“Who are you?” Arson asked. The four in his cerebral realm all shared looks, giving each other various looks of confusion. Yet the one who read the book spoke up after a moment, seemingly coming to the realization that no one else was going to speak.
“We don’t have names…”
“What?” asked Arson suddenly confused himself. He wanted to know as much about the interlopers inside his mind as possible, but the silence between them all made Arson start to believe that they may have nothing to offer him in that regard.
Were they just made up by my mind?
Arson asked the group as much and more shrugs and bewildered looks followed, until the doppelgänger wearing glasses spoke up again.
“Maybe, we all kinda climbed out of that hole one by one over the last couple fortnights, other than your shadow, he said he’s been here the whole time, he just didn’t have a body until recently.”
Shadow…?
“Where is he... my shadow, as you put it?”
Glasses, closed his book in annoyance, sighing as he pointed toward the black vortex swirling beneath the tree’s swaying roots.
“Well, that’s interesting…, but is there anything that you can tell me about yourselves, since you can’t tell me your names I mean?
“I like to read,” said the clone Arson assumed was the group's spokesperson, seeing on how he was the first to speak up at Arson’s continual prompting.
“He likes to do backflips and kick people,” he said pointing to the clone still frozen with his leg extended in the air.
“That cocky bastard thinks he can guard the sky falling from the heavens and come out unscathed…”
The one holding the shield frowned, only to shrug and nod as his frown was replaced with a confident grin.
“And that one likes explosions, so be careful, we’ve all been shot at a few times already…”
Arson found himself nodding. He was completely lost, finding the intrusion to be nothing but another problem for him to manage on top of the numerable stresses he already settled on the unbalanced scales that was his life.
“Cheer up buddy, we are here to help. If you let us leave your shadow, I’m sure we could be nothing but beneficial,” said the clone with the shield.
“Leave my shadow…?"
“Yeah, I really want to go to that Genocide place,” said the version of himself with the lifted leg.
“Yeah, and I want to go and train with Osiris,” said the clone with the shield.
“Boom Boom Boom!”
Arson’s brow furrowed at the clone he only just realized had shifting runes on the interior of his hands. This version of himself speaking gibberish as they continued to spawn Conductive Water Orbs to make explode about their palms.
Arson looked to the book reader, pointing at what Arson hoped wasn’t a future terrorist in the making, both brows raised in alarm.
“Don’t look at me, you're the one who likes explosions enough that it is a full-fledged aspect of your character.”
Arson looked back at the smiling explosion fanatic and again nodded slowly, taking in his first clone’s words.
“So what happens if you all leave through my shadow exactly, you all go off and learn until you're able to come back and what, conquer my mind, take over my body, kill me to gain your permanent freedom?” said Arson, naming off all the various fears flickering through his mind about the situation.
The lover of bombs bent at the waist with laughter at Arson’s words, as the reader rolled his eyes. The final two just shared an amused look.
“Now I see where your shadow gets the paranoia,” said the book reader; the manuscript in his hands changing into a different book right before Arson’s eyes.
“We can’t do any of those things. Well, maybe your shadow can, that guy creeps me out to the core sometimes, but we were created by your Gestalt abilities. With each true need or want that becomes strong enough to link to an aspect of your personality, one of us is born,” said the shield holder, the others nodding at his words.
“Is that why you all look like me? That's honestly the only thing I find creepy about all this,” stated Arson.
“Yeah, I think so, but that may not last for long. I didn’t have glasses at first, and he didn’t have a shield either. We are starting to believe that the more time we exist, the more changes will occur for each of us,” said the clone as he cleaned his glasses.
“So what am I supposed to do with you all, let you all out into the realms to what, learn for me?”
“Boom!”
Arson gave the last clone another strange look, taking his reaction as a confirmation to Arson’s question.
“Huh… this could be…”
“Sparking amazing,” said the second clone, flipping in the air, performing an aerial upside down scissor kick before landing perfectly. Everyone looked at him as he bobbed up and down on his toes, giving the impression that he was readying himself for combat, or to climb a large structure.
“What? Don’t look at me like that, you are all excited too. He’s finally here and we may even be able to go out and test our skills in the realms.”
The group all nodded, and Arson couldn’t help but think of all the possibilities that he could achieve with more people to help him, especially in his current circumstances.
“Well, what will it be, bossman? We gonna party up or what?” asked the shield bearer; Arson nodded as he came to a decision.
“Yeah, we are, but first, you all, need names.”
…
Arson walked beside one of his clones; the image of having his doppelgängers climb out of his shadow stuck to the surface of his mind, playing on repeat. Not only because it was rather jaw-dropping and alarming, but because of how alone he’d felt in the trials.
They were versions of him, yes, but they were such refined qualities or attributes of his nature, that they seemed to have personalities of their own, all incredibly different.
The clones with his mental permission had the ability to enter the vortex below the tree in his cerebral realm, to either enter his soul realm and explore his memories, or exit his shadow into the real world.
He’d at first worried about letting them roam free, but the moment his doppelgängers left his shadow, his mind folded, his attention split between as many of his clones that were outside his soul realm. Each doppelgänger’s location connected to his soul, able to be sensed and followed with ease.
Once he learned this, Arson’s mind couldn’t help but drift toward the potential of this new ability. His plans and their potential successes grew exponentially with each additional piece he put into play, making his four counterparts more valuable than even his favorite ability, Living hand Construct, which he’d summoned.
Jack now rested on his back. Arson was surprised by the feelings of jealousy flooding his senses from within his cerebral realm once his doppelgängers had been summoned.
The naming process took longer than he believed it should have. His clones were feeling sensitive about suitable titles. Which Arson felt was fair, as he wouldn’t want a name that didn’t suit him, even with his own name being a part of an odd convention found nowhere else in the realms.
