"We're in a black hole--one of my special pockets that blocks your omnipresent leader. Now be silent, angel." Angel, she called her. Tessara would never recognize her as a person with a name; she was angel, much as a dog was mutt. Tessara turned away from the bound angel to face a pair of enormous sunflowers, both towering a foot above their heads. The demoness closed her eyes and began a low chant.
The door to the land that stands in neutrality.
The land that is not Holy, nor wholly Unholy.
The home that I have come to call my own.
A fierce wind swept around the clearing, shaking all the flowers and gathering clouds of pollen into the air. A cyclone swirled around them, yet not even the smallest breeze caressed the three at the center. The two sunflowers stood steady amid the storm, facing Tessara as though they were listening attentively to her summons.
Open for us and let us in, into your hidden gardens.
No death, nor war, nor destruction carry we into you;
But sanctuary we do seek in the land that stands in neutrality.
No side do you take in the endless war of light and dark.
No fight will we make while here we dwell, not within thy borders,
O land that is not Holy, nor wholly Unholy.
As these flowers are a shield to keep your secret hidden,
So too are we sworn to not share how to enter into here,
The home that I have come to call my own.
As one not Holy, nor wholly Unholy, open now your door for me
And for those I bring with me for refuge from the war.
And let us into the home that I have come to call my own.
Even as the furious tornado spun around the clearing, the golden cloud of pollen parted between the sunflowers to reveal a door. Slowly, reverently, the old wood swung inward, opening itself to admit those seeking its sanctuary. Tessara stepped forward first, passing into the dim parlor on the other side. The raging winds faded into the distance as she entered the serenity of the quiet house. She was home.
"Alyssa, come; the door cannot stay open for long. And bring the prisoner with you."
The place they stood was only an entryway, three meters wide and ten meters long leading to a single door at the far end. Two large mirrors ran the length of the room along each wall, tall enough to reflect the entire body. Tessara stood between them now, enjoying turning from one to the other. On the left was the Unholy--the darkness within her, that which wished to rip off angels' wings and tear apart their shimmering hearts. Looking into the glass surface, Tessara saw a hideous, black demon with fangs and two short, sharp horns on her head. Its blackened claws reached out with the intent to kill. On the right was the Holy--the pure emotions that her heart contained, the ones that drove her to keep this home. When she turned to this mirror, Tessara saw a small figure. She was the size of a toddler, with soft pink hair and clothes and small arms stretching out for a loving embrace.
Every enter who passed that hallway could see both halves of themselves--just themselves, not the others. Tessara's demon was far larger, and she had no doubt that Shiro's demon would be miniscule compared to her angel. But Alyssa... as a half, Tessara wondered what she would see in the mirrors. Perhaps an angel and demon of equal size? Perhaps one would be noticeably larger? Or perhaps she would see nothing at all? Tessara did not know, nor could she know; only Alyssa could look into her own mirrors.
