The two girls finally reached civilization by around midnight, passing through the barrier into warm air once again. After that, it was only a short walk further to the commercial district which held their destination.

Rosa was stunned by the sight, but she was not surprised. She was already aware, this was simply the modern day of the Terran Mythos. Actually, that wasn’t even true either anymore, the Terran Mythos were filled with tales of a mythical place called Earth, and this was no Earth. This was simply a world Earth had reached since the Mythos. Such a Mythos had led to these towering buildings of light and metal. The design was unique enough, a lot more box-style than what she was used to, but it at least looked organized enough. Several buildings looked almost identical to one another, a feeling to her that might make such streets easier to get lost in than she knew, but maybe there was more to it than that. The actual instrumentation involved stayed absolutely foreign to her, but she knew to expect that. In all accounts, actually, much of the basics behind instrumentation seemed to be simply repeated. The lights, holos, those were decorating everything everywhere, including bringing enough light to the streets to make the whole place glow like day. Coming to terms with the state of such oddities wrung out all of their novelty, this was just what this world was like.

Kori continued leading the way, winding through the back alleys of the streets, very obviously trying to avoid the crowds. Rosa could tell this was a path Kori had travelled several times in the past, moving forward with certainty in their path. Rosa didn’t have any hesitation either in her movements, not even when their path suddenly passed into one of the boxed towers, the doors opening and closing for them on their approach. Kori kept leading the way to a very central door in a boxed hall, a holo appearing before her again that was waiting for her instructions. A short wait later, the door opened to a small room, Kori already heading inside and Rosa still hot on her heels. The interior already looked like a holo, it had the same subtle glow, though this specific holo blocked her from seeing anything beyond it. Everything went absolutely silent then, not even her own motions making a sound as the room briefly shook.. and then the doors opened once again to reveal a very different sight from before. Kori stepped ahead towards a fairly large holo banner, clearly trying to make the place stand out a bit more. Passing another entrance, Rosa found herself in a reasonably colourful office, holos flickering across the walls to show a variety of different outfits. A woman was sitting at a desk, already looking their way as they entered.

“Kori, nice to see you again. I hope the night has treated you well enough. What might I help you with?” “Sophie, you won’t believe how this night has gone. I’m sorry to interrupt you while you’re working, but it’s really important.” Kori went over to Sophie to discuss everything, while Rosa decided to just look around. This was their destination, after all, she would be free to look around. Mostly, she already knew how the conversation was going to begin, such did not matter to her. Rosa was a woman of business herself, even if she was horrible at promoting it, and this clearly looked like someone else’s workshop. Considering the promotions adorning the walls, this would be a business related to fashion, one that thus clearly knew how to promote their work. She wasn’t the greatest of fashion freaks, let alone in position to evaluate local fashions, but the products looked pretty enough. In a way, these holos were just working like some kind of illusions. Sure, illusions might have a fairly strange elemental composition, but she suspected such details might not apply here.

The holo then presented her with a display, though she couldn’t understand what it was trying to tell her. The visuals were simple enough, the interface rather intuitive, but the sprawl within meant nothing to her. She took into consideration the meaning behind the design, what sort of purpose this would ideally serve, especially based on what she could figure out. Certainly this was an overview of the product being shown to her, and such would ideally come with some supporting details, the bubbles being an interface to represent controls. Wait, so this sprawl of patterns was actually writing? Unfortunately, they might have a bit of shared language to work with, but their writing form was completely different. It was actually interesting how this writing was formed at least, more like individual icons than a single cascading interlinked line, it clearly had its own elegant artistic form. Thinking about the matter though, the Terran Mythos generally originated from a myth formed about a thousand years ago, which was also the time of the Instrumentation Era.

Meanwhile, the instrumentation era had been supported with a distinct language that had represented it, something that had simply spawned from its inspiration. Back then, Celese had two languages, one for humans and one for elves.. but instrumentation was bringing the two people together. With no common language, one was formed, with inspiration to the language that came with the era, the old languages quickly being forgotten. However, with instrumentation came a need for names, for new words to represent new ideas, and of all things people turned to the Terran Mythos for names, words that were believed to be spawned by the original myth, to have come from Earth. From this, the instrumentation itself inspired local languages even further once the Elemental Era struck, people believing that the terms of instrumentation were also a sign of development and progress. From those beliefs, language as it was known settled into the state it currently was.

However, now she was in a place where the Mythos was real, earth being a distant world whose people had brought their culture here and forced it upon the locals, culture that likely included language then. The language here was the same as her own, and it didn’t seem as if that was just a coincidence. Sure, there were still some significant accents that remained different, but it really was enough to at least communicate with. This theory also implies that her’s might not have been the first connection with the people of earth. If she could investigate this further, she might find the answers she really craved right now, answers that might bring her back home even. Even the thought of such hope inspired her, she really craved a way to go back, anything at all.

