The Prince and The Pauper

Chapter 18

A little explanation here! Wattchimera could attack Astral even when he had the insulated handle. This is because he was "attacking Astral directly." Wattchimera's special ability actually lets him attack directly! Astral's insulation was like the monsters on the field. It doesn't matter what's in the way, he can attack directly.

Spirits of children chased Yuma. He ran as fast as he could through the dying forest. The children varied from being completely fine to completely mutilated and everything in between. They looked terrible, and they had no intention of letting him live.

They started chasing him the moment he held on to a branch to take stalk of his surroundings. He pulled too hard, and the thing pulled down like a lever. These children emerged and started chasing him ever since. They were hard to shake off!

Yuma tripped on a rock and fell face first into a bed of mud. He immediately stood up and wiped it away with his shirt. There was almost no time to get away from them as he pushed his feet into the mud and sprinted into a dense grove of trees.

These trees seemed to be much more healthier, but they were still dying. Their leaves were drooping and withering. The branches were breaking, dangerously hanging low. He was pretty much in danger of getting slapped by so many branches all at once!

"Do they ever think of trimming these things!?" he protested, covering his head with his arms.

~.Captive POV.~

It seemed that THEY had no mercy. They teleported Astral's dead body in where Black Mist could see it. This only made the poor prince weep more. Akari kept her eyes on the screen, where her own brother was fighting through dense branches.

"Just breathe," she told him. "Breathe."

Black Mist tried to do as he was told, but it just wasn't that possible for him. Having two family members die was just too much for him.

"Aww, look at him!" Lady Shila purred. "Now, that's what I like to see! Heartbroken tears!"

"Oh, shut your prissy mouth!" Akari demanded. "Can't you give him a break!? It's enough that his father and brother died, and now you're shoving it in his face!"

Lady Shila walked up to the cage. "I think it's time for that inner strength," she purred, "don't you think, Hali?"

Hali, the cheetah that fought those two in the city, laughed. "Oh, yes, Lady Shila. I do believe it is time."

"Well then, Koko! Hiko! Come here!"

The Siamese cat twins walked up to her and spoke in unison. "Yes, Lady Shila?"

"It's time."

~.Human POV.~

Yuma finally got away from those creepy child ghosts. He was hiding behind a tree, which seemed to work just fine. They flew right past him, and he was safe. Kind of dumb if you asked him, but he took what he got!

He peeked out, and when he did that, his elbow hit the tree with a hollow thunk! Yuma cursed, and then he realized that it was hollow. Well, lucky him! He found another exit! With a wide smile, he opened the door and stepped inside.

The building he was now in seemed emaculate. The walls were white with paintings of some cat woman with a sly grin. If Yuma had to guess, he would bet that this was the boss lady of the entire organization. She looked like an evil mastermind.

Ignoring the paintings, Yuma opened another door. This one led to a world of nightmares that no one would like to endure: a maze of mirrors.

The boy took a hissing breath in and looked around. The walls were mirrors, the ceiling was mirrors, and even the floor! This would not be fun.

Yuma slipped his shirt back on since it was a bit chilly in the mirror hall. He regretted not wearing a sweater, but it was hot outside! How was he supposed to know he would end up in this mess?

He stepped into the hall, and the door slammed shut, making the boy jump. He looked behind him at the door. It seemed to be part of the wall now, and it, too, became a mirror. Well, there was no turning back now.

With each step he took, an echo sounded. It was loud, and it bounced off of all the mirrors in the room. The sound combined with the seemingly endless halls confused his brain. How was he supposed to find his way?

Hours passed. It seemed he was getting nowhere. He bumped into a mirror ten times and fell the same amount. He felt nauseous and queasy. It was as if the room was spinning out of control what with all the mirrors. He got up from the floor. Maybe it was best not to look down.

~.Captive POV.~

They placed Astral's dead body in a tube that kept bodies fresh. Not that the Astral Beings rotted, but they tended to disappear after a lot of time has past. They pinned his arms on the wall above his head inside the tube and just left him to dangle.

Akari dispised this. She hated THEM. It was no wonder the Astral Beings left their home world.

Black Mist was back on the table, strapped down. He wasn't really putting up a fight, though. It was as if he decided that it wasn't worth it anymore.

The red-haired girl watched the screen with her brother in it. He seemed to be having a hard time going through the halls without feeling dizzy. Still, he persisted. She grinned. That was her brother.

~.Human POV.~

Was it ever going to end? Who even made this piece of shit!? They really enjoyed making their "guests" suffer, didn't they?

"Well, I'll show them!" he growled with a grin. "They can throw anything at me! I'll bounce it right back!" He laughed.

One reason why he was getting lost was that he wasn't marking where he was going. He looked at the mirrors. Save for the ones on the floor, they were all spotless. Maybe, just maybe, he could mark them with his hand prints. That way, he would know if he passed the hallway or not. He would also stop looking down or up or any other direction besides straight ahead. That was the reason for the nausea.

Yuma grinned. Things would go a lot smoother now.