Chapter Sixty-Six

Chapter Sixty-Six

Misty threw three new logs into the fire, trying to get it going again. She plopped back onto the couch with a sigh and rubbed her eyes. She still could not remember who Ace and Jester were or why they looked so familiar. 

“Why didn’t I know any of this before,” Misty overheard Hanna asking. 

“Because most of it’s lies,” she answered, turning around only to realize Hanna and DJ were on the other side of the room discussing the events in whispers by themselves. They didn’t seem to hear her. She frowned. Whatever. At least those two liars can’t interfere any more. Where have I seen them before?! Misty watched the fire pick back up. She got up and prodded the logs with a poker. This is wasting so much time. I could have all of us teleported to Thorae, Lui rescued, and be back home by this time tomorrow. What was all that about only having one portal between Earth and Thorae? Rifts appear all over the globe. Maybe they meant he’s in the only unguarded portal? That, I would believe. And all that stuff about Others? I’ve studied Others a little and worked with plenty of them, but it’s still confusing to me. The number of Others an Original can have seems to be dependent on their personality, from what I can tell. I’ve got Eve. DJ’s got EDJ. That one’s obvious. I’m guessing Lui’s a good Other. I don’t know why Hanna was trying so hard to hide that. I’m sure she has her reasons. Still, it’s super frustrating being lied to your face. And that’s another thing! Where do those two guys off thinking they know what’s best for an entire planet?! Or two planets, for that matter! I’m gonna go have a long conversation with them in a second. Just need to warm up a bit.

“Do you believe them?” Hanna asked DJ, arms folded. 

“I’m not sure,” DJ answered. If there was any truth to the strangers’ words, and he believed there was at least a little, the entire situation became extremely complicated. If they spoke the truth, this problem extended beyond the individuals in the cabin, even beyond Earth. Originals, Others, separate worlds. It was a lot. He was absently staring at the stack of books he had pulled from the bookcase earlier. Not so much at them as through them while he thought, but his eyes lingered on the cover of the topmost book, depicting a little girl next to a mirror. How far does this go? Jester admitted to being an Evil Other. Is it even possible for one to become reformed to that extent?

Hanna twisted around to look at the frozen body of EDJ, as though only just now remembering he still existed. Thankfully, he was still encased in ice. The hasty blast of frost to his face was enough to keep him quiet, but Hanna could tell the layer was far too thin. It looked ready to melt off any minute. “Does EDJ even know how to get Lui out or has he been leading on us this whole time?” she asked.

“If Ace and Jester’s information is true,” DJ answered. “That would lead me to believe EO was lying.” Which was always a possibility. “Do you think we should trust them?” 

Hanna turned back to him in surprise. “You’re asking me? I'm the girl with the trust issues, remember?” 

DJ chuckled. “Heh, well, I guess that is true.” He walked back to the chair with the mirror to check on Lui. He didn’t see the Other in the frame at first. The room beyond the glass was dark. If there was anything of value to see in the background, it was almost impossible to see it now. DJ narrowed his eyes and changed angles. There Lui was. Resting in the back corner, leaning against the wall again. “Lui?” No answer. Poor guy is out cold. I don’t blame him. This whole ordeal has gone on a lot longer than it should have. Hang in there, buddy. Help is on the way. The Original returned to Hanna. “I was going to see if we could talk to Lui, but he’s sleeping. Probably a good thing. I don’t know that he would like our options either.” 

Hanna nodded. “I know he wouldn’t want us to get him out if it made him forget,” she said. “He probably wouldn’t want us to risk our lives going to the Other world to save him either.” Her shoulders dropped and her arms flopped to her sides in resignation. “Is Iceland even an option at this point?” 

DJ shrugged. “It’s going to take time to get there and even more time for them to figure out what’s going on.” He rubbed a hand over his face, fatigue catching up. “There’s a chance this Other world stuff is nonsense and they can get him out some other way.” 

“And if Ace and Joker aren’t lying?” Hanna pressed. 

“Then we’d still have to go to Thorae to get him out,” DJ answered. “We’d lose time, but we’d have help.” 

