The Evil Behind The Looking Glass

[FaithWynters]

A long time ago, there was a war between the demons and angels. The angels won, and to punish Satan, they trapped his son, Character B, in a mirror. Many years later, somehow, Character A comes into contact with this mirror. She takes it home, where the demon can watch her, see how she lives and interacts. She sees something in the mirror and touches it, and that’s all he needs. Suddenly he’s out, in her apartment. He can’t let her tell anyone he’s there, and he needs to find a way to get back to Hell, back to his father. The mirror still has power over him and if he strays too far from it, it pulls him back in. He must enlist the girls help, but will she help him willingly?

Spoiler

Powers/Strengths:

• Dark Manipulation
  So basically, this is how the name sounds. The ability to shape and manipulate shadows into new forms
  These shadows can be used to make shields, weapons, (weak) creatures directly controlled by the manipulator, entrap weaker subjects, and shroud a room or area in complete darkness*.
  
• These shadows can also be used as a window into other areas, allowing the Demon to see what he desires, if there is already a shadow present.*
  A shadow cannot be created to be used as a window (see below)
  

[*]New shadows can be created, but they are not as strong as naturally made shadows by light*


[*]The darkness can be used to teleport the users between shadows within a specific area*



[*]Dream Clairvoyance

• Has the ability to enter and view the dreams on humans
  
• The only way that a Demon can interfere is through speech, and connection.
  Connection with the dreamer in their dream realm will turn the dream into a nightmare no matter if the intention of connection was malevolent or not.
  
• The Demon cannot add any new apparitions into the dream realm
  
• If the dreamer is strong enough, it is possible for the Demon to be ejected from the dream
  

[*]Elemental Manipulation

• Demons are not able to have full elemental control of any one element. Instead, most are born with an affinity for a specific element (besides their already learned dark manipulation) and can learn to manipulate one other element (whichever element they have the affinity for; it is not a choice-they are born with it) at their will. Depending on how much practice the Demon has had with their element determines whether or not they have mastery enough to control it in all of its elements or just it's base state.
  

[*]Emotion

• In most humans, a Demon can feel the base emotion that the human is feeling, than cannot manipulate these emotions, nor can they feel any deeper emotions.
  The base emotions are:
  Fear
  
• Anger
  
• Joy
  
• Sadness
  
• Disgust
  
• Surprise/Shock
  

[*]The feeling of an emotion is not strong*, but is strong enough to be picked up on if the demon concentrates hard enough on the emotion to feed on it.


[*]Demons can draw some power for dark and elemental manipulation from feeding on one of three of the six (that was a mouthful!) base emotions: Fear, Anger, or Sadness. The power they get from fear is the strongest; Joy is the weakest.

• Some Demons use the induction of fear (most through their connection with a dreamer) to draw power from a human in order to grow stronger.
  

[*]Inhuman strength and speed


[*]Detection of an Angelic or Demonic presence within a human form

• If an Angel or Demon has morphed into their human form, Demons (as well as Angels) can detect the good/evil blood of the being.
  

Weaknesses:

• Holy
  Demons are weak to the holy magic of the Angels just as Angels are weak to the unholy magic Demons posses.
  
• This being said, in most instances, Angels and Demons (at their base existence) are equally matched
  
• If a specific item (a charm) is blessed by an Angel or a human touched by God, then it is harder for a Demon to feel (or feed from) their emotions, or enter their dreams.
  It can also hide a person's whereabouts from the Demon
  

[*]Demons cannot enter consecrated ground*


[*]When in their human form, Holy water, iron, or Palo Santo esscence will burn a Demon.

• If stabbed by an iron weapon (in human form), a Demon is weakened exponentially.
  The same effect occurs by submerging a Demon's head in Holy water (It will burn a hellova lot too!)
  
• If either of these circumstances happened, all power absorbed by the Demon from a human to use as manipulation magic is lost.
  

 

[FaithWynters]

If one could look out across the high tops of the trees on this morning, they would see the beautiful expanse of varying greens that spread out in every direction until the Earth curved and the scene was lost to the horizon. They could hear the exclamation of a howler monkey dominating his territory somewhere in the meatiest part of the trees. If you looked in almost any direction, the thick veins of life running through the jungle could be seen, pulsating with the energy of thousands of liters of water. The sun had not yet risen over the horizon, but it cast a pink hue across the sky announcing its soon arrival.


