[Ashurato]

Issue# 1 - Chamaros: "Mirror, Mirror"

Some say it’s misplaced arrogance. But only fools would be so idiotic as to mistake arrogance for what is plainly the truth.

So many… too many… have fallen prey to things beyond their grasp--fallen prey to ME. None of them are deserving. All they care about is what they see in front of their eyes, tangible and within reach.

Chamaros is neither.

This beauty of mine is a gift, not a curse. It protects me and paralyzes those who dare come too close. I have learned my lesson, bitter as it was, and I would never allow myself to be deceived by the caustic notion of love again.

“Mere mortals are much too easily swayed by their desires. It ruins families, devastates kingdoms, and kills gods,” I whispered to myself as I stood alone in the darkness of my tent, bereft of everything but my precious kimonos, fans, and a single mirror that reflected the somber lamplight.

Everything that meant anything to me was encompassed within this small room, hidden from the rest of the pitiful world. In this room, the war that raged outside meant as much as the dirt beneath my feet. No, less than that.

I was subservient before, but now, I fear nothing. There is the issue of the deal I had struck, but nothing could possible deal a keener blow that the shattering of my self respect. I was willing to pay any price and this beauty, this enchantment, was much more than I could have ever expected.

But…

I looked at the calm mirror on the other side of the room, slowly turned, and approached it.

There is something missing. “Why am I not contented?”

I was beautiful, but I must keep it hidden within this male guise. I can see, but only half as perfectly and the earth’s colors are dimmed in clarity. The voice that poured from my lips belongs to that of a stranger.

I no longer knew myself.

“And there is nothing wrong with that,” I smiled, but there was a sinister spark in the depths of my left eye. “Let time forget the me who was powerless and demure. I will kill thousands in this war, enough to satisfy HER.”

I raised a hand to the cool, reflective surface and my smile only grew wider. “I will not be satisfied until this mirror reflects who I truly am. I will shed these fetters… and when I do… woe to those who dare try to subjugate me once again.”

But for now, I hold back this demon, for General Zephyr calls.

Fin.
5/11/2010