“He’s been in there long enough as it is,” she said quietly.

“I know.” 

“I’m not waiting.” 

I figured. DJ took a deep breath. “Out of those two options, I would choose going to this alternate world to save him and his memories.”

She nodded in confirmation. “We’re both going to this Other world, then?” 

“Hmm…” DJ contemplated for a moment before he shook his head. “No. I’d rather go alone… he’s my Other. If I go, I’m sure Misty would let you wait right here for us. Or you can take EO back.”

Hanna snorted. “Pfft, I’d much rather have you stay while I go to the Other world. You know that, right?” she asked with a smirk. “There’s no way I’m letting you go alone. The sooner you get that through your stubborn skull, the better.” 

“I’m the stubborn one?” DJ leaned back with a baffled look on his face. 

“Naturally,” she answered. “Where do you think Lui and EDJ get it from? Honestly, trying to keep you three in line is enough to drive anyone crazy.” Her smirk turned into a genuine smile. 

DJ laughed easily for a moment before giving in with a nod. “I would be glad to have you along in case something happens. Hopefully nothing does though.” It was good to know they were still a team, even after the events in EO’s castle. Hanna had his back. They’d be able to get Lui out together, no matter what faced them in this alternate world. It was the alternate side of Hanna he had to worry about. A concern he dismissed for another day. This day was full of enough trouble as it was. 

“Did you understand what they called me at the beginning?” Hanna asked tentatively. 

“No, but I wouldn’t dwell on it.” DJ looked around the cabin. “Where did Misty go?” 

Hanna also turned around. Misty disappeared from her spot on the couch without a sound. She did make a sound, just neither of them heard it. Misty emerged from the back room, fully bundled up in her multiple layers of winter weather gear. She marched past the two and went to the door. “I’ll be right back,” she said as she left. 

Misty found the two strangers standing not far from the cabin. They seemed to be in the middle of a conversation so she approached quietly and hid behind a tree, hoping to figure out what was going on without them trying to cover their tracks. 

“You really think my hat’s stupid?” Ace asked, turning the top hat in his hands. 

“It ain’t doing you any favors, bro,” Jester replied, tossing rocks in the air out of boredom. “Makes you look old… like, thirty.” 

“Thirty isn’t old.”

“It isn’t young.” 

Ace put his hat on with a huff. “See, this is exactly why you never get sent on any diplomacy missions. You have no filter.” 

“I deactivated it years ago,” his brother answered. “I can’t help you have no sense of style.” 

I’m not getting anything from this. “Excuse me.” Misty emerged from her hiding spot. 

“Well, if it isn’t another little earthling Original,” Jester muttered. “Do you always throw your guests out into the snow? That’s pretty rude, you know.” 

“You busted into my cabin uninvited,” Misty answered. “Want to tell me why you’re lying to these poor people? They’re just trying to get their friend back.”

Ace stepped in before his brother could shoot a smart reply. “While we might have twisted some facts to better suit our needs,” he started politely. “I can assure you that we only have the best of intentions. These matters do not require your involvement. I apologize if the conversation of Other worlds was a bit beyond your comprehensi-”

“Ok, you can stop right there,” Misty interrupted, putting a hand up. She pulled out a badge and showed it to them. “I work for the Organization of Rebellious Others. I live in Thorae. I’m well acquainted with what goes on there.” The wide-eyed look of pure mortification on Ace’s face even made Jester chuckle with a tight-lipped smile. “You’re taking my job and making it go from bad to worse,” Misty continued. “If you hadn’t shown up, Lui would be out of that mirror and at home in bed by now! But no, now I have to do things the long, complicated way. And that way means more paperwork. And I hate paperwork!”

“I- I sincerely apolo-”

“Save it. Why didn’t you tell them they could teleport to Lui?” Misty demanded, placing a hand on her hip. 

“Because they can’t.” Jester answered instead of his flustered brother. “There isn’t a teleporter in the world that can get them to where Lui is being held right now. Not safely, anyway. His life very much hangs in the balance here. We’re trying to get everyone in and out alive, even if that means taking the long way.”

