Mirrored Shadows 2

The flute plays again

That night's celebration was one of the biggest festivity Hell has ever seen. People from all over the Great Windmill have arrived to see their hero, to reunite, or meet her for the first time.

Throughout the great valley in front of Basilia, torches and lanterns united guests from every Plane. There were stands with food and drinks, as well as numerous tables. People danced on most of them. Monika's statue in the center burned in candle lights brighter than ever. Children, demonic, angelic and human, ran around, stuffing their mouths with sweets. A beefy man with a face red from the heat was turning a pig on fire and pouring beer over it, which he soon started drinking more and pouring less. Every two minutes, Monika's name was being shouted, and thousands of people raised their cups to cheer.

Someone snuck up behind Monika and wrapped arms around her waist.

- That's it, I'm stealing you away. - Amadeus whispered into her ear. The electricity of his voice sent a warm sensation down her spine.

- That would be rude to the guests. - she chuckled.

- Then dance with me until it is all over, so no one else can dance with you?

- You got it.

The demon took her by the hand and smoothly led her into the crowd of dancers, stealing sighs and jealous looks. His grace made the dancing look like floating. He picked up his wife and lightly tossed her into the air, among the sea of lanterns, making her laugh.

- My, my, ser demon, aren't you quite a dancer?

- One can only do so much to steal some attention. Everyone is staring at my beautiful girl.

- Oh honey, it's not me they are staring at.

He pushed her closer against his body, smiling mischievously.

- Then we are surrounded by blind people, and I am grateful for that.

Bruno was trying to get in between and dance with them.

There were many stands that used the opportunity to sell things. Some of them had sculptures of Monika and her old companions (the most overused souvenir idea of the century), followed by themed accessories, such as Dragon's belt and quite distasteful figurines of a headless Callisto.

Some old woman walked around those stands and nodded with a criticizing expression, only to quickly put the first thing she gets hold of into her bag.

Several children stared at a tank filled with glowing fishes.

- My dad once caught one bigger than me! - said one boy.

- Aha! - the other one scoffed. - Sure!

- He did!

- He did not!

- He did so!

King Victor danced with his servants. No one cared about status and decorum. No one cared about classes and where people came from. Every stomach was fed. Every mouth smiled. In honor of Monika.

Music played all night. People were dazed by drinks and the smoke of cigarettes.

Dion stood far from the dancing and the commotion, leaned against one of the torches.

- You're not dancing? - Monika asked him, approaching Amadeus. They were both panting and smiling widely.

- My apologies, I don't mean to be a party pooper.

- Is everything alright?

- Yes. Yes it is. I just miss the kids from the orphanage, that's all. One of them has a birthday tomorrow.

- You'll see them again. I promise.

- I hope so... Being here again brings memories, both good and bad.

Monika tightened her coat dress, rubbing her arms. It got chilly. Amadeus took off his coat and covered her.

Distant lights of Basilia shined above them, like a million stars.

- I miss Justice. - she said, looking up absently. - I miss all of our friends. I often think about the good times that we had. Our group, our jokes by the fire...

- Wait, what's going on? - Dion asked suddenly, looking around.

Monika looked around too to see what he was talking about, only to notice the music had stopped. The three of them walked among the guests.

- Majesty, what's going on?

- We don't know, but it's rather curious. - the king said. - Our performer's instruments won't play.

The musicians ranted and argued among themselves, unable to figure out why their instruments made no sound.

Murmurs of disappointment replaced the music. Kids ran through the mass, still entertained. A group of young demons booed at the confused musicians.

Some of the people sat down to eat, others continued to dance without music.

- Let's just excuse ourselves to Victor and head to bed. - Monika suggested.

- Alright.

They made their way through the guests. Then one of the musicians dropped his accordion. Everyone paused to look at him. He was still, like frozen in the last pose he was in before dropping the instrument.

- What's up with him?

