Shatter: A Jonah Clemence x MC Romance (Ikemen Revolution)

2: The Enemy with No Reflection

(Jonah's P.O.V)

I waded through the snowy landscape, taking the most direct route towards the Civic Center while I kept Alice at my back. Every so often I made sure to glance back at her, just to check that she was a) keeping up and b) not being followed.

I couldn't help but let my focus wane ever so slightly while we headed to our destination. That injured woman back there...she talked about a man that came from a mirror. It sounded so ridiculous, but the detail didn't surprise me one bit.

I had heard stories of Cradle, most of which were littered with tales of a boy who lived in a mirror. That a group of Cradle's most elite nobles found a young boy with Magic powers beyond even that of the most famed wizards of the land - and when he became too dangerous, they locked him away inside of a mirror.

But it was heresay at this point. Nothing was ever confirmed. The tale lived on, just like any other children's ghost story. Never proven, and not a single shred of fact left in it.

It was just...a fable we all seemed to know.

"Are you even listening?"

Kelly's voice became louder as she seemed to saunter up next to me. When I realised she was talking to me, I looked to my right and glanced down at her.

"Me? No I'm not." I spoke matter-of-factly. Whatever she was talking about, it surely wasn't that important anyway.

Her eyebrows furrowed as her jaw stiffened.

"I was asking about the man in the mirror, the culprit that woman was talking about." I had to fight the urge to roll my eyes at this young girl. Ofcourse the first thing out of her mouth would be worrying about this threat - something even I didn't know about.

I shrugged meekly. Although I already had some various idea's in my head, I wasn't about to spill them to this stranger.

"I don't know anything. It sound's weird, but it's probably just a made-up story." A cold, snowy wind flittered through the clearing and caught a hold of my cape, sending the fabric flying amongst my one shoulder it was tethered to. Kelly sighed lightly behind me.

"It just makes me wonder....seeing that injury on her arm....that wasn't some normal gash..." I glanced downwards at Alice, just intime to watch her shoulders fall softly. Her change in emotion's caught me offguard - all of a sudden, she seemed sympathetic and worried for the victim.

Interesting...

"Jonah."

Kelly's hand tugged at my sleeve, and when I turned away to look up ahead, I realised what she was motioning to.

Just a few metres infront of me was the snowy Civic Center, with unconscious bodies and signs of struggle laying everywhere: on the stone around the entrance, laying against the stone staircase up to the door, and even one or two fallen victim's laying just inside the entrance hall; clearly a sign that whatever was hunting them refused to allow them to escape.

Blood was everywhere, and one way or another, each body sported that same burn-like brand, whether it was on their arm, leg, or even around their neck.

......This was instantly much more dangerous than I'd originally anticipated.

"Stay close to me." I muttered quietly to Alice as I once again took out my sword, keeping it at the ready infront of me as I began my slow, careful descent towards the Civic Center's opening. I could already hear the Black Army's medic's rushing down the street to assist.

"Th---These...people....." Kelly gasped, shuffling closer to me unconsciously as she stared at the 15, maybe even 20 bodies on the ground.

Each step I took confirmed the situation as I observed the fallen; pained, brutalised, and hardly able to withstand their injuries.