Chapter 4: Mirrored Eyes

Chapter 4: Mirrored Eyes

With new authority comes new responsibility. That was something that Jack learned quite quickly. Since he had killed all of his clan there wasn't really anyone left to order around, which didn't really present much of a problem until the bodies of those that he'd killed getting to this point began to smell. Decay did that, especially in the heat of the underworld. So since there was no one left to do the rather gruesome job for him. The Lord of Pride had to resort to getting there himself. Dragging each individual body out of the Seat and then throwing it into the magma pit. He didn't really stop to look at the bodies before he threw them in for some final farewell. Just chucked them in and listened to the quick sizzle before even the ash was consumed by the molten lava. All bodies that is. Bar Jowans. The advanced decay had begun to set in. And it wasn't really any sort of goodbye he was looking for. Rather just the words carved into his chest. " Wasn't a dream, see you on the spine of the sleeping god Jackie boy!". . Memories. Ceila the Madness demon, the one who everyone had thought was dead. Had actually been alive, watching and playing them all. Her influence had been minor. At least, he liked to think so. But then it never took much to shift someone onto a completely different path. The pebble on the roadside. The idea she had managed to trick them all was, concerning. However he had taken one little token from her words. She had sacrificed her entire clan to Pride. Which meant, she was the only Lord of Madness left. Jowan and the others had been at least, partially successful in their extermination of that particular group of Oni. Which meant neither he or Ceila had an advantage, and with Desire completely wiped off the map. The only other competing clans that he was aware of at the moment were sloth and fear. Neither of which were as strong as Pride, Desire, or Madness. But still. Considering he was the only living member of Pride left. They might play the numbers game and attempt to finish off what he had started. It was possible. Some common misconception people had about fear and sloth demons were that they themselves were actually fearful, or slothful. Certain demons like, Pride demons or Madness demons became living representations of the portion of the psyche they fed on. But some portions like sloth or fear, were too negative to possibly become representations of. After all. The underworld was all about survival of the fittest. If such demons were too lazy or too afraid to fight back. Then they would never have survived in the first place. Right enough, those who he had encountered did act the part, but he knew it was precisely that. An act. Something to get you to let your guard down. Something to let them in. And as much as Sloth and Fear was weaker than Pride and Madness. They were just as dangerous, if they were to be let in.

As Jack continued to dispose of the bodies, keeping their distance. a pair of other Oni were watching the event with some interest. One of them seemed slumped, as if he had little to no energy. His eyes, a pale white. Milky, misty. In those eyes however showed energy that his body seemed not to have, focused on just what the Pride Demon was doing. The other his partner seemed a little more on edge, a creature who looked as if he hadn't slept in weeks. Jacked up on coffee, twitchy. His eyes a darker shade of purple. The one with the white eyes looked over at the purple eyed one, the head movement slow. Lazy. " So remind me". The other jumped slightly, as if it didn't expect such a thing. Even though it was no where near an outburst. The words of the white eyed one slow and drawn out. " B-because, we're not stupid. This guy took out Desire. Y-you can't-t get the jump on him. He senses us c-coming".. A stutter clearly present in this ones voice. The white eyed one slowly turned his head back to Jack. "...Ah...ok...we'd best report back to the leaders". And with that the two scurried off.

Upon re-entering the seat of Pride Jack had actually considered seeing about getting the blood stains taken off the wall and floor. But then again the difficulty with that task tended to be the fact that hell itself had magma as opposed to water, and trying to wash away blood stains by using magma was, suffice to say. A bad idea, for all parties involved. Besides. The blood stains could simply act as a warning for any who entered. Not that many actually had the balls to come within fifty feet of the building never mind walk directly inside. Taking his seat once more, Jack sat and waited. There was a question of course as to just what precisely he was waiting for. Ceila? For this sleeping god to awaken? For Iskra? Word of her mission, whether she had found and or killed the child who may not exist. It was a fools errand that, still. Jack couldn't help but ensure that the same trap Jowan fell into didn't befall him as well. Weakness could not be afforded. Being what and who he was now. Head of Pride, that was doubly true. Can resting by his side, he felt his eyes grow heavy. In waiting for Jowan he had stayed awake the entire time. A whole week without rest and then using magic to kill the man. And of course dragging those corpses out hadn't been easy. Jack owed himself a rest. For it felt like he hadn't shut his eyes in decades. Slowly, the lids fell downwards, he didn't want to stay awake. Sleep was too welcoming. So he embraced it. And before he knew it. He was gone.

