The warm, oppressive air of Hell seemed to wrap around them as Gem and her niece made their way back toward the cathedral, the streets lit by sinner's turf battles and slumped on the sidewalks from unsolicited vending machines. The echoes of distant laughter and murmurs of the damned filled the air, but there was an underlying tension between the two. The break in the Pride Mirror had unsettled both of them, but Gem had been silent about it. The niece, of course, wasn't one to let such things go easily.
"What was that all about?" The niece asked, still trying to process the strange, haunting feeling she'd had when the mirror broke. She glanced at Gem, who was walking a few steps ahead, her expression unreadable. "I mean, what made the mirror crack? It wasn't just the glass. There was something else, something... weird."
Gem didn't answer right away. She kept her eyes focused on the path ahead, her posture stiff. The familiar sounds of Hell—the scrape of claws on stone, the wail of distant lost souls—seemed to fade as she took a deep breath. When she finally spoke, her voice was low, almost strained.
"It was smiling." Her eyes flickered darkly, her irritation barely concealed. "I hate those who smile for pleasure and power."
The words hung heavy in the air, and the niece felt a chill run down her spine. She wanted to ask more, but something in Gem's tone stopped her. There was no room for questioning. It was clear that Gem knew exactly what had happened—and it had unsettled her deeply.
Before either of them could speak further, the niece winced, glancing down at her shoes. She had walked a long way, and it was starting to show. "Ugh, my feet hurt," she groaned, giving Gem a pleading look. "I don't know how you can just walk around in those pointe shoes all the time. You're going to give me blisters from all this walking."
Gem glanced at her niece, then at the path ahead. The streets of Hell stretched endlessly before them, abandoned buildings with denizens housing them for free or gangs using them for nefarious purposes, none of it easy to navigate. But there was no way to avoid it—unless of course, they had a means of alternate transportation such as her.
With a sigh, Gem's patience began to wear thin. "Imps don't have feet," she corrected, "You can't expect me to walk around in these pointe shoes and complain about my feet like you do."
The niece rolled her eyes dramatically. "Oh, don't give me that, Aunty. You're part of a Mirror , and that means you have to have some kind of power to not be hurt after all this walking." She paused, letting out an exaggerated sigh. "Please? Just this once, can't you carry me? I just helped you out."
Gem stopped in her tracks, her expression darkening as she turned to face her niece. There was a flicker of amusement in her eyes, but the irritation was more prominent. "You're lucky I'm in a good mood, kid."
The niece flashed her a smile, but it was all too familiar—a playful, pleading one. "Please? It's the least you can do after breaking the mirror thing."
Gem gave her a long, exasperated look, but after a moment's hesitation, she sighed and dropped her shoulders in defeat. "Fine," she muttered, bending slightly down to scoop her niece up in her arms.
"Ha!" the niece exclaimed in triumph, her voice smug as she rested her head against Gem's shoulder like a child who had just won an argument. "I knew you'd cave."
Gem rolled her eyes but said nothing. The niece was dramatic, and she knew it, but at least it kept the mood light. Still, there was a tightness to Gem's jaw, and her grip on her niece was a little too firm. As she carried her down the winding path toward her domain, she couldn't help but feel the weight of the situation pressing in on her. The broken mirror, the symbols, the feeling of being watched—it all felt too familiar.
But, for now, she carried her niece in silence, the rhythmic sound of her satin shoes scratching against the asphalt street.
As they passed under a series of jagged archways and down a shadowy alley, the niece became aware of something odd. The shadows—the ones that had been so still before—seemed to be moving now. She noticed them again, creeping along the edges of buildings, flickering just outside her peripheral vision.
"Gem…" the niece began, her voice small and cautious, but Gem didn't seem to react.
Gem's pace remained steady, her eyes ahead. "What is it?" she asked, her voice flat like she already knew what was happening.
The niece glanced around nervously, her grip on the shard in her hand tightening. "I see them again," she said, her voice tinged with unease. "The shadows... they're moving toward us."
Gem's gaze flickered, and for a brief moment, the playful façade dropped. She cursed under her breath, her expression hardening. "I was under the impression he didn't chase his prey," she muttered, eyes scanning their surroundings.
Without warning, Gem reached into her pocket, pulling out a small mirror—a delicate, ornate thing that looked almost like a compact. It shimmered as if alive, the surface swirling with energy as she focused on it.
"Stay close," Gem said, her voice sharper now, all humor gone. "We're not going to deal with this out here. Let's go back."
Before the niece could react, Gem pressed the mirror to her chest, and with a soft pop , the space around them shifted. The world twisted, bending in on itself as the familiar corridors of the cathedral appeared around them. Gem didn't waste any time, moving quickly to the safety of the deeper rooms.
The niece, still in Gem's arms, let out a relieved breath as they were back in their domain. She immediately slid down to her feet, still shaken from the feeling of being watched and hunted by the strange shadows.
Gem didn't put her down just yet, her expression dark and thoughtful. She looked around the room, as if checking for something—or someone—before gently setting her niece back on the ground.
"Stay close," Gem instructed again, her voice steady but with a hint of concern. "I don't like what's happening."
The niece swallowed, looking up at her aunt. "What are we dealing with?"
Gem's eyes narrowed, the shadow of a grim smile playing on her lips. "I don't know yet. But one thing's for sure: there's a particular person and they don't like being ignored."
Her niece looked at her, confusion and fear still lingering in her expression. "Person? What kind of Person?"
Gem shook her head, her gaze distant. "The kind that smiles for pleasure and power."
The words echoed in the room, a cold, unsettling reminder that whatever was behind the shadows wasn't just a random encounter—it was something far darker. Something that was already watching them.