Chapter 20: Demon Mirror
"My turn is over," Alan stretched, her fitted dress highlighting her curves. "Now it's your turn, Mr. Connor. Give me a reason not to find this date boring."
She threw the question back at him, looking like she was waiting for him to perform.
Edward smiled. He finally understood that playing it cool with her wouldn't work—she liked things direct and exciting.
"Alright." He stepped forward and suddenly grabbed Alan's wrist.
Alan's eyes instantly sharpened, almost instinctively about to fight back, but Edward's movements were faster. He didn't use force—he just held her hand, pulling her across the street and running toward the amusement park nearby.
"Hey! What are you doing?" Alan was dragged along, somewhat caught off guard.
"Taking you to do something less childish." Edward looked back at her with a smile, the sunlight making his face exceptionally bright.
They headed straight for the tallest and fastest roller coaster in the entire amusement park.
As the roller coaster slowly climbed to its highest point, the entire town's scenery came into full view. After a brief pause, the car plunged downward, and a tremendous sense of weightlessness instantly hit them.
The wind roared in their ears, and piercing screams filled the air.
Edward yelled at the top of his lungs, fully releasing his emotions. He turned to look at Alan, expecting to see a panicked face.
However, instead of screaming, Alan spread her arms, embracing the strong wind, and a brilliant, almost wild, smile appeared on her face.
Her eyes sparkled with excitement, like an eagle breaking free from its cage, reveling in the joy of free flight.
When the roller coaster came to a stop, the two staggered off. Alan's face was slightly flushed with excitement. She looked at Edward, a genuine smile gracing her lips for the first time.
"That was actually pretty fun."
Edward looked at the lingering excitement in her eyes, feeling even more intrigued.
He smiled and said, "So, I guess I passed today's test?"
Alan didn't answer. Instead, she suddenly stood on her tiptoes, leaned in, and gently kissed him on the cheek.
The soft touch was fleeting.
Edward stood still, touching his kissed cheek, where her warmth and scent seemed to linger.
He watched her walk away, his smile growing wider.
"Interesting," he murmured to himself, his eyes filled with curiosity and an unprecedented, intense interest. "Alan... is it?"
Night fell, and the city lights began to twinkle. Edward was wondering whether to head home or somewhere else.
"The newly opened Riverside Mall, want to go?"
Concise and to the point—that was Alan's style.
Edward smiled and replied, "My pleasure."
Half an hour later, the two arrived at the mall entrance. Riverside Mall was the town's latest hotspot, renovated from an old building. Its exterior was impressive, and a huge neon sign flickered with an enchanting light in the night.
However, as soon as they stepped through the mall's main doors, an indescribable sense of wrongness washed over them.
The mall's design was strange—there were mirrors everywhere. Polished marble floors, huge full-length mirrors embedded in the walls, mirrored decorative spheres hanging from the ceiling, and even the four walls of the elevators were reflective material.
It was as if they'd entered a labyrinth made of reflections.
"Don't you think... something's off here?" Edward asked, tilting his head.
Alan's expression was serious. Her sharp eyes scanned their surroundings cautiously, her brow slightly furrowed.
Ever since she'd entered, she'd felt a repulsion and restlessness originating from the depths of her soul, as if countless eyes permeated the air, peering at her from behind those cold mirrored surfaces.
As an existence similarly connected to mirrors, she was particularly sensitive to this energy. There were too many "kindred spirits" here, and they were filled with malice and madness.
"The mirrors here are too noisy," she whispered.
Edward was momentarily confused, then understood her meaning. He looked around, his gaze falling on a small line of text in the mall directory: Riverside Shopping Center, formerly the Riverside Psychiatric Institute.
Riverside, mirrors, psychiatric hospital!! The name of a horror movie flashed through Edward's mind—Mirrors.
It couldn't be such a coincidence, could it?
An alarm bell went off in his head, and he silently activated "Purification" within himself.
A nearly invisible, soft holy light spread from his body, pushing back the chilling atmosphere that had enveloped them.
He felt much better, but seeing Alan's still tense expression, he suggested, "How about we go somewhere else? This place gives me bad vibes."
Alan, however, shook her head, a hint of defiance flashing in her eyes. "Since we're already here, I want to see what these things want."
She wasn't one to back down.
Edward, seeing her stubbornness, could only go along with it. He now possessed multiple abilities and was confident that even if they encountered a movie-like scenario, he could handle it.
As they walked side by side, Alan seemed to want to counteract the discomfort with action. She pulled Edward into a clothing store and casually picked up a leather jacket, holding it up against herself. Her reflection in the mirror looked badass.
"Does it look good?" she asked.
"It looks great," Edward sincerely praised. "But you look good in everything."
Alan glanced at him, the corners of her mouth turning up slightly, seemingly satisfied with the answer.
Just then, harsh static suddenly came from the mall's PA system, followed by a panicked voice: "Fire! Fire on the third floor! All customers and staff please evacuate immediately through the emergency exits!"
Before the words finished, thick smoke billowed down from the stairwell, and the fire alarm blared. The crowd instantly descended into panic—screams, cries, and the sound of running footsteps mixed together, turning the entire mall into chaos.
"This way!" Edward reacted quickly, grabbing Alan's wrist and rushing toward the nearest emergency exit.
However, the fire spread faster than expected, as if alive, quickly blocking their path. The sprinklers on the ceiling activated, spraying cold water that drenched the floor and the mirrors.
In the confusion, they were separated by the crowd and pushed toward a huge full-length mirror. The mirror was wet with water, and the reflections within appeared blurry and distorted.
Alan looked at the mirror and suddenly felt a powerful pull coming from within it—her soul trembled. It was a suppression from a higher-ranking entity, and its target was her!
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