A figure walks into the seat. Looking upwards at the throne and its sleeping occupant. It yawns.



A strange floating sensation, as if he was being propelled upwards by some sort of invisible force. Riding on a wind of change. Blowing in all directions. It was strange compared to the normal dreams of things that Jack enjoyed. Sometimes there would be dreams of grand feasts. Of balls with strange music and people. Of a flaming building, burned to ashes. Of flying in the moon light in his true form. Lately the dream of that library had been the most prevalent in his mind. The dream that Ceila had told him that he was not welcome in. Whether that issue still held or not was questionable considering their last encounter. But this was not the dream this time. Cobbled stones beneath him. A massive headache. A floating feeling. Was he...drunk? No, it was the same feeling he got in the library. As if he wasn't quite tangible in this place. As if it was somewhere he didn't quite belong. Not his dream, but someone else’s. He, merely existing on the fringe of its existence. Screams shattered that illusion of non realism, and broke that floating feeling. But the headache remained. Suddenly everything in the dream seemed so real. As if he was at one moment staring through a cloudy window. The next that window was shattered giving him the perfect view of it. The sound of ripping flesh, and a splatter of blood in the street, barely luminated by a crack in a door. The light coming from inside dancing and amber. Dim but there, enough to shine light on that little black and crimson spot that had landed in the street. Jack got to his feet and stumbled over. Admittedly the Pride Demon had never truly thought of the consequences of peeking into such a thing. Anything could be happening, and this was a dream, just how limited was he here. Then a stark reminder, that scene with Ceila. The one with her and the two puppets. It had felt real much like this. And it had turned out to be actually real. So. Was this a dream? Still convinced it was despite these tiny lingering doubts on the side of his mind. As he peered inside the door. There was nothing. Well. No one. The walls themselves were splattered with blood. However it was crusted, congealed. Old. Jack's eyes were drawn to a desk. On this desk. A single page, the writing of which seemed to have been written by quill and ink in a rather shaky hand. Jack reached out and lifted the page to his face, eyes scanning over the wring. It was strange, at first it hurt his eyes to look at it, as if it blurred and then came to focus.

" Each page is important. Her life was just another chapter, but it was one that finished too early. I wasn't ready to say goodbye. Didn't get the chance. Too young. Both of us. Too young. That’s why each page is needed. That’s why we must do what needs to be done. Pages, books. Chapters. They're all the key to something greater. Each page needs a life. Another to complete. I understand what that means. That I am taking from someone else what was once taken from me. That will be a mark I will bare. To write her chapter anew. Life and Death. Creation, and destruction. Two sides of the same coin. Two chapters in the same book. Whets in between is for us to figure out. For me, to write. ".

A strange, macabre obsession. Clearly a page of some kind of diary. Its importance was....for now. Unknown. But his eyes had been pulled to it. Much like that door in the library with the flickering lights. There was the sound of a high pitched bell ringing outside. The sound of a carriage pulling up, and cries of murder. He looked through the window to see armed men get out and point at him. This was new for a dream. Quickly Jack folded up that piece of paper and placed it in his inner pocket. The moment he did he felt something, it was strange like, something clicking into place, as if that was the right thing to do. Quickly, Jack readied himself to transform. To tear these humans apart. He closed his eyes gathered his strength and-. Nothing. No clouds spinning in dark motion, no expanding aura of demonic dominance. No wings. No power. Jack's face went blank. This did not amuse him. But, if this was a dream. Such was the nature. He'd just have to ride along with it. For split second he felt like he would just wait around, see how these men greeted him. However. Something else told him to run. Something else, told him. This dream was far too real. Without a second to spare, Jack grabbed the desk the page was lying on, and jammed it against the door. Just in time too, moments later there was banging against the door, and then the familiar snap of wood as a hand axe ploughed through part of the front door. Yells and curses from outside. Jack made his way through the back. And hopped out the back window. The sounds of dogs barking and men shouting as torch light grew closer. Jack bolted to the left, running down the alleyway the house faced onto at this side. More barking, getting closer. And then the sound of. " Ere you go!". The barking intensified. At this stage, Jack knew that they'd let the canines off the leashes. If he could fly, this wouldn't be a problem, but since that natural ability at this point seemed to be lacking for some reason. Running was all he could do. And these things were far faster than he. It wasn't long before one was nipping at his heels. It was a large animal. And it got him. The thing sunk its jaws into his leg. A white hot agony rose up from the point where the jaws entered his leg. He collapsed, and an all too human chill ran up his spine. The dog pressed one paw down on his chest, slaver moving down its maw. And that’s when he saw its eyes. A cloudy white, that was his clue. " A dreamer...". He whispered, the dog, or whatever it really was. Seemed to react angrily to this as it made a move to sink its jaws into his throat. One must understand that Jack had always been a very lucky man, or well. Demon. It was for this reason, that once again. Luck was on his side. The dreamer had chosen the wrong form to take as far as killing him in this situation went. Dream or no dream animals had an odd tinkering to things that were supernatural and generally didn't like them either. For that reason the moment the dreamer revealed itself, the dogs directly behind it who were before going to tear into Jacks genitals, were now diving directly for what they saw as the greater threat. Before the dreamer got its chance the dogs piled onto it, gnashing and tearing. Jack didn't wait around to see what was going on. He just ran. And a good thing too. If those dogs won the contest with the dreamer then they'd be jumping right back onto him.