Like an ominous wind that announces a storm, a whisper crawled from his mouth without his lips moving. It slithered among the guests like a snake, making sure everybody in the valley hears it:

And the Great Windmill spins around,

not by the wind, but by my flute's sound.

- Daddy... - Bruno ran to Amadeus.

The light of the torches died out and the valley was swallowed by the night. People looked around themselves in growing panic. To everyone's shock, the musician was no longer standing where he was. He stood on top of one of the market stands, still petrified, yet grinning.

What an exciting party, what a wonderful ball,

So glad to be here, though not invited at all!.

The mass stood frozen in fear and anticipation. Parents held their kids close, and the kids cried. But no one dared to move.

- We need to tell everyone to leave. - Monika said.

The petrified musician was suddenly among them, pointing at her:

Oh the nerve, the dare, the gal and appall!

Your hero stands tall, about to fall, about to fall!

She cannot save all!

She cannot save all!

She cannot save all!

One of the stands got knocked down, startling everyone. As all eyes looked that way, another stand was flipped over on the other side. People were ready to leave. They gathered their families and moved towards Basilia. Vendors didn't even bother picking up their merchandise.

- Stay close to me. - Amadeus whispered. His purple eyes darted into the surrounding darkness.

A man got pulled into the dark before their eyes. Then an old woman. A guard. People started screaming and running, falling over each other. Something roared from several sides and soon, a hideous creature jumped among them on all fours. Half angel, half demon, it consumed the space around it with an unbearable stench of rot.

Then another monstrosity came, followed by the third, the fifth.

- GUARDS! - Victor shouted.

Chaos erupted in the blink of an eye. Bodies were shredded before the eyes of children. The abominations went straight for the necks, tossing themselves on the people's shoulders, knocking them down and slaughtering them. Everyone was out of their minds, not seeing where they stumped on their way. The tents and stands were falling one after another.

The guards were desperately trying to fight off the creatures and many of them could recognize their old comrades, now twisted beyond sanity. Monika, Amadeus and Dion closed Bruno between them and sent off flames at each monster that came near.

Victor broke through the stampede of the panicked crowd.

- You need to leave! - he shouted at Monika.

- We are not leaving, we must do something!

- If you want to do something, go and do what The Sacred Three asked from you! Hell has been contaminated, you must not stay here! You are our only hope!

- But...

- Go, for the sake of your child!

- He is right, we have to leave! - Amadeus took her by the hand and picked crying Bruno up.

As they fled, Monika looked over her shoulder at the people being massacred on the spot. The great statue dedicated to her was knocked over. Its candles set things scattered on the ground on fire. The music of the flute did not stop playing.

***

A road stretched into the far beyond through the desolate meadows of Hell. Several demons on horses rode across it and disappeared in the twilight.

- We should stay off the roads. - said Monika, observing from a nearby brush. - The demons will be suspicious of every traveler after what happened last night...

There was a struggle within her. The others felt it in her voice. The way she held it back, almost whispering. The m******e at Basilia, the things they witnessed... It was still in the air. At one moment, she felt like Bruno's tailcoat needed more tightening, even though it was really warm.

- Are you okay? - she asked him.

- I am.

- Are you sure? We can talk about what happened there and...

- Mom. I am okay.

Dion protected his eyes from the setting sun, looking at the distance.

- Where did Victor say the Veil is open again?

- North of here. - said Amadeus.

- Alright. We can follow the road from afar.

The landscape was unforgiving. Pointy rocks looked like needles jutting from the dunes, so Amadeus had to carry Bruno on his shoulders. The sand boiled beneath the sunless sky across more than half of the Seventh circle. The heat, carried by the Red ocean, brought long summers to Hell.

- Dad I'm thirsty.

- Just a bit longer. We're almost there.

After a while, they spotted a long line of carriages on the road. Most of them belonged to demons, but there were quite a few of angels and humans. They weren't moving. Voices of complaining and arguing echoed across the hot road.

