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Intro Part 1 (the mirror)

Ever wonder what Gabe was thinking? If your world turned upside down in a freak display of magic and destiny, wouldn’t you go to your oldest friend for comfort? Surely they can only react well. If only Gabe can pluck up the courage to go inside and confront the person he basically ghosted. Also featuring the only full body description of Kodi.

I almost backed out. Just thinking about Kodi’s face was agony. I knew, I knew I stood outside of Purebread Patries for too long. It was a miracle they didn’t notice me through the window. Yet, the closer I was to Kodi, the more I could breathe.

The last month and a half was a whirlwind. I thought I knew what it meant to live in a world upside down; most of the population oblivious to your very existence, but this was something I could never have read about, let alone dreamt about. Kodi had always been the grounding force in my life, offering advice, an ear, or a knock up the head. It killed me, it was killing me, having not seen them for so long. I had barely talked to them. There was no way they weren’t fuming. The thought of them mad at me scared me almost as bad as facing the Virtues.

I had to do this, though. For me and for Kodi.

Timidly, I pushed the door open. The bell rang far too loudly, too sharp for what I wanted to be a subtle entrance. I never wanted to make quiet entrances, but this circumstance cowed me. The bakery smelled like home. Never once had I regretted getting Kodi into baking. They had taken to it like Tolkien to fantasy, coming alive with a whisk in hand, oven beeping in the background. All it took was a year when my parents ran out of time and they baked my birthday cake. Now, more often than not, their apartment smelled of sugar and butter and flour.

Swallowing the lump in my throat, I said, “Hey, Kodi.”

Kodi’s head snapped up. The relief in their eyes almost made my knees buckle before I reached the counter. They dusted their hands off on their apron, the one I embroidered, and meandered over to where I stood picking at grout. Their mustard yellow flannel had a smear of frosting on its cuff. They had paired their black skater skirt predictably with the combat boots that peeked out from behind the counter. Running a hand through their green hair, which I saw they hadn’t redyed, dark brown roots growing out, they smirked drily. Their eyebrows didn’t unfurrow. “So you’ve come crawling back, have you?” they snarked. Of course, they were trying to lighten my mood. That didn’t stop me from seeing right through the brave face they were putting on.

And what a brave face it was. I could have done with seeing it more often when dealing with Envy. Tears clawed at my throat. I choked them back. “I missed you,” I stage-whispered. I couldn’t muster anything else.

Their eyes softened. “No, duh, you goof. I haven’t seen you for weeks,” they jabbed. I could see the tension in the cords of their neck, the fire behind their brown gaze. Kodi didn’t get angry. Frustrated, sure, annoyed, of course, but never mad. There was raw anguish in their words that threatened to hurt me as much as they had been hurting. They said, “You’ve never replied to my texts in so few words. At least you didn’t call me, then I would have started worrying about you.”

“Sorry,” I said, wincing. For all my bravado, I was starting to think I was the cowardly one in our decade-and-a-half-long friendship.

But, of course, Kodi being Kodi, they didn’t let me wallow. They grabbed my hand and pulled it towards their chest. My callouses almost matched theirs now, but that didn’t stop the hold from being so achingly familiar that I started welling up. Softly, while kneading my palm, they said, “Hey, it’s okay. You’re allowed to do your own thing. Just a little heads up next time you pseudo-disappear would be nice. And remember, you can tell me anything. Or nothing. I love you no matter what.”

I looked up, blinking back tears.

Immediately, they released my hand. They leaned towards me hurriedly, making urgent eye contact. “Oh, hey, no,” they commanded, “No crying. This is happy. You’re seeing your favourite person for the first time in seven weeks.”

This could have been the thousandth time they had made me laugh while crying. It felt like fireworks were lighting up my chest, brighter than any display of magic I had seen in the weeks past. “Wow, I missed you, Kodi,” I whispered. Kodi’s mouth twitched.

Taking my hand again, they strode around the counter. I made a mental note to steal the flannel they were wearing; it was either very new or very old and would regardless make one of my planned ensembles ten times better. At this point, I doubted I would be able to ask for it. As nice as Kodi had been so far, there was no way they didn’t hate me for what I pulled. We told each other everything and saw each other almost every day; there was no one closer to me and I had neglected our relationship for almost two months. Kodi practically herded me into a table in the corner, shouldering in beside me and placing a croissant in front of me. I hadn’t noticed them grab it. I was grateful for it, though. I would always be hungry for their desserts, of which croissants were legendary.