Jack managed to make his getaway, hiding in a derelict building. Now getting time and space to gather his thoughts about just what the hell was going on. A dreamer. He'd heard about them, victims of a sloth demon that had become part of that demons own arsenal, its how they gained their power. In dreams as opposed to reality. Pride demons were stronger in the more tangible realm. But here, Sloth demons held all the power. And if there was a dreamer here. It meant only one thing. He was trapped in his dreams by a demon of sloth, who was at this stage no doubt feasting on him. Every second was vital. He may feel fine here, but he knew that his body would not be holding up so well under the sloth demons machinations. There was only one way he knew of to escape this dream, and that was to last the dream out, follow it to the end, and complete the sleep. Upon completion, his mind would begin to stir. And he would awaken from this sleep. All the demon could do would be putting road blocks in the way of it. But that was just something he'd need to overcome. And quickly. Which presented problems in itself. For whatever reason the guards in this dream were hunting him down. For whatever reason, he could not transform into his true body. His options were limited, and yet. He had to continue. He would not wait to die.

On the outside of Jacks body, a tall white haired, white eyed demon. The demon of Sloth, stood staring down. His face was riddled with what looked like concern. But it could have just as easily been fatigue. The doors to the Seat of Pride slammed open, a figure entered, donned in black armour, a cape fluttering behind him. Raven feathers adorning the paldrons of his armour. His purple eyes indicated him as a demon of fear. " Why haven't you killed him yet?...He is asleep, one slice of the throat and our problems will all be done. The Clans of Pride, Desire and Madness will be wiped out". The demon of sloth slowly turned his head and looked lazily at the demon of fear. "....Your fears are unfounded.....he is deep within the slumber...I keep him alive now so that he may die by the hand of a dreamer....and become one of them....if he does....we will have a powerful new servant.....". The demon of fear gritted his teeth, reached down and drew a dagger, quickly tossing it at the defenceless Jack. The sloth demon with inhuman speed reached out and snatched the blade mid-flight. A show of energy it looked like he wasn't used to displaying. "...I said...no". He turned back to Jack and looked down at him.

"...Have patience....take a seat....have a rest...you deserve it....after all you've fought so long to keep your clan from dying out...".

The purple eyed demon looked. Dizzy. He moved over to a chair and did precisely what the sloth demon asked. " Now....why don't you just...rest...". The fear demon let out a yawn. And his eyes too shut.