Atop one of the highest trees sat a small smudge of turquoise contrasting with the morning sky. There, he could see all as he watched the sunrise. There was a slight breeze above the trees that added to the coolness of the morning. It would not stay this cool for much longer. The higher in the sky the sun rose, the warmer it would grow until the heat of the Amazon was true once again. The rainfall from the previous day would contribute to the ever-present thickness within the air. The turquoise bird was not thinking of the color of the trees, or the water, or even the sound of the howler monkey as he looked in the direction of the sunlight. Instead, his plum-colored chest puffed out and a call erupted from his beak. His sound mixed with the sound of the jungle until only those of his species could discern the sound.


For another half hour the male cotinga continued to puff out his chest and wail his mating call to the heavens. When he realized that his efforts were fruitless in this part of the jungle he shifted his weight on the branch, turned himself around, and looked away from the sun. His orange eyes stared blankly into the trees for a moment before he threw himself off of the branch, taking flight. The air had warmed up around him as the sun’s rays beamed across his beautiful feathers. He could go wherever he pleased, eat whatever he wished, and fly as far as his wings could take him. His instincts told him to do what he had to—to live in the moment.


Far below the thick canopy of trees another world existed. The bright upper canopy was nothing compared to the darkness here. Enough of the light reached the jungle floor to tell those that had already began to stir that it was—in fact—morning…


This was the best part of the night for him. The time between sundown and closing was the time that allowed for the most exploration. This is the time when he could enjoy his freedoms most effectively and enjoy the Dream Realm at its full potential. While it was morning in this realm, in the Earthen world outside, the night was just beginning.


Oh she’s running again! Through the woods in the darkness a figure ran carelessly through the trees. She would laugh, the noise matching that of a bird’s cry or a screech from a monkey, but she laughed most at being free from the confines that plagued her body during the day. Here, her old face became rejuvenated in the softness of her Realm. She would breathe in the sweet scents of exotic flowers that grew unhindered in the forest. Most often, however, she would dance. Alone or with a partner, she would dance through the trees, her bare feet picking up dirt and leaves as she moved. She would run through the forest that seemed tinted in blues. It were as if someone had placed a piece of blue plastic over the scene. It was always so blue on the floor of the forest—but nowhere else—and she was always there, dancing or running. Always searching. She was always searching for something that she never could find. He still hadn’t been able to figure out what this mysterious item was, and oftentimes, he would have to leave her and explore the deepest parts of her Realm by himself—in hopes of finding the answer that they both had come to seek.


He had learned early on that any sight of him in this place would cause her to awaken. He wasn’t sure what it was about his demeanor that caused her to awaken in such an odd manner. It was the curiosity that plagued him. When he grew tired of her dreams, he would test theories. She always woke with a start—and sometimes even a yelp or a scream—but he could not figure out why his sight made it happen.


He was sure she felt plagued by the man in black who forced himself around her Dream Realm as he pleased, but he did not care. Almost every encounter was different, and many nights he would catch her pushing herself into his essence, throwing herself into uncontrolled nightmares. She only seemed to do this when she was in the blue forest—blue—the color of faith—the color of the Virgin Mary. It filled him with disgust at the color, but this was her Realm and he was in no position to stop it. He was unsure why, in this forest, she would push herself upon him to bring such horrifying dreams, but she did and he did all he could to stop it, but that wasn’t enough. At first, he would feed from these lapses in better judgment, but Amel soon grew bored of her fear.


As he sat, high atop a perch in a nearby tree, watching her body as she danced around feverishly, he felt it. His eyes closed and he leaned back, a pleasant humming erupting from deep within his throat. She was in the land of her own imagination now—the land of grace for her. It was the only place she could forget about the ache in her lower back and the wrinkles that made her face sink toward the ground. She could ignore the grey hair and remember the warmth of a place she had never traveled before. She could enjoy the exotic land of blue and feel safe and comfortable; she could feel happy.


