Abaddon

Chapter 3 : Mirror Mirror

“Ahhh!”

I shot awake, screaming at the top of my lungs. My hand reached out for something—anything—but nothing was there. My chest rose and fell fast, heart hammering in my ears. I looked around, my eyes darting from wall to wall, but nothing looked familiar.

The room was warm. Light spilled down from a chandelier above me. Cloth lined the walls, rich and heavy. The floor shone with rose-colored tiles, polished smooth. My bed frame glimmered with jewels pressed into oak wood, carved and shaped with care. Everything looked too fine, too perfect, too far from anything I knew.

But in the far corner, where the chandelier’s glow could not reach, there was only darkness. A patch of shadow, thick and heavy, sitting still as if it were alive.

“Where… where am I?” I muttered, voice weak.

I tore the sheets aside and tried to get up. My feet touched the floor, but the moment I stood, pain rushed through me. It tore me apart from the inside. My stomach burned. My chest shook. I collapsed hard on the tiles. Blood filled my mouth. I coughed, red spilling out across the floor.

“Ahhh!”

The scream ripped out of me. My body writhed on the ground. And then the memories struck, sharp and sudden. The door slamming open. The flash of a gun. Elise crying out. Blood everywhere.

I shouldn’t be alive. I should have been dead.

Groaning, I pushed at the floor, trying to rise again. Every small move was agony. My arms trembled. My ribs ached. My head pounded.

Then—

“What in hell’s name are you doing?”

The voice came from the corner. Familiar. Cold.

I froze. My eyes turned toward the darkness.

She stepped forward. The demon girl. But she didn’t look the same. Her pale skin now held faint color. The red glow in her eyes was gone, replaced with soft hazel that still gleamed in the light. The horn on her head had vanished. And her hair, once long and black, was now silver. It spilled over her shoulders, shining faintly as she moved.

“Get back in bed,” she ordered. Her voice cut through the air like a blade.

Before I could argue, my body grew light. The pain dulled. My weight vanished. I floated back toward the bed, the air holding me like invisible hands. In the next moment, I dropped gently onto the sheets.

“What is going on?” I gasped. “Why am I here? How am I here? Where is Elise?”

The words poured out, one after another, too fast to stop.

She frowned. With a small flick of her wrist, my lips sealed. My mouth pressed shut as if sewn closed. Only muffled sounds escaped.

“You ask too much,” she said, her voice tired. “At least ask my name first. You don’t even know it.”

Her hazel eyes locked onto me. There was no anger in them. Just sadness.

“It doesn’t matter,” she whispered. “I’ll tell you everything in time. But now, you must rest. Your body is still adjusting.”

I tried to speak, tried to fight the seal, but nothing worked. My lips would not move. My throat felt locked.

She stepped closer, leaning over me. Her silver hair brushed against the sheets.

“Sleep,” she whispered.

The word sank deep. My chest loosened. My body went still. Calm washed over me, slow and heavy. My eyelids fell shut.

Darkness swallowed me whole.

When my eyes opened again, there was nothing. Only black. An endless void stretched around me. No walls. No ground. No sound. Just silence.

Then—light.

A sharp glow split the dark. It formed a square in the air, shining like a window. On the other side of it, I saw her.

Elise.

My breath caught.

She was trapped in a room. Cold and bare. The walls were stone, damp and gray. Heavy chains bound her wrists and ankles, cutting into her skin. She sat curled in the corner, shaking. Her golden hair was dirty, tangled and sticking to her face. Her body trembled with each breath, like she had no strength left.

“Elise?” I whispered.

She flinched. Her body jerked upright. The chains rattled loud as she pulled against them. Her eyes darted through the shadows, wide with panic.

“Arc?” she called, her voice weak.

She heard me.

“Elise!” I shouted. “Can you hear me?”

Her head turned, eyes searching. For a moment, hope flickered across her face.

“Arc? I can hear you—but how?”

“I don’t know,” I said, pressing closer to the window. My voice shook. “Where are you?”

“I don’t know… it’s dark. It’s cold.” Her words trembled.

“Can you remember how you got there?” I asked quickly.

Her lips quivered.

“No… my eyes were covered.”

The sound of metal groaning cut our conversation. Bars creaked as if a gate were being pulled open.

Elise turned. Her eyes widened. Fear filled them. The little spark of hope was gone.

“Elise? Who’s there?” I asked.

But she said nothing. Her chest heaved. Her eyes stayed locked on something just beyond the window. Her body froze like ice.

“Elise!” I shouted, pressing my hands against the glow. I tried to push through, to reach her, but my hand slipped inside. The light rippled like water. Then it shattered. The window dissolved into mist and vanished.

“No!” I yelled.

My body shook. My stomach twisted with rage. My fists clenched until my nails dug into my palms. Warm blood ran down my hands. My knuckles turned white. My jaw locked as I ground my teeth.

I could only think of one thing—what they must have done to her.

“I’ll kill them,” I snarled. My voice was low, sharp, broken with fury. “I’ll kill them all.”

Then—

“Archie, wake up.”

A hand grabbed my shoulder, strong and heavy. In a blink, the void broke apart and I was back in the room. The warmth of the light hitting my skin.

Immediately my eyes darted to the door. I jumped off my bed and ran straight toward it. Then—

“Wait!”

A sharp pain shot through my gut, sending me crashing to the floor.

“Have you lost your mind? Where do you think you are going?”

I heaved, slowly rising to my feet. My eyes, sharp with anger, glared at the demon girl.

“Out of my way. I need to find her.” I spat. “She’s in danger.”

“You cannot help her in your current state. You have to get stronger,” she said.

I grit my teeth in rage. I knew she was right. But I couldn’t leave Elise in their hands any longer.

She sighed.

“Tell me then, do you know where she is? Even if you do, do you intend on dying to save her?”

“Yes,” I replied without hesitation.

“You are a fool,” she snarled. “You think dying to save her will make her happy? So what, you die and they chase after her. Eventually, they’ll catch her again.”

Her words hit hard. Silence filled the room as we stared at each other.

“Get stronger,” she said at last. “Save her. Protect her. If you listen to me, you won’t just reach her—you’ll never lose her again.”

Her words cut deep, but they spoke truth.

My fists slowly unclenched. My chest rose and fell as I fought to breathe. Rage still burned, but now it had direction.

I lowered my eyes, whispering the only vow I could make.

“I’ll save her. No matter what it takes.”