They pressed into my side and asked, “Want to talk? Or just sit?”

“Just-” I swallowed a bite that melted in my mouth and ripped myself another piece “-give me a minute. I need to collect my thoughts.

I missed sitting in silence with Kodi. It was normally my favorite thing to do. We would lie snuggled up together for hours, cogs turning, dreams unfolding invisibly on the ceiling. Still, their company made gathering an explanation easier. As they shifted beside me, rattled by something, I desperately tried to scrape together coherent thoughts. It all seemed outlandish to anyone who hadn’t seen it. I’d barely kept hold of my sanity, despite reading stories about a hundred eldritch horrors in millions of endless voids.

Maybe the words would come to me if I started. “So,” I said. Or maybe Kodi would hate me. I started shredding the croissant.

Kodi poked my side. I shrieked and pulled away, dropping the pastry with a clatter on my plate. They knew every ticklish spot I had: they always won tickle fights. “So?” they parroted, grinning.

I didn’t want to see that expression fade. But Kodi deserved an explanation. Kodi deserved everything. I steeled myself. “I’ve been a little busy since I saw you last,” I tried.

Kodi raised their eyebrows, piercing glinting. No kidding.

Sorry. I grimaced, trying to twitch my mouth into a smile. My ears heated up.

Kodi tilted their forehead towards me, almost bumping mine. It’s okay.

We could still talk without saying a word. I could have screamed for the joy exploding inside. Courage blooming in my chest, I blurted, “It, uh, turns out I’m the child of some mystical prophecy.” The words burned on the way out. As soon as they reached Kodi’s ears, I yearned to swallow them back. They were going to think I was crazy. The only thing I hoped would save me from being accused of making excuses was the sheer scale of trouble I had gotten into.

Kodi smoothed their expression, tamping down on the worry that always made their nose twitch. “That sounds like a dream come true for you, nerd,” they said.

I nodded. We were both thinking of my room. Over the course of three gift-giving holidays, four birthdays, and half a dozen trips to thrifting bookshops, I had turned my room into a magical library. Every available wall space was a bookshelf, with more compartments behind my wardrobe and under my bed. Some books filled space, encyclopedias, and the like, but most were fantasy, from Tolkien to Lewis to Stoker. I had read every single one, and Kodi had read at least half.

“That’s what I thought, too, at first. It went badly very quickly, though. Turns out the worlds I’ve been reading about don’t compare to the real thing.

“You see, there’s a whole plane hidden from us. Well, not from me anymore. There’s some hellish dimension, which honestly stinks. It makes sense, given its made of brimstone and sulfur. And then there’s its mirror, made of light that burns anyone that looks on it. I haven’t seen that, but I’ve been told. I’m getting ahead of myself. Do you know the deadly sins? Pride, Envy, Sloth, Gluttony, Greed, Lust, and Wrath?”

Kodi nodded blankly.

“Right, so they and the heavenly virtues, Humility, Kindness, Diligence, Temperance, Charity, Chastity, and Patience, are in charge of keeping the world, the universe in balance. But recently, well, I say recently, but from what I’ve gathered it’s been about a century in the making, the virtues have been overstepping in the quest to ‘save humanity.’ That’s been throwing everything out of equilibrium, so the sins have to step in more. Are you following?”

Again, Kodi nodded. Their gaze was far away but locked onto my face. It didn’t worry me, though. Sometimes they concentrated like this.

“Right, so there was a big incident that ruined the situation even more,” I paused, censoring myself. They didn’t need to know about Pride. I barely knew about Pride, which seemed ironic and complicated the sins’ predicament. “There’s been a lot of fighting, with the sins getting cut down. There’ve been pivotal battles, like when Chastity almost buried a village in an avalanche but was stopped by Wrath’s fire. I mean, literal fire. The illustrations they have of this are terrifying.

“Anyway, I’ve been wrapped up in this because of… discoveries I’ve made. I’ve been to battle too, if you can imagine. I’ve seen them summon weapons from nothing, made of light, or something. Whatever the blades are made of, they eat through anything, except each other. But I’ve handled myself.

“Honestly, that’s been most of what I’ve been doing. Fighting. And when we sit down, some of the sins I’ve met and I, they teach me a little more about what’s going on. It’s been hard to catch a breath, though. That’s what this is.” I gesture wildly at the bakery. “I’m breathing again. Taking a break. I don’t know how long I have to rest, though.”

Kodi took a breath of their own. It shuddered on the exhale. “Okay. Okay. Wow. That’s,” they repeated, “a lot to handle.”