In a way, he was also content with the way things were going. At least, he was content with sitting in this tree and enjoying the freedom that he could have when this woman slept. It wasn’t for very long—as he oftentimes would awaken her by accident (or on purpose) and would be pushed out of this world. Then, she would no longer dream as she slept and his freedom was gone. So, he always enjoyed this freedom while he felt the inclination and would enjoy the thick heat on his face while he had the chance.

 

[chamomile]

The fragrant air breezed on the pure white cloak that veiled the young woman. It seemed to be especially sown for her, rippling as she ran on the soft dirt and grass, sleekly avoiding the grasp of the trees that threatened to rip it. The cloak - a simple dress, loose yet fitted like a glove, it concealed her curvy figure, and gave flesh that made her look healthy rather than a skinny human. Held up with a linen string, it hung securely on her right shoulder where a familiar tattoo was no where to be seen. Nothing else decorated her, resulting in a transparent image that suit her effortlessly.


Another fantasy that she imagined. A foreign jungle of alluring beauties. The sounds of the youthful vegetation varied, full of peculiar shrills as well as the echoes of the native wildlife. Tinged with blue, sunbeams clashed, reaching her skin from the gaps of the overhead shade. She paid no mind to it, continuing her aimless journey. She didn't know why she dreamt of a tree-filled site. It was always that way. Was it the inspiration of photos from the day before? Supposedly, she thought. Her only assumption: a spark of creativity from pictorial film. But then again, she visited the same surroundings a few times now.


The leaves crunched underneath her steps, scattering her thoughts and rustled when she moved along. There was never a moment of silence. She gave no indication of complaining but instead composed a dance number from her enjoyment of the chirping melodies. "I'm always dancing." she whispered to herself. Almost every single night, she'd dance in her domain. And almost every single night, she'd wake up with a start, unless morning got to her first.


She started to pinpoint the source of such wakening. It was a creature, she had found out. A creature she know not. Recognising it was beyond her capabilities. The moment she set eyes on it, darkness flooded her, rousing her into consciousness and the memory of its face soon forgotten.


On a number of occasions, in the exact bluish forest, she had pushed herself into it, but she'd never felt a solid body, only an unstable element that made the very creature. But she only did it in blue surroundings. Perhaps she was scared of whatever it was. Perhaps the color had fueled her confidence to face it. But whatever the purpose of the color did not protect her from what happened next. The nightmares. She saw her nightmares in it, as if nightmares was the attribute it was made of, followed by her return to existence. Her eyes widened, she shook her head and relaxed. Why would she allow that topic to effect her when there is no benefit of indulging in it? Such a thought deserves much more thinking when she wakes up, her mind decided.


Her hands, free from the flaws of reality, held the trunk of the nearest plant. Using the rhythm, she encircled her partner, studying the wood carvings all the while. She propelled away, twirling on her toes and did the same to another. Her dirtied blonde mane flipped as she used the thinner stem how a stripper would perform on a pole. Laughing at the gracefulness of her unreal self, she savoured her time here.


Despite being aware of the current dreaming state, she had no absolute control of it. She could influence it, but willing it to change scenes is not an ability she wields, not yet. Swaying elsewhere, her foot slid into the earth, making contact with the cold liquid that awaited her. A splash made her look down where she slipped. A stream ran around her foot. She placed it back with the other and got onto her knees, looking at her reflection. The same girl that she saw everyday in the mirror stared back at her. The honey blonde hair, the hazel eyes, the little freckles on her face, Francesca felt happy her face was already perfect to herself. And she resolved that she'd stay here until the night of the real world ends, or until the creature finds her.

 

[FaithWynters]

This was not the man that once lived in his presence, tinkering with some old piece of junk. Many nights he would not sleep, and even as the old man slept, he never dreamed. It was a horrible way for Amel to live, and for the longest time he took advantage of the times when the man did dream. He would provoke nightmares in his power-hungry state and feed. He was unsure if that was the reason the man had gone away—to limbo—and this new one had come, and taken him away. The night he died, Amel had been doing as he pleased. It was a bored kind of night that might lead some people to go mad. He would make shadow shift and move. He was sure the old man noticed, but did nothing. Then, as he left to go to bed—much earlier than usual—Amel crept into his dreams and sent him into fits of madness and fright. The man got up and walked from the room, and Amel never saw him again. He could only assume he was dead. His ethereal connection was gone—he could feel it.


