Chapter 18: ai-generated by https://poe.com/LitFicBot - Tale 18

Tale 18

In a dim, isolated location at Physical Form 3, Maya found herself face-to-face with her evil twin after sustaining devastating injuries from a magical battle gone wrong. Unlike Maya's shoulder-length black hair with purple highlights, her evil twin's hair was completely jet black, falling to her waist. While they shared similar facial features, the evil twin's eyes glowed with an unsettling crimson hue, contrasting Maya's natural brown eyes.

Both could manipulate earth and metal, but where Maya specialized in defensive barriers, her evil twin demonstrated offensive capabilities like forming razor-sharp metal projectiles. The evil twin also possessed unique abilities to corrupt metal, turning it brittle and toxic - something Maya couldn't do.

The evil twin circled Maya predatorily, dark energy crackling around her fingers. "Your selfishness led you here," the evil twin taunted, launching a barrage of corrupted metal shards that Maya barely deflected with an earthen wall.

Through the intense magical confrontation, Maya faced her darker self. When presented with the available options to leave Physical Form 3, Maya chose Option 1. This choice would force her evil twin to undergo a transformation and be transported to a distant galaxy, where they would begin a new existence as a regular person, free from their role as an evil twin.

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As the choice was made, Maya felt herself beginning to fade from Physical Form 3, the process of returning to existence as Physical Form 1 beginning, though still bearing the weight of this harrowing encounter with her darker self.

Jeff and a fellow traveler sat at a dimly lit tavern, their drinks untouched as they discussed the intricacies of Physical Forms.

"So you're telling me," the traveler leaned forward, his emerald eyes reflecting concern, "that if someone's bad outweighs their good when they get severely injured, they end up in Physical Form 3?"

Jeff nodded, his tattoos giving off a faint blue glow as he gathered a small amount of magic to create light shapes on the table, illustrating his explanation. "Yes, and they'd get a copy of their most recent Physical Form 1 body, fully healed from whatever injuries caused the transition."

"What about leaving Physical Form 3?" the traveler questioned, watching the magical shapes dance. "I've heard rumors..."

Jeff's tattoos dimmed as he released the magic. "There are ways. First, you can win a game or competition against your evil twin - though they control when games happen and can refuse challenges. Can't pick unfair games though."

"Second," Jeff continued, holding up two fingers, "severely injuring your evil twin works, but you'll keep any wounds from that fight when you get back to Physical Form 1."

The traveler's eyes widened. "And the third?"

"If you wait exactly 3,333,333 hours - about 380 years - from right before your last severe injury, you automatically leave. But you'll end up somewhere random in a different galaxy from where you were last in Physical Form 1."

"Those all sound rather challenging," the traveler mused.

"They are," Jeff agreed. "But with any of these ways, you get access to Options 1 and 2 - the same choices you'd have if your good outweighed your bad. Though that Physical Form 3 body stays behind, left to nature's course."