ONEIRAL: The Witch, The Book and The Mirror

Chapter 6: Fear

Korem woke up startled, though he wasn't sure why. He searched his surroundings for any sign of danger, but found nothing out of the ordinary, with the exception of his cape and satchel, that were out of place. He was pretty organized, so the fact that they were not only out of place, but in the floor caught his attention. Remember. Okay, so they had gone out yesterday, to town. Sel and him were buying some stuff for some spell, until she went psycho and started freezing people. They fought about the feelings' spell, and then she- oh. That happened. He still felt guilty about it, always assuming the worst of her. She'd been helping him, she'd done nothing wrong since they met -until yesterday-, and in all this time he hadn't realized that she was in pain. The signs were everywhere, and he'd been so consumed in his own mind and accusations to notice, to help. She is not a bad person; she doesn't have to be. The potion, she wasn't trying to control everyone, she was trying to-

He jumped out of bed, hastily pulled on some shoes and ran to Sel's room, praying that he wasn't too late.

"Sel!" he cried as he stormed into the room. She was sitting on the floor, facing the mirror in front of her bed. She stared at him and raised an eyebrow, clearly demanding an explanation.

"Sorry, I just ummm...I was worried...you were...the potion wasn't...please tell me you didn't use it" he said concerned, stumbling over his words.

"I didn't." she said, pointing at a vial full of a dark substance. Korem sighted in relief, and Sel gazed at him confused. She stood up from the floor and sat on her bed, patting the place beside her. Korem took the cue and went to sit next her, while she kept staring at him.

"Were you aware that it can be very dangerous? The notes at the end of the page said so. It can severely harm you" Korem offered shyly.

"I know. I read the thing, several times" she replied. He looked between the vial and her, making sure it was out of her range -not that it mattered, she could just puff it in her hand, but still-, he wanted to be sure that she couldn't just stand and take it.

"You finished it." He observed, and by the tone of his voice, she understood the question in the air.

"Some potions are dangerous if left unfinished, they get volatile and stuff" she explained. They sat there in silence for a while, she fidgeting with her necklace, he staring at the floor.

"Why...why didn't you use it?" he asked, raising his head a little to see her.

"Well, simple. Magic can't create things, therefore the potion wouldn't have worked anyway. I can't manipulate feelings that don't exist" she shrugged, and he felt his heart squeeze in pain for her once more. She was just trying to get help, no matter the cost, given the fact that no one seemed to offer a hand. He put his over hers and she shivered, raising her eyes to meet his.

"I'm glad you didn't" he said softly, and her eyes widened. She opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came, so instead she jumped out of the bed.

"You should go get ready, I'll make breakfast" she said, facing the mirror instead of him.

"Okay" he said quietly, and got out of the room, closing the door behind him. She left out the air she was holding, leaving out a few uneven breaths and placing a hand on the mirror. The image twirled and shifted, revealing a dark-haired girl inside it. She stared to the door, and then at Sel, who was leaning into the mirror.

"So, that was Korem?" the girl in the mirror asked, and Sel shook her head affirmatively.

"He feels..."

"I know." Sel interrupted.

"Is that why you kept him around?" the girl inquired.

"I don't know" she sighted.