- They are leaving Hell... - Dion guessed.

- But why are they not moving?

- Let's find out.

The row was several miles long. They could see demons and angels fighting outside their carriages. Nobles were chasing off the heat with their fans and kids cried to go home already.

Finally, they reached the front of the row, where many demon guards blocked the road.

- Is this where the veil is? - Dion asked.

- Yes. - Amadeus replied.

- I don't see it.

- It takes time to notice it in the twilight. If you look carefully, you will notice something like water reflections shimmering in the air.

- So why are they not letting people through?

Monika walked out of the brush and headed down to the road.

- Love? Where are you going?

They quickly followed her as she marched straight to the guards that were blocking the path.

Some of the people waiting in the line pointed at her reddish hair, wondering if that's who they think it is.

- Halt. - said a guardsman.

- Why are we not allowed through?

- Hell has been contaminated with Defiler's taint. No one can go in or out of Hell.

- That's insane! - people shouted s. - Let us through! Are we supposed to get tainted too!?

- I repeat, no one can get through!

- I am Monika. His Majesty Victor himself and The Sacred Three tasked me to leave Hell in order to pursue this threat. You have to let me through.

- Oh really!? - people protested. - And I'm queen Andromeda!

- We all need to get through, so stand in the line!

- You don't understand! - Monika turned to them. - If we don't stop this before it's too late, everyone will be tainted!

- Suuuuuuure, YOU will stop it. Had you stopped him the first time, this wouldn't have happened!

- Can you stop him? - Dion interfered. - Or any of you? Have you tried? I don't think so.

People stared at their feet, mumbling.

- Look, I cannot let you through just based on your word that his Majesty ordered so. - the guard explained. - Even if you are THE Lady Monika, my orders remain the same. I would need a hand written order from his Majesty, with his royal seal. Until then, the road remains blocked.

- How was I supposed to get a written order in the middle of a m******e!?

- I am sorry, my lady. There's nothing I can do.

Insults and shouts rained down upon them to move back into the line. Monika took Bruno by the hand and left the road, back into the brush.

- Now what?

- I can't believe how these petty people quickly forgot who saved them the first time. - said Amadeus.

- I can't help but feel responsible... - Monika sat down on a rock. - As soon as I came here, the problems happened. People died... Lots of people. Including Justice...

Amadeus kneeled down, taking her hands.

- No. Don't do that. This started long before we arrived. That's why we were brought back in the first place.

- Exactly. - Dion agreed. - Let's stay focused. Our primary concern is how to leave this place. Now, I have one idea.

- We find a library? - Amadeus teased.

- No. Lela could summon us.

- That would be excellent. But how to let her know to do it?

- That's the catch. - he said and started walking in circles. - What if we summon her here, then tell her to summon us back?

- That could work. But can we be sure that the young lady will be near the circle when we try to summon her?

- I doubt it... The summoning circle I used to contact the two of you is in Monika's old salon. A room no one touches. Unless...

- Unless what?

Dion took a branch and started drawing a summoning circle in the dirt.

- We can send letters through the summoning circles without summoning them, right? I mean that's what we did.

- Yes?

- Well that's because portions of a complex object are easier to send in one piece than a whole person, if there's no one on the other side to receive them. That would be like sending you through a closed door. Instead, we will send something that can pass through that door.

He finished the circle and kneeled before it, leaning over.

- LELA!!!! - he shouted at it. - LELA!!!!!!!

Others waited and stared at him.

- LELAAA!!!

- Maybe we should wait a b-

- LELAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!

Hot winds carried his echo through the wasteland.

- Can we be sure it's working? - Amadeus asked.

- Yes. I can hear doors and footsteps.

Monika leaned against the circle too.

- I can hear it. - she said. - Those familiar little footsteps.

- LELAAAA!!!!

Now they could all hear a door being opened, as if someone stormed into a room.

- LELA!

- Uncle Dion...??? - came from the other side, like a tiny echo from the bottom of a well.

