Ever stepped out of the house straight into an inverted world. Straight away, the vertigo embraced him like an old friend. He stepped on the stone path, quite overgrown with frosted, red grass. Chaos stood just outside the old, flaking gate, in this case coloured black. Facing a white road, he loomed much larger than Ever remembered when they worked together during the summer.

  A bird flew upside down and backwards against an orange sky smeared with listless, black clouds. Ever took off his jacket; the inversion meant that the cold day was suddenly hot and humid.

  “Chaos.” The gate’s squeak became more of a growl as Ever closed it. “How are you?”

  The first primordial looked ahead, his pointed beard swaying softly in the warm breeze.

  “Come.”

  He turned and walked down the path, with Ever tailing him. Together they walked in silence not really going anywhere in particular, though Ever did notice that Chaos was taking the path he used to walk to Pagoto’s. Perhaps it was because it was the first day of the year, but beyond the bird flying overhead earlier, Ever had seen no other life outside so far.

  “Gaia tells me that you wished to thank me for something.” Chaos’ voice boomed as if he spoke right next to Ever’s ear, even though he was still ahead of him.

  “Yes,” Ever said, jogging to catch up to him. “I wanted to thank you for giving me the chance to show Taylor that I was… I am Death’s apprentice.” The words rang hollow, devoid of gratitude. Almost as if the primordial’s inversion coloured them with blame.

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  Chaos said nothing and continued walking.

  “It’s good to see that you’re feeling better,” Ever said. Finally, a car drove by, across the bridge. The driver didn’t seem to notice them. “You sounded sick the last time we–”

  The air rippled and tore. In a heartbeat, hundreds and thousands of eyes opened up, slits opening in the fabric of existence all around him. The pupils spun before staring unblinking at Ever.

  “I don’t get sick,” Chaos said, punctuating each word.

  “Yes,” Ever replied. Even with his own eyes squeezed shut, the ones Chaos conjured up still drilled into his mind. “You don’t get sick.”

  Then just like that, they were gone, the world returning to inversion. In that brief moment of panic, Chaos must have pulled the both of them through a portal of sorts. For now they found themselves standing outside Pagoto’s.

  Ever put his hand on the glass; it was hot to touch, but not too hot that he had to snatch his hand away.

  Chaos stared in, expressionless. Was it an ice cream he wanted? He could easily warp through the space past the locked door, open the freezer and pull out his favoured flavours. But no, he seemed content to just look.

  “There is another,” he said.

  “Another?” Ever asked.

  Chaos looked at him for the first time. Ever was surprised to see what looked like concern etched across his face.

  “He may help, or he may hinder.”

  Chaos blinked out of existence. Ever stumbled as the world returned to normal. The footpath was grey again, the sky was blue again. The park across the road that he arrived at this world in was as it was meant to be: gnarled, brown trees, stripped of foliage by the winter.

  He crossed the quiet road, empty shops silently watching him. He lay down in his spot. The grass was as prickly as he remembered it, but was now cold and wet from the frost. There would be plenty of time to decipher Chaos’ message. For now, he just wanted to close his eyes and reminisce.