Demons in the Mirror - Chapter 119

Axel woke up right when the sun vanished from the world. The blanket draped over him neatly, and his window’s curtain was half shut.

It seemed like he overslept after he took a nap.

The clock was pointing at the number seven. He needed to fill his stomach first. He probably had screwed up his sleeping and eating habit.

He glanced at the window as he pulled himself into a sitting position. Brushing his fluffy hair away from his face, the boy jumped over from the bed, making a soft thump sound.

He stood up, staring dully at his surroundings for a moment, trying to adjust with his surroundings. His mismatched eyes did not have any lights in them as he stared once again at his window.

Axel made his way out of his room, walking into his second-floor hallway with steady footsteps.

There was a faint smell of hot chocolates and some sound of chopping knife against a cutting board alongside boiling water. Axel could hear familiar voices talking.

He walked into the kitchen, expecting his family to be there. Kiaran was busy making the soup while Cain chopped the ingredients.

Adreanna sat on the chair, drinking her hot chocolate in silence. Food set out in front of her, filling all the four chairs’ spots. Two hot chocolates and one coffee were there too, and Axel could see the steam coming out of them.

“I want a cupcake.”

That was the first thing Axel said when he arrived in the kitchen. He sat on the chair in front of Adreanna and took the hot chocolate in front of him.

“Next time, make a cupcake.” He muttered before drinking the hot chocolate in one go. It was weird how he could not feel any sense of hotness coming from the drink.

His tongue probably burnt and blistered. But then again, he had lost the sense of feeling any pain, so he did not care.

“You want to keep doing this? You know we will never back down, son.” Cain spoke without looking at him, focusing on his pretentious chopping ingredients.

“Doing what?” Axel asked flatly. His eyes had no emotions as he straight up stared at the back of his father.

“Drinking this hot chocolate? Asking for a cupcake? Or knowing the fact that you’re not my family?” He continued, putting down the cup in his hand as he stared at the soup Kiaran was making.

“Be specific, father.”

Axel had hoped they let him have dinner first before falling unconscious.

✵✵✵✵✵✵

He walked into the kitchen, expecting his family to be there. Kiaran was busy making the soup while Cain chopped the ingredients.

Adreanna sat on the chair, drinking her hot chocolate in silence. Food set out in front of her, filling all the four chairs’ spots. Two hot chocolates and one coffee were there too, and Axel could see the steam coming out of them.

There was a cupcake on his table.

Axel silently walked to the table and sat in front of Adreanna. He detachedly stared at the cupcake before taking it with his hand like a robot.

“Why don’t you just stop being stubborn and let it happen?” Kiaran broke the silence, staring at Axel, annoyed.

“I don’t want to lose the game.”

They didn’t even let him get a single bite of the cupcake when everything distorted again. Axel welcomed the darkness without fighting it.

✵✵✵✵✵✵

Axel did not wake up this time.

When the sun vanished from the world as the blanket draped over him neatly, and his window’s curtain was half shut. Axel still did not open his eyes.

He vaguely remembered that he only wanted to rest right before he stuck in this weird loop. He remembered how he welcomed death with open arms, giving his life away for his family.

He deserved a rest.

Wasn’t it too cruel that he didn’t have the slightest chance to rest even after death?

So he rested this time.

The clock was pointing at the number seven.

✵✵✵✵✵✵

He walked into the kitchen, expecting his family to be there. Kiaran was busy making the soup while Cain chopped the ingredients.

Adreanna sat on the chair, drinking her hot chocolate in silence. Food set out in front of her, filling all the four chairs’ spots. Two hot chocolates and one coffee were there too, and Axel could see the steam coming out of them.

Kiaran teased him. Adreanna would give him some advice while Kiaran chimed in, cutting her off. They would glare at each other after Cain settled in between the two.

Axel watched the three as if he saw a broken record. Though, something told him that this was a right to see.

He couldn’t feel his voice anymore.

Axel didn’t know when he had stopped talking.

✵✵✵✵✵✵

Axel had to wake up.

✵✵✵✵✵✵

“You should fix that sleep schedule of yours. It’s not healthy.” A monotone voice began. Adreanna looked up from her drink to her brother. There was a sign of awkwardness coming from her.

