Immediately, Patrick walked up to the door, feeling the cold steel door. He backed up from the door and took a breath. Making a spitting sound into his two hands, he extended both hands forward and yelled, “Open sesame!”

  Absolutely nothing happened as silence filled the room after the odd stunt. Leo caught a glimpse of Patrick’s ears turning red perhaps out of embarrassment.

  Seeing as that didn’t work, Patrick stretched his legs and cracked his neck.

  From where he stood, he firmly planted his legs down and threw a forward kick onto the door, kicking just below the doorknob making a loud thudding sound.

  And to absolutely nobody's surprise, the door didn’t budge. The only thing that was damaged was Patrick's leg and dignity.

  Connie began clapping her hands with an off-putting blank expression.

  Patrick grunted. “Oh shush. Don’t look at me…”

  Leo rolled his eyes as he approached the doorknob, where the paper slip was on. Opening up the note, he read:

  “You are nothing. Three rooms you have, one truth residing in the chambers.

  Once the sun sets, bring in the ones that shine for decades but discard the broken in dozens.

  Finally, divide by the honest mute. Perform these tasks to escape.”

  Patrick exclaimed, “Why were we given a riddle of all things?!”

  The room grew silent with each person going into deep thought, the gears churning in their heads.

  Three rooms with one truth…Would that mean only one room is needed for this trial? But which one?

  Leo suggested, “Look around the rooms, are there any markings in any of them? We only need one room for this trial!”

  Understanding his intent, the group scattered, Patrick and Connie took the living room, Anthony took the bathroom, while Leo took the bedroom.

  ‘There’s gotta be something here, c’mon…!’

  Leo dug through the bedroom, looking under the sheets, the frame, everywhere. But no mark was found anywhere.

  “Nothing here!”

  The other rooms voiced the same results.

  Reconvening in the living room, the group had no results finding the mark, or anything that would stand out.

  “Nothing! It all came to nothing, Leo!”

  Anthony waved his hands around the room.

  “Nothing…Leo, let me see that paper, please.”

  Connie reached out, snatching the paper from Leo. She carefully began reading the lines, her eyes completely focused on every word.

  She mumbled, “chambers…lights…”

  As she read, Anthony excused himself, “I’ll double check the bathroom, I’ll be back. Holler if there’s an issue.”

  He calmly walked to the bathroom, closing and locking the door behind him.

  Immediately he collapsed onto the floor, clutching his head as he began grinding his teeth trying to keep quiet. His head felt as if it were being split open.

  ‘What is happening to me…?’

  He crawled to the sink, where he dragged his body upright until he stood face-to-face with the mirror. Looking at himself, his tan skin had grown much paler.

  Before him, his left eye’s pupil was painted pitch black, as if somebody was pouring ink into his eye. His pupil turned an unnatural white as if he were a blind man, yet he could see.

  The same voice echoed into his very being, ‘You pitiful mortal…Clinging to your inferiors…’

  Anthony whipped his head around trying to find the source of the voice. “Who’s there?! Show yourself!”

  The room had visibly darkened, the walls showing signs of deterioration that weren’t there before. The floors, littered with cracks and dirt as if time was moving forward.

  The sound of his voice began to speak, but unlike his own, the sound distorted itself mixing in other people. He could hear a child speak alongside a woman in unison to his own voice.

  “Be not afraid, child.”

  Snapping his head to the mirror, he saw his reflection staring back, but something was different.

  His features were perfect, eerily perfect. His eyes, however, were filled with craving, wanting. His expression showed nothing but dissatisfaction with not just himself, but with the world around him.

  His reflection stared directly at Anthony, as if looking directly at his soul.

  “You are weak, yes…That is a given considering your human blood.” He raised his hand. “But, you could be so much more. So much more! We both know it.”

  Tapping into his heart, Anthony felt as though his words resonated with his spirit. As if the man knew exactly what he wanted, making him clutch his chest.

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  “But alas, you are given no room to grow! No room to learn. Leo and Amand-”

  Anthony cut in, aggressively yelling, “Don’t you speak about them! Who even are you?!”

  “Ah, I apologize. I see I haven’t fully introduced myself.”

  His reflection suddenly took a step out of the mirror. Stumbling to the floor, Anthony watched in horror as the reflection crawled his way out of the mirror as if it were coming out of a pool.

  His clothes gradually changed as he got out of the mirror, now wearing a ripped up green v-neck tunic matched with black ripped up pants. His white hair was neatly done as if he were about to attend a ball. His face was clean shaven, with no facial hair to be seen with his white eyes highlighting the beaming green pupils filled with not care-but dissatisfaction.

  Once he was completely out, he neatly brushed his clothing to straighten them out and put his hands behind his back.

  “You may refer to me as Lord Velmior…of Clan Envy.”

  When he spoke, it wasn’t just one voice. It sounded as if a crowd were speaking in unison, stacking over one another. But despite this, it was impossibly clear. It sounded so perfect, so perfect that it was inhuman. With each word, Anthony felt a faint pressure, as if a thousand whispers were drowning his ears.

  Anthony paled as he heard those words. A demon? Here?