Misty narrowed her blue eyes and stepped back. Their narrative changed. “What do you mean?” she asked. 

Jester was about to say something before his brother intervened. “We can’t tell you any more than that without jeopardizing our mission.” Ace glared at Jester for a second before smiling at Misty. “This information is top secret.” He bowed. “I am sorry. I truly meant you no disrespect, ma’am. Huma-” He stopped himself. “Originals… can be tricky sometimes. Knowledge of Thorae and Others is a closely guarded secret among certain parties.” 

“Believe me, I know,” Misty commented, rolling her eyes. She finally felt like she was getting somewhere. “Can you tell me who you work for?” 

Jester gave a broad grin. “The Rebellion.” 

Misty stared back at him with wide eyes. It finally clicked. That’s where he’s from?! I knew he looked familiar! I’ve seen him with the boss! She wrinkled her nose. “Well, that’s great! Sounds like we’ve been on the same side this entire time!” 

“We tried telling you as much,” Jester said with amusement. 

“I guess you can come back inside then.” Misty turned back to the cabin. “Just quit lying to them.” I guess I shouldn’t be so hard on them. I didn’t exactly tell Hanna the truth either. I need to come clean. Ugh. What a mess. 

Chapter Sixty-Five

Chapter Sixty-Five

The cabin was quiet, temporary silence heavy with the words of the strangers. Misty sat on the couch watching the interaction play out, still wishing she had a bowl of popcorn. She gave up trying to be heard and determined she would make more progress if she waited out the conversation and spoke up after everyone was finally done talking. DJ also kept his thoughts to himself. The growing suspicion that his Other was not actually in a mirror, but trapped somewhere else entirely, was confirmed by the strangers. He believed them to that extent. However, the options provided to alleviate the problem did not sit well with him. He tried signaling to Hanna that they needed a chance to discuss the situation in depth, away from the strangers, but to no avail. Hanna was zeroed in on Ace’s words and would not be diverted from hearing him out entirely. It was the same when she set her mind on going after EDJ alone. Nothing in the world was going to stop her. Her single-mindedness was both a blessing and a curse. 

“It just had to be something like that, didn’t it?” Hanna asked, offensively defensive stance relaxing into begrudging acceptance. She acted as though she already had a wheel of possible worst case scenarios spinning in her head and all the strangers did was confirm where the arrow landed. He wouldn’t remember me. Any of the times we had… including all the pain I caused him… He’d have a clean slate, but… She turned to the mirror for guidance, but Lui was not visible from where she stood. The image of his face in the glass when they were still on the mountainside near EDJ’s castle came to mind. “Would rather die than forget.” Isn’t that what he said? The pain in his eyes at even the mention of not being friends… I couldn’t do that to him… I can’t break his heart again… Hanna could feel her eyes watering. Keep it together. 

Ace watched her curiously for a moment. “It does not seem you want to give your friend up.” His tone was oddly void of feeling. “Can you find the strength to come to his aid?” 

Hanna let out a puff of frosty air and returned to her frigid disposition, burying as much emotion as possible. “Are…” She cleared her throat and tried again. “Are those the only ways?” she asked, her emotionless tone matching his.

NO! Those aren’t the only ways! But is anyone going to listen to me? Of course not! Misty thought to herself. It was taking everything in her to keep from marching up to the strangers and shoving them out the door. The only thing stopping her was the eerie familiarity she still could not place. I know I’ve seen them before, but where?! This is going to bug me until I figure it out. Maybe if I just stare at them long enough, it will click.  

“Afraid so, friend,” Jester answered. 

Hanna’s fury ignited immediately. “Don’t call me your friend, pal. A friend is more than a mere ally.” 

Jester flinched in surprise. “Sheesh, don’t be so hostile! We’re trying to help you here.” 

Hanna’s anger abated as she considered the options presented. Perhaps the best thing for him would be to give him up… for his own benefit. But I… I don’t think I can do that… She looked to DJ. He was focused on the mirror, deep in thought. It appeared he did not like the options either. Hanna turned to Ace. “If I go with you and we fail,” she started, always contingency planning. “Would you still be able to get him out using the card?” 