EXP: 3327
PWC:3173

Whilst on the move Jack was trying to summon up just everything that he knew about sloth demons. They acted as if they were lazy, slow. But yet this beguiled an inner intellect and cunning that used the very aspect of sloth against their opponents. Like in this case, where Jack was now stuck in his dreams. Personally Jack wondered why he wasn't dead yet. If he had been in the demons shoes and had trapped his opponent in a dream then he would have long since killed him. But that wasn't the case. In which, he thought the answer was likely that the sloth demon was trying to turn him into a dreamer. One of those creatures under its control. He could understand why after ll having the leader of Pride who slaughtered his entire clan for power as a servant would probably be a bit of a power boost when push came to shove. So. Understandable if indeed that was the logic behind him still being alive. None the less he felt there was something he was missing there was something of personal importance behind this page that he had found in that room. The diary page of whoever had lived there, or perhaps who had been in there last. A page torn out and left behind. Like a tail of bread crumbs. Jack and Jill indeed. " And yet, your missing your Jill!". A familiar voice stalking him ever more. Like the cawing of the raven in one darkly gothic tale. Walking out from behind a tree in front. Was the blonde haired yellow eyed madness demon. Ceila. " Jackie boy gimme a hug!". She shouted, Jack shook his head and walked on by. For whatever reason. He wasn't interested. Nor was he surprised that she'd be here. This entire thing was mad all over. So seeing her in such a place wasn't much of a shock. " Aww man you are cold Jackie, what happened to you, you used to be cool". Jack just kept on walking and yet, she just kept on following." Just what are you doing here anyways Ceila, I doubt this is the spine of a sleeping god". She tilted her head. " But Jackie you already answered that question". He raised his eyebrow and stopped, turning around to face her. " When?". She blinked a couple of times. " Right there, you wrote it right there?". Jack's mind suddenly began to boggle, thinking about just what the hell she was talking about " Wrote what? I don't have a quill, ink, blood paper!". She shrugged. " Never mind it'll just confuse ya, I'm here becauseeeeeeeee".

She dragged that one out rather comically. " This place is gonna drive you nuts if you can't leave...and no offence Jackie boy but I don't think you are cut out for madness, none of you pride types ever knew how to just let it all hang out....well...except maybe Jowan!". He probably would have laughed at that pun. If the situation was just a tad bit more suitable. She just toed the ground and then looked to the side. " Ok so I guess you already know how to get out of here....you got to complete the dream yeah? Thing is, your dreams have always been starting one way lately, in that library right?". Jack nodded slowly, failing to see where she was going with this. " Well Jackie in case you haven't noticed, we isn’t in cansas no more, this isn't a library....so...if we're in your dream and this ain't where your dream is supposed to start thennnn...". For a moment. Jack thought about this. All his dreams lately had started with that library, and had always cut off early or ended whenever he approached that door. So if there was no library, and this was his dream. Either that meant it was a combo breaking dream or. " We're not at the beginning....we're near the end already". Ceila winked and gunned him. " Bingo....unfortunately, all your dreams ended in the library, so we're going to have to find our way back there....do you have any idea how you managed to get to this place to begin with?". Jack shook his head. " I fell asleep...felt like I was floating...dizzy, then I woke up in this alley...went into a house, guards started chasing me...dogs...dreamer...". Ceila stroked her chin. And a creeping worry over came Jack that seemed to drain the colour from his face. If he had been dreaming for longer than he could remember. Did that mean that the sloth demon had been feeding on him for longer than he had imagined? Ceila seemed to spot this worry in him. " Don't worry about it Jackie, if you were dead I wouldn't have bothered coming, I would have just killed Fear and Sloth and tossed your body in the lava!". Fear and Sloth?, so. Ceila knew what was going on. She knew who was behind this. That and, indicated that two of the clans were now working together to bring down well...him. Still how was he going to get through this dream and back to the library? Was he going to have to retrace his steps back to the alleyway? The criminal always returns to the scene of the crime they say, so there would more than likely be a horde of guards just waiting there to pounce on him.

She shook her head, Ceila that is as if she already knew what he was thinking. " Just follow me dummy, I already told you that the library wasn't a place meant for your kind anyways....if we move into my dream, then we can get to the library and wake ourselves up". It made enough sense for him to agree to it. Which as saying something considering that the entire thing was down to a damned madness demon. That was probably the one fault with the plan. That he was relying on someone who was self admittedly. Stark raving bonkers. But, she was smart. If nothing else. She was intelligent. So for now he would trust in her ability to think out of this. " Lead on then Ceila, you'd probably know the way to your own dreams far better than I". She smirked at that comment, " Oh, so you want to be at my back eh? Very naughty Jackie boy". Shaking his head, Jack just moved with Ceila. Following her to what was either salvation. Or oblivion.