“Rosa?” “Oh, sorry, I was just looking.” “That’s fine, no harm looking, right? Listen, Kori and I have been talking about what had happened, and I was wondering if you would be willing to help us figure a few things out?” “Sure, why not. What do I have to do?” “Well, I was hoping you would be willing to be a part of a quick DNA test. I was thinking it might be a good place to start at least.” “Don’t know what that is, what does it involve anyway?” “Oh, well, mostly a small blood sample. Don’t worry, you won’t even feel a thing, and I’ll be taking one at the same time too.” Rosa didn’t understand most of what Sophie was talking about, though she knew blood at least. With blood usually came pain, but having a painless process released her from that worry. Having someone else go through the process before her also made it easier to gauge her opinion too. She followed in step and entered a nearby small room empty except for some simple tables and chairs. Taking a seat near Sophie, removing the heavy snow gear she had been wearing, she watched as a holo was placed upon her arm, a complex assortment of designs resolving over it. Holding out her own arm, Rosa discovered it also developing the same holo not far behind. Kori was there too, busy with another holo that was clearly in charge of the entire process. Watching carefully, Rosa noticed that a small sphere of the holo suddenly filled up with a tiny red bubble, her own doing the exact same thing. The holo was removed after that, a few drops of blood passing through Sophie’s skin where the holo used to be. Rosa considered her own freed drops as she wiped it away, making sufficient observations that such was indeed her own blood. It was marvelous how clean that was, exactly as promised, she had no complaints with this.

“So, what do we have?” “The test came back positive, both blood samples have a lineage match common to same-parent siblings. How? This isn’t even possible. It’s like we’ve suddenly re-written history, throwing in a visitor of another planet into our own like she’s always been here. You saw those records, there were plenty of convenient details, but a lot of open holes, like she’s been doing nothing all these years since she was born.” “My parents gave no sign that they had ever had twins when Fiona was born. I was there when she was pregnant, the doctor showing a holo of my tiny sister sleeping in mother’s womb. There was only one then, we only ever talked about the one sister, we wouldn’t have accidentally missed one that never came up later.” “Exactly, so how can we explain this? It’s as if history changed but our memories of it didn’t.” Sophie and Kori were both perplexed, almost missing Rosa being present in the conversation. Rosa however was seeing things from a different angle. Sure, she knew she had lived a full life of her own, but her body right now was not the one which had lived that life. She seemed similar, but this was still not her. The instrumentation of this world has identified that this body was a twin of Fiona’s, that was probably true. This would then actually imply that her own body was then templated by a body that was available when she showed up. Reality was just asserting itself then, and this was the result.

“Because I shouldn’t exist.” “What? That..” “Elves don’t exist, I can’t be one, right? So, I have to be something else, something that could exist. Could you show me a close view of myself, like a reflection, as well as a picture of how Fiona looked?” Rosa waited for Kori to provide her requests as she looked over herself casually. Beyond the basic elven features being missing, she didn’t notice all that much which stood out as different between the version of her that was here and the real deal. When the two holos appeared before her though, she started to see just how much she might be onto something. Fiona’s brown hair didn’t match her reds, but they really were the same height. Slight facial differences, along with Rosa’s complexion being mildly lighter, but she really thought it wouldn’t take much effort to make herself look exactly the same as this Fiona.

“It’s like she’s another Fiona…” “No, no, no, I refuse to believe it. This girl is not just some replacement for Fiona.” “Kori, wait!” Sophie was too late, Kori had already stormed off on her own. Rosa realized that she might have suddenly been abandoned in this process, but that probably wasn’t surprising either. Kori really wasn’t taking anything right now very well, and Rosa really probably couldn’t blame her. However, Rosa did have her own concerns to worry about, she would have to just leave Kori to her own care for a while. Sophie was at least present, the woman who was supposed to be Rosa’s sister in this world. Maybe Sophie would be willing to help her work out a few things instead.

Kori stormed out of the building and found herself an empty bench, tears streaming down her face. That was not Fiona, no one could ever hope to just replace Fiona. The two of them had been together for ten sidera already, and in five months she would be having her thirteenth birthday. It did mean she was twenty one years old right now, they both were. Right from such a young age, the two of them had become quick friends, pooling their minds into whatever trouble they could come up with. The two of them were always nigh inseparable ever since, having both inspired the other into more and more ambitions. It was thanks to Fiona that Kori had started dabbling into nanites at all in the first place, all in the attempts to support Fiona’s artistic side expressing itself in holos. Kori could rightfully credit Fiona for all of her life’s accomplishments, she owed Fiona for everything. Now, it would just remain a debt she would forever owe, she would forever be alone. However, it was at that moment that a holo prompt appeared before her, letting her know of an incoming video call. With a quick wave, she accepted the call, the holo switching over to connect her right away.