It was Jester who answered her. “We’d be able to get him back using the card, yes.”

Ace nodded with a smile. “We will be with you every step of the way.” Their answer did not provide the comfort she was hoping for. 

“I don’t see what the big deal is,” Jester flippantly added on. “You always said Lui was annoying.”

I never said- when did I say that?!

“Think about it,” he continued before Hanna could voice her thoughts. “Would you really be such close friends if your friendship hadn’t been strengthened through this ordeal?” 

“We were close friends before this!” Hanna snapped before biting her tongue and taking a breath. Has our friendship really been strengthened? Even if it has, what’s this have to do with them? None of this is making any sense… “What will happen after we get him out?” she asked. 

“We can finally turn this Original world back to the way it should be,” Ace answered. “When the world is the way it is supposed to be, your evil side will be washed away.”

Hanna stared back at him in shock. “My evil side… gone?” How can that be possible? 

Ace nodded. “Your evil side would be wiped clean forever. Isn’t that what you want?” His head tilted. “Or do you want to keep your evil side?”

“No!” Hanna shook her head. “Of course not! It’s just…” She frowned. Shard gone? Forever? She’s been with me for as long as I can remember. It’s hard thinking of a life without her, but if what they’re talking about is possible… If I could be free of her… No. “It’s impossible.” Hanna crossed her arms. “In fact, it sounds too good to be true. You expect me to believe that you would leave your lives of contentment behind, travel to our world, offer to help us get our friend back, and somehow rid the world of evil for good?” Her icy glare did not waver. “Even if all that were possible, it’s too selfless… for anybody!” 

A cold chill ran down Misty’s spine. She looked at the fireplace. The fire was down to embers and needed feeding. When did that happen? Didn’t I just add logs a minute ago? She glanced back at Hanna. Guess that’s what happens when you stress out an ice mage. If they don’t quit soon, I’m going to have to put a stop to this. 

“That’s it, Ace,” Jester said, finally having enough of Hanna’s attitude. “We’re out. Originals just can't comprehend our means. This was a waste of time.” He turned and walked toward the door, but Ace grabbed his arm. 

“No, we must not give up so easily. I’ll put it in a way she’ll understand.” Ace released his brother and turned back to Hanna. Perhaps ‘content’ was the wrong word. “We may live in contentment with ourselves, but that’s not to say we don’t have problems.” Ace pulled out a metallic device and pressed a button. A small hologram of Earth lit up above the object in his outstretched hand. “Our problem is your kind,” he continued. “Originals created Others. Others were always there, but they were inside you, where they belonged. Thorae exists to get Others out of your way and you out of ours.” He tapped a button and the planet changed. It looked similar to Earth, yet somehow reversed. Not an exact mirror image, but close enough. “No Other wants to be a human. They want to remain inside of you and be part of you, not an individual of their own. As I’m sure no Original wants their Other to become someone else entirely either.” He turned off the hologram and put the device away. “You created us, yet you live so differently from what you originally intended. Putting things back in place would help everyone.”

“Maybe there is a reason Others were created,” DJ finally spoke up. His reflective tone indicated he was carefully considering the information presented. Something seemed off, but he could not place what. DJ and his Others had been living separate lives for years. He certainly didn’t feel he could speak for them, but forcing them back into himself after everything they’ve been through? Was that possible? What was the point of preserving their autonomy and rescuing Lui with his memories intact if he was going to disappear in the end anyway? And Iul? He might as well be a complete stranger. It was easier to spot the differences between DJ and his Others than the similarities. To think they were complete clones at one point in time was almost laughable. What does “back to the way it should be” even mean? Something is missing. A critical piece of this puzzle felt just out of reach. Or perhaps it was being withheld. He couldn’t tell. 

“Exactly,” Hanna jumped in. “Maybe it has something to do with the way we live here. If our world was as nice as we would like it to be, why would Others even exist in the first place? Do you think that by setting things back into place that they won’t unfold again?”

