The Mirror of Illusion
and the return of the warriors

Chapter 1: The New Student

Miyako entered the gloomy looking room. It was all covered in dust and cobwebs. In this room she saw an empty bed, a small stool that lay on the floor as if someone had knocked it over, a table that was also full of dust, a small cupboard with the door wide open as if it were sucking everyone in staring into him, and there was something in the very corner, something covered with a cloth. While she was wondering what that could be, Miyako walked up to it. She carefully removed the cloth. Nothing, only an old mirror could be seen. Miyako was relieved that it was just a mirror and turned around, but she felt the presence of a second person in the room. She sensed something very scary and it was watching her. Was it something to do with the mirror she'd removed from the cloth earlier? Miyako didn't see anyone in front of her eyes, but she shuddered at the thought of turning around and looking in the mirror.She wondered what she would see there. A monster? A ghost? "That just can't be", she thought and decided to turn around. But what she saw was not her reflection, but a little girl, a girl with long, black hair that covered her face. Miyako rubbed her eyes because she couldn't believe it. The girl stood sideways in the mirror, slowly turning her head to face her.
Miyako's breath caught as she looked the girl in the eye. The eyes were black, black as night. Suddenly the girl disappeared and everything was pitch black.

“Miyako, Miyako!” A familiar voice called out to her. Miyako rubbed her eyes. She was lying on her bed. Was that just a dream? Everything seemed so real to her. Completely confused, she jumped out of bed and ran to the bathroom mirror. What she saw now was a pretty girl with dark brown hair that looked really messed up and disheveled, and with bright green eyes that were slightly open with fear.But there was nobody in the mirror to be afraid of, because there she only saw herself. Miyako was relieved that it was all just a dream. She went back to her room and lay down. She thought everything through. The girl in the mirror struck her as the scariest. She clearly saw the girl's black eyes before her. Suddenly the door opened. Miyako let out a loud and short scream and looked startled at her mother who just came in to remind her that it was school today. Her mother just got out of the shower. She was wearing a bathrobe and her long dark brown hair was wrapped in a towel turban on her head. She looked angrily at Miyako. Her green eyes, which were very similar to Miyakos, already told her that it meant trouble.
"How many times have you been late for school?" Shouted the mother.
"Um ... I think ... I was late for school almost every day.", Miyako said aggressively."Now don't joke about it, understand?" Said the mother sternly, because
she was already seething with anger because Miyako didn't take everything so seriously again.
"If you keep doing this, you'll never pass the high school entrance exams. Your father and I only want what's best for you."
The mother looked disappointed at Miyako.
"Yes, yes! It's okay! Don't worry, I'll make it.
I swear that to you! ", Miyako said with a convincing look. Her mother was worried and said:" Take an example from Ran. Why don't you learn together? "
"I do!"
"You should study together for exams and not go to the cinema or the ice cream parlor!" Replied the mother, "You have everything else on your mind than thinking about your school"
"School, school, school! One always hears the same thing from you.", Miyako said indignantly. Her mother sighed and looked at her with worry.
"OK but-"
"But what?" Hissed Miyako.
"Nothing." Her mother whispered sadly, as if she knew that there was no point in arguing with her any further.Sometimes Miyako felt really sorry and regretted it afterwards. She dressed quickly and then ran down the stairs. As she walked the usual way to school, something struck her. A boy was standing on the sidewalk with a bike and it looked like he was waiting for someone. He really was a handsome boy with jet black hair and dark brown eyes. Miyako blushed slightly when he noticed that she couldn't take her eyes off him.
"What are you looking at, little one?" He called from afar.
"Um ... I've never seen you here before. Who are you?"
Smiling, he rode past her on his bike.
"Hey, you didn't answer my question!" Miyako called after him. She was a little annoyed that he had just driven away.
"He looks kind of cute, but I don't even know him."
Miyako shook his head and walked on.
"Hello Miyako!" Shouted Ran, who had already been waiting for her at school for half an hour.Miyako was lucky today that she wasn't late for school because the teacher was still not there.
"Why do you always come so early?" Miyako asked interested.
"Well, should I always be as late as you?", Ran explained.
"And besides, it's always better to come earlier than later anyway."
Miyako looked at Ran with a strange grimace.
"What? Oh my god! You got it too! May I feel if you have a fever?", Miyako asked with mock horror.
"Don't make fun of me now, Miya! You know that I hate that.", Ran said, a little offended.
"Yes, it's okay.", Miyako comforted her.
Ran smiled at her with her big dark brown eyes and made a pigtail with a hair band that she had wrapped around her hand, because her wavy, long black hair fell annoyingly into her face. Miyako mostly left her hair loose, because she had very fine, straight hair that reached just over her shoulders."Miya, don't you think that the teacher is coming very late today?" Asked Ran Miyako.
"Oh, it can stay where the pepper grows! I'm glad if it doesn't come!"
When both were seated, the teacher hurried into the class and ordered the students to sit down. Sonomi, the class representative, then said very loudly:
"One-" All the students got up at the same time
"Two-" they bowed to their teacher and at "Three" everyone greeted each other together.
"Good morning, Mrs. Haruta!"

