“Stupid brother.”

Muttering to herself, Sara sat alone at the dinner table and picked at the pile of sand that was supposed to be her dinner. The television was blasting in the living room and Ned was running circles on the mat, but even then it was too quiet.

It shouldn’t be. It was Saturday evening, for crying out loud. People her age were all having sleepovers and watching late-night movies in the mall. She was probably the only one stuck at home trying to distract herself with junk food and garbage television.

Pushing the crumbled fruit cake away, Sara slipped off her chair and padded across the kitchen. She poured herself a glass of orange juice, drank half of it right there by the fridge, then nearly coughed it all back up. It tasted like chalk.

She took the rest of the juice upstairs, deciding she’ll give it to Yuzuru, for punishment that he had once again chosen to spend the most important day in the year holed up in his room.

Instead of with me.

“Come on, Ned.” Hearing Sara’s voice, the corgi waggled his way over, short legs tripping all over the carpet in his haste.

Sara chuckled. At least someone was having fun on her birthday.

As she passed Yuzuru’s door, Sara hesitated. She raised her hand to knock but lowered it to her side.

What was the point? Ever since he dropped out of high school last year, Yuzuru was like a phantom. He stayed in his room all day, leaving only to buy ramen or whatever energy drinks he needed to stay up at night. He might as well not exist anymore, and the lives of everyone would go on as usual.

Sara shook her head. She shouldn’t think like that. Her brother was in mourning. Even though the traditional mourning period was 49 days, and he had outdone that by about 200 percent, she should admit he was going through something she’d never experienced. Sure, their grandparents were all gone, but she’d never been close to either pair. And while she knew Honoka quite well, their relationship was barely only skin-deep.

She knocked. And waited.

There was a creak from inside, which Sara knew to be the sound of Yuzuru’s chair. She heard him shuffling over and took a step back to let the door open.

“Yea,” he said, peaking through the gap with one eye.

“Good evening to you too, cyclops,” Sara said. “I can’t help but notice you haven’t given me anything for my 16th birthday. Which is today, by the way.”

Yuzuru said, “Shit,” then closed the door.

Sara was so stunned she didn’t know what to say. She raised a fist to pound on the door but stopped when she heard a crash, followed by loud rustling.

Her brother swore again.

“Um, I was just joking, you know. I don’t think I want anything from your anime collection.”

The door opened, wide enough for Yuzuru to stick a beautifully wrapped present through.

“Here you go.”

Sara eyed the little box incredulously. It was bigger than a jewelry case but smaller than a book. “You wrapped it just then?” she asked. “Wow. Maybe you found a secret skill.”

Yuzuru chuckled softly. “No, dummy. I had this since last month. I just forgot it was today, sorry.”

Sara placed her orange juice on the floor and took the gift with both hands. The wrapping was smooth but it felt like sandpaper under her fingers. She looked up at her brother. “Thanks.”

“Don’t mention it.” Yuzuru went to close the door but Sara stopped him.

“Wait,” she said, not having a clue what she wanted him to wait for. “Uh, how… there’s cake downstairs.”

“Okay,” said Yuzuru.

“Can I open it now?” Sara held up the box, fighting the urge to shake it.

“Do it in your room,” Yuzuru said. “That way you can use scissors and save the wrapping.”

“Oh,” said Sara. “Yea. Good idea. Saves… trees.”

Yuzuru smiled, then closed the door.

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Sara let out a long breath. She picked up her juice and carried it with her present down the hallway to her room.

Ned was waiting at the door. He sprang up and waggled his tail as she approached.

“Look,” Sara whispered, showing him the present. “What do you think this is?”

Ned yelped.

Balancing a half glass of juice and a wrapped present, Sara went into her room. She reached across the wall and flicked on the light, but the room stayed dark.

“Weird.”

She flipped the switch the other way. Still nothing.

By her feet, Ned let out a sudden bark and charged into the dark room.

“Wait!” Sara called after the pup but he was gone. She hurried went in after him, feeling with her toes for the desk beside her bed.

She struck something hard.

“Sorry, Ned.”

The pup didn’t answer. Sara stepped out again, feeling the same rough object on the ground in front of her.

Her palms started to sweat. It made holding onto her things difficult. She needed to find the desk or risk spilling chalk-flavored juice everywhere. She glanced behind her, hoping the light from the doorway might orient her, but the door wasn’t there anymore.

In its place was a full-length mirror.

Sara inched towards it, every step a nail in her own coffin.

She stepped up to the mirror.

The Sara that looked out from it was wearing the same clothes as she was. In her hands were also the glass and gift, but something was different with this version.

She was smiling, and Sara was pretty sure she was too terrified to have that look on her own face.