I did my best to meet their gaze. I regretted finishing the croissant. Now that I had nothing to busy my hands with they strayed to the chain on my jeans. It jingled, sharp and loud and crude in the silence building between us. I swallowed the lump that had appeared in my throat again. “That’s why I promised not to tell anyone from my old life.” I gave up on looking at them, instead studying my plate. How long would it take for ants to clear it away, until there was no trace left, no memory of the food? “Why I promised to stay away. But I just needed to talk to someone. And we don’t keep secrets.”

My eyes were ripped from the plate as Kodi wordlessly whipped it away, gathering it against their chest. Their hands were shaking. My heart was shaking.

What was I thinking? In no world would anyone take that well. I hadn’t taken it well, I wasn’t taking it well even two months in. And, what, I was expecting Kodi to accept it in seconds? I threw them in the deep end with no regard to their feelings. That was if they even believed me. As the words were coming out of my mouth, I knew I ridiculous they sounded. Kodi didn’t like surprises; they thrived in routine and predictability. They were open to new experiences but needed warnings and explanations that made sense. Even though I didn’t make excuses, that didn’t make what I said more believable. Or excusable, for that matter. I had almost disappeared, giving only one-word answers to texts and letting every conversation Kodi started die. I was a terrible friend. And this was no way to come back into their life. Kodi deserved so much better than what I could give them.

It felt like an age before Kodi returned from the back rooms. I scrambled to detangle my fingers from the chain I’d been fiddling with. I saw the look on Kodi’s face. Something had changed. I nursed no sane hope of rekindling our friendship. Surely, I had ruined the one constant in my life. Stopping five paces from the table, Kodi raised their arm. They crooked a finger.

Oh, thank everything.

I barrelled into their arms. The world was right once again. Kodi smelled of cinnamon and sage and home. I buried my face into Kodi’s neck, reveling in their warmth. I didn’t know how I had gone so long without their arms around me. It felt like every hug we’d had since we’d met. It didn’t matter how we’d grow, where we’d go, what we’d do, we were ourselves together. I felt safe, finally.

Pulling away slightly, Kodi cupped my cheeks between their palms. They pressed our foreheads together, thumb tracing the dimple at the top of my cheekbone. Softly, they said, “And you betrayed their trust for me?”

Pure, unfiltered love burst in my chest. I pulled them back into a hug, still needing to be held. “Of course,” I murmured.

I felt them smile against the crown of my head. Smug, they asked, “Does that mean you like me?”

Laughter bubbled up and I shoved Kodi away so I could double over. Giggles slipped out as I tried to catch my breath. Kodi was absurd. Wonderfully and gloriously themselves, strange and infectious in their humor. “Goodness, no,” I snickered, cheeks aching already, “We’ve tried that before.”

Kodi smiled, matching mine. “Yeah, that was a trainwreck.”

It was a mess of hormones and affection. It was a scant few weeks while we practiced for the SAT; it was amazing and terrible, a state of being where nothing changed while we insisted it had. Somehow everyone and no one believed us when we said we were dating. By traditional views, we broke up, but, to us, we were never together to begin with. We were never traditional.

All the love I didn’t share, self-inflicted, I knew, shone on my face. The more time I spent with Kodi, especially after so long apart, the more the world felt right. “So, no. I don’t like you. I love you, Kodi.”

They bumped my shoulder. “Love you more.”

But I knew love wasn’t enough. Love wouldn’t bring victory to the sins, wouldn’t teach me faster. Love couldn’t save the world here. Love wasn’t enough to keep me with Kodi, no matter how much I wanted it to be. I sighed, trying to banish the cobwebs of destiny from my mind, if only for now.

It was irresponsible, though. Reluctantly, I said, “I should probably go. They’ll be wondering where I am.” I started making my way to the door, desperate for Kodi to grab my hand, to insist that I should stay.

They didn’t.

“Gabe!” called Kodi.

My head snapped up. From only a few weeks of training, I could sense something flying towards me. Raising my hand and turning, instinct sent magic flaring up my arm. To my horror, the projectile roll glowed purple momentarily in front of the bakery’s patrons. No one said anything if anyone had seen. The roll dropped into my hand, just as the magic had planned. I smiled shakily, hiding my nerves.

“Hey,” said Kodi, staring into my soul. It was chilling, and they were far too good at seeing past any facade I put up. “Don’t be a stranger.”

My smile solidified. “To you?” I snorted incredulously. Kodi meant everything. “Never.”

Walking away, no roll had ever tasted sweeter.