In the palace.

Ray marched to the kitchens where Bella and some servants conducted their afternoon duties. On getting there, he spotted Kai already talking to Bella. The other servants ran out in fear.

"Where is she?!" The shark beastman questioned, his voice terrifyingly cold.

Bella huddled in a corner, tears brimming in her eyes as she tried to make herself as small as possible while Kai towered over her.

"She...t-the expedition! That’s...that’s where..."

"And you thought it was a good idea?! With the general half mad and bent on hurting her?!"

"I tried to stop her but—"

Kai grabbed Bella by her collar and yanked her close. "Where is the expedition?"

Ray rushed forward and grabbed Kai’s arm. "Let her go, you’re scaring her."

Bella shivered, biting back tears and silently praying they’d leave her alone.

Kai turned to Ray, his blue eyes dark with anger and something else. With a loud sigh, he let go of Bella. She wasted no time running out of the kitchen.

"We need to find the Princess first," Ray said.

Kai scanned him from top to bottom. "Since when did you care about her?"

"I could ask the same, but we don’t have time to sit around. Come with me, I can track her."

For once, Kai did not have a cheerful look on his face. Even his voice was stern as he said; "you better find her fast. If anything happens to her—"

"I know." Ray cut in, his jaw tight. He turned and hurried out of the kitchen, Kai following behind him.

He could only pray that nothing had happened yet. With the state Leon was in, anything could go wrong.

I can’t let that happen, Ray thought, not until I get to know my new flower better.

***

Anna ran and ran, not stopping to glance behind her, not stopping to catch her breath or even see where she was going. Her heart beat out of her chest like it wanted to jump out and run away. The sun shining through the clouds blinded her, and her head throbbed in rhythm with her heart.

He’s mad! He’s mad! Oh my God he’s clinically insane! Why did I come here? I should have stayed in my room. Fuck fuck fuck!

Anna screamed as her foot snagged on a buried tree branch. Her body came tumbling down, toppling over the ground and rolling all the way down a steep cliff. Her scream cut off as her body banged against branches and rough bushes of foliage. She was barely able to shield her head with both hands.

After a few seconds, her body stilled at the base of the cliff.

She laid there, her entire body aching, her heart racing, and the back of her eyes burning with frustrated tears.

"Fuck..." she hissed, forcing herself to sit up and look around.

Her surroundings was a clearing in the forest. Not a sound to be heard, not even birds. She clutched the detector to her chest. The screen broken but still functional, and it had finally stopped beeping.

She exhaled a breath of relief, her shoulders relaxing for all of two seconds before the beeping went off again.

Deafeningly.

"No..." she gasped, her eyes widening as she turned.

A Mirror stalked up to her.

It stopped six feet away, silent and cold, watching her with expressionless features.

Another emerged from the bushes.

Till seven Mirrors surrounded her in a circle.

"No no no!"

Anna recalled what Tristan had said, and she wondered if these were the same Mirrors that took their dead friend.

The frustrated tears shot to the front of her eyes and she bit her lip till she tasted copper.

"What will you do now?" A soft, mocking voice purred from above Anna.

She looked up to see AI Orchid floating in the air unbothered.

Anna’s fists clenched. "You! You have some fucking nerve huh?! I always knew you were an evil woman but from your memories?! You’re a demon! You’re Satan himself!"

AI Orchid yawned. "Host, you really should worry less about my evil and more about your current predicament." She waved at the mirrors. "What will you do now? You’re defenseless, even if a weapon fell from the heavens, you wouldn’t know how to use it."

Anna chucked the detector at AI Orchid, even though she knew it’d fly right through her.

To Anna’s greatest surprise, the detector hit her squarely in the face.

"Ouch!" AI Orchid hissed as she rubbed the red spot on her face. "You little bitch!"

Anna didn’t have time to ponder on why it was able to hit her because one of the mirrors took a step forward.

A small step. But that wasn’t what made Anna scream and fall back.

The body of the Mirror rippled and made a gurgling sound like a faulty tap, before shifting forms.

Anna came face to face with her face.

Not Princess Orchid’s face. Anna Carson’s face.

With her dry and poorly kept brown hair, her plain dark eyes, and the three moles on the left side of her chin.

Anna couldn’t believe her eyes. Even more because she was slowly forgetting what her real face looked like.

The other Mirrors shifted, and soon Anna was surrounded by seven copies of her real self.

"What will you do, Anna Carson?" AI Orchid asked. "You’re awfully far from the soldiers. Even if you scream now, no one will hear you. The Mirrors will keep you here till you die of exhaustion, or hunger, or if you’re lucky A Dream Weaver will come along and end your suffering. What will you do?"

Anna shook her head, an expression of frozen horror on her face. "No...no way..."

The Mirror in front of her smiled. It looked like her smile, but it was crooked and wrong. Then her face shifted and became that of Princess Orchid. Only to shift back to Anna Carson’s face.

And again. And again.

Anna Carson.

Anna DeMarchess

Then back to Anna Carson.

"What will you do?" AI Orchid continued to ask, her voice getting deeper and more distorted.

Anna pulled her knees up to her chest, grabbed her legs while her body rocked back and forth.

"Stop..." she whispered, unable to tear her eyes away from the Mirror constantly changing faces. "Please....help...anyone..."

