The sun hovered on the brink of the western horizon, even while the zenith overhead remained a clear, bright blue. Nevertheless, a full moon faintly revealed its pale, scarred visage.
I couldn't stop dwelling on the interpretation of that divine message, nor could I shake the cold sensation still lingering in my palms. Both served as tangible proof—undeniable evidence that what I had experienced was no mere dream.
Patter-patter-patter…
"Brahma, don't play outside the fence! Stay in the yard!"
And here I was, tucked away in the corner of my home's shed. The very place where it all began. Closing my eyes, I concentrated.
In that other realm, I possessed a formidable power—one capable of obliterating faceless entities. I wanted to test if I could harness it here, in this mortal world. It was reckless, but I was desperate to know.
I relaxed my muscles, imagining the icy energy pooling into my palms.
Nothing happened. The cooling sensation simply evaporated into the humid air. I tried again and again until twilight fully descended—until Brahma's cheerful footsteps pattered toward the kitchen for his dinner.
Oh my…
I let out a heavy sigh. Perhaps I truly couldn't manifest it in the mortal world, or at least not while bound fully to my physical shell.
In the past, I had never put much faith in the supernatural, despite the strange tales my distant relatives spun—near-death experiences, dimension hopping, and mythical creatures.
My mother had often turned them into bedtime stories, recounting tales of my grandfather: an old man said to be immune to any blade or bullet.
People gossiped that he possessed invulnerability. Grandfather himself never spoke of such strange matters, yet on his deathbed, he firmly warned us never to covet such gifts.
My uncle used to dismiss it with a bitter laugh: "What good is invulnerability when there were no longer wars fought on this land?"
Whenever Mother recounted those stories, I would listen intently, even as exhaustion weighed heavily on my eyelids. My sister, however, listened with outright disbelief, remarking that such phenomena were reserved only for 'special people'—and she certainly didn't count herself among them.
FLASH!
A sudden memory pierced my mind. My mother's face—once radiant with a gentle, everlasting smile—turning pale, hollow, and consumed by despair.
I remembered the last time she told us those stories. I remembered her holding me in a final embrace, her smile as bright as the morning sun, as if everything were fine. As if she weren't about to leave us forever.
Both my sister and I had tried to serve as her anchor amid the fierce storm battering our family.
Yet, it was all in vain. Mother chose to become part of the storm instead, taking a permanent shortcut of her own choosing.
With her death, the storm successfully tore down my home and dismantled our family entirely. Its ghost never truly left this house, lingering in the lives of two children abandoned among the rubble, their lives irreversibly altered—stripped of a mother, and abandoned by a father who continued to breathe in the very same world.
Anger and sorrow boiled violently within me. My hands clenched into tight fists before I lashed out at the empty air, swatting at a passing mosquito.
KABOOM!
A sudden wave of energy burst from my hand. It wasn't a protective shield or a push, but a concentrated blast that incinerated a cardboard box before me, reducing it instantly to ash.
I froze, simultaneously awestruck and terrified. This power... was far too volatile.
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
I scrambled to my feet and bolted for the exit. I can't do this. This power is too dangerous!
But as my fingers reached for the doorknob, the door slammed shut again, nearly striking me in the face. Cold sweat broke out across my neck as a long, black-gloved hand appear from behind my shoulder, pinning the wooden panel shut.
Black Robe had arrived.
Dread pinned me to the spot, especially when his other hand settled heavily onto my narrow shoulder. The crisp, invigorating scent of a rain-washed forest.
"Control your anger," he whispered softly into my hair. "Or it will consume you whole."
CRACK!
In the next second, his hand shoved the door with brutal force, ripping the hinges right out of the frame. The wooden door collapsed outward, and I tumbled forward, crashing hard onto the fallen panel.
I lay there dazed for a moment, stunned by his sudden roughness.
That damn creature... just you wait!
Pitch darkness greeted me the moment I lifted my head. My shed was gone. Black Robe was nowhere to be seen. I stood alone in a vast, bottomless void, illuminated only by a strange, pale light emanating from my own skin.
I picked myself up and walked forward into the infinite dark. Each step echoed hollowly through the space.