“Axel won’t do what you say, Adreanna. He only listens to me.” Kiaran chimed in, earning a glare from his sister. However, the secondborn did not care as he kept eyeing the boy. “You should sleep properly, your blood pressure could rise because of that.”

“I just said the same thing,” Adreanna grumbled, emotionless eyes facing Kiaran with a hidden irritation.

“It’s different if I said it. Right, Axel?” He shot up Axel with a knowing grin, leaving the boy to stare dully at his brother.

“Okay, that’s enough, you two.” Cain separated his two children and offered Axel a kind smile. “Are you still half-asleep, son? You’ve been staring the whole time.”

Axel blinked at the three and walked over to the table, leaving the three to stare at his movement. The boy took the cup of hot chocolate and drank it.

He did not even try to talk anymore.

He could not talk anymore.

✵✵✵✵✵✵

Axel woke up right when the sun vanished from the world. The blanket draped over him neatly, and his window’s curtain was half shut.

So he had survived.

The clock was pointing at the number seven. He had to fill his stomach.

The event yesterday really caused havoc. He remembered how he went against his family and saved the king. He really shouldn’t have done that.

He did not know what he was thinking at that moment, but weirdly, at that time, he felt the need to save the king for the princess. He probably should stop seeing Rune so his family wouldn’t go after her anymore.

He really thought he was going to die when the cursed arrow went inside his heart. Though because of that incident, he found out that his family loved and cared for him. He still remembered the despair and concern look on their faces when he was dying.

Adreanna cried too. Cain smiled for him. Kiaran genuinely spoke to him.

He glanced at the window as he pulled himself into a sitting position. Brushing his fluffy hair away from his face, the boy jumped over from the bed, making a soft thump sound.

He did not remember what had happened after he passed out. His eyes scanned his body. He stared at everything thoroughly. It seemed like he had lost his wings and had these cracking skins.

Axel brought his feet to the mirror in front of his desk. He emotionlessly stared at his reflection, studying his own body. He blinked once and stared at his reflection again.

He lost one of his red eyes. Maybe it was a side effect that his left eye turned blue.

He should cover his blue eye.

Axel pulled the drawer in his desk and took out an eyepatch. He glanced at the bandage under it and collected the thing.

He started to cover his arms, legs, and neck, trying to hide his cracking as much as possible. He wrapped his hands too, completely leaving no cracking skins left except his face.

The boy wore the eyepatch to hide his ocean-like eye. He vaguely touched his chest, trying to see if there was any wound from the arrow. When he found nothing, he stared at his reflection once again with a red eye.

The cracks on his face were not that many. He just had to bear with them.

Axel made his way out of his room, walking into his second-floor hallway with steady footsteps.

When he walked down the stairs, there was a faint smell of hot chocolates and some sound of chopping knife against a cutting board alongside boiling water. Axel could hear familiar voices talking.

He walked into the kitchen, expecting his family to be there. Kiaran was busy making the soup while Cain chopped the ingredients.

Adreanna sat on the chair, drinking her hot chocolate in silence. Food set out in front of her, filling all the four chairs’ spots. Two hot chocolates and one coffee were there too, and Axel could see the steam coming out of them.

Cupcakes stood out on the furthest side of the counter. It seemed like they would have cupcakes as the dessert.

“Oh, look, the sleepyhead decided to finally wake up from his beauty sleep.” Kiaran put the ladle in his hand down and shot a playful smirk at his impassive-looking little brother.

Axel did not answer as he walked to Cain’s side, taking the unused knife and started to help his father chop some carrots. He finished his work and brought the vegetables to Kiaran’s unfinished soup.

He poured them in, causing Kiaran to raise an eyebrow at his little brother. When Axel realized that Kiaran had stopped stirring the soup, he silently pointed at the ladle, telling the older to pick it up.

“Oh, right. You can sit down. You just had a rough day yesterday.” Kiaran smiled at him and ruffled his hair.

When Axel finally made his way to the table, he stopped behind Adreanna for a moment. His eye stared at his sister’s braid and fixed the down part of it.

When he finished straightening the hair, the boy finally walked to the chair in front of his sister and sat there.

The family had a warm dinner together that night. Axel took a bite of his cupcake as he flatly watched Kiaran try to bicker with Adreanna. His father smiled at his children’s behaviour while telling Axel to eat more.

Axel lost the game.