Chapter 14 - A Way Out : Part 1

"Try harder."

Oh, how Axel wanted to punch Aster's face for saying that.

Axel had been trying to go through the mirror for about an hour now. After getting thrown away inhumanly through a mirror followed by your one and only bully, the mirror suddenly went solid again.

They could see the mindless red-eye person opposite the mirror they were in. Though, it seemed like the person could not see both of them. This mirror was a two-way mirror from what Axel presumed.

The room they were in and the other room outside the mirror looked the same yet this one was more old-school. The ornaments inside were the same though, just more with a style of some kind of kingdom era or something.

"You sure are a try-hard, murder boy," Aster commented while leaning on a wall. He watched Axel push himself a couple of times to the mirror.

Axel blinked at the comment. Aster was the one who yelled at him to try harder and now he told him that he was a try-hard? Oh, he wished he could choke him.

Axel turned his head slowly to him. He smiled at Aster through his gritted teeth, eyes making a crescent moon shape. He crushed the wood in his hand that he got from the broken chair.

Aster jumped and noticed the mute murderer's deadly smile even though it was hidden by the mask. He moved away slowly from Axel. "Sorry, I'll be quiet." He shakily smiled back.

Axel sighed and looked at the mirror once more. He put his hand on it, looking at the room he tried to get in. The mute murderer bumped his head on the glass. He repeated the movement a couple of times in despair.

"Hey, I was just thinking-" Aster opened his mouth to talk but Axel quickly made a stop sign with his hand. He went to stare at Aster's green eyes and moved his hand to his mouth, making a zipping movement.

"No, no, no, listen to me, what if there is another mirror like this?" Aster made a point, hands wavering around anxiously.

Axel raised his eyebrows and quickly diverted his gaze to the mirror. Blue eyes widened slightly as they caught the black roots that surrounded it. If he remembered clearly, he saw it in that building when he was on a mission with Kiaran too.

Would there be another mirror like this? Or that one in the building, could he get it? He should try and get out of wherever they were.

The mute murderer nodded at Aster and signaled him to follow him. Aster quickly tailed behind Axel while the murderer opened the door slowly, revealing yet again a familiar almost identical hallway they were in before, it was just more old school.

Both of them peeked through the gape of the door, making sure there was no one around. When Axel was sure they were safe, they tiptoed to the hallway quietly.

When they were about to take a turn in the hallway, they suddenly met with a pair of red eyes with claws for his hands, wearing an almost identical uniform from the other guards they just met a while before.

Before the guard reacted, Axel already hit his neck and made him faint on the floor. Aster watched as he hid behind Axel.

"Red eyes." He whispered to the murderer.

Axel just nodded at him as he examined the person. The uniform yet again looked like a royalty guard but he could feel it's the same uniform from the DM symbol on the guard's chest.

Not to mention how the face achingly the same as one of the guards that had chased him and Aster before. But this one got red eyes and whatever those scary-looking hands.

He looked around to see an empty room and quickly grabbed both of the guard's legs. Axel dragged him to the room while Aster tried to help to drag the man.

Aster's green eyes caught something that came out of the mute murderer's neck as they finished hiding the man's body. He tilted his head while making his way to the door.

"You know," Aster darted, he walked closer to Axel who was a little bit shorter than him despite how murderous he was, and pointed at the mute murderer's neck. "I have a frie- a classmate named Axel, he wears the same necklace as you."

The mute murderer who was just about to get out of the room froze in his place. He could feel the ache building up in his stomach as he tried to stay calm. His eyes met with Aster's and he tilted his head, raising his eyebrows as if saying 'really?'.

It was a beat of silence before Aster opened his mouth again. "Now that I think about it, he kind of looks like you." He squinted his eyes at the murderer, making the said person look away from him.

Sweat made dark circles under his arms as Axel sat on the horns of his dilemma. He tried to avoid the eye contact Aster was giving. It did not help when Aster just got closer and closer to him while looking at him up and down.

"Same hair and eyes, damn, you can actually be his doppelganger or something," Aster commented as he patted Axel's shoulder.

"I bet when he met you, he would pass out," He paused and chuckled lightly. "He's on the coward side." He walked away from the mute murderer who was holding his breath like his life was depending on it.

Oh my god, his classmate was a moron.

Axel sighed in relief for Aster's foolishness this time. He quickly got out of the room they were in and searched for another mirror that probably could get them back from wherever this was.

They looked at every room through the window while making sure no one was around. It was a funny sight to see if someone ever caught two teenagers running around like a lost dog with only one shoe.

"Murder boy, look! There is a mirror inside this room!" Aster whisper-yelled at Axel while pointing at a room.

Axel looked around once more before nodding at Aster and going to open the door. Aster followed him afterward and closed the door behind him. They both stood in front of the big mirror that covered the whole wall with black roots surrounding it.

Finally, a way out!

They could see the people outside the mirror. The guards looked normal and they seemed to be on edge. Axel could not care less, though. He quickly jogged his way to the mirror and touched it.

...he touched it.

"We're so going to die," Aster commented as he went to put his hand on the mirror.

Both of the boys helplessly watched the outside of the mirror like some kid who was watching the inside of a candy store that they could not get in because their mom forbade them.

