Yoru tilted his head downward, the skin on his face began to twitch. It was subtle at first, like a wind brushing over a still lake. But then came the cracking.
Crack!
Crack!
Crack!
Dark horns burst from his skull, curling upward like a crown forged in despair, a symbol of royalty carved from ruin. His skin paled to a ghostly white. His hair turned the same shade, wild and messy, falling in chaotic waves. his eyes were wrong and reversed. Jet black sclera with white pupils.
Inverted truth.
Beneath his eyes were dark circles, that was as deep as shadows, that somewhat gave Yoru a human look despite being a devil.
Below his neckline his skin was as dark as the night sky, contrasting with the ghost white above the neckline. Red streaks were scattered around his body like claws of molten veins that run deep in his body.
Yoru's smile returned, but this time it was gentle.
"Did you see the look on your face when I did that laugh." He burst out giggling.
Akira was left confused. a few seconds ago he was intimidated by this creature and now it's making fun of him.
Yoru stopped giggling. His tone serious now. "Now lets get to room three shall we."
He flicked his wrist and the chains collapsed. The strings snapped. Nails being dragged out by an invisible force and clattering as it hit the ground. Bolts slowly being unscrewed.
Yoru pointed to the doors, now unlocked and looked at Akira. "Open them." Akira nodded and stepped forward, giving t he massive doors a gentle push. They didn't move.
He then increased the force until he was exerting his maximum capability. The doors still didn't budge. Not a millimetre moved.
"What the hell. It's not moving." Akira grunted.
Yoru just chuckled as if he was amused by Akira's struggle. "Move aside weakling."
Yoru approached the doors.
"Lets see you try. Then we'll see if your laughing." Akira panted as he was recovering his stamina.
Yoru got in the same pose as Akira and tried pushing the doors. He made audible grunts.
Akira started laughing. "See it's easier said than done."
Yoru smiled. "I'm just playing." He gave the doors a light shove and they flew open.
Akira's jaw dropped. "Did you really have to do the sound effects than? I thought you were being for real."
Yoru's grin widened. "I was just copying you."
Akira stepped forward, eager to see room three. "So how much do those doors weigh."
Yoru shrugged. "Ehh, only a few hundred tonnes. Nothing too crazy."
Akira's jaw dropped. "H-how strong are you?"
Yoru kissed an invisible bicep. "It's all thanks to these muscles."
The room before them was silent. The walls, ceiling and floor were mirrors that were reflecting endlessly, like a world that couldn't stop looking at itself. At the centre stood a shrine.
Yoru and Akira stepped inside.
The sound of their footsteps echoed endlessly on the reflective floor, as if even the room itself were uncertain of what walked within it.
"You finally decided to show up." The man inside said. His appearance contrasted that of Yoru's. His skin was glowing. His blond hair reflecting all the light it can receive and his eyes were a piercing green. Below his neckline, his body was an ethereal white. Streaked with gold that seemed to have been made by Midas himself. Above his head was a blinding halo.
Akira feeling like he's already friends with the devil decided to break the ice with the angelic man. "What's your skincare routine?"
The man's eyes locked onto Akira's. It felt like he was staring deep inside Akira's soul splitting it open. "I don't have time for stuff like that."
Yoru turned to mist and reappeared, next to the man. His arm draped over the angel's shoulders. "Come on, Hiru. Don't be cold like that."
Hiru shrugged. "Well the guy's asking dumb question so I gave him a straightforward answer."
Yoru disappeared again. This time he teleported behind Hiru. Clinging onto lean figure like he's on a piggyback ride. "Have you ever tried smiling?"
Hiru responded nonchalantly. "If my smile looks anything like yours I wouldn't even smile at the funniest joke."
Yoru winced like that comment physically hurt him. His hands grabbed Hiru's cheeks and forced Hiru to smile. "I think the humans say cheese to get a better smile."
Hiru reached behind his back and grabbed a single horn of Yoru. He pulled it and flipped Yoru onto the mirrored floor. That surprisingly didn't crack. "How many times do I have to tell you to not touch my face."
Yoru got up. A wide smile formed on his face. "I'm supposed to be the devil here. But I guess light does make shadows."
Hiru finally showed some sign of emotion with a faint smirk. "And the night sky is littered with stars."
Yoru lunged at Hiru and swung at him wildly. Hiru sidestepped. "You're too predictable."
Yoru straightened his posture. "Maybe you're just too robotic."
Yoru tried again, a firm kick landing straight into Hiru's torso sending him flying. Hiru stumbled, he looked up for a second to be greeted with a flying knee. He barely caught it in time. "Too damn impulsive." He whispered.
Yoru snarled. "You're always polishing that fucking halo of yours."
Hiru touched his halo. Readjusting it. "It looks better than your hideous horns."
Yoru jumped and backflipped away from Hiru. Hiru Lifted his fingers "You always do to much." He flicked and a gust of air that launched right into Yoru's inverted eyes. It didn't affect Yoru's vision. it wasn't meant to. It was just a distraction.
Hiru turned into mist. He reappeared right before the off-guard Yoru and punched him square in the torso. Yoru was blown away. He hit the wall and bounced off the mirrored surface. "Tch.. Lucky bastard." Yoru grunted.
Hiru flicked his hair, casually readjusting. "Isn't luck if I set everything up." he said smugly.
Akira looked at mirror to mirror. Every reflection showed a different angle of both Yoru and Hiru.
They both lunged at each other. This time faster than Akira's eyes could process." One second Yoru was getting up and Hiru was adjusting his hair. The next millisecond. No nanosecond their gone." Akira thought internally.
Hiru and Yoru clashed in the middle. Right before the strange shrine which wasn't a shrine. But a burning fire in frozen ice. Their fists collided.
Boom!
A shockwave erupted. Akira clutched his ears and ducked to the floors. The mirrors still haven't shattered. "What are these mirrors made of." He thought.
The shockwave was visible to Akira. An explosion of soundwaves in the air in a sphere like formation.
The shockwave then imploded. It's radius collapsed into the centre. Where the angel and the devil's fists met.
The implosion was met with another explosion. One side darkness. The other pure light. The darkness was eating the light but the light was escaping bouncing through the endless mirrors of the room.
Yoru and Hiru both retreated their fists. "You should have just stayed down." Hiru said, his tone void of emotion again.
Yoru started clapping and laughing. "We had to give the main star of today a show before the main event."
Akira put his hand up like he was in a classroom waiting for a teacher to pick him.
"What is it?" Hiru asked.
"What is the main event?" Akira responded, begging for an answer.
Yoru and Hiru stared down each other after their fight. "You'll see." Yoru spoke.
Hiru and Yoru turned to Akira and spoke simultaneously "Welcome to room three. The Soul."