We chase ourselves up three more floors, battling ghosts along the way. Denver has long-since stopped taking them down with one-hit KOs, but Marie♥’s starting to become adept with the Thief’s Dagger.

“Nice moves, Marie♥!” I cheer as she lands the finishing blow.

She holds her critical hit pose a bit longer than strictly necessary, milking it for all it’s worth. “Thank you!”

You’d think that our reflections wouldn’t be able to climb very quickly, slowed down by their constant arguing, but we’re still no closer to catching them than when they first dashed off. We’re also no closer to understanding exactly what they are and how to defeat them. There must be some whales who’ve already made it to the top but there’s no trace of a guide on the school’s wiki.

It’s also time for Marie♥ to open up her wallet and take the plunge, picking up a ten-pack of stamina potions and drinking the first one to refresh her empty bar.

When it seems that the floor is cleansed of evil, I take out my key item, the Ghost of Halloween Present’s grimoire, and activate it. She appears before us, grinning.

“What can I assist you with?” she asks.

“Our reflections materialized and took off without us,” I explain. “They were kinda awful people, too. We’re chasing after them.”

“This is my sister’s doing for sure. Isolating the darkness in peoples’ hearts— It’s spooky, right? But it’s also a warning of what Halloween Future might be like if you don’t mend your ways and ignore the spirit of the holiday.”

“That can’t be right. I wanted to climb straight to the top without anyone else!” I protest. “That’s not me at all.”

“It’s who you could become, child,” she says gently. “I didn’t say it was who you are.”

“So it’s a mirror match after all?” Thagomizer asks.

“You will have to defeat them,” the Ghost of Halloween Present agrees. “But whether you defeat them in combat or subdue them by other means is up to you. Keep your chins up! You’ve passed my trial, there’s no reason you won’t pass my sister’s.”

Marie♥ looks spooked, though.

“That is all the advice I can spare for you,” our ghostly friend apologizes. “Until we meet again!”

She disappears with a flourish. We take a moment to think about her words. Subdue them by other means, she said? What could that possibly mean?

“Enough of this!” Thagomizer says, breaking the silence. “Mysteries don’t solve themselves. Let’s quit moping and figure it out.”

“Yeah!” I cheer.

Even Marie♥ smiles, though she doesn’t look entirely convinced. “Sure, Thagomizer.”

Together, we climb up one more floor. The familiar sounds of our own voices greet us from across the room, our reflections loudly arguing over something again.

On this floor, there’s a large, floor-length mirror by the staircase. Otherwise, the room is taken up by a long table with chairs set up around it. Each of our false selves is sitting down with their bags of candy out in a pile in front of them, kids counting their haul after a successful night out. I realize with a start that we’re actually ten floors from the top. The adventure is almost over. At least, the first half probably is. Oh my god, I’ve never even checked my first half ranking!

But there are more important things than event ranking right now.

I can’t believe I just said that.

“Look who decided to join us!” my reflection greets us. It scoops up the candy on the table and deposits it back into its inventory.

“Let’s get this over with, then.”

“Get what over with?”

“There can be only one,” it responds. “So long as you’re here, I can’t leave this tower. So long as I’m here, you can’t leave. I might be able to get the Scythe, but that doesn’t matter if I can’t use it. This tower will disappear after Halloween, after all.”

What happens to NPCs when their event worlds fade away? I realize with some shock that we just don’t know. This is no NPC, though. This is— This is me. The parts of me that I don’t want to accept.

“I don’t suppose I can convince you to get back in the mirror,” I ask rhetorically.

“That’s my line,” my reflection answers. “It would be okay if you wanted to take a break, partner. Let me run the show for a little while.”

“What are you talking about?”

“You could be the one to step into the mirror. Become my reflection.”

I’m finally starting to get closer to Marie♥! I’ll never give up for that reason alone! I’m not bold or stupid enough to say that out loud, though. Instead I just take up a more determined stance and cross my arms. “That doesn’t make any sense.”

“Since when has anything made sense? You’re dealing with the Ghosts of Halloween Past, Present, and Future. You’re in a haunted tower that used to be your school.”

“And I’m arguing with myself,” I point out.

“You sure are.”

“Could you spare us that protagonist crap?” Thagomizer’s reflection interrupts.

“Who’s a protagonist?”

“Forget it.”

I drop the issue. It’s not worth trying to understand why Thagomizer’s reflection thinks I’m more important than I am.

“I see you’ve already bought some potions.” Marie♥’s reflection leers at her. “No more Miss Free-to-Play, hmm?”

“Just because I took your suggestion doesn’t mean I’m going to give in to you,” Marie♥ says. “Or that I’m twisted like you!”

“Are you so sure about that?” it asks. “I think you’ve already accepted me.”

Marie♥’s reflection walks over to her and puts a hand on her cheek. I could swear it’s about to kiss her. Denver barks, but there’s nothing that a dog can do to stop a determined doppelganger.

It whispers something in her ear. She turns red, embarrassed by something, but then nods slowly. “You’re not wrong about that.”

The two girls blur together until they become one again, looking alarmed and confused. She pats herself down all over, . “I think I’m back to normal!”

Meanwhile, Thagomizer seems to be having a polite conversation with her reflection.

“We’re doing pretty well thanks to the spawn bonus from the Werewolf Ears,” her reflection tells her. “I’m pretty happy with how this event is shaping up. I could do without the peanut gallery, though.”

“That makes two of us,” she says. “Truce?”

“I thought you’d never ask.”

Thag and her reflection shake on it — and then they, too, seem to vibrate closer and closer together until they form a single person again, totally calm and unbothered by the state of current events.

“Uh, Thagomizer?” I ask. “Which one of you is in charge?”

She flashes the brightest, purest smile I’ve ever seen on her. “Yes.”

“That’s not an answer!”

She only shrugs. “I guess it wasn’t as complicated as a mirror match after all. Just find some common ground with it and you’ll be fine.”

“There’s nothing I have in common with that guy. He’s willing to leave his friends behind.”

“Focus on the subtleties of his character instead. Extrapolate. Pay attention to details.” Thagomizer rolls her eyes.

I furrow my brow. “Okay. So he’s... determined? He has a healthy competitive spirit. I can get behind his desire to win, even though I think he takes it too far.”

“The longer you wait to accept me, the less candy we’ll be able to collect,” my reflection says calmly. “Take a chance, Яagnarok.”

We stand eye-to-eye for a long moment before we each offer a hand to the other. Neither of us seems willing to be the one to move first.

“Fine! Let’s get this over with!” I grab its hand with more force than it deserves, and I immediately begin seeing double. No, triple!

My vision swims and my head pounds. At first, I can only see white because the pain is too intense. Slowly, it subsides. My heart feels heavier, like I’ve literally welcomed something negative back inside myself, but I don’t feel any different otherwise. I don’t have the urge to say anything nasty. I’m not a passenger in my own body, either. I think... I think I’m safe.

“Never fear the future,” a voice whispers in my ear.

I can tell from their reactions that the girls can hear it too. We all look around, trying to determine the source of the sound.

“I am the Ghost of Halloween Future, and I implore you. Now that you have seen the dark side within the mirror, do not shy away from it, but work to overcome your desires. There is power in your journeys, each and every one of them. I will be with you in spirit as you continue to wander the floors of this tower. Embrace this holiday and all holidays future with childish hearts.” A small pumpkin in the center of the table levitates. Its open mouth seems to move. “These next ten floors will lead you deeper into Halloween than you have ever gone. Be prepared!”