Ace stood straight. “They might unfold again, but this gives us a chance to make sure things don't.” 

“Believe it or not, I’m actually an Evil Other,” Jester commented, as if anyone was going to be surprised by the statement. Hanna was just about to shoot him a sarcastic ‘no, really?’ before Misty intervened.

“Ok, I think we’ve heard just about enough of this,” Misty said as she stood up and walked up to the strangers. She reached her limit. “If you will excuse us for just a moment to think this over, I would be most grateful.” She ushered them to the door as she spoke. “And since you are so, as Hanna put it, selfless and kind, you won’t mind stepping out for a bit. Thank you!” She opened the door and, as gently as possible, shoved them outside and closed the door. 

Chapter Sixty-Four

Chapter Sixty-Four

“You can’t trust him,” one of the strangers said while stepping toward the group. The other stranger closed the door behind them and stamped snow off. 

Who invited you? Misty thought as the stranger continued speaking. 

“Put your weapons away. We mean you no harm,” the first stranger said in a deep voice. “As I was saying, you can’t trust that man because he is an Evil Other. Whatever he tells you will be completely false.” The stranger’s round-rimmed top hat and large collar of his cloak covered his face. 

“The fact that he’s an Evil Other does not make what he says false, bro.” The second stranger stepped forward as well, throwing off the hood of his black cloak to reveal spiked brown hair and red eyes. His voice varied a little from the first stranger’s. “And are you sure we should just barge in on them like this?” 

“We've been watching from the Other World for too long, little brother,” the first stranger responded. “Now is the time we help these poor Originals.”

Misty rolled her eyes at the newcomers. These people think that just because they are from Thorae, they are that special. No need to go around being all dramatic about it. Talk about taking a big piece of humble pie.

The man with the red eyes nodded. “True.” he addressed DJ and Hanna. “Sheathe your weapons. Do you know there is no way to free Lui without causing his death?”

Watching? How did he… death…? Hanna glanced at DJ. The look on his face suggested he had the same amount of information she did: not much. She relaxed her stance, but did not put away her sword until after DJ put away his lance. 

“My friend can hel-” Misty attempted to interject, but was cut off when Hanna spoke over her.

“What are you talking about?” Hanna demanded of the intruders. “What do you mean there’s no way to free him? There has to be.” 

The second stranger with the spiked hair took on a condescending tone as he answered her. “Aww, the poor Originals have no idea what’s going on, do they?

Hanna’s hand remained on her sword’s hilt. “No, but I’m beginning to get a few ideas. Like the fact that you know what Evil Others are and you have red eyes.” 

The man scoffed, sounding insulted. “The audacity! The blatant disrespect. Not everyone with red eyes is evil, you know. Same goes for calling them Evil Others. How would you feel if we lumped you all into the same stereotype and made wildly absurd judgements about your character based on your appearance, huh?” 

“I… uh.. um…” Hanna shifted uncomfortably.

“Yeah, that’s what I thought.” The stranger jerked a thumb toward his companion. “Now close your designated hero e-girl trap and listen to the megalomaniac in the stupid top hat.” 

“Jester, that is enough,” the man with the top hat intervened, choosing to ignore half of the rude comments. “Do not mock them. She’s clearly a dark magical girl, but that is entirely beside the point.” The stranger removed his cloak and hat, holding them in an orderly fashion as he bowed deeply. “I sincerely apologize for my younger brother’s impetuous behavior and severe lack of tact. Please allow me to start the conversation over and explain what is going on.” He stood straight, black hair elegantly staying in place as he watched her with jade green eyes. “My name is Ace.” He gestured to the man with brown hair. “And this is my younger brother, Jester.” He smiled pleasantly. “How do you do?” 

“That’s a dumb question,” Jester unceremoniously shot to his brother. 

Misty looked at both the strangers suspiciously. The number of green-eyed people in this room is statistically astounding... In the back of her mind, they somehow seemed familiar, but she could not quite place why. 

