(Herobrine X Reader)...'s Sister

Chapter 13, Trials (1)

     Lyla ran. She ran and ran and ran. Pretty soon she was out of the snow entirely and running through the hollow forest she was having trouble recognizing now. It was so strange. Fog rose up from the thick leafy covered ground, masking the woods with a ghostly feeling. Though she tried to ignore this new side of the forest, Lyla couldn't help but feel somewhat terrified. Even worse, the dark grey clouds above choked out the sunlight, bringing the eerie forest into a dead darkness.

     The young woman slowed to a stop, panting, knees shaking in stress. She just needed to continue following the path she was on and she would reach it in no time; if about an hour qualified as no time. Determined to save her friend, Lyla started walking forward, blocking out the buzzing in her brain.

Dzz!... dzzz.

     Random noises within her own mind flickered on and off like a light as her bottled up thoughts slowly rose. In order to fight them off, Lyla continued running, but that didn't help.

Dzzz!

     In a dizzying moment, the world around the young lady vanished, being replaced by a black void. Gravity stayed the same, and Lyla still felt and heard leaves under her feet. Was she suddenly blind? To check, Lyla quickly looked down at her arms. They were there. She wasn't blind.. so what on earth was going on then?! Surely she wasn't doing this!

     Lyla blinked several times in confusion, then shook her head, deciding to just accept the illusion for now, and had a spin around the darkness to see (what she could see see see.. at the bottom of the deep blue sea sea sea. XD Alright, I'll stop!) 

     Once turned fully around, Lyla noticed there indeed was something among the blank, dark void all around. There it was. Exactly the same as it was from that dream... The mirror. It stood tall and lean, reflecting the face she saw far fonder than her own. Yes, it was that same better version of herself from before, beautiful, almost angelic looking dress and all. Her hair absolutely perfect, and not a single misshap on her face. Most of all, it felt so real. Like all she needed to do was reach out and grab it, and she would become this beautiful version of herself.

     Was this what she wanted, though? Were there any consequences, anything she would later regret?.. No... it was simply an upgrade, right?..

     "I want you to have this, Lyla..." The voice of a young boy floated back into her ears, making her immediately remember Steve and the danger he was in. She couldn't be sure that Raethe would keep her promise, if it could even be called that, but she knew those Trudgers wouldn't hesitate to go through with his execution. Lyla tensed. She couldn't waste time on something as meaningless as her beauty... But.. if she were only beautiful, then everything would change. She could have the confidence to talk with people more, she could get a better job - live a better life.. She could finally build up a new family... One that wouldn't abandon her.

     The young lady took a step forward, her right hand reaching out only a little. Her reflection did the same of course. A tear appeared in her eyes. Did she even deserve to become this beautiful? What would (Y/n) think? How would she really be treated by others? What would her own parents think if they ever came back? Surely, they would know her beauty wasn't natural. She had pretty much been born either too scrawny or too freckle faced, with a nose that didn't seem to fit just right. Lyla hesitated, then took another step forward. Wait! This was taking too long. Steve was still being held captive by the enemy, his death scheduled in less than 5 hours now! So, Lyla decided to make this quick. She ran forwards, in the direction of her reflection, reaching out for it, it reaching back for her. She had been sprinting for several seconds when she noticed she wasn't appearing to get any closer to it. Then, she tripped over an invisible stump, falling into a roll into mud and dirt that was all completely invisible to her; but she could taste it; she could smell it. Angered by the fall, Lyla looked back up at the mirror. It was so close, yet, impossible to reach. The girl's eyes softened into a sad expression. That mirror was only there to taunt her; it was only there to distract her.