When A Ghoul Falls In Love

Some mirrors act as a doorway to other worlds. But Eli can't sense any wavelength from this mirror. 

"You know it," Se Ye answers. "Acrimony is full of bitter mirages. It's as vague as the reflection in the water that can be disturbed by simple waves alone." 

The world can't be anything other than an illusion, just like the illusions that it shows to people. In the worlds of absolutes, illusions only exist when it's being observed. Nell can witness it because she is inside it. She is an observer and a participant. 

Clearly, the mirror refuses to let go of Nell. The longer Nell stays there, the harder it will be for her to leave the mirror. 

"Let's find a god," Eli says, "We will break this seal and get her out of this."

***

Eli stares at his reflection in the bathroom mirror.

The human is asleep on the bed, but he can't sleep. Although she didn't kick him out of the hotel room earlier, she refused to let him sleep on the bed.

He isn't brazen enough to sleep on the same bed when she doesn't want him to. But it irks him how comfortable she is around him. 

"Do you salivate for her flesh?" He hears his reflection say. "You can kill her if you want."

Eli snorts at his reflection who is smiling at him. "You aren't showing yourself."

"Do I need to?" His reflection morphs into the same little goddess he had met earlier. "If this makes you comfortable, why not?"

"Is this a prison that you created for me?" He asks her. 

"No." She chuckles. "It's your home, Eli."

"I am not Eli Sanguine." Eli straightens his back. "But I am also him."

"It's a long story." Merna's hand emerges out of the mirror and c.a.r.e.s.ses his cheek. "But it was your mother's wish. I only helped her."

The corners of his eyes quiver uneasily. How is his mother involved in this? "She died after giving birth to me."

"A lie that your father told you." Merna continues, "I have recreated all experiences that your other self had it in another world except for the last two years. It had to be different."

"The time when he met her." Eli steps back, slapping her hand away from his face. "It was different because Nell Solomon led a different life here."

"I wish I could have taken her here, but Moon got to her first." Merna sighs. "But now, she's here. Neither she nor I can get out of this mirror. In fact, you can't get out of here either. The seal works only one way. Isn't that irritating?"

There are two of him: one who is betrothed to Nell Solomon and one who is not. There is only one Nell Solomon. "How did you split me up?"

"Every creature has a soul and a body." She steps out of the mirror. "I might have taken your soul from your body."

"I don't have a soul." Eli scowls at her. If she had recreated all the experiences, then his knowledge must be pretty accurate too. "Dark creatures don't have a soul. Their body and soul are one. If the body is destroyed, the soul is also destroyed. We are not like humans who change bodies like clothes in the reincarnation cycle."

"Are you sure about this?" Merna blinks her eyes childishly. "There is no equivalent of soul inside a dark creature's body."

Eli grimaces at her. "Speak clearly."

"Around ten years ago, I taught a special spell to a child who wanted to overtake the world." Merna walks toward the door and opens it. "He's also special to me. But he couldn't give me what I wanted."

He follows her to the bedroom. The human is lying on the bed without any care. A god and a ghoul are in the bedroom with this human, but she is sleeping as if she is at her home.

"He cast the forbidden spell on this woman." Merna clasps her hands behind her back, tilting her head. "I did ask him to kill her, but the moon interfered. There are rules that even the gods can't break. This woman and her lover had to live, but there was no reason why we couldn't make it difficult for them."

Eli closes his eyes and massages his forehead. This goddess made a deal with Aeden who must have wronged this human female. How does he fit in this equation?

"You already met her lover." Merna looks at him. "I brought Baek Joon Woo here. He lives here, thinking that everything in his life is true. Well, he doesn't remember the truth. Just like this woman who forgot the truth for ten years, I made him forget. As for their daughter…"

"She must be fake like Rhean."

"Yes, they lost their child before I could interfere." Merna frowns. "I wish I could save that child. Then, the power of the moon guardian would have gone to that child. Things wouldn't be this complicated."

This goddess is telling him everything. "How long… have I been here?"

"For more than six hundred years," Merna answers him. "I raised you, Eli. I kept a watch over you."

"For your selfish reasons," Eli mutters, unimpressed by Merna. "What do you want from me or her?"

"The question is what do you want now." Merna chuckles when he frowns at her. "This human has a patron -- the adorable moon. Since the moon favours her, the darkness also favours her. But I favour you. You are precious to me. I wanted her to meet you around ten years ago, but that boy had to ruin it. Her soul got split, along with her abilities. She met the other you and fell for him anyway. It was the moon's doing."

Eli still can't understand what this goddess is planning. 

"She was meant to be yours." Merna blinks her eyes. "I finally got her for you."

"If I foolishly trust you, there is no bigger idiot than I am." Eli rolls his eyes. "And I don't understand what you mean. I have no interest in her."

"No interest?" Merna laughs. "I saw you kissing her. I see how you gaze at her. It's only been a day, but you like her."

He crosses his eyes. So, this little goddess knows everything. "Not enough to get manipulated by you."

"I know you, Eli Sanguine." Merna smirks at him, "I cultivated you for years. So, I will give you some time to figure out what you want. Let's talk again."

After she is gone, Eli lets out an exasperated sigh. What is he supposed to do with the human? There are too many questions. Now, this human is also a question. What did the goddess mean? 

Eli knows that he isn't a soul. That's impossible. Dark creatures don't have souls.

A human soul can be split, but a dark creature can't be. At most, he can be Eli Sanguine's clone or a part of him. But his consciousness is independent of Eli Sanguine and there is no connection either. The goddess has gone so far. Every experience is recreated for him except for the one that happened after Eli Sanguine got involved with Nell Solomon in the other world. 

"Her soul got split." Eli glances at Nell's pale face. "Abilities were also divided."

But there's no division of abilities for him and other Eli Sanguine.

Is it? 

"Moon guardian?" Eli mumbles. The goddess had mentioned it. "This woman is a moon guardian."

He needs to know everything about her.

***

"Erm." The small and round man scowls at Eli. "I can't do this."

"Why?" Eli is already frustrated beyond words. Se Ye is truly useless. A god is found, but the god refuses to break the seal. "I told you. Someone who is very precious to me is inside that mirror."

"Anything that goes inside that mirror cannot come out." The minor god is a face of the darkness. "Whatever is inside that mirror must not come out. Breaking the seal means going against the goddess of darkness. How can you ask me to do this? Do you want me to die?"

Eli glares at the minor god. "Look! I don't care what is inside that mirror. I want Nell to come out. It's been two hours since she entered the mirror."

"She might remain there forever." The small god shrugs. "Besides, I don't have the strength to break the seal. It was placed by the goddess of darkness. Can you imagine what must be inside that mirror?"

Some things are supposed to remain sealed forever. Eli knows it more than anyone else. He sighs. Just any god won't do. Eli asks the minor god, "How do I make contact with the goddess?"