EXP:1167
PWC: 1124

"Jack and Jun were on the run.
Escaping the hounds seeking slaughter
Jill was done, and Jun won't run.
And Jack must find his daughter".

Just what was the library, that was a question that Jack had asked Ceila the moment they started on this little venture. He personally wanted to get out of this place as quickly as he possibly could. He'd suggested they ran their way there, but Ceila wouldn't insisted that it was unlady like. But then she wasn't the one currently being fed on by a demon of sloth. This was just a midsummer nights stroll for her. She could afford to take her time. It was his thinking that in the view of things the least she could do was impart some of her knowledge concerning issues that effected Jack directly. The answer to that had been little more than a bob on the nose, much like he had gotten when she had first revealed herself to be alive. However. Jack was if nothing. Persistent. And eventually, whether it was through her own choice or just sheer annoyance at Jack's persistence. She eventually cracked and began to spill the beans.

" Well you know how they say that knowledge is power?....well, that library is kind of like the fount of knowledge, cept...when you try to read the books there, you can't...you'll read one word and forget it the moment you do...only pages you can read are the ones that have any personal significance to yourself". Jack raised an eyebrow. Why was such a place only accessible to madness demons? " So...why only your clan then?". She rubbed her chin. " Not sure. Maybe its the fact they say power drives ya crazy, or maybe its just something to do with the madness of the place itself". She shrugged. " And I know what your gonna ask me Jack, and the answer is, honestly. I don't know why you can see this place in your dreams too...I know you don't see it the same way we do.. but regardless of how you see it you shouldn't see it at all". Jack looked ahead, staring blankly. " I thought it might have been something you did, a curse of madness or something". Ceila shook her head. " Nope, nothing like that, that and threes your connection to the door....everyone can see that door....but the only time I've ever seen it react was with you....which means....you are connected to the library just as much as...if not more than...any of us madness demons......which is really odd you being a big serious pride demon and all". Regardless of how she put it across, she was right. He was a demon of pride and this library place wasn't for him. And yet, there was the thoughts of that door. The door that scared him. The flickering lights. The dripping pipes and the window that showed nothing but darkness. But there was something behind it. Someone. Behind it. Watching him. The first time he'd touched the door. It'd grabbed him and pulled him into the darkness. Perhaps that was connected with his sudden rise in power. Mid thought about this, he tripped over something, falling down to the ground face first into a puddle of mud. At least. He thought it was mud. Ceila was at first laughing, and then Wiseman turned. Face coated in hot. Wet blood, and entrails. Jack looked around to see just what he had tripped over in the first place. As it turned out. It was a foot. " Huh...would you look at that". He picked it up, a half chewed leg of man. Ceila looked over near her in some bushes, and emerged with the dismembered head of a man with purple eyes. " Hey". Said Ceila. " Its that fear demon sloth was with". Jack was met with a mix of elation, and well. Expectancy. They were demons. Naturally they would screw one another over. And it was only justice that this one got his come upance. But there was a third feeling. Suspicion. Just what had killed this demon of fear? The entrails were still warm. So that meant that it hadn't been killed all that long ago. And that meant whatever had killed it was still in the area. He looked now at Ceila with some sense of....awe....horror? As the girl seemed to be playing catch with herself. Throwing the head up and down in her hands and laughing merrily . " Ceila". He said sharply. " Quit it". The demon of madness looked at his with disapproving eyes. " Oh fine". With that, she dropped the head....albeit on a rock. Which cracked the skull like an egg, spilling out the insides. "....Honestly...". She smiled. " Totally an accident". Jack couldn't really keep an eye on her mischief, after all he had to watch out for whatever had killed the god damned fear demon. Ceila was fine in this world. She wasn't trapped. She was only here because she willed it. Jack however was stuck, a prisoner in his own mind. And if he died here. He was dead in real life. Or worse. A dreamer. Jack Wiseman had good ears, a trait of the higher level Oni, and in the distance he could hear the sounds of men and hounds moving in on this area. More dogs, he rubbed the area where the dreamer hound had bit him the last time. Not fun. Not fun at all. And he wasn't exactly planning on another fun encounter with their jaws. He had things to do. People to find, people to kill.