Time stretched on—like a snail scaling a hill. No matter how far I walked, I saw and felt nothing until, quite suddenly, a massive ornate looking glass materialized in my path.
I stared at my reflection in the mirror. Gradually, my clothes transformed into stark white, and my skin drained of all color. My face cracked like shattered porcelain, while the confusion in my eyes hardened into a glare of raw rage.
"ISHIHARA!!!"
I gasped. I was about to step back, but the reflection's hand grabbed my neck first! Its sharp nails dug into my skin, pressing into the red veins.
Strangely, I felt no pain or tightness. No fear. Instead, I stared blankly at my reflection.
My hand reached up, feeling the clear glass. My fingers felt like they were piercing the wind.
Without hesitation, I reached out and strangled my reflection. I squeezed its frail neck, but instead of groaning in pain, the reflection laughed, grinning beneath my grip.
"You hate me, don't you?!" the reflection screamed in a shrill voice that shattered my eardrums. "PATHETIC! USELESS!"
"Shut up!" I hissed, squeezing her neck tighter until cracks spread across her skin.
"Look at you!" she snarled again, her nails squeezing my fingers, which were strangling her. "A strange, lonely girl whose father abandoned her and whose mother died! You're just a lonely piece of trash!"
"I'm not that bad..." I whispered hoarsely, shaking my head violently to ward off the devil's whispers. "I... I'm not!"
"YOU'RE LYING!"
Her final scream erupted as my grip severed the shadow's neck. The mirror shattered into pieces, leaving only my ragged breaths in the darkness.
I kept walking, stepping on shards of glass. A second mirror appeared, radiating a warm, golden glow.
There, I saw my father. He was laughing freely—a joyous laugh I hadn't seen since the storm dismantled our house. Beside him, a small boy ran happily, and my father watched over him lovingly as if he were the most precious treasure in the universe.
My chest tightened. He had built a new paradise on the ruins of our destruction, forgetting that there were two daughters left behind among the ruins of the past.
The raged flare anew, hotter and sharper. How could he look so happy while I was trapped in this labyrinth of pain?!
I raised my hand, and instantly, unleashing wave of energy slammed into the mirror, shattering it into pieces.
The freezing cold sensation crept back into my fingers, along with a terrifying power that thirsted for destruction…
Fear gripped me as more mirrors appearing in endless succession—replaying every scar, every betrayal, every moment of isolation. Tears spilled down my cheeks as I ran, trying to escape the torment.
TRIP!
My foot caught on something unseen, and I crashed onto the cold floor. My entire body went limp, drained of strength. I buried my face in my hands, sobbing uncontrollably.
I don't want to pretend to be strong anymore. I couldn't take it anymore…
Cold hands suddenly gripped my shoulders, pulling me up into a kneeling position. They squeezed my shoulders tightly, then moved to grip my chin—forcing my head up to look at the mirror in front of me, which rippled like the surface of a lake being hit by a stone.
This time, I saw myself in elementary school, walking home. I saw neighbors laughing, discussing my father's affair, my parents' divorce, and scorning my family. As a child, I could only bow deeply as I passed them.
My hand rose once more, desperate to shatter it. But this time, no energy came. The mirror remained whole.
"...Why?" I choked out in frustration.
"Because you aren't angry," Black Robe's voice echoed softly, answering my bewilderment. "You are simply terrified, Ishihara."
I looked around, but couldn't find him. Every looking glass reflected only my true self—chaotic, shaken, and tear-streaked.
"Now you see," his voice drifted back, as gentle as ever. "You must first accept it... and only then can you master what lies within you."
I spun around abruptly, but he was nowhere to be seen. The mirror before me reflected another memory that made my heart skip a beat.
There, a little girl in purple stood amidst the foam of the waves. She was trying to reach her father until suddenly, a large wave crashed in, sweeping her out of sight. No one in the crowd saw her drift out to sea—not even her family.
However, the sea didn't claim her. From within the dark foam, a figure in a black robe reached out to grab the little girl, holding her tightly and carrying her safely to shore.
And that little girl… was me.