"Well… basically, you know all those urban myths, like the hawk man or lizard people? Yeah, they're classified as creatures of the night. The dark itself… well, your kind call it the Boogy Man." Richard put his hands in his pocket, accidentally mirroring Scipio again. Merlin was still flipping through the spellbook, looking for something.
"Really? Guess that's real, then?" Scipio raised his eyebrows. "And you don't have to keep mirroring me if you don't want to. It's… a little surreal now that you're like, an actual person and not just a flipped picture or whatever."
Richard flushed slightly, embarrassed.
"Sorry, I'm just not exactly used to looking at you without copying you."
"And that's why humans aren't supposed to know," Merlin interjected, "Any normal person would be freaking out by now."
"Nice emphasis. Not a normal person, but it's still kinda weird." Scipio toyed with his hair, humming again. "Once you kill enough people, not much phases you anymore."
"I know," Richard and Merlin said at the same time. Richard with a sigh, Merlin in a disgusted tone. Merlin slammed his spellbook shut with one hand.
"Unfortunately, I'll have to look much harder to find a spell that can send you back without anything else getting out."
"Guess that means I can't just walk back, then?" Scipio lowered his hand. "On that note, are you able to come to my world like I came here?"
Richard shook his head.
"The same spell that's keeping the creatures- and you- stuck here keeps my kind stuck here too. Even Merlin here hasn't left since he made this place."
"Why isn't there a spell that keeps me from coming in?" Scipio crossed his arms, tapping one foot. "Then we wouldn't have this problem, would we?"
Merlin wiped around to face Scipio. Richard, on the other hand, stepped back a bit.
"Becuase a spell like that would contradict with the spell already in place. If there was a way to have both spells, there would be no need for people like Richard here."
"How long did you weigh the pros and cons before creating something like this? Surely I'm not the only one who's come through? Do you wipe their memories or what?"
"Usually, the people at most risk of having their humans come through don't go fight. This has kept the rate to near zero. There have been a few other times, but not for centuries. When that happened, we just let them stay here until they died." Richard was doing a lot of explaining this that, for most of his life, were simply facts of life. It was strange to say the least.
Scipio was quiet for a moment. "You seem to want to send me back, though. Why not just leave me here like the others? I could be helpful in your war, and it's not like anyone in my world will notice my absence."
"It's because you enjoy killing so much. If you were to kill one of your allies for fun, that would be another person who ends up in here," Richard explained before Merlin could. Richard was used to Scipio being like this, seeing as Richard had not only witnessed but also partially or wholly acted them out with Scipio. Merlin nodded to what Richard said.
"And I don't like you," Merlin said as if that was enough of a reason in itself.
"…Yeah, that's fair. I am prone to killing allies." Scipio yawned, entirely nonchalant about his blatant murder. "But that also gives me more of a chance to die, right? What happens to you when I die, anyways? Can you like… retire if I get old?"
"It all depends. If you die in front of a reflective surface, I die too. If you don't, however, I just don't have to do that part of my job anymore and I can focus my energies on the battlefield." Richard wasn't sure how he felt about actually meeting Scipio; it was nice, yes, to be able to actually talk to someone he had literally grown up with, but it was also strange; he had been engrained to never speak in front of Scipio, only lipsync.
"When I get hurt and I stand in front of a mirror, does it hurt you too? Since Merlin heals you and stuff, could he mistake it for your own injury and draw you away from the mirror while I'm there?"
"Yes, it hurts me, no Merlin doesn't make mistakes like that because of spells put in place prevent it." Richard was enjoying this, he finally decided. He liked talking to his human charge, even though it was unconventional.
"Hmm… in the army, the ground was often wet and I could see my reflection in puddles." Scipio began. "Other people's reflections were in there as well when I killed them. When I kill someone, does their reflection show up with you? Do you have to murder them in cold blood?"
Richard pursed his lips, nodding slowly.
"When two or more people interact, their reflections are pulled to the same place… and we have to do whatever you do, even if it means killing them."
"I don't experience guilt. You know this, of course… but, do you feel bad for killing them?" Scipio balanced his head on one loosely closed fist. "Do you say anything before you stab them?"
"I…" Richard glanced over at Merlin. Thankfully, Merlin was busy on the other side of the room.
"Yeah, I do. And sometimes, when I know you aren't looking or listening, I tell them I'm sorry."
Scipio smirked a bit, humming again. "Do you keep track of the total? I stopped counting a while ago and I'm sort of curious."
"No. I don't." Richard sighed. There was no doubt about it, this was Scipio through and through.
"Honestly, it seems like we should be switched. You, the one who acts more socially acceptable, should be in my happy little pleasant world. I should be the one on the dark side." Scipio's smirk lingered. "It sounds almost fun to me."
"Yeah, I guess so. Still, this is how it is to be." Richard shrugged. This was his life; he'd never really thought about if he was in Scipio's world.