Chapter 11: The Silver Flame
Where strange dreams begin, a memory breaks through Oki's past, and Kimo's jealousy boils over—just as an assassin enters the palace gates.