- Tom? Is that you?

- Uncle Dion! Yes it's me! How do you-

- Tom, listen. I need you to call aunty Lela.

- Are you talking from the sky, uncle Dion? Are you dead? Are you in Hell or in Heaven? Have you met the Javanox, the demon with the longest horns ever recorded? Are they big as a whale?

- Tom, we don't have the time for that. I need you to listen. Call aunty Lela.

- ... and they also said that time flows differently in Heaven, so maybe you're younger than me now?

- Tom, I'm bringing a demon home.

- REALLY!!!!!???

- Yes. Go get aunty Lela.

- SIR YES SIR!

They could hear him running away. Dion caught their curious glances.

- Tom is a bit... He's not like this all the time, I promise. - he looked at the circle and mumbled: - He's worse.

The sound of running came back, joined by what was thought to be another pair of footsteps.

- Dion? - Lela called.

- Lela! Oh thank the gods!

- Dion, are you okay!?

- I am unharmed. I need you to summon us to the orphanage.

- ''Us''?

- I am not alone. - he looked behind him and smiled. - We are having guests.

- Who-

- Hello Lela, my dear. - said Monika, smiling.

***

After the images of the wasteland stopped twisting and distorting around them, they found themselves surrounded by floral wallpapers in the rounded salon, and untouched armchairs.

- It's just as I left it... - Monika stepped out of the summoning circle.

- MONIKA!!! - Lela screamed and, before she got a chance to react, she was already there, squeezing her and kissing her all over the face, soaking her shoulders with tears of joy. - You are here! After all these years! I can't believe it! HOW!!!??? YOU - her voice broke for a moment and she had to hug her again.

- It's so good to see you, dear Lela. I missed you so much.

- And Bruno, oh my sweet little sugar ball! - she gripped the confused child against her chest and picked him up. - I MISSED YOU SO MUCH! And Amadeus, I missed you too! You took care of my Monika!

Amadeus bowed gallantly and smiled. She moved back to Monika and started looking all over her, as if she wanted to make sure there was not a single scratch on her.

- I thought I'll nvr see y' 'gain 'nd I jst - her sobbing turned her words into a bunch of gibberish and she hugged her again. - AND YOU! - she turned to Dion, frowning. - YOU SHOULD'VE TOLD ME SOMETHING, I WAS DYING FROM WORRY! A LETTER WOULD BE NICE! YOU ALSO COULD'VE TOLD ME YOU'LL BRING MONIKA, AMADEUS AND BRUNO, WE'D WELCOME THEM BETTER!

Dion looked at her in confusion.

- Lela I DID send you a letter.

- Well I didn't get any!

- That's odd... They must've blocked the veil much sooner then.

- The Sacred Three already knew what was going on. - Monika reminded him. - They probably did close Hell at the time.

- And since they knew we'd been using summoning circles, they knew we would use them to leave Hell as well...

Lela's eyes skipped from Dion to Monika, back and forth.

- Wait, what? The veil is blocked? The Sacred Three? What's going on?

- Well-

The door of the salon opened and several tiny heads peeked inside. Dion's face immediately went from serious to carefree.

- That's alright, skippers. Come in. - he invited them.

They walked inside quietly, staring at Monika, Amadeus and Bruno.

- This is - Lela moved her hand to introduce them.

- Aunty Monika. - the kids said it before she got to finish. - We recognized her from the portrait.

- That's right.

In a brief moment, that felt like eternity, the kids stared at Monika with their mouths half opened. They approached her with hands up in the air, attempting to touch her like she was an embodiment of a deity they had only listened about until now.

She felt strange as they surrounded her.

- They heard so much about you. - Lela explained, seeing the confusion on her face.

- Well I can assure you that your uncle Dion and aunty Lela have exaggerated their stories about me. The stories about you that they told me, however, are not. You are all so adorable, and I am so glad to meet you. What are your names?