Ace spoke up again. “We have been watching you from the Other World, a place also known as Thorae. This Other world is where all Others come from, evil or not. Does this make sense to you?”

Misty frowned. No need to treat them like children. Everyone here is at least in their twenties. Just because we are Originals doesn’t make us stupid. “Well, I was just about to-”

Hanna cut her off again, surprise, surprise. “Considering what I’ve been through prior to this, I wouldn’t doubt the existence of such.” Her glaring eyes never left Ace as she spoke. “Why were you watching us and what are you doing here now?” 

Misty nodded. At least those were reasonable questions. This did not distract from the fact that she was annoyed with the constant interruption. She’s really got a one track mind when she locks on to something. I don’t even know why I try. I’m getting steamrolled here. 

DJ only opened his mouth twice in an attempt to get a word in, but could not do so without interrupting either party. He resorted to listening, which was fine with him. He preferred to absorb information while it was freely offered anyway. Ace and Jester seemed happy to give it, for the time being. The mention of another world was not as surprising to him as it should have been.

Ace’s tone was friendly and sincere as he answered. “We have nothing but the kind notion in our hearts to give you your friend back.” He gestured to the mirror. “Though he appears to be behind a sheet of glass, your companion is trapped in another dimension altogether. The mirror is simply a communication link between worlds. Lui is stuck in the only portal between the Original world, Earth, and the Other world, Thorae. To pull him out of that portal from this side would be… agonizingly painful, if it does not cause his death.” 

Misty’s eyes widened. Those liars! “That’s not tr-” she attempted to say. At least it was Jester that interrupted her this time. 

“Long story short,” he cut in, obviously getting tired of all the exposition thus far. “You either follow us to the Other world and push him out or risk losing your friend forever.” Hanna glanced at the mirror with worry. 

“There is another option,” Ace added. “However… would you accept it?”

“Yes! I kno-” Misty was interrupted yet again by Hanna. How’s a person supposed to help people around here anymore? She thought, annoyed with the cryomancer’s behavior. 

“We should at least hear all the options.” Hanna returned to glaring at Ace. “Whether we accept them or not is an entirely different matter. This is a lot to take in. How do I know you aren’t lying?” 

“Oh yeah, the girl with trust issues,” Jester scoffed, rolling his eyes. “Who could blame her? You can trust us,” he said lightly, as though simply stating it would be enough to appease her. 

“What would we have to gain from lying to you?” Ace asked. He sounded genuinely perplexed by the concept. 

“Everything I hold dear,” Hanna immediately answered. “The fact of the matter is, until you prove to me that you aren’t lying, I will continue to doubt you.” She gave a cynical smile. “Forgive me for seeming hostile, but I’ve crossed paths with one too many traitors.” She gestured to the frozen EDJ as she spoke. “You have nothing to gain by telling me the truth.” 

Misty facepalmed again. Good grief, trying to reason with Hanna is like talking to a brick wall. I’m all for a healthy amount of skepticism, but she takes it to a whole different level. 

Ace kept a straight face. “We do not seek to gain anything from you. The people of Thorae, Others, are perfectly content without the interference of Originals.” 

Mhmmm, sure they are, Misty thought sarcastically, suspending her protests long enough to see where this elaborate show was headed. It was almost entertaining at this point, if only she had a bucket of popcorn. 

“We have one goal only,” Jester chimed in. “To set the Original world back to the way it was. Before the Others were even in their own bodies. Before the war against good and evil.”

Ace nodded. “With Lui, we may complete the aforementioned task. This is where those two options come in…” He paused, motioning for his brother to continue.

Jester pulled out a card as though he were performing a magic trick, flipping it between his fingers before holding it up for all to see. “We could use this here card to restore Lui to the way he was.” 

“But there is a catch,” Ace jumped in. “He will be returned to the state he was in before all this. Before he ever met you.” He took on a somber tone. “He won’t remember any of you… any of the friendships... Nothing.”

It’s almost like they rehearsed this, Misty thought. I wouldn’t be surprised. 

Jester put the card away, finishing the conversation with, “So we can restore him now and you can try to convince him to join you again… or we could venture to the Other world and attempt to rescue him from there. Which will it be?” 