Almarine had once told him that earthlings found without memories were called John Doe for males, and Jane Doe for females. What that had to do with anything Arson was unsure. At least his name had an origin that came from research that showed that orphans without proper parentage were ticking time bombs. Their only options to survive often the crime they were named after.
Arson didn’t agree. He felt his name was powerful and prominent, coming to love it even more after his adopted mother decided not to change it; instead framing his name with things she valued and felt he should value as well. He hadn’t always felt that way, and had once cursed the realm for its practices, his anger in that regard only fading after he researched the customs.
He didn’t want those he was connected to feeling as he once had about his own name. Now feeling pride in being named after a crime and being a child of the former princess of criminality only helped his inner pride grow. He knew he wasn’t naming himself, but the new life that he wanted to help love themselves. So decided on patience, and understanding toward them.
For the fierce fighter he walked alongside to go learn the Genocide martial art, he and the others decided on, Temper. The fighter loved the name after turning down, Brute, Killer and Menace.
He’d already dropped off the newly named Glory with Osiris to train in the art of battle shields. Arson surprised that the doppelgänger had grown taller and even more muscular the very instant the group had determined his name.
Thinker, his book loving doppelgänger of a clone had been dropped off at the library of Origin, Arson jealous of this partition of his soul’s choice. He did have a mission to complete, but the library had been on his list of places to visit within Origin.
Finally the extremely powerful, Bloom had been left with Merlin. Arson at first worried over this version's lack of conversational ability, but after getting the easily excitable clone to promise to be silent and listen to all of Merlin’s teaching’s without anything more than nods and questioning points, his worry lessened, slightly…
“I’m excited to see what you learn in here, so don’t do anything I wouldn’t do, okay,” Arson said to Temper with a pat on his back. Temper nodded, and raced inside the domed dojo with a roar of excitement.
I hope they can’t die, thought Arson with a sigh.
He lifted his cowled hood, a dark shadow replacing his face as he turned around to go and begin the work Carter Omni had given him. Arson already felt a new rage growing in his chest at the feeling of lost control over his own decisions. He had to suppress the intrusive thoughts, forcing himself to breathe slowly as he made his way to the Stealth Guild.
By the time he made it there, the sun above was setting, and Arson wished that he could communicate with his clones telepathically, hoping that the more he used the ability that maybe one day that would become possible.
Please don’t do anything crazy, guys…
He knew they were his clones to a certain degree, but none were entirely him, making Arson feel that the potential for danger for them all was heightened. As he entered the Stealth Guild in search of Master Breaker however, he knew his next choice would put him in more danger than any of his counterparts.
“Is Master Breaker available? I’m looking for someone to teach me in the art of invisibility.”
The attendant at the front desk raised his head, only now realizing that Arson had approached. The night scale version of his hood dulled his presence to those around him, allowing him to go unnoticed, but Arson had added the use of the rune on Carter Omni’s timepiece to the inside of his tabard, making him practically invisible, but not to the same level as Carter had been. A level Arson felt he would need to match to complete the man’s mission for him.
“Um, no… not that it seems you need any help in the stealth department ,” said the attendant. Arson loved the cautious look in the man’s eyes, but knew his own skill with the rune was strong enough to meet his needs.
I wonder if it seemed like I appeared from thin air?
Arson had tested the rune practically the entire day, coming to realize that all it took for Arson to be seen was for him to speak or make noise. Or even draw attention to himself with a quick movement, which wasn’t near Carter's capabilities Carter with the rune.
The man had nearly knocked a guard over, and been speaking entirely confident that no one would be able to perceive their presence in the alleyway they’d fallen into.
“Is there anyone else with stealth abilities comparable to Master Breaker available?”
The attendant shook their head, and Arson sighed, bowing before turning to leave. Only able to see the attendant stand to look around for him with the images that flashed into his mind from every blink; his Closed Eye Dominion’s continual use too much for his mind with the folds his clones required to be summoned into reality.
Sparks, that is cool, thought Arson, knowing that the moment he pushed mana into the rune on his tabard’s interior that he must have disappeared from sight.
Once outside, Arson pulled his hood down, and took a deep breath. He walked back into the Stealth Guild, everyone now able to see him, Arson waved back at all those who greeted him.
He strode up to the obsidian pillar that led to his practice session with Master Breaker, trying to muster up the courage to ask his master to train him in the invisible arts. He’d tried to do so as a unknown scion, willing to pay for the training to keep from being tied to any potential backlash that his future actions may bring, but knew that pressing the attendant too hard, may have resulted in the same result.
“Hello, Master Breaker,” Arson said in greeting, picking up the same scythe he’d used the day before with a singular deft movement, kicking the pole of the weapon into his hand from the ground without pausing in his approach.
“Hello, child,” Master Breaker returned casually.
“Shall we begin?”
Master breaker nodded, a smile stretching across his face before he spoke up once more.
“Yes, of course, as soon as you tell me why you would need advanced training in invisibility?”
“What, what do you mean?” responded Arson, trying not to stutter through his shock. The crack in his voice more than enough to make Arson mentally kick himself for responding before taking a moment to calm his racing thoughts.
Way to go dummy!
“You just walked into the guild, requested my direct training in invisibility while using a rune that many of our own guild members would try to kill me for... many times over”
The man’s smile vanished, and Arson felt the temperature drop as the man’s aura rippled outward like a boulder dropped into the center of a calm lake.
Arson felt his life flash before his eyes as the aura bashed into him, bombarding his soul like a newly formed waterfall smashing into a forest positioned beneath its rushing waters. Arson was only able to bear witness, frozen in the majesty of the force a breath away from washing him away forever. The master’s next word enough to make Arson bolt in a terror filled flight.
“Why…?”