Now, he was someplace new. This girl had come along, sifted through the man’s things and taken him with her. It was a good feeling—to be around new energy. This was a different feeling, and while Amel could not bring himself to willingly throw her into nightmares, he knew that—at one point—he must feed upon the fright to grow stronger.


They had developed an odd sort of connection—Amel and the girl—it was one that she did not know, but one that he relished in. Her dream realms, no matter how discomforting by the color or the humidity, were a place of freedom. It was an escape for the both of them and Amel only wished to, hopefully, enjoy testing his theories when he grew bored and relaxing when he didn’t. Besides, the girl only slept a little time within the night anyway. So as she walked around the house or worked, Amel, in his sleepless form, would sit and wait or flex his power in hopes of one day being free of this place.


His eyes opened again, and in moments, he was back in the blue forest. She would be nearby. Perfect. The girl was not hard to feel. Her emotions ran thick when she danced in these woods. She was not hard to see either. The beautiful girl, in the purest of whites, looked almost like an angel. It was a thought that unsettled Amel, for he knew that angels would be the most dangerous thing for him to encounter within the Realm of Dreams. It was a thought that only came to his mind as he thought of her pale skin in the sunlight, her honey hair, and the white. She always wore so much white in these dreams. Amel had pondered the fact that it may have been some protection. Maybe she had been blessed by a holy being as a child and now it protected her? No matter. White was only a color; just like black or blue or red. It would not protect her from his advances. He would try everything he could in order to be free. Amel knew he had to make contact.


He was silent for a while, his eyes shifting along the shadows and the sunlight. He did not see his dreamer, and as this thought passed his mind he realized that he did not know her name. This is not the first time that this thought has occurred to him, and just like the other times, he pushes it away. After a few more moments, he pulls himself off of the tree branch. The shadows make a comfortable staircase for him to walk down, and his shoes soon touch the hard terrain of dirt and grass below.


Amel was unsure where she had gone, but he did not care. Tonight, he was ready for another experiment. All day he would think of another way to approach this human, and every day he tested a theory. All were unsuccessful. He can feel the shift in the ethereal presence. He hoped that such a common thing would bring them together. Hunter and Prey.


Speech. It was something he had never tried before. Always had he made his appearance in a way that was silent, but now, he was going to try speaking first. He was unsure if this would help him, but he hoped that it would keep her awake and away from his form. He swallowed hard, let the shadows fall around him, and looked in the direction that he could feel her presence, behind the trees.


“Hey! Stop that!” The words were a call out to nothing, in hopes of bringing the girl closer in curiosity. He used the darkness to make fruit fall around him, splattering the ground. Once even hit him, landing on his shoulder. “That hurt you stupid monkey!” He was a spawn of deception. Lies would always be his friend.

 

[chamomile]

The water made small ripples as she slid her palm away from the natural mirror. The image faltered, faded before returning once again into her sight. It always seemed as if she was a teenager in her dreams, the timeless years when she could enjoy being in a beautiful state without worrying that she was getting too old. She smiled at herself, a shy one, a grin, a smirk and her vibrant smile. The practice was never tiring. She giggled as a fish nibbled on her skin, tickling it in the slightest. Her hand proceeded to the bottom, grabbing hold of a pebble, smooth from the impact of its neighbors. Francesca brought it up, breaking the surface and eyed it. She tipped her hand, letting it plop into its home, slowly sinking to the bottom.


A faint shout jolted her senses, halting her swirling fingers in the water. Caution filled her as she looked around her for signs of the sound she heard. No, she corrected herself. There were words, a voice, angry, male and not all human. It didn't sound like anyone she've met, neither did it sound like the wild. It was somewhere close and she felt a little tug to seek it. One last look at herself, she left the stream, jogging back where she came from, using the her instincts to track down whatever else that's in the jungle with her.


She contemplate what it could be. Her doubts that it was the nightmare creature is unconvincing. The imagination she used to picture it didn't include a working voice. The creature as a human was... beliveable. But a being so menacing taking a form, able to say and interact is a thought which didn't crossed her mind before. Come to think of it, the creature didn't give any signs that it was able to do such a thing. It also never spoke before, not to her that is. Francesca was tempted to turn back, not risking what she might see. Another nightmare would destabilize her schedule and ruin her day yet again. She forced herself to move forwards, despite the protests of her own self.


