The Espelhar

[Anna Leigh Williams]

476 A.D. / Ancient Rome - 'It was a dark, stormy night. Rain pounded on the hut, and it was cold. In the center, sat a Roman woman. She had long brown hair, that was messy. Her skin was dirty, and her nails dark. She had what looked like an old home made dress that was once a cream color, with a brown leather corset that also seemed homemade. She was was barefoot. Surrounding her were tools. Directly in front of her was the skull of an animal, a mirror behind her, three pelts to her left, and a chalice of blood to her right. In the corner were two bodies. One a woman, who looked like her but older. The other was a man, who had yellow eyes and strange markings on his body. The two had their throats slit. Outside, clanking of swords could be heard. Men were screaming, fighting, dying. The woman took the chalice, and poured it over the skull. 

"Iam meditatio ego sum servus tuus. Veni in aethere accipimus. Huic bello faceret." She whispered, as she poured the blood over the skull. She then set the chalice down, and picked up the skull. She placed it on her head, wrapping leather strings around it, to fasten it. She took a deep breath, as the storm got worse. "Nomen mihi est Drusilla deierauit. Me servum tuum humilem. Carpe corpore." She hissed into the mirror. She looked forwards, at the puddle forming by the door. She smiled, as she saw a hand coming up. She closed her eyes, tilting her head up. She took another deep breath, and then picked up the chalice once more. The drank the mixed blood of the holy and the damned. 

"Agh!" She yelled out, as the mirror to her left shattered. Her eyes opened to see a dark figure, with wings made of the very shattered glass that was once in her mirror. She let the blood drip down her chin, as she stood to her feet. "Facite." The wind blew the door open as the darkness surrounded her. A scream could be heard from the hut, even with the surrounding chaos. The door swing open, and the woman emerged. She smiled, as she walked into the battlefield....'

1498 / Brazil - "Que Deus esteja comigo." A woman said as she wandered through the wood. She donned beautiful jewels, a purple cloak, with leather sandals the peeked underneath. There was a fire off to the distance. She could hear the vague shouting of one of the priests. "A princesa Jacinta deve ser sacrificada pela colheita!" Fear struck her heart, as she heard her people shout out her sacrifice. She halted, seeing a woman standing off in the distance. "Olá?" She called out. The woman only smiled. She stood still, tears forming in her eyes. She pleaded to god, praying to have mercy upon her soul. She cried as she walked to the woman. Jacinta closed her eyes, wiping her tears away. This was her duty to her people. 

She took a deep breath, and opened her eyes. The woman was gone! Jacinta looked around. She turned around, and jolted to see the Anhanguera before her. She screamed, falling to the ground. She scooted back, as the creature walked towards her. The Wind howled, as the trees rustled. Jacinta felt her heart stop. As she gripped her chest, she fell back. She cried out, as she breathed her last breath. 

Lightning struck. The people cheered. The gods were pleased. Off in the distance, the Roman woman once called Drusilla disappeared back into the wood...

1632 / China - "Wǒmen bìxū xiànhài zhège èmó!" Men and woman surrounded a large eight sided mirror. Around them was multiple images of different peoples, with different races and genders. An old man stood on a pedestal, looking at the mirror. "Wǒ qūzhú nǐ de jìngzi xié'è de shēngwù!" He shouted out. He wielded a staff, and rose it above his head. Wind blew through the building, putting out the candle, as the illusions rose in the air, and darkness envelope the mirror. All was silent. They had thought they won. They were fools. The group left the old man there, as he relit the candles. "Nǐ yǐjīng chénggōngle léi lóng. Gōngxǐ!" He grinned, watching as his grandchild ran off. He thought of his old age, praying that his loved ones would get home safely without the Portuguese invaders attacking them. He stroked his long white beard, meditating on his prayers.

The wind returned when all was gone. He spun around. In front of him was a beautiful woman, who appeared to look like the invaders. She laughed. It was sinister. Lightning struck, and her image changed. The woman now looked savage, donning bones and ratty hair. He staggered back, as she laughed and laughed. Soon, Portuguese soldiers stormed in the temple. They stomped, trampled, and beat the old man to death as they ravaged the temple for goods. 