AI Orchid laughed like she was having the time of her life. "Louder! I can’t even hear you, bitch!"

"Help..." Anna said, a bit louder. "Help...somebody please...help me! Help me!" Her voice rose and rose with each sentence she spoke.

"HeLp...hElP MEEEEEE"

The Mirrors began to cackle, echoing her words in a disjointed voice that was neither hers nor Princess Orchid’s.

Anna screamed. And they copied it. The forest that was silent seconds ago became a cacophony of horrifying screams and laughter.

She got to her feet and tried to run.

They copied her movements, cruel smiles reflected on their faces.

"Help me!" They screamed in her face. "Somebody!"

"Come on Anna! What are you going to do huh?! You’re just gonna sit there and cry like a fucking baby?!"

"Shut up!" Anna shrieked, covering her ears with her hands. "Shit up. Shut up. Shut up! I hate you! I wish you’d die all over again! Burn in hell! Die!"

"Ehhh that’s better, but you’re still fucked at the end of the day. And I’m dead already, bitch!"

Hot tears streamed down Anna’s face.

She couldn’t stop them. She couldn’t stop the panicked beating of her heart, nor the quickening of her breaths.

Her chest constricted, like a steel hand clamped around her lungs and squeezed hard.

The corners of her vision blurred. Her breaths came out in quick, short wheezes that left her gasping for air.

She couldn’t remember the last time she’d had a panic attack, but she knew the signs by heart.

Her throat clogged up and speaking became difficult. Yet she tried, even a whisper...

"Help me..."

Suddenly, the forest went silent. All the sounds sucked out in a flash.

Anna blinked, looking around her with wide teary eyes. The Mirrors were still surrounding her. But at the top of the cliff was someone.

Anna recognized his torn and blood soaked regalia. Thankfully, he was still in his human form.

She had never been so happy to see Leon’s face.

A smile broke out on her face and she turned to him. "Leon! You came!"

AI Orchid began to laugh.

Leon’s mane and face glitched, subtle sparks floating around his head. His corruption had flared, but he was keeping it under control.

"Anna," he called, his voice calm yet carrying over the distance.

Anna rose to her feet and so did the Mirrors. She ignored them, all her attention on Leon.

"I need your help!" She called out.

AI Orchid’s laughter got louder. More unhinged.

Leon’s hand went to his sword hilt.

Hope swelled inside Anna.

The tightening of her chest lessened.

Leon didn’t move.

He didn’t pull out his sword, or rush to slay the Mirrors.

He just stood there, fiery amber eyes watching her, a smile half frozen on his face.

"Leon?" Anna whispered.

Something shifted in his eyes.

He took a step back. Then another. And another.

Anna’s heart plummeted to her stomach.

No...no...that...he wouldn’t actually...

"General!" A voice called out. Anna looked around but couldn’t spot the owner. "Is entering okay over there?!"

"Leon!" Anna yelled, hoping her voice would reach him somehow.

Leon tilted his head back and called out "all clear! Head back to the cars, I’ll be right behind you!"

AI Orchid laughed even harder. "You poor, sweet human. Did you forget?"

Anna’s hands dropped to her sides. The air around her changed. The temperature dropped rapidly, causing wisps of vapor to form around her.

The Mirrors stepped back.

AI Orchid moved closer. She stood behind Anna and lightly traced the markings on her arm. Markings that were turning dark purple.

"Leon killed me." AI Orchid whispered in her ears. "You think he’ll save you? Then you’re even more stupid than I gave you credit for."

Anna knew.

She knew that Leon hated Princess Orchid.

She knew he was the one that killed the Princess.

She knew he’d tried to kill her three times since she stepped into this world.

Anna knew all of this.

But in that moment, seeing Leon watching her, hunger and dark amusement in his eyes, it slammed into her like a truck full of bricks.

He wants me dead.

I can die in this world.

I’m going to die in this world.

The thread inside her head, the same one that had begun to blur with each memory of Princess Orchid she got, snapped.

And with it, the marks on her arms and neck turned a light devouring black.

She let out an ear shattering scream.

Spores bloomed from her. Thick, heavy, black, with a metallic scent. They blotted out the sun in seconds, plunging the forest into pitch darkness.

The Mirrors gave a terrifying roar then there was silence.

Black orchids sprouted from the ground, releasing more black spores, much so that it was impossible to see.

From the cliff top, Leon watched the spores spread far and wide, thinning out the father they got. A gust hit his face. It felt like inhaling a million microscopic needles. He doubled over, coughing up blood, his skin stinging and tearing as the spores ripped through him.

In the distance he heard screaming.

His body healed fast enough to repair the injuries, but he doubted others would have the same healing speed.

Black spores.

He’d never seen them before. The most he had seen were her red spores.

Deep down Leon was annoyed. What was her problem? There was a settlement not far from here, and she went ahead and acted up. What was she doing far from the troops in the first place? What an annoying—

His thoughts screeched to a halt.

Down the cliff, where she was, the spores began to thin out. The sun shone through again, illuminating the scene in front of him.

"Impossible," he marveled, his eyes widening.

At the foot of the cliff, the Mirrors were gone. In their places were piles of black ash. And in the middle of that piles was the Princess. Naked, unconscious, surrounded by black orchids, but unharmed.

Leon pulled his sword out and marched down.