Demons, Witches, and Toads (BoyxBoy)

Wheeler and Mulock Try Not to Get Murdered

At last, Wheeler and Mulock slipped into a small store. The inside was incredibly dark. As Wheeler's eyes adjusted to the light, he was met with the awful realization that the hand they'd seen wasn't attached to anyone.

Horrified, Wheeler jumped back, causing the hand to propel itself from the door frame and onto the floor, scurrying across the room like a massive spider.

"Harold," a voice suddenly called.

The hand immediately bolted towards the wall, beginning to climb up it.

A small girl came dashing into the room, carrying a large metal bucket in one hand. "Oh there you are, you little bastard!" she snapped. She lunged at the hand, sudy water sloshing over the bucket's edge as she moved. The hand attempted to rocket further up the wall and out of reach, but the girl was faster, finally managing to grab it.

"Why do you thrive on making my life a living hell?" she muttered, plopping the hand into the bucket with a splash that sent another wave of suds over the edge. "Now take your damn bath. If you run away again, Yureka is going to kill me...oh." Her gaze fell to Wheeler and Mulock.

The girl swallowed hard. "I'm sorry, I didn't see you there." She sighed heavily, glancing to the bucket. "Let me guess, you saw Harold here and thought someone was inviting you into the shop?"

Mulock and Wheeler exchanged a glance.

"Uh, yeah," Wheeler said awkwardly. "That's exactly what happened."

The girl's shoulders sagged. "Apologies. Harold likes to play tricks on people to get them into the store. Then he tries to freak them out by jumping on them, or scurrying up the wall and falling onto their head or something. It's really embarrassing." She sighed again. "And as madame's apprentice, I'm the one who always has to clean up the mess. Pardon the pun, but he's quite the handful." She removed a dirty looking cloth now, beginning to scrub up the spilled water. After a moment, she looked up, seeming surprised they hadn't left. "He won't cause you any more trouble," she said. "You two are free to go now."

"Oh um, actually...we're here to see Yureka," Wheeler said awkwardly.

"I'm sorry," the girl replied. "But Yureka only speaks with clients she hand picks." The girl lowered her voice. "And between you and me, they're normally pretty important people. You know, chosen ones, princes, famous warriors." Her gaze flickered over Wheeler, clearly not classifying him as any of these things. "So um...you'll probably want to be on your way. There's plenty of other psychics out there."

"This isn't on my account," Wheeler stammered, clutching the paper tightly in his hands. "My headmistress sent me saying she was an old friend of hers."

"Well I don't know what else to tell you," the girl said, beginning to sound vaguely annoyed. "Yureka only sees who she wants to see--"

"Lucky Seven..."

The sound of a shrill voice cut through the thick dust filled air. Immediately the girl froze, eyes going wide.

From the back of the room, a woman emerged from the shadows. She was tall, raven black hair done up tightly at the top of her head adding further to her height. Sharp cheekbones framed an angular face with only one good eye. The other was made of glass and stared straight ahead, completely motionless.

"M-Madame Yureka," the girl stammered, "I hadn't realized you were here."

Yureka paid her no mind, brushing past the girl.

"You two," she said sharply. "Come with me."

***

Yureka had led Mulock and Wheeler into an even smaller room. They sat across from her now, a worn wooden table the only thing separating them from the mysterious woman. Various herbs and dried flowers dangled limply from the ceiling, their smell nearly masking the sour stench of age and rot.

"I've been waiting for you a long time, Lucky Seven," Yureka said. When she spoke, only her mouth seemed to move, the rest of her body remaining dead still.

Wheeler swallowed hard. "Um...how do you know that nickname?"

Yureka laughed dryly. "Child, who do you think your mother got it from?"

Wheeler's eyes widened, nearly falling off his chair. "You knew my mother?"

"Yes," Yureka said, her expression never changing. "And I'll tell you exactly what I told her." She extended a long, bony hand. Nervously, Wheeler took it. It was cold and clammy and Wheeler shivered despite himself, feeling like he was touching a corpse.

As their fingers interlocked, a soft yellow light began to emit from the glass eye.

"A perilous future awaits the Lucky Seven," Yureka began, her voice a low whisper. "Both father and son will find each other, and when they do, only two fates await them." She lifted a single bony finger. "One, they will become a mirror. Each will reflect the other and they will become indistinguishable. The Lucky Seven will become the father's pride and joy, his protege, the defender of his legacy." She lifted a second finger. "Or two. The Lucky Seven will choose to shatter the mirror. Blood will be spilled, lives will be lost, and in the end... father and son shall slaughter each other."

Finally she let her hand slip from Wheeler's, the light in her eye fading back into the cold, icy glass.

Wheeler watched her in stunned silence, still attempting to process everything he'd just heard.

"That's all I can say," Yureka murmured. "I can tell you no more."

"Can't or won't?" Mulock asked sharply. "You can't just drop something like that on the kid without any kind of explanation."

For the first time, the woman showed a hint of emotion, the corner of her mouth turning slightly upward. "Ah, little Mulock. I never expected to find you within my walls."

Mulock froze but quickly regained his composure, his eyes narrowing. "How the hell do you know my name?"

"Joseph used to frequent this shop. He spoke of you often." At the name, Mulock's face instantly went ashen. Yureka's gaze never left the demon, seering into him as she continued. "But then again, there was a time everyone in this city knew your name as well as their own."

"What you're saying is impossible," Mulock snapped. Despite his words, the demon's voice was tight, panicked like a caged animal. "Joseph died long before you were born."

"How very presumptuous of you to assume you're the only ancient being in existence," Yureka said coldly. "Honestly, I expected far more. You were made out to be some sort of bloodthirsty monster." She studied him, her mouth pressing into a thin line. "But now that we've met, I see you're nothing but a child. How very disappointing." Her gaze flickered to Wheeler. "You should be careful, little demon. History has a tendency to repeat itself. And it seems you've already found yourself another prin--"

She was interrupted as Mulock abruptly shot to his feet, his gaze blazing. "You bitch."

Yureka didn't respond, simply watching him with an almost terrifying amount of interest. It was as if she was provoking him for the soul purpose of seeing what he would do next.

Wheeler had never seen Mulock like this and a horrible fear shot through him that the demon might actually try to burn the woman alive. Quickly, Wheeler scrambled to his feet, gently hooking his arm with Mulock's.

"Mully," he said softly. "This isn't worth it. Let's just go, okay?"

The demon still appeared furious but relaxed at Wheeler's touch, luckily choosing not to protest his request.

Wheeler shot Yureka an awkward smile. "Um...thank you for seeing us. We really appreciate it."

"It was a pleasure," Yureka said, though her expression never changed.

Anxiously Wheeler began to usher the still seething Mulock towards the door. As they were about to leave however, he heard Yureka's voice call out from behind them.

"Lucky Seven, Vera de Crona sent you, didn't she?"

"Um...yes." Wheeler stammered, nervously glancing back over his shoulder. "She said she was a friend of yours."

"She's not," Yureka said sharply. "And she's not yours either. Remember that."

And for the first time, Wheeler saw a clear emotion on her face.

A dark, bitter anger.