Chapter Sixty-Three

Chapter Sixty-Three

DJ and Misty turned back to the imprisoned Evil Other after Hanna stormed out of the cabin, slamming the door behind her. Misty let out a low whistle. “You sure know how to get on someone’s nerves.” 

“Thank you!” EDJ smiled broadly. 

“Hanna will be the least of your worries as soon as we haul you back to Iceland,” DJ commented. “You can finally pay the price for all the crimes you committed.” 

EDJ smirked at him. “You’ve got nothing on me.” 

“I have plenty. I also have this.” DJ pulled out the tattered journal. 

The corner of the Evil Other’s mouth twitched and his eyes narrowed, but his lighthearted tone did not change. “Is that supposed to mean something to me?” he asked. “There’s nothing in there that will help you. With this situation or any other, for that matter. It’s completely irrelevant.” 

“Is it?” the Original pressed curiously. 

“It contains nothing recent, that’s for sure,” EDJ continued apathetically. “And I’ve no personal attachment to it. You could toss it in the fire and I wouldn’t care. In fact, you’d be doing me a favor.” 

“Nice try.” The Original rolled his eyes while safely tucking the book away. 

“I had to.” The Evil Other’s thin smile did not waver. “Words on a page make for excellent kindling.” 

“There will be no book burning under my roof,” Misty cut in as she stood up with a disapproving look. 

“I agree! Under the roof is a terrible place to burn books,” EDJ responded with renewed enthusiasm. “Not enough air circulation. How about outside? We can burn them outside!” 

“No book burning outside either,” she answered. 

“You’re no fun.” He frowned in disappointment before suddenly tilting his head. “Are you the one who keeps putting up cabins on my property?” 

“Your property?” she echoed. “You’re the one who keeps destroying the cabins on my property.”

“Hmm… I knew I should have double checked the boundary lines.” His brows furrowed before he addressed DJ. “I see you took my blades.” 

“They looked important,” the Original responded. 

“They are. Give them back.” 

DJ snorted, face cracking with a smile. “Not a chance.” 

They turned as Hanna returned to the group, appearing much calmer of disposition than when she left. “How’s Lui?” EDJ asked with a smirk. 

I swear I’m gonna slap that smug look off his face one of these days. Hanna glowered, but remained outwardly composed. “Pretty good, all things considered.” 

Misty nodded, looking back at the glass object. “I’m glad I’m not stuck in that mirror. He seems to be having a pretty good attitude overall about it though.” 

“Perhaps for now,” EDJ answered. “His good attitude will turn to despair eventually.” 

“Tell us the real way to get him out.” Hanna demanded, still hoping for some sort of truthful answer out of the prisoner. 

EDJ chuckled. “Ha! You think I would just out and tell you? You’re going to have to do worse than empty threats.” 

Hanna frowned, turning to DJ. “Any ideas?” 

“Are we allowed to use semi-violent actions?” The Original asked, narrow green eyes staring his Evil Other down. 

“Like what?” she asked in confusion. 

“Mere threats don't carry much weight with him,” DJ said evenly. “We could burn his fingertips… Or start with his feet. He doesn’t need those...” 

“...What?” Hanna, who was fully on board a second ago, didn’t expect such an answer from him. He said it with such a straight face, she couldn’t tell if he was joking or not. He didn’t even blink.

“Torture?!” EDJ’s eyes and face lit up with a chaotic grin. “Isn’t that against your code of conduct?” 

“I’m willing to make you the exception,” DJ answered. His Evil Other laughed.

Hanna turned back to EDJ. “I wouldn’t be so happy about this, if I were you. You’re the reason we’re in this mess!” 

He smirked at her. “You entered my home, encased me in ice, and now you plan to torture me for information. Explain how I’m the bad guy in this scenario.” 

Hanna’s anger flared. “How dare you?! You kidnapped my friends and tried to wipe out humanity!” 