The kids introduced themselves one by one, feeling it was important that they got to do it that way, each talking to Monika for a bit.

- This is my husband -

- Amadeus. - the kids said. - We heard of him too. Of all of you.

Monika looked at Dion and Lela, smiling with gratitude. The kids were now staring at Amadeus.

- He is so prettyyyyy... - said a blushing girl who couldn't be older than 6. Her night gown seemed a bit too long for her, so she looked like a mouse in a pile of silk.

- Boys can't be pretty, he is handsome. - said another girl, a bit older.

- They can!

- They can't!

- Okay that's enough. - Dion interrupted him. - I knew this would happen. We have to find you a paper bag for the head, Amadeus.

- Let the kids satisfy their curiosity, Dion. - said Amadeus and walked among the kids boastingly. - Let's compromise, kids. I'm pretty AND handsome.

- Can I touch your horns!? - Tom pushed his way between the kids. - Do they keep growing like squirrel's teeth!?

- Wait, wha?

- You asked for it. - Dion shrugged.

Soon, the kids called Bruno to play, which he accepted without hesitation. Monika's heart couldn't be fuller in that moment, as she watched him running playfully through the halls he once despised so much. Now he was surrounded by new friends, playing like a normal kid.

Dion and Lela led Monika and Amadeus to the kitchen. The old Hilda paused her work around lunch when she saw Amadeus coming in. Her lower lip slightly shivered and her cheeks blushed. It was like watching a teenager being stunned before her crush, but in this case, a crush of the entire world. The onions in the pot behind her began to smoke.

- Of course, who cares that Dion came back home. - Dion said, pretending to be mad.

She flinched at those words, as if she woke up from a dream.

- Oh shush you! - she hit his shoulder with a mop. - Take this fish and start peeling it.

She placed a stinky fish in his hand and gave him a knife.

- See? I'm so loved here.

Hilda took off her apron and approached Monika.

- I'm Hilda. No, don't introduce yourself. I already know. Now, let me see you. - she spoke much softer and took her by the cheeks. - Ah yes, you are just as he described you. I see the kindness in your eyes.

- You are very kind yourself, madam. Dion told me about you as well.

She looked at Dion over her shoulder, with a glance that says ''I can imagine what he said''.

- He said you're the sweetest woman on the face of the Earth.

- Well. - she felt uncomfortable, blushing again. - Blasted sweet talker, that's what he is. - but a proud grin twitched the corner of her lips. - But please, do have a seat. I'll make tea.

- Oh, you don't have to bother-

She was already gone with a teapot in her hand.

- You don't get to make choices in Hilda's kitchen. - said Dion, sitting down with them. - She might pour the tea down your throat if you do.

- So tell me what's going on. - said Lela seriously, leaning over the table.

- Oh, where to start... - Monika sighed. - You won't like it.

They quickly told her everything about The Sacred Three, Justice, the taint and the m******e at the party in Monika's honor. Lela's face changed several times between all the shades of terrified and shocked.

- My god... So Hell is now closed? No one can get in or out?

- That's right.

- Those poor people, stuck in there... And my goodness, poor Justice... If my beloved Mercy knew this, if he was even alive... That family saw nothing but misfortune. Her father won't take this well, and I'm not talking about his daughter being dead. But the fact that she died in Hell.

- I hope it doesn't additionally ignite the already burning hate between the two plains. - Dion feared. - The taint could make a good excuse for Heaven to strike down Hell and prevent the contamination of other realms.

- That's where we come in. - said Monika, staring at her portrait on the wall.

- Wait, what? - Lela looked at them.

- We are tasked by The Sacred Three to investigate this, as a neutral party. - she explained.

- But... No. You can't. They can't ask this from you! You did your part! What's too much is too much!

- I'm afraid we don't have a choice. - said Amadeus calmly.

- But you have defeated that monster, whose name I won't say in this house!