  Anthony dashed to the door, screaming for help. “Guys! Get the guards! There’s a demon! Guys! Guys…!?”

  Anthony slowly grew quieter as he noticed the chilling silence behind the door. Not one sound could be heard from the other room. It was as if he were alone in the building as a strange mist silently seeped beneath the crack of the door.

  Velmior sighed. “It’s no use calling your friends, we are in your subconscious. In this instance, your physical body should be unconscious leaning on the bathroom door.”

  The demon slowly raised his hands. “I mean no harm, of course. If I did, you’d be dead by now. All I ask is that you listen.”

  Taking the corner of the bathroom near the showerhead, Anthony kept a weak stance, trembling at the mere presence of the demonic being.

  “L-Like I have a choice to listen…”

  Velmior grafted a smile to his face. “That’s all I need.”

  Snapping his fingers, a table and chair appeared in the middle of the room. Sitting down, he leaned comfortably on the table. “Let me ask you this. Do you think your situation now is fair?”

  His face scrunched up as he spit on the ground, his eyes filled with venom. ‘Fair? What about any of this is fair? Of course things aren’t fair, this trial, these circumstances. None of it is fair!’

  Velmior put a hand up. “No need to answer, I can see it on your face. Just listen.”

  He continued, arms resting on the table. “I’ve noticed your growing discontent with Leo and Amanda. I see it very clearly, indeed.”

  “You believe it unfair for Amanda to acquire such power while you sat there, having killed a human being, with little to no recognition.”

  He curled his right hand into a fist. “You wish you had the ability to just…take it! But, it just never came to you. A sad life you live, Anthony. Such a sad life…”

  Anthony gritted his teeth. “You think you know me? Piss off already, you don’t know jack!”

  “Talking now, are we? Great. Continuing on, I believe you want more of…” He waved his hand around the room. “...this.”

  Anthony remained confused. “This? What’s ‘This’?”

  “Everything! You strive to be greater in everything! If only you were smarter, you could live a comfortable life in Administration. If you knew how to produce or invent, you could go to Production in the safety of the walls. If you were a Smogborn like Chris and Amanda, you could’ve had the vouch instead!”

  Velmior’s mouth widened into a disgusting, sadistic smile. “If only you weren’t so scared, you could’ve protected Sophia.”

  A loud bang echoed in the room as Anthony kicked the table into Velmior, the table merely going straight through the demon. His expression remained unchanged as his sadistic smile widened.

  Anthony grabbed Velmior by the collar with shaking hands.

  “Shut up,” he growled. “You keep talking, I’ll kill you here.”

  The demon’s shoulders shook as he looked to be holding back a chuckle, but remained unbothered. Waving his hands, Anthony was sent flying back into the shower wall, cracking it before falling to the floor, groaning in pain. A chuckle burst from his throat. “You, kill me? What a joke.”

  Velmior got up and whispered in a soothing tone, “I can help you, though. Acquire more. Acquire…’this’. Leo and Amanda have been holding you back, restraining you from your true purpose, your true strength. Strength that you could have with time, but alas, time is not with you any longer.”

  Velmior knelt down to Anthony, his voice sounding in his ear. “With strength, no one will restrain you. You will not feel this weakness, you will be able to protect what’s yours. You will never have to be jealous of another’s glory as it will all be yours soon enough.”

  Velmior was now practically preaching, his eyes crazed as the green hue brightened with raw, crazed excitement. “Do not think, for a second, that Leo even comprehends what you’re going through.” He displayed foggy images of Leo. “Look for yourself, not one moment is he experiencing what you felt. Not what has he even bothered to check on you, let alone talk to you about it.”

  He then displayed a foggy image of Sophia, laughing with a smile on her face, with Anthony holding her in his arms.

  “This, Anthony. This is what they stole from you. To get to their paradise, they stole yours. You didn’t need Hellsgrog, and Hellsgrog certainly doesn’t need you.”

  He quickly got up and patted his chest with both hands. “If they were so concerned for you, I wouldn’t have to be here! Yet, they don’t see you. Not Leo, not Amanda, not your friends, and not this city.”

  Velmior’s breaths were heavy as if he had run a marathon. Calming himself, he coughed before patting Anthony on the back.

  He even pulled a napkin from his pocket to wipe some blood pouring from Anthony’s mouth.

  “Take back what’s yours, Anthony. Take it back, and you’ll have your paradise again. With strength that was already there, you can even have Sophia return to you.”

  This made Anthony shiver, looking up as his eyes widened because he realized the person saying those desperate words weren’t the demons…

  It was him.

  The realization broke him, shattering his mind into shards all cutting into his head. He clutched his head, screaming in pain.

  Through the pain, Anthony weakly asked, “Can…Can Sophia really come back?”

  The demon displayed an image of Sophia and Anthony living in the city. Putting the image right up to Anthony’s face.

  With Anthony’s voice, Velmior dramatically sighed.

  “That depends, Anthony…”

  He snuffed the images out with a snap of his fingers, extending his hand to Anthony. The green necklace around his neck started to shine the closer he got.

  “Will you free yourself from your restraints, or will you forever be lost, chained to your master holding you back?”