EXP:1019

Thanks to Ceila refusing to run despite the hounds almost literally nipping at their heels. Those hunting them caught up. At which point Jack literally lifted Ceila up on hi9s shoulder in a fireman’s carry, and began to full pelt run. A hound jumped towards his back, and he knew this was it. Just as it was about to touch him..Zip. Blinking lights. Leaking pipes. He was in that corridor. He felt something at his back. But it wasn't the hound. Ceila spoke slowly. Softly. And for the first time. Seriously. " Walk forward Jack....and don't...look...behind you". For the first time in a long time. Jack felt a cold chill run up his spine. Ceila was frozen still. As if she didn't want to move. As if there was something behind them that might attack if she did. "...Just...keep going Jack...".. One step at a time, and then...he heard laughter from behind him. A maniacal laughter. Echoing out through the halls. it caused the blood to freeze in his veins, he didn't know why it scared him so. Ceila just kept whispering. " Block it out Jack...keep going". One step, it took all his will power to do it. One step at a time. Then from behind. A voice that sounded eerily like his own spoke. " See you again soon...Jack..". The laughter once more....keeping his wits about him. Another step, and then...the sound of a door slamming shut. Ceila let out a sigh of relief. Jack turned, and let her down. They had walked out of that door. Out of that corridor. Wherever that place had been. It was beyond that. But what had that voice been, just why had Ceila been so scared that she would be serious? He looked down at the girl into her golden eyes, her face was still pale, more so now than usual. " Ceila". She put her hand up and shook her head. " Don't ask me that Jack, anything but that". Jack grunted, raised his hands and grasped her by the shoulders. " Ceila, what was it that was behind us...why couldn't I look back?". It caught her mid breath, she hesitated to answer. " It was hunger. It was something you'd best leave forgotten Jack. No matter what you do....Do not...go near this door again....the things that are beyond it are not something that you want to know about. Trust me". A serious madness demon. Seize the day. He wouldn't argue with her. Not for the moment anyways. He knew they didn't have much time to lose. He would find out what that thing was eventually. " Ok so now I'm here how do I wake up?". Ceila bit her lip. And then.

Punched him in the nuts.

Back in the seat of Pride Jack jolted up, for now ignoring the fatigue in his body, the pain in his nuts. And drawing his sword from the cane in one single motion. Stabbing forward, and impaling the Sloth demon through the heart. It stepped backwards, the swords steel sliding out easily. Blood began to gargle into its mouth. Dripping down the white hair, white eyed demon and onto the floor. Down to its knees. Jack whipped the blade back and then hacked downwards. Lacking the patience and energy required for finesse. It didn't cut in the one. Or kill. So a second chop was required to send the head sprawling across the floor. He took a deep breath. It was odd now being back. His body felt as if he'd been running some kind of Olympic marathon. Obviously the effects of the sloth demon were more annoying than he thought. Then again throughout some parts of that little curse he had thought that he wasn't going to be making it at all. It was an odd sensation now. Standing here looking down at that bloody corpse in triumph. And the only thing he could think of at the moment was just where Ceila was hiding whilst she was asleep. He looked around. Nothing. He was tired and yet, he didn't want to go to sleep. Not out of paranoia but out of the fact he thought he'd been asleep for long enough. A good meal and adrenaline rush would sort him out soon enough. Slowly sheathing his sword back into the cane he walked out of the corridor.

Up in the rafters of the seat of pride meanwhile was Ceila. The madness demon had entered through the crack in the roof and had watched the whole song and dance before entering the dream realm to help her partner in crime. Or rather who she hoped would become her partner in crime. She was still sleeping within the dream of the library. What she had seen when they had returned had chilled her spine. She didn't want Jack to look back. But then. She'd be forcing him to do that eventually. She had no idea that this would happen.

What she'd seen was a mirror image of Jack himself. A Jack with yellow eyes. A Jack with a madness demons perpetual grin. This Jack was different from the one who had been carrying her. There was an intense look in his eyes. Not the evil of pride nor the happy confusion of madness. But something in between. In those eyes there had been passion. Love. And hatred. This Pride demon, was far more than he appeared to be. There was something in his past locked away. Something that was behind that door. A door that had been scarred and sealed by the dawn. She moved down that corridor herself. Her breath catching again. The closer she got the more afraid she became. She laid out a stretched hand upon the wooden surface of the door. And almost in response. Four knocks.

Rat. Tat Tat Tat.

Exp: 1052
PWC: 1023