- Apparently, we didn't... - said Monika. Amadeus wrapped his arm around her.

- We can't know that. - Dion whispered, lost in thoughts.

Their heads turned to him.

- What do you mean? We heard his song, his voice. And his taint is consuming people.

- There is absolutely no possible way for him to return without you bringing his taint. And you didn't. It happened before you got here.

- So what are you trying to say?

- What if someone or something is only using these... signs of Defiler, making it look like it's him. Distracting us. Even if he did return, he wouldn't have this much power just like that after being defeated.

The lunch quietly boiled in the furnace. The laughter of the kids came from the floor above them. A dog barked outside.

- That's a bit farfetched, don't you think? - said Monika skeptically. - We can come up with as many alternatives as we want, but this one will always be the most likely one, considering the evidence.

- Monika, Defiler played his game successfully thanks to his metamorphosis. He deceived us for so long, especially you. He wouldn't return directly like this after he got burned. He is not stupid, you have to give him that.

- Perhaps... But that will have to wait. We need to see what Heaven has to say, and what lies within the Unknown.

- So you're really leaving... - Lela spoke sadly. - I can't believe they are pushing you into this again.

- Everything will be alright, Lela. - Dion calmed her. - I'm sure this will be solved before it expands. Besides, they can't expect more from us other than to investigate. I mean, what can we do?

- That's true. - Amadeus agreed. - Let their armies settle this and, for once, point their swords in the right direction.

- I want to come too. - Lela said.

- No.

- Dion...

- No, Lela! The kids need you!

- You're right, I wasn't thinking... - she covered her face with her hands, sobbing.

The rest of the day was flying by. Monika sat on the stairs of the orphanage's entrance, looking at Dion and Amadeus, running around with the kids. Their laughter and play surrounded the house. Bruno sat on Amadeus's shoulders, wrestling with Tom on Dion's. Finally, they all fell onto the soft grass, and the kids jumped on them, joining the rolling crowd.

Monika smiled, watching it all with a small amount of sadness and restlessness in her stomach. All that innocence right there. The better days she was promised long ago. The joy of a simple day in the sun. She got up and entered the house. The old room greeted her. A bag waited, empty and opened. She quickly tossed in some clothes.

The evening finally sneaked out from the trees and hidden places, taking over the sky. The kids' laughter was dying as they entered the house. Monika waited for them all to enter, so she could come out from the back door. Without hesitation, she rushed towards the gate, determined, pulling the suitcase.

- What are you doing? - a soft voice spoke behind her.

She stopped, but couldn't turn around to face Amadeus and get disarmed just by his face.

- You know what I'm doing...

- I was hoping I didn't. Because it looks like you're leaving. Without me. Without Bruno. Without Dion.

- I don't want to pull you into this again.

- That's not up to you to decide.

She finally turned around, only to discover that Amadeus was suddenly right there, face to face with her. He was breaking her defenses, her reasoning in moments like these, when she wanted to use her own head.

- I am a part of you, Monika... - his breath was warm and smelled like the coming of winter. He must've been smoking not long ago. - Don't you dare to leave me and decide where I'll stand in this world, when the only thing that makes this world bearable is standing next to you.

- What if something happens to you or Bruno... I can't...

- We are bound, my love... - his hand lightly touched her chest, then his own, as if it was drawing some invisible line. - We are one... Have you thought about how we would feel if something happened to you? We need you, sun of my life... I need you. And you need us. Well, you need me mostly to relieve you from all that stress, you know, in bed. - that made her smile and look away. - But come on, you need Dion for sure. And Bruno, let's face it. You wouldn't have a moment of peace with him outside of your sight. He'll be safe in Heaven.

Monika looked down, but Amadeus's hand was ready for it, picking it up.

- You know I'm right.

- You are. - she wrapped her arms around him, looking at the glowing windows of the orphanage. - What would I do without you...?

- You'd sign a contract that forbids you from re-marrying, that's what.

- i***t.