A/N: To the people waiting for my other story, I'm sorry about that. This idea just popped up and I didn't want to forget it. Do we call these things one-shots on FictionPress, too?
And in case you didn't know, there is a difference between faeries and fairies. The former is supposed to be evil, while the latter is more harmless.
The Faerie's Glass
Once upon a time, in a kingdom filled with the magic of fairies, sorcerers, witches and thousands of other supernatural creatures, there lived a young man. He was righteous, brave, and remarkably handsome, and he would have been the ideal man for many had he been wealthy as well. But Lady Luck was fickle, for he was orphaned as soon as he came into the world.
One day, the orphanage he lived in decided that he must leave to find his fortune in the world. He seemed to be of age, and he was much healthier and stronger than the others in the overcrowded establishment. So he set off with nothing but the clothes on his back and a piece of stale bread. Without money, he knew, there would be few places where he could stay. The woods seemed the best choice for him, so off he went.
It was still daytime, so the woods gave the false impression of being peaceful and safe. The young man, unfortunately lacking high intelligence as well, simply cleared a little spot for him to sit down, and then he went to sleep.
He was awakened by the sound of a struggle. By the fading light of the sun, he could make out the forms of two creatures- a goblin and a faerie. With his limited knowledge, he decided that the faerie was, in fact, a benevolent fairy, and that she was the one he needed to help. He had heard that goblins were extremely greedy, so he took his bread and threw it as far as he could away from the faerie. Sensing the movement, the goblin immediately let go of the faerie and went after the food.
The faerie then performed a protection spell, both on herself and the young man, so that they would be safe for the night. With her skills of perception and intelligence, she could sense that he thought she was a good creature because of her beauty. So she would pretend to be so, but use his humanness and strength to spread evil in the kingdom.
She presented him with a glass. "Look into it," she told him. The youth complied."When I look at thee in this mirror, I can see no reflection. Thy spirit is pure. But if thou lookst at a spirit of evil using this glass, then thou shalt see a demon. The more impure the spirit, the uglier the demon. Use this glass to protect thyself from evil." And with that explanation, she was gone.
A small, sturdy bag and a gleaming sword appeared at his feet. Oblivious to the faerie's true motives, the youth happily accepted her gifts. In the bag was food and clothes. He decided that he could eat now, and took a loaf of bread out of the bag. Another loaf suddenly appeared inside, taking the place of the one he had removed. After eating the entire loaf, he went to sleep satisfied.
In the morning, he made his decision. He now had a sword, food, money, and clothes, all from the faerie. He would be righteous. He would help purify the world with his mirror and his sword. And so he set off to the nearest village to find evil.
~ooOoo~
He stared at the blood on his blade, lightheaded. The self-proclaimed purifier hadn't known so many people would be impure. So he had tried to kill on the ugliest demons he saw. They hadn't been good people. By killing them, he reasoned, he was helping the world. He had to keep going.
~ooOoo~
Years passed. The young man went from village to village, slaying the evil people who he saw as demons in his mirror. As time passed, he began to kill more. He went from killing just the ugliest demons to killing the ugly demons to killing any demons he saw. Sometimes, this meant killing everyone.
After spending ten years on his mission, he decided to visit the benevolent dragon of the kingdom. He had become arrogant and callous as a result of his quest, and he wanted a reward for his hard work. The no-longer-young man met the dragon outside its hallowed cave, and asked to be admitted inside, to receive his honors. However, the dragon, with its all-seeing eye, would not allow him inside.
"How dare you not let me inside!" the man yelled. "I am this kingdom's purifier, the destroyer of evil! I am the greatest! I rival even the great Siegfried!"
The wise dragon responded, "But killing the evil is still killing people. Look at your own reflection."
So the man obeyed, and what he saw horrified him. For it was the foulest, most horrid demon he had ever seen staring back at him.
~ooOoo~
The dark faerie had triumphed. The righteous young man had turned into a killer, the worst demon of them all.
A/N: Hoped that wasn't too bad. Reviews, anyone?