The workers moved efficiently in their crisp brown and white shirts, the fabric fitting them perfectly as they went about their tasks, unaware of the tension thickening the air around the mansion.
Eli stood in the hall way for a whole day and never left the place until evening even when the the workers tried to pass through it it never let them pass Valo was still in her bedroom not knowing that Eli didn't leave the house she was still fiting her designs and forgot lunch
The night was too quiet.
Even the wind outside the mansion seemed to hold its breath.
Valo's pulse thundered as she sprinted from the bedroom, her bare feet slapping against cold marble. The air itself felt wrong heavy, thick, watching.
At the end of the hall, Eli stood before the mirror.
Still.
Sweating.
His eyes wide and unfocused as if something inside the glass was staring back at him.
She didn't call his name.
She didn't even try to touch him.
Instead, Valo's fist flew forward.
The mirror shattered like it screamed.
Glass exploded outward, slicing the air her knuckles split open, blood streaking her wrist and spattering across her nightdress, turning its pink flowers into crimson blooms.
Eli flinched, his voice hoarse.
"Valo!"
But she was already lifting her hand again, her breath ragged, her pupils blown wide like she wasn't fully there.
Her face somewhere between fury and terror.
He lunged, catching her arm mid-swing.
"Stop! You'll hurt yourself!"
Her hand trembled violently in his grip.
Her reflection still moved even though she'd stopped.
Then something inside her broke.
The wildness in her gaze flickered out, replaced by a fragile confusion. The fierce woman before him melted into a trembling shadow.
"Valo," Eli whispered, voice cracking.
Tears spilled from her eyes as she cupped his face with her bloody hand.
"Eli…" she breathed, barely holding her voice together.
Then she collapsed against his chest shaking, breath hitching, fingers clinging to him like she'd fall into nothing if she let go.
He said nothing.
Just wrapped his arms around her, jaw tight with a fear he couldn't explain.
Then he noticed the shards small slivers slicing into her bare feet, her blood marking the marble like dying petals.
"Valo damn it," he murmured, voice low and shaken.
He lifted her into his arms, carrying her back to the bed. Her breath came in shallow sobs, muffled against his shirt.
He cleaned her wounds gently, his hands trembling as he wiped away the blood. His eyes softened each time she winced. When he finished, he didn't let go he just held her, his thumb tracing slow circles on her arm.
"Don't look into unknown mirrors, Eli," she whispered suddenly.
Her tone was soft, but there was steel behind it. Her eyes glistened in the dim light, reflecting something older than fear.
"Eli… don't ever scare me like that again," she said, her lips trembling. "I felt like I was drowning."
He frowned, confusion furrowing his brow.
"Drowning?"
She didn't answer.
Only silence.
Only her trembling breath against his chest.
He kissed her forehead, whispering,
"I won't. I won't stare at anything… except you."
For a moment, peace.
Then Valo opened her hand.
Blood pooled in her palm. Slowly, she dragged her nail across it again. A hiss of pain. Another drop.
She raised her hand and swept it backward through the air.
A spark ignited.
Then a line of golden fire burned through the room.
It spread in silence, crawling up the walls like silk in the wind. Every mirror flickered warped then burst into light.
Reflections screamed soundlessly before dissolving into dust.
When the last flame vanished, only the scent of iron and roses remained.
Outside, the staff rushed to the hall.
But when they arrived nothing. No fire, no shards, no blood.
Just spotless marble floors that gleamed too perfectly.
They stared, frozen, whispering prayers, before quietly dispersing.
Inside, Eli still held Valo in his arms. Her body was limp but calm, her breathing even again. He brushed her hair back, pressing a gentle kiss to her temple.
He thought it was over.
He thought the air had finally stilled.
But behind them, where the largest mirror had once stood, the air shimmered faintly.
A reflection remained half-seen, half-smiling.
Then came a whisper.
Low. Mocking. Too close.
"You think they would hide you… or them?"
Eli's spine stiffened.
He turned sharply nothing there. Only his faint reflection, smiling where he wasn't.
Valo's eyes flickered open at the sound.
She didn't speak. Her gaze drifted toward the empty space where the whisper had come from.
Her lips moved slightly too quiet to be words.
But the air shifted, listening.
And then, softly, she whispered into the dark:
"Not yet. He still remembers warmth."
The silence thickened.
Something unseen stirred, then withdrew.
Eli's warm hand slid around her waist, grounding her. Valo blinked, lowering her eyes. Her expression softened serene again, almost human.
Outside, the wind howled faintly, pressing against the glass.
Inside, the last ember of the mirror's fire dimmed to nothing.
And the night went on pretending nothing happened.
The Next Morning
Sunlight spilled gently through the mansion windows.
Valo stood in the garden, the wind teasing her hair as Eli sat inside, leading a meeting. His calm, confident voice carried through the open doors.
She watched him her husband, her shield, her secret curse.
The sight brought both comfort and dread.
"They should have come by now…" she murmured, her voice breaking.
"We didn't think his safety would become this complicated."
Her breath shook as she whispered,
"They want to take him sooner than we thought."
She forced a smile small, brittle, hollow and turned away. Her tears caught the light like glass as they slipped down her cheeks.
But before she could take another step, two warm hands caught her from behind.
Eli turned her gently, his brow furrowed with worry.
"Hey," he murmured, brushing his lips against her tears, one after another, until her trembling eased.
"Nothing will happen to you," he whispered against her skin. "Not while I'm here."
Valo closed her eyes, trying to believe him. Her fingers clutched his shirt as she pressed her forehead against his chest.
He kissed the crown of her head, his hand resting protectively at her back.
The scent of roses lingered between them soft, human, fleeting.
But behind Eli, through the reflection in the glass garden doors, something dark rippled briefly like a shadow with his smile.
And though neither of them saw it, the faintest whisper curled through the wind once more:
"Eli… we will soon meet.
Soon."