The woman looked on, smiling, showing her brown, rotted teeth. Lightning struck once more, and the temple was as it was. Lei Long laid on the ground dead. The woman looked in the mirror. She smiled, before walking out; Into the wood. 

1990 / Brazil - "O espelho da madeira! Não vá lá!" A local said to two Italians. A woman and a man, The woman smiled, "Ci prenderemo cura del demone. Siedi stretto." She said. The man turned to her, "Giorgia, sei sicuro di potercela fare?" He asked, to which she simply nodded. The two walked into the wood, where Giorgia held a staff tightly in her hand. The man held a staff that looked similarly to it. The wind blew, and Giorgia stopped the man. "Stai in guardia Orazio." She said, holding her hand up. She spotted a woman, standing across from them. "How.... Interesting...." She hissed. She walked towards them. "I've heard of demon killers.... But have never met one...." She grinned, while Giorgia's eyes shined bright. Her hands glowed with blue light. 

The creature laughed, as Giorgia sent her holy energy towards the demon, but she was shocked to see the light deflect off of it. She turned to Orazio, and the two nodded. Giorgia felt that a strong enough blast could not be deflected. The two began conjuring light, speaking in an odd language. The demon grinned, showing it's rotted teeth at the exorcists. With certainty this blast would not be deflected, they sent the powerful, burning light to the demon. 

It put it's hands up, the light immediately halting. The demon could feel it's skin burn, as the light glided across it. It then turned around, as if this creature was a mirror. The light slammed into Giorgia's chest. She screamed loudly, as she flew into the air. Her screams could be heard across the forest, as many other Archers came charging in. The light expanded in the air, and the trees moved with it. When the smoke cleared, the Archers were all dead, severely burned. The trees smoked, and Giorgia's body... it was gone. The demon looked around, as it walked to where the staffs were. "It is missing a piece...." It said, as it slowly backed away, back into the wood...

Two days later

"Dov'è Giorgia!?" Claudio screamed out, sending arrows of Light at the demon. It deflected them with ease, but there was something right with it's hands and face. It looked... shattered, like glass. "Taken by the light of Sirius! You are fools to think you can destroy me!" It sneered, looking exactly like Claudio's master. "She burned... Her body is gone...!" It laughed. Claudio sent another powerful arrow to it, but it deflected the light, and it struck Claudio in the shoulder. He fell to the ground. Salvi picked up the two staffs, and held them. He knew one could magnify light energy, and the other could magnify dark. He dropped the staff of darkness, keeping the staff of light. 

"Alla luce di Sirio, ti distruggerò!" Salvi shouted, holding the staff above his head. He mustered up a powerful attack, sending it straight to the demon that called itself The Espelhar. "Salvi, NO!" Claudio shouted out, and tried to stop his lover. It was in vain. The Espelhar deflected the attack, and Salvi was sent into the air; Just like Giorgia. He screamed, as he rose, light emitting from his body. Claudio looked above in horror, as he watched Salvi be taken by the light of Sirius. "SALVI!!!!!!!!!!!!" He shouted, before being blasted away by the expanding light. 

Claudio came to. He could smell burned flesh, and looked at his arm. He winced, all he could hear was ringing. The forest he was in was practically destroyed. The demon laughed as it walked to him. "You are a fool...." He turned to it, it looked different... The female appearance had changed. Claudio struggled to get to his feet, but managed. He looked at it through blurred vision, but could see the skull used as a headdress. 

Claudio cried, as he formed a ball of light in his hands. His teeth grit, he could feel nothing but pain. His pains creamed at him, as he used the light to break the walls to the other side down, creating a hole in the world. The demon's eyes widened, it was scared. The hole caused a vacuum, as he held onto a burned tree. The demon was being pulled in. "THIS ISN'T OVER!!!!!!!" It screamed. It's body was being pulled into the void, like glass falling from it's frame. "YOU WILL SEE ME AGAIN!!!!" It screamed as the original host's body completely shattered, and all that was left was a cloaked figure. Claudio looked on as it flied into the void. He saw the face of his beloved Salvi. It was almost as if the demon placed a seed of fear in one last victim...