Suddenly the guards outside the mirror all went down to the ground in a moment. A loud bang rang across two worlds as both of the classmates watched the scene happen.

A blond-haired man came in sight as he checked the guards' veins. Then a familiar black figure followed and slapped the back of the man real hard while laughing. Before the man could react, the black figure already moved forward out of the mirror's sight.

The black figure was Kiaran. Did he come to save him?

"That's..." Aster gasped as he tried to push the mirror. "Valerian!" He screamed when he saw the blond-haired man running towards the black figure angrily.

"Valerian, I'm here!" He screamed again, trying to catch the lieutenant's attention. It was too late though when the man had already gone out of the mirror's sight.

"No, no, no!" Aster banged the mirror and hardened his knuckles. He quickly turned his head towards Axel. "That's my brother! The light brown mask-wearing guy!" He pointed at the mirror.

"I could identify people that are close to me if they wear a mask! I could identify my brother quickly, it's him!" Exclaimed the dirty blond hair boy.

"Hell, I can even identify that scrawny Axel if he ever wears a mask!" He continued while staring at Axel's blue eyes.

He returned the stare at Aster, unimpressed.

✵✵✵✵✵✵

Two masked men hid behind a wall. The black-haired one was taller than the other. They both observed the building that apparently held their little brother.

The guards were watching the surroundings as Valerian planned ahead. There were seven guards in total, he could take the four on the left and let the mercenary handle the three on the right. Alright, let's save Aster.

He kept his eyes on the guards as he spoke to the mercenary. "Follow my lead. You go over there while I distract-"

"Hello there, my fellow criminals!"

Valerian quickly looked to his left to find the mercenary was already gone. As quickly as he did before, his green eyes diverted over the guards again just to find the mercenary standing in the middle of seven guns pointed at him.

"Have you guys seen my murderer? Apparently, he was taken away from me." The mercenary boldly spoke as his eyes met with the seven guards.

Valerian pushed his hair back and clicked his gun. "You know what, never mind."

The lieutenant leaped from the wall and jumped over the mercenary. The time went slow when he was right above the mercenary's head. He aimed his gun at the four guards on the left, making sure he only injured their shoulders and shot them.

He landed on the ground and quickly kicked one of the guards on the right. Before the other guards acted up, he kicked the gun that was aimed at the mercenary and punched the chest.

The last guard came from behind him, but he knew he was too late to react. Valerian widened his eyes as he tried to turn towards the guard. But his feet suddenly tripped on someone's leg and he fell down.

He fell face-first to someone's chest and grimaced. He quickly looked up to see the mercenary's face grinning at him. Did the damn criminal trip him at a time like this?!

"And I quote 'I am not going to protect you'." The mercenary smirked as he threw Valerian's body to his left and kicked the guard's chin from the ground, making the last guard fall.

"That's awfully wholesome of you, police boy." He stood up and cracked his neck. "Considering I am your 'acquaintance'." He continued as he walked over the bodies.

"You did say I'm the one who should shoot all of them earlier. It's your plan beforehand." The lieutenant retorted back while racing the mercenary to the front door.

The mercenary stopped in his track. "Ah right, I did, didn't I?" He murmured and nodded to himself.

He sped walk to Valerian and stared at him from the corner of his eyes. "But you were focusing on the one who was going to shoot me rather than the one who was going to shoot you." Taunted Kiaran, mischievous eyes glinting as the moon shined through the windows.

Kiaran chuckled a little as he saw Valerian froze at his place. He knew he just won the arguments.

He looked around the building to see they were empty. His mischievous eyes suddenly turned hard. He clenched his jaw as he scanned around once more.

Seemed like they already prepared for their coming. Or maybe Axel and the police boy's brother already got out and they were chasing him.

"Bold of you to say that when you are the one who helped me when I was about to get shot and kicked the last guy." Valerian came up to Kiaran and glared at him.

The mercenary put did not answer, his eyes were just focusing on one room. The lieutenant was about to protest again before a finger suddenly shushed him. Valerian looked up at Kiaran and followed where his eyes were seeing.

The mercenary pointed at the room's window where they both could see people's shadows. Valerian took a lead and held his gun tightly. Their footsteps were as quiet as a mouse as they approached the door.

The lieutenant counted the shadows and found four people in total. He kicked the door open and shot the four of them on the shoulders without hesitance, making all of them pass out from the shock.

He went to check their veins, completely ignoring the ominous-looking mirror in the room. The guards were alive, they should be okay if he left them all.

"You know, I didn't help you, you are the one who tripped on me. Bold of you to assume I was protecting you." A sudden dangerous whisper rang in Valerian's left ears, sending goosebumps through his neck.

He widened his eyes at the sudden change of atmosphere. Somehow, the lieutenant did not dare to look back at the person who just whispered to him.

And then a hand slapped his back hard that he swore his bone had just crushed. A burst of laughter rang in the room and faded away quickly as it came. Valerian snapped his head towards the mercenary who was running away from the room.

"You should look at your terrified eyes in the mirror, it was so damn funny." Mocked the mercenary from far away. Valerian took a deep sigh and stomped his way out of the room.

He was too caught up with the mercenary's shenanigans to notice the voices in the mirror.