“Water under the bridge. Or over it,” he said, gloating tone still present. “Do what you like, Hanna. I can tell you right now, my pain tolerance is much higher than anything you’ve got up your sleeves.” 

“We can liquid nitrogen his hair,” DJ offered. 

EDJ’s smile instantly dropped. “Don’t touch the hair.” 

“Guys, please quit arguing,” Misty requested, interrupting the battle of wills with raised hands. “Surely we can come up with a solution that doesn’t involve torture or physical assault or burning books.” She looked at DJ and Hanna like they should know better then turned back to EDJ. “Do you know how to get Lui out of the mirror or not?” 

“Not a clue,” EDJ answered honestly. 

“Liar,” Hanna quipped. Of course she did not believe him. “I have had it up to here with your antics.” She said, gesturing to an invisible limit near the top of her head. 

“Wow, that bar’s set pretty low, isn’t it?” EDJ commented. 

“What?!” she snapped. Misty wrinkled her nose and facepalmed while DJ bit back a smile. Hanna took a breath and let it out slowly. “Final chance. How do we get Lui out?” 

EDJ attempted to shrug, as much as he was able to anyway. “How should I know? I wasn’t the one who put him there.” 

She crossed her arms and glared at the prisoner. “This is getting us nowhere. I should have known better than to trust you with an honest answer.”

“What is life if not full of disappointment?” EDJ responded casually.

Hanna huffed and pulled DJ aside, whispering, “I don’t know what to do. I can’t tell if he’s lying or not.” She gave him a concerned look. “Did you really mean what you said about the torture stuff?” 

“I just said it for the personal satisfaction it would extract,” DJ answered lightly. 

Hanna dragged her hands down her face. “Maybe we’re going about this wrong,” she said. “Maybe it’s not about what we can take, but what we can offer. We should have the upper hand here. We have him captured. We should be able to get anything we want out of him. Why is this so difficult?”

DJ glanced from the mirror to EDJ in thought. “There is high risk involved with anything we do. Which is why I suggeste-”

“Yeah, I know, I know,” Hanna interrupted, waving her hand dismissively. “I should have listened to you to begin with. I know. I’m sorry. We might have gotten Lui out by now instead of wasting all this extra time talking.” She sighed, exasperated with the situation and frustrated with herself.

“This has been fun and all,” EDJ started cheerily. “But if we’re done with this little game, I’d like to be taken back to my castle now. If you don’t mind letting me out…”

Hanna turned to face him, finally feeling like she had an advantage. “Oh, didn’t you get the memo? Your castle’s gone,” she said with a smirk. 

EDJ raised a brow and glanced at Misty, who nodded in confirmation. “Very funny.” he turned back to Hanna and DJ with a polite smile. “But I’m disinclined to believe you.”

“It’s the truth,” the Original said. “Self-destructed. Do you want to tell us why there was a self-destruct button lying around?” 

EDJ gave him a suspicious look, but flatly answered with, “Until I see the castle for myself, I’m going to assume you’re trying to trick me into giving something away. It won’t work.” 

Misty looked around the room. This sure is an interesting predicament we are in. Lui was trapped in a mirror, EDJ was trapped in ice, and the three of them were trapped without knowing what to do. “Hanna, we can’t just keep at this. We have to try something eventually.”

“You think I don’t know that?” she responded with a hint of annoyance.

Well, that’s not fair, I’m still trying to help you here. “I just think we aren’t going about this the right way,” Misty replied with a frown. She tried to think of what other solutions were available to them when an idea hit her. Hey, wait. I do know someone who can and will help! “I kno-” She paused, listening. She thought she caught the sound of something outside. 

“How do we know he isn’t lying if he does tell us how to get Lui out?” Hanna muttered with a sour look, still entirely too focused on EDJ to notice anything out of the ordinary. The cabin door slammed open. Hanna and DJ both drew their weapons as they turned to face whatever it was that blew the door open. Two cloaked strangers entered the cabin. Reacting quickly, Hanna blasted EDJ’s face with a wave of ice magic to contain one threat while they dealt with another. 

“You can’t trust him,” one of the strangers said while stepping toward the group.