2013 / Japan -  A loud scream could be heard off in the distance. A creature was holding a person by the throat. It had green skin, and long flowing red hair. It looked Ancient... The creature threw the body down after absorbing his Ki. It then left the scene, as a hole formed where he took the life. A hand gripped the ground, and pulled itself through, as the hole closed. It then floated up, looking around. It was not in corporeal form. As it walked through the forest, the leaves went unmoved. There was no sound. It was silent. It put it's hand up, and it could barely feel the tree. The demon disappeared, off to feed on someone's fear...

2016 - "Sylvia, arrête! Ce n'est pas drôle!" Marilyn said, walking with her sister. Sylvia joked about her sister's boyfriend and his male anatomy. She flipped her dark hair, "C'est hilarant, Mari ..." Sylvia's elder sister shook her head, laughing a little. Marilyn was then bumped by a woman. Sylvia turned around, "Tu devrais apprendre quelques manières!" Sylvia shouted. She then stopped, as the figure stopped walking. The two found themselves in a dark alley. Sylvia turned to see her sister laying on the ground. "Mari!?" She went down, shaking her sister. She looked up, and screamed when she saw her mother's face. "Tu es mort!" She pulled her sister's body with her as she tried to back away from the image of her dead mother. 

"Mari! Réveillez-vous!" She cried, back away. Darkness surrounded her, as her heart pounded. Through the darkness, a different woman grabbed her throat. Sylvia screamed. The woman looked rotted, her hair was matted with dirt and blood. Sylvia saw so many images flying around her. Eventually the image of the woman shattered, and before her was a face she could not describe. She screamed, as her heart stopped. She gripped her chest, falling back. 

...

Sylvia's eyes flew open, as she coughed. She looked around, "Mari!?" There was a man over her. "Do you speak English..?" He asked her. She nodded, sitting up. Her head was pounding. She then saw her sister, laying on the ground, dead. "My sister!" She cried out. "She's dead!" She said to the man. He frowned, pulling his long hair out of his face. "Come with me... I can explain what happened to you and your sister." He said. She wiped her eyes, nodding. She took his hand. She had trouble standing up, as the man walked with her. He turned around, seeing the image of the Roman woman. It smiled at him, before disappearing. 

2019 - "Oh... Hey...! Jacinta, right...?" Sorin asked. It nodded. "I don't think I ever got your name...?" It asked, knowingly exactly who this boy was. "Sorin!" He said, smiling. "Um.. This is my brother Daniel, and my cousin Steve.." Daniel waved, smiling. The demon looked at him, "He looks like his father..." It said, smiling. Sorin nodded, "He does... More than me, for sure." He said. He then thought to himself. He never talked with her about his father. "Do you know him..?" He asked her. Sorin was oblivious to the demon's true nature. He believed it was a regular woman. "Antonio? Not directly. Maybe you could help me. I'm here to speak with your father about a man he was friends with a long time ago..." It said. "So, my running into you at the club wasn't... an accident?" He asked. It shook it's head, annoyed at playing human. "No, I was looking for you specifically..." It said. "Forgive my deception..." Sorin shook his head, "It's cool. A friend you said..? Who was this guy?" He asked.  

It smiled a little, crossing her It's. "His name is Claudio Serafino." , "Claudio..? Never heard the name.." Sorin said. The image of Jacinta nodded. "I wouldn't have expected you to." She started. Antonio was fool for not raising his son in the Ways of the Exorcists. "Claudio is a terrible man. He ejected me from my home..." Sorin frowned. "That's awful..." He said. She looked into his eyes. "It's in the past, but I need to see him again. He will be able to give me back what he took from me." She said. 

Sorin nodded. "I'll ask him about it." He said. The two talked a little more, before the demon really began to notice Daniel. His energy.... The same energy Drusilla had when she summoned the demon. As it walked away from the group, it grinned a terrible grin. It turned around, to see Daniel looking at it, in the image of Drusilla. It laughed, and disappeared when Daniel looked away. 

The demon would take Daniel Wolfe as it's new host.

-God be with anyone who dares to stand in the way of such an unholy creature-