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“Ugh… You’ve got to be kidding me!”

All she wanted to do was get away from that psychotic senshi, the one who was spouting nonsense, throwing magic bubbles in her direction, and pointing at the moon like some lunatic. Curiosity be damned, Hekate shouldn’t have looked up. That was my first mistake, she threw her arms up in frustration.

No… her first mistake was thinking that tonight was a good enough night to power up. Over the last few weeks, she had been lucky enough to meet other Dark Mirror Senshi, and even made a few friends. Fortune had been on her side long enough to have found another crystal with Lenka a couple days ago when they went into Mirrorspace to work on the Senshi of Watermellon’s island.

But luck was not meant to last, especially for someone given the title Senshi of Jinxes.

Nonetheless, had she gone with her gut and just fled, instead of humored the blue-haired senshi by stupidly lookin where the girl was pointing, Hekate would have remained oblivious to the shift in the moon, how the jovial man that smiled down had shifted into a demon-like face. Startling at first to witness, the longer she stared at it’s hypnotic gaze the more unsettled she felt.

That apprehension and unease was what probably saved her in that moment as she backed away slowly, but not careful enough.

Not once but twice she found herself stumbling over something otherwise unseen and twice she ended up on the flat of her back, but it was enough of a jostle for her to tear her eyes away from the night sky as she struggled to get back up. Hekate rolled over onto her side and much to her chagrin there was discarded trash beside her; an empty chip bag, a CapriSun pouch with a yellow straw that had been chewed on, and a dice.

A peculiar thing to see since of the three items on the ground, that felt most out of place. A part of a set that someone was likely sad was missing given it looked like it had veins of gemstone etched throughout the wooden texture.

The area she was in immediately faded away into darkness and she stood there in the illuminated square absolutely dumbfounded and incredibly confused, perhaps a bit annoyed as well. “Why did I pick this stupid thing up,” she muttered to herself assuming there was nobody near enough to hear her.

Unlike one of her coworkers who played Dungeons and Dragons, Hekate didn’t care about dice. She didn’t often play games outside of work, preferring to go thrift shopping or do yoga to pass the time. Heck, the last game she remembered playing that used a set of dice was Yahtzee and that was back when she was still in grade school when her parents would have family game night after school on Friday as long as homework was finished. But that required five dice not just one.

With little instruction on what to do, Hekate took a step forward only to smack her forehead against an invisible barrier. “I’m not interested in playing games…” she cried out in frustration while rubbing the sore spot on her face.

Maybe this was like the game Sorry or Monopoly and needed more players. If she did, she hoped they showed up soon so she could just go home and back to bed.

“Y-yes, I do…” Hekate looked down at the dice she’d picked up. The strange item that had whisked her away to this strange and dark place. While seemingly harmless at first glance, the weight of them felt heavier in her hand as the reality of their situation settled around her.

Her stomach churned with a mix of uncertainty and worry but mimicked Staurolite’s actions and shook them in her hand. The Captian’s smile, though charming and childlike in his excitement, did little to alleviate her unease. “My name is Hekate,” she offered her name in kind as it was the polite thing to do. “I-if something happens to me here, please find Lenka. She’s an Eternal Dark Mirror Senshi,” and perhaps her only friend.

Although she had never seen the movie, something about this made her feel like they were in a game of Jumanji and bad things were about to happen. As the Senshi of Jinxes, sometimes I wonder if I’m the one that’s been jinxed… A humorless laugh escaped her at the irony as she knelt down to roll the dice on the ground. “I hope to see you at the end of this, Staurolite.” she commented quietly as the dice settled on a six and was moved forward that many spaces.

“No- no smell, just…” Hekate grabbed hold of the dice before clamping her hands over both ears to block out the sound. “There’s is a sharp sound. Do you not hear it?” she asked, looking around for where she’d heard his voice but saw nothing.

A gust of air surged past her, startling her enough to elicit a sharp gasp, but Hekate bit back the scream that threatened to follow. The next one knocked her hood off and when she moved to put it back, Hekate felt something sharp paper-cut like sensation against her arm. When she moved away from it, she felt the same stinging sensation on the side of her leg and on the shoulder of the opposite arm.

Then she heard Staurolite scream and as her head whipped around to try and find him, another thin thread caught the side of her face. “Stauro-ah!” Hekate winced and fingers fumbled with the dice which fell from her hand onto the ground beside her.

Although she didn’t see what the number was before the game urged her forward, away from that sharp humming sound.




There was a small reprieve from the sharp sound before another one of her senses was abruptly assaulted

“I think I spoke too soon…” As a veterinarian, she was used to having to deal with some not-so-pleasant smells. But this one hit differently; the air here was thick and swampy, smelled of thick mud and decay had been left in a humid oven.

One foot into the new square and Hekate felt her boot sink into the damp dirt. Struggling, she tried to pull her foot free, but the shift in weight made the other leg sink further, and more quickly. Ankle deep, she looked around frantically for the dice. “I can’t find it… Staurolite, I can’t find my dice” Nevermind the fact she was slowly being pulled deeper into the muddy quicksand.

Light on dark. That makes sense. It was an obvious contrast, but given the circumstances, all she could do was hope, maybe even pray, that the dice hadn’t already disappeared beneath the quicksand-like mud.

Hekate’s eyes darted around frantically until she caught a glimpse of it. “I- I think I see it!” she gasped. She stretched her arm out, fingers grasping at air, but the dice remained just beyond her reach. As she tried to inch forward, her boot threatened to slip right off, and in her struggle to regain balance, she gracelessly tumbled onto her hands and knees.

The dice was sinking, but thankfully, its descent was slow, deliberate almost, as if mocking her desperation. One hand still trapped in the thick mud, she strained with her free one, fingertips barely brushing against the surface before finally snatching it up. There was no solid ground to properly roll it, so she did the only thing she could… let it drop and hope it didn’t land on its side.

With mud covering all sides, Hekate didn’t even get a chance to see the result before she was suddenly yanked free from the mud. The relief, however, was fleeting as she realized how much of the must still clung to her uniform, and worse… some of it had made its way into her boots.



Grimacing, she wiped her hands off on her skirt, only for the ground beneath her to abruptly shift. It gave under her weight, bouncing unnervingly, like a trampoline.

Hekate groaned, “Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me.” This did not bode well with her level of coordination.

"Oh come on!" he yelled in utter annoyance at the sight of his roll.

There wasn't anything he could do about it now, though, so he scooped up the dice and kept going. At least it wasn't another "one," but at the rate he was going he wondered how much longer before he'd get out of there...

He briefly got distracted by thoughts of his girlfriend, wondering if she was working or waiting for him at home, that he didn't notice when he made it to his newly designated space.

Space 7

Something is twitching and flapping above you, and while you might be minding your own business, something is a little too invested in what you’re doing. You can’t see them, but you suddenly hear shrill, high pierced noises that are disorienting and confusing. They can bring about dizziness and pain and can cause vertigo if you’re stuck in them for too long.

The eerie feeling of being watched was what snapped him back into the present. Glancing around, there was nothing and no one... though the feeling remained.

And this partner over there sounded off, sounding about as happy as he had been with his roll.

"What? What ha–"

A shrill cry suddenly cut through the air, shocking him at first before the pain and dizziness immediately followed. Staurolite cried out as he put a hand to each ear in an attempt to drown it out, though with very little success. Slowly, he was brought to his knees, eyes shut as he did his best to grit his teeth and bear it so he could focus on getting out of there. The only way was rolling again, so...

Taking deep breaths, he steeled his nerve before moving to roll once more, grimacing and hoping he could stand it long enough to stay conscious and get out of there.

Shanyume

He saw the roll, quickly picked the die back up and ran, grateful for the silence the immediately followed the instance he stepped outside of the space. Staurolite counted out the spaces and paused to catch his breath just before stepping into his new one, and hearing Hekate call back to him he shook his head.

“Just keep going! Don’t worry about me!” It was every man for himself, anyway, it seemed like, and regardless of who he was with–Chaos or Order–he wouldn’t want anyone to have to put up with any more than they had to here.

He found he suddenly hated the idea of owing anyone anything big. Small debts were one thing, but if it was because they saved his life?

He’d be on the hook forever.

Space 12

The smell of smoke is in the air. You can’t see what’s burning, but you can hear distant screams, and–carnival music? It feels like people are running past you, and the air fills with panic and alarm–but there’s nowhere for you to go, and the smoke is so thick. You’d better roll quickly so you can get out of here.

Once he caught his breath he stepped onto his allotted space, face scrunching at the acrid smell of smoke that hung in the air. The further inside he walked, the clearer he could hear it–the screaming. The panic.

The music.

He flashed back to that night, when he and a number of others were kidnapped. When he happened across Chaos for the first time in his life…and subsequently turned himself over to it. He had no regrets, mind, but neither was it the fondest of memories.

The more he walked the thicker the smoke, the more and the harsher his coughs, to the point that he was forced to crouch down. And it was enough at first, but soon he found himself on all fours as the smoke gradually took over the space. From there, he hurriedly crawled to the edge of the space before rolling his die once more.

Shanyume

He wound crawling out of the last space, but he made it out just the same. He heard Hekate call out to him, but he was too busy coughing as he sputtered his way to the space he rolled.

Space 17

Something howls in the distance. It’s loud and echoes with such ferocity it seems to shake you. On the other side of you–another howl. Closer. This one is loud enough to hurt your ears. The ground trembles with the force of something charging at you. A growl, a snarl. Yellow eyes staring you down. There’s not just one monster out there–there’s several, and they’re all coming for you.

“I think I’m always there!” he eventually responded, taking the first few steps into the new space. He was about to say more, something encouraging because she made it–and he had a feeling her journey was any less unpleasant than his experience. The point was she got out, though, and now she was just waiting on him.

A howl cut him off, though. And then another…and another. He turned to face each one, the hairs on the back of his neck soon standing on end as he felt the ground begin to shake. He didn’t need to see to know that something was after him….

So on instinct, he ran. Muttering curses the whole way.

A quick glance back ramped his heartbeat–not to mention his legs–into overdrive when he saw the most horrid yellow eyes staring him down. He clutched the die in his hand, quietly prayed to make it home alive, and then threw the die as far forward as he could, hoping he could just scoop it up as he rushed out of there.

Shanyume

He raced out of the space as he soon as his roll seemed to register with this god-forsaken "game," Hekate's voice faint given the number of spaces between them.

Space 20

The end; once you have arrived here you are free to leave. You will see be basked in the glow of a beautiful, opalescent aura that will take you back home. If you arrived with a guest, you can leave without them or choose to stay until they make it to the end as well. When you arrive back in Destiny City, you may choose to keep the six sided die–if nothing else, it’s pretty! Though, it doesn’t seem to have any magical qualities, that might be for the best.

Staurolite's legs gave in once he stepped into the safety of the final space, where Hekate was waiting. He just about faceplanted as soon as he made it, his chest heaving as he fought to catch his breath. "Made it," he managed after a while, and turned his head to look up at the senshi. "First time through this thing. I can see why everyone hates it..."

He felt a warm glow come over them, and soon the gameboard around them faded to black and the familiar scenery of a park in DC took its place. The captain fully relaxed, though he stayed put. "Thanks for hanging out, I guess," he said, still looking up at Hekate from where he lay. He felt ridiculous, but he'd recover and head home soon enough so he wasn't too worried. "I don't think I was the greatest partner for this game. I vote a different game for next time. Maybe we can play who can drain the most energy in an hour or something. What do you think?"

Shanyume