It was much clearer now, the voice, echoing in her ears. The child-like curiousity burned in her, impatient to see what would she discover. Much to her older self's dismay, she ran, her feet pattering noisily as she touched the vines around her, only to comfort herself that she was still in the dream. The slur of phrases formed sentences, something about monkeys, and it was followed with a collection of thumps. It became noisier as she walked, her steps hesitating every once in a while. The air shifted above her and she looked up, yelping as a fruit landed next to her, splattering its juicy orange contents onto her ankle.


Francesca neglected it and once she knew she was close enough. She ducked behind a tree and peeped out, seeing a frame of a man, his back to her. She breathed slowly, a sudden fear of it forming. Turning away, she was sure he knew she was close. Courage mustered, she asked loudly. "Whose there?" her voice rolled off her tongue monotonously in the question. It faltered at the end and for some reason, she felt relieved. It was silent as the falling produce continued to descend in the distance.

 

[FaithWynters]

He could feel it as she grew close. Her curiosity probably bubbled up within her and drew her near him. As Amel heard the soft rustling of her feet drawing near and she spoke, he made the rain of fruit discontinue. He could feel the heaviness of the fruit on his shoulder and he froze when he heard her voice. At first, it grew from within her as a confident call out to him—attempting to bear no emotions—but the end died off in a way that made him smirk. She was a human—that was for sure.


“Oh?” His voice was curious. He wanted to seem as human as he could to this girl. He would have to befriend her or trick her before she would touch his mirror and allow him freedom. He did not know what she desired most. He would just have to work through things and see. By the time he had turned around, his eyes had returned to their blue color. That was a good thing; he wanted to seem as human as he could to this girl. He searched the trees a moment for her body, and it took him a moment before he could spot her.


“I’m sorry…” His voice was soft and the words tasted bitter in his mouth. He brought a hand up to wipe colorful and sticky bits of fruit off of his neck. He jiggled his hand in front of him feebly, trying to get the meat to dislodge itself. “I didn’t know that anyone else was in this forest.” When he felt that he had taken substantially too much time trying to get the fruit off, he dropped his hand and laughed awkwardly.


So his experiment was working a little bit. The girl did not lose her ability to control her dream realm body and run directly at him. She was still coherent. He wouldn’t accidently send her into a shockingly horrific nightmare. He smiled again and wiped his sticky hands across his pants. He knew that once he was out of this realm, the stickiness would be gone. He rose a hand up to his forehead, blocking out the bright sun that beat down on his head from above. It was making it hard for him to continue to see her, and he acted as if he had not yet found the origin of the voice.


“My name’s Adrian.” He called out to her, looking through the trees for a moment before dropping his hand again. “Uh. Is this your forest?” He looked around the trees again before taking a few steps out of the direct sunlight and toward her direction. He didn’t want to frighten her away. No—these humans frightened easily and Amel could not risk her running off.


“Because if it’s your forest and I’m trespassing or something, I really have no idea how I even got here…” He pulled his hands back up to his eyes. “Where are you? I can’t even see you in the trees.” The annoyance of acting like a child made his skin burn. What kind of fool couldn’t pinpoint a voice? No matter, all he needed was for her to think that he was completely incapable.


What she had not grasp onto yet was the fact that she was very capable of twisting this place into anything she desired. If she could grow the strength and power, this place could be anything she wanted. With enough power and the right blessing, she could even force him out of her Realm and back into his mirror. He was thankful that she did not have that type of power yet and her parents were foolish enough to not give her some sort of blessing.


He noticed that, the longer time went on, the less and less children were touched by the hand of God. It was a blessing and a curse for demons. When the world first began and all creatures were directly touched by the hand of God, demons had to be incredibly strong to take over the body and soul of a human. Lucifer, his father, was the strongest of all. The battles between heaven and hell were massive and destructive. Now, demons could be weak and still take over the soul of a human. Battles were lost much more. It amazed Amel, as he was forced to sit back and watch, exactly how wars were won for Heaven. It wasn’t about being incredibly strong, it was about making the enemy weaker. This was a topic, Amel pondered often.