Brave Story - Miyuki Miyabe [341]
They became nothing but streaks of light, time stopped, and they shot across the sky.
This time they fell farther. Wataru lost all sense of direction. Eventually the two landed on the ground in a tangle.
He must’ve been knocked unconscious for two or three seconds. When he came to, Wataru was lying face down on a smooth floor. The blue translucence of the floor reminded him of Dela Rubesi. That icy blue…just like the frozen capital.
Wataru gasped and thrust out his arms, jerking upright.
He was in a vast hall. Round pillars stood in a ring, and upon each of the pillars was carved a figure wearing robes, a heavy crown upon his head. Past emperors? And then he saw Mitsuru.
He was standing alone in the middle of the large hall.
The floor, the pillars, the carved emperors, the high ceiling, everything reflected him standing there in his black robes. The entire hall was a mirror.
Kutz put her hand on Wataru’s shoulder, leaning on him once before straightening herself.
Both of them found their gazes drawn inexorably toward Mitsuru. Then their eyes followed his, looking up to one side.
There it was: The Mirror of Eternal Shadow.
It was set between two pillars at the northernmost end of the chamber. It stood as high as Wataru, a perfect circle, tilted slightly upward. And in that mirror, positioned facing slightly upward, was…
Dark.
Impenetrable shadow filled the mirror right to its silvery rim. The darkness seethed, soundlessly surging against its confines.
Mitsuru took one smooth step forward. Then Wataru noticed something: a small star pattern at the mirror’s base. Inside the pattern, set at its very center, was a crown. A single gemstone could easily be seen.
The Crown of the Seal, and the Mirror of Eternal Shadow.
The Gem of Darkness, too, was filled with the same burning jet blackness that roiled in the mirror.
Mitsuru lowered his eyes, still looking at the Crown of the Seal. He took another, larger step forward, revealing someone sitting on the floor behind him.
It was a girl. She was wearing an elegant white dress, her hair carefully bound. She sat with someone’s head resting upon her lap—a man.
This, it occurred to Wataru, was probably the emperor himself, Gama Agrilius VII. He wore a richly embroidered robe, though it was tattered and ripped in several places.
Tears streaked the girl’s face and her dress was soaked with blood. Wataru couldn’t tell whether the blood belonged to her or to the emperor.
“L-Lord Mitsuru.” The girl called out to Mitsuru in a trembling voice. He didn’t even blink. His eyes were fixed on the crown and the mirror.
The girl’s face seemed somehow familiar. Wataru thought hard. He had seen someone just like her before. Who was it?
“Don’t know when to quit, do you?” Mitsuru said. He was still facing the mirror, but his voice was projected directly at Wataru. “Welcome. This is the mirror.”
In response to Mitsuru’s words, the darkness rippled around the edge of the mirror like water. “And this is my last gemstone, the Gem of Darkness.” Mitsuru knelt slowly, one knee on the ground, reaching out toward the crown.
“Please, do not do this. Please!” the girl in the white dress said, sobbing. “Do not remove the seal on the mirror! I beg you!” Her deperate plea totally exhausted her and her body crumpled like a wad of newspaper. The emperor’s head slipped off her lap with an awkward thud. She may as well have dropped a sack of potatoes. The emperor was dead.
Before Wataru could even think to do anything, Kutz’s whip lashed out across the room. One spiked boot heel kicked against the floor, and her shoulders went back as she leaped.
Without even looking, Mitsuru thrust his sorcerer’s staff casually in Kutz’s direction. That slight gesture was enough to smack her back through the air like a ball, sending her flying over Wataru’s head.
“Best not to waste your time.”
From across the room, Kutz moaned softly. Wataru readied his Brave’s Sword and fired a magebullet. Mitsuru swung his staff again. The bullets transformed into fireworks in midair, spraying sparks on