Ms. Haruta was a very strict person. She wore silver glasses that sat on the tip of her nose. She had gray hair and looked quite old.
"Well ...", she began, "... you probably don't know that we have a new classmate? His name is Jay Hattori"
There was silence in the class and someone was standing at the class door. Maybe the new classmate? Miyako happened to look there, but when she looked closely, she almost got a shock."That's the cute boy I met this morning!"
All eyes focused on Miyako and the classmates immediately started laughing.
"That's it!", Shouted the boy, "She only has taste, nothing more."
Many of the girls in the class whispered about Miyako and Jay. Ran could also hear a boy saying: "He's conceited!"
Miyako blushed and Jay eyed her. It all became even more embarrassing for her.
"Hey, don't be embarrassed, little one!" Shouted Jay
"Why does he always say little one to me?" Miyako wondered.
"And why is he looking at me like that?"
Jay was instructed to sit down by Mrs. Haruta.
He took a seat next to Yuri, who had nothing to do with anyone in the class. Because she wasn't a particularly pretty girl. She had buck teeth and greasy hair. She was always nice to the others, but nobody dared to come near her because she stank of garlic. Jay noticed the stench straight away, but couldn't move because there was no other seat available.He pretended not to smell anything and sat there very cool and casual. He looked aloof. Everyone looked at him, except Miyako, because she was still terribly embarrassed.
"He doesn't look bad," Ran whispered to her when Ms. Haruta started her class.
"A little quieter. I'm afraid he'll hear us," Miyako whispered back. Ran knew what was going on because she was her best friend after all. Miyako was in love!
Once again she wasn't paying attention when Ms. Haruta tried to explain some math problems. That was her undoing, because when she was called by Mrs. Haruta, she only stammered something like:
"Uhhh ... Yeah ... well ...!"
She turned red in the face again, whereupon Akiko called:
"I bet she just dreamed of Jay"
Miyako looked at her table. Her hands hid her face. Suddenly she got up and ran out of class. The students looked after her puzzled and no one said anything.
"Are you stupid Akiko?"shouted Ran in anger.
"Nerd, you stay out of it!" Akiko yelled back.
"I'm just defending my girlfriend, powder puff!"

The teacher tried to be calm the whole time, but the two did not think to stop.

"You call me powder puff? At least I can put on make-up and look good, unlike you."
Ran was about to burst. She was about to say something when Mrs. Haruta intervened.
"You both go to the door, immediately!", She said angrily and pointed her finger in the direction of the door.
"But she started.", Ran replied innocently.
"I don't care at all, Ran. We can't take care of Miyako now. She'll calm down."
Judging by Akiko's looks she was very angry and she whispered:
"You will still feel the consequences!"
When they went out the door, she looked after Ran with her dark blue eyes. After she noticed that Ran wasn't looking at her anymore, she skilfully brushed her blond curly hair back and held her nose up quietly.Ran tried to ignore her as best as possible, which she succeeded until the doorbell rang at the ten-minute break.
"Where's Miya?", She asked herself and searched the whole school during the break. When she was about to give up, she heard a rustle in the bushes and a mumbling voice.
"Ran, come on! Here I am."
She didn't know what to do because her classmates were three meters away and they might have thought she would be crazy if she talked to a bush. Ran believed that plants could talk. She got it from one of her books and she read a lot. Everything that was in books was sacred and extremely believable to her. When the classmates left, she asked: