Jason narrowed his eyes at the glass, breathing heavily through his nose. His reflection stared back, equally intense, equally dramatic.
"So… we are truly the same. But only one Jason can carry the mantle of Heaven's Chosen."
He spun the revolver in his hand like a gunslinger in a cheap Western flick, completely forgetting that he had no idea how to spin a revolver.
The gun immediately slipped from his hand, smacked the ground, and almost went off.
Jason froze. His reflection froze too.
A tense silence.
Jason picked it back up, coughing like nothing happened. "Hmph. Nice trick. Trying to make me drop my weapon with your killing aura. But it won't work a second time."
The reflection, of course, copied his every move.
Jason's lips curved into a grin.
"So you really are my equal. Fine. Then we settle this the old-fashioned way."
He spread his stance, aimed his revolver, and whispered:
"Quickdraw duel… begins now."
The wind blew. The flies scattered. Somewhere in the distance, a crow cawed ominously.
Jason and his reflection stood locked in a standoff for a full thirty seconds.
Then, with a sudden roar, Jason dove forward like an action hero, shoulder first, crashing into the glass.
CRASH!
The window shattered into a rain of shards, and Jason tumbled inside the store like a sack of potatoes.
He rolled across the dusty floor, coughing, but quickly jumped up and pointed his gun at the broken window.
His reflection was gone.
Jason's grin widened. "Heh. I won. He couldn't withstand my ultimate technique… Headbutt of Destiny."
Blood dripped down his forehead. He wiped it with his sleeve and nodded seriously.
"Yes… a small price to pay for victory. The rival Jason is defeated. The path ahead is clear. Heaven smiles upon me once again."
Meanwhile, outside, a chicken wandered by the broken glass, clucking. Jason narrowed his eyes at it.
"Ah. So the next trial arrives immediately."
Jason locked eyes with the chicken outside.
The bird pecked the ground. Jason's pupils shrank.
"So… they sent you."
He stepped forward, revolver in hand, his boots crunching on shards of glass. "The Mirror Trial was only the beginning. Now the heavens test me with… a disguised ancient beast."
The chicken tilted its head.
Jason tilted his head too, dramatic as ever.
"Don't play dumb. I know what you really are. A Celestial Phoenix in hiding. Your true form is sealed, isn't it."
The chicken clucked.
Jason gasped. "So you admit it."
He holstered his revolver, shaking his head.
"No… using bullets would be disrespectful. Against a divine beast, one must fight with honor."
He drew the hunting knife, holding it in reverse grip like he'd seen in movies. He crouched low, pretending to imitate some legendary assassin stance from the novel.
The chicken flapped its wings once.
Jason's heart skipped. "Fast. Too fast. I didn't even see that coming. So this is the speed of a phoenix."
He dashed forward and swung the knife. The chicken dodged casually, waddling two steps to the side.
Jason spun on his heel, panting. "Incredible. Such movement. Truly a master of footwork."
The chicken pecked at a worm.
Jason nodded solemnly.
"Yes. Yes, I see. You're mocking me. Testing if I will give up. But I won't. Because I am Jason. Heaven's Chosen. The future bane of vampires. The storm that shakes the world. The—"
Cluck.
Jason froze mid-monologue. His body trembled.
"…Did you just… insult my ancestors."
The chicken blinked.
Jason roared, charging.
"Very well, Celestial Beast! If I must defeat you here, then so be it! Today begins the legend of Jason, Slayer of Phoenix Chickens!"
From a distance, the scene was simple: a sweaty idiot swinging a knife and rolling around in the dust, while a chicken casually strolled away, not even slightly threatened.
To Jason, it was a life-or-death duel, one destined to echo across the ages.
Jason lunged, knife flashing dramatically in the sunlight.
The chicken… stepped to the side.
Jason face-planted into the dirt. He rolled, coughing up sand, but immediately leapt back to his feet, pointing the blade.
"Hah! Not bad. You dodged my Heaven-Splitting Strike. Truly worthy of being called a Celestial Phoenix."
The chicken clucked and flapped its wings, knocking a puff of dust into Jason's eyes.
"Gyaaah!"
He stumbled, rubbing furiously at his face. Tears streamed down his cheeks, but he quickly straightened his back and spread his arms wide.
"So… you've even mastered blinding techniques. As expected of a divine beast!"
He swung blindly, slashing the air. The chicken walked three feet away and started pecking at a cactus.
Jason collapsed to his knees, panting heavily. His knife slipped from his grip and clattered to the ground.
"…So strong. I can't even touch you."
The chicken clucked again.
Jason's eyes widened, lips trembling.
"…What's that? You're holding back? You could have killed me any time… but you didn't?"
He clenched his fists, tears in his eyes.
"I see. You acknowledge me. You see potential in me, don't you… oh great Phoenix Chicken."
The bird pooped right there in the sand and waddled away.
Jason slapped the ground and cried out...
"To think such a mighty being would spare my life! I, Jason, swear on this day… to become strong enough to one day face you again as an equal!"
From a distance, it was just a sweaty lunatic crying in the dirt, swearing loyalty to a farm animal.
But to Jason? It was a sacred pact.
All of this, of course, was being watched by a boy from the top of a wooden building.
Billy, twelve years old, rubbed his eyes so hard they went red. He even slapped his own cheek twice just to make sure he wasn't asleep. Nope. Still there. Still watching a complete lunatic duel a chicken, lose, cry, then swear eternal vengeance and loyalty to it.
The boy was already thinking he was hallucinating. After all, the whole town had just been torn apart by a vampire.
His uncle got dragged into the night, his neighbors got shredded, and here… here was some stranger rolling in the dirt, shouting about heaven's chosen and mythical poultry.
Billy whispered under his breath, "Ain't no way that's real…"
Jason, down below, suddenly shot to his feet and pointed dramatically at the sky.
"Mark my words, Phoenix Chicken! I shall rise from the ashes stronger than ever!"
The actual chicken was now pecking maggots off a corpse.
Billy's jaw dropped. "He's… he's talking to it."
Jason then whipped his head around, squinting suspiciously. For a second, Billy thought Jason had noticed him. He ducked, heart pounding.
But no—Jason was glaring at a barrel.
"Don't think I don't see you, shadow assassin! Hiding in plain sight won't work on me!"
He kicked the barrel. A rat scurried out. Jason leapt back three steps.
"Tch. As I thought. A scout of the Vampire Lords. Go tell your masters the heavens stand with Jason!"
Billy just sat there, staring with a blank face.
"…This guy's more dangerous than the vampires."