Then, as she watched, her mirrored-self let go of the things she held, plunged her fingers into her own cheeks and tore off a chunk of skin, revealing bone.

Sara screamed and staggered backward. Her foot crushed whatever it was on the ground. On instinct, she turned and saw the hollowed skull of Jack grinning up at her.

“Hello,” he said, blue flames sparking from his exposed jawbones. “Having fun?”

Sara back away, hitting the mirror. Hands reached out from either side of her. She felt them grab her neck, her face, and tear. And tear.

Her screams were lost in the echo of Jack’s laugh.

“I told you, kid, that you’ll end up like me.”

With a burst of plasmic fire, Sara ripped through the steel arms imprisoning her.

She fell to the ground, coughing up so much blood she couldn’t breathe.

Chaos 99/100

“Heads up!” Jack called out.

Sara rolled away, just in time to escape the metal foot crashing down on her.

The black knight came at her again, his broken arms trailing behind him.

“Duck, kid!”

Sara dived for the sand just as a forest of twisting vines surged out around her, curling around the knight. Enormous spikes grew between the green, puncturing his steel armor like it was made of paper. The knight barely reacted. He raised both arms into the air and pieces of his shredded limbs flew together, scraps of black metal morphing back into their original state. He reached for his claymore, and the massive blade flew through the air, slicing the vines on its way back to its owner’s hand.

The knight landed with a booming crash.

“You are strong,” he told Sara. “But magic will be your end.”

“But…” Sara looked at her hands. “That one wasn’t me.”

“Keep your head in the game!” Jack roared against her thigh. “Hold out your hand.”

Sara did as she was told. A hurricane built on the surface of her palm, sucking her lost blade into her hand. She raised her sword and met the knight’s slash head-on. Their blades crashed in a firework of light. Instinct taking over, Sara slid backward and then leaped in the air, coming down in a bolt of lightning.

The knight struck his sword upward to meet her.

Sara felt the vibrations inside her skull. She pulled back and attacked from all angles, her attacks laced with an array of spells. Fire and lightning built around the arena in a low spinning tornado, culminating in a final, charging slash. Sara spun amidst the plasma bolts, cutting through the knight in a brilliant supernova.

As the light faded, Sara knelt and tried to catch her breath. Her heart hammered and her throat burned, but there wasn’t anything else wrong. She expected to see her chaos maxing out, especially after that spamming of spells, but her table didn’t change.

And then Jack started to cough.

Sara stood, unhooking the skull from her waist.

“It was you!”

Jack’s jaw moved into the hint of a smile. “You didn’t think you were the only one with a mastery in magic, did you?” His laugh was cut short by a fit of coughing. There was no blood or any sort of fluid, but even as Sara held on to Jack, she felt his skull turning soft.

“Jack,” she whispered. “Why did you do that?”

“We are more alike than you’d like to admit, kid,” said Jack between coughs.

A shadow fell over them. Sara glanced up and saw thick hands descending over her. She leaped out of the way, and the black knight fell in an explosion of sand. When the dust cleared, he did not move again.

Sara stared at the hulking suit of armor, expecting more. Then, tiny specks began to break off from it, fluttering like black embers. Bit by bit, the knight disintegrated into nothing.

“So that’s what it looks like,” said Jack. “Don’t think I mind such a poetic send-off.”

“But you don’t even like Shakespeare,” Sara said. Alarmed, she saw he was beginning to break away in the same manner and tried to clutch onto him, but pieces of his skull continued to crack and drift away between her fingers.

“Stop this,” she said. “We haven’t faced the stupid dragon yet. You’re supposed to witness me completely ruining your plans, remember?”

“The kitsune knows how to activate the portal,” Jack said. “She’ll take you there. It’s always been you, kid.”

Sara dropped to her knees and held Jack to her chest, but the pieces of him kept on slipping past her. “Please,” she whispered.

Jack chuckled. “You’re a lonely kid, aren’t you? Even back home, I mean.”

Sara didn’t say anything, just held on tighter.

“Kid. Look at me.”

Slowly, she peeled Jack off her chest. He was missing his lower skull and one cheek. But his eyes, hollow as they were, held more emotion in them than Sara ever saw before.

“I was wrong about you becoming me,” he said. “You are not that selfish. And more importantly, you’ll never make a good skeleton.” He chuckled, and as the sound whispered through the air, the last of his white bones scattered away.

Sara stared at the emptiness between her palms. She clenched her fists. Her nails were dirty and cracked. She stood. The black knight’s blade was still on the sand. She went over and hauled it across her shoulder, leaving her thin blade in its place.

Carrying her prize across the decimated arena, she made her way out towards the surface.