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“Nick, sorry for leaving you hanging like that, it’s been a night.” “It’s okay, I’m on my midnight break now though. Now that I’m not on the clock, do you want to talk about what happened at the falls now? Something happened there, and it’s left me worried since.” “Wait, yeah, didn’t you like right away asked what had happened to Fiona, even though I was standing next to someone who might have easily been her? What actually gave you that idea?” “Easy, attitude and posture.” “Oh, so then, like, she wasn’t acting like Fiona at all?” “Well, she was just following you like a lost puppy, yeah, none of her usual ambition and drive. Fiona was always like an endless font of energy. Still, what gave away everything the most was you. When you’re with her, you always seem to pick up on her energy, having it drive you. There, you were clearly running on empty. What actually happened?” Kori explained to their driver from the falls all about what had happened, leaving the two to discuss the story in great detail. Getting to talk to Nick about how ridiculous everything was.. it was at least good for calming her back down. However, Nick’s break wouldn’t last forever, he eventually had to disconnect and get back to work, leaving Kori to once again face everything for herself.

Of course, Nick wasn’t the only one she had left hanging, she had just walked out on Sophie, leaving her to take care of everything while also faced with her work. The woman was an apprentice stylist, she couldn’t afford to leave her desk empty for very long. Leaving Sophie to care for some stranger on her own wasn’t even being fair. Making her way back up the commercial tower, she arrived once again at the Wildside Outfitters, the shop Sophie worked for. The place specialized in a variety of casual and sportswear, including outfits which were designed for use beyond the barrier. Fiona always came to her sister’s place to shop, the both of them making avid use of the available styles. Even while hard at work, the two of them typically wore such styles, and it was from here that she had picked up the snow gear she was currently still half wearing, the overall impression leaving her feeling a bit overheated. Taking off the rest of such gear and just carrying it with her, she ran her hands through her long pale blue hair and adjusted her glasses. Her layered top held what was akin to a light and thin lavender tasseled overcoat with similarly styled plum capri and amethyst blouse. The entire outfit left her feeling reasonably comfortable with a fashionably intelligent look that she felt suited her technical background. With that, she walked back into the store, feeling a bit more dignified than she had left it.

“Welcome back.” “Yeah, sorry about running off like that. Wait, where.. is…” “Rosa is taking a nap in the back. It seems, from where she’s from, this is pretty late, and she did have a really long night. We had a lot to talk about while you were gone at least. Did you know she can’t even read our writing? Pretty obvious stuff for her would be pretty rough, going through all of this.” “Why are you suddenly doing so much to take care of her, she isn’t really your sister. People don’t just become blood related like that, it’s all complete nonsense.” “Your point? Actually, I don’t even care that we might suddenly be mysteriously related. The girl is going through a lot, and doesn’t have anyone else she could turn to. I fail to see why there might be any reason I shouldn’t try to help her out.” Sophie left Kori without any form of counter. Of course, much in the same light, Kori remembered when Rosa too had just stepped in on her behalf not that long ago. The guy from the aerospace station’s lobby.. Rosa had stepped in then in much the same light, helping without any good reason.. except possibly for not having a good reason for not helping.

“Look, I know you’re taking Fiona’s absence really badly, I know you’re just troubled because you’re drawing a connection between Rosa and Fiona and that’s just hurting you more. Rosa isn’t Fiona, even if you take the whole twin thing at face value, they are each their own person. To be honest, the idea that my little sister might actually be gone feels really surreal, it’s hurting me a lot too. My mind actually feels numb with shock about the whole idea, like it still can’t even comprehend such a reality. Even so, the world doesn’t just stop, Fiona wouldn’t have let me hear the end of it if I just gave in, especially if it was because of her. I know that, it’s why I’m here. I almost didn’t take up this apprenticeship on her behalf, because I wouldn’t be in a position to support her anymore. She didn’t take that very well, not at all. So, I’m going to keep going.. she would probably want you to keep going just the same. Never forget that.” Sophie actually wiped away some passing tears as she worked, sorting through a catalogue of store inventory, never actually slowing down. This moment broke Kori, realizing she was being both immature and selfish, an utter affront to her friendship with Fiona. Left in a bit of a daze, Kori found a place to go and sit down to sort through her thoughts, while Sophie continued to work through the night. Kori had no idea how long such had continued, having completely lost touch with time, which is why she was surprised when Sophie started closing the store.

“Oh, is it that late already?” “My, I was wondering if you had fallen asleep or something too. If you are awake, could you go wake up Rosa? We won’t be able to stay here, the store needs to be locked up. Maybe she would be willing to drop by my place, we could figure something out from there.” Kori obliged Sophie’s request, heading to the back room half in a daze. Passing through the door and turning on the lights, she heard Rosa startle to an alert state, bashing her head on the metal table in the process, leaving Kori to scream in fear as well. It was an all too familiar event, one that had only happened recently, one which only got more painful to experience while Rosa looked so much like Fiona. Sophie herself came rushing in to discover what might have happened. Sophie was right, Fiona was gone, but Kori just wasn’t letting Fiona rest. It still wasn’t Rosa’s fault though, if Kori was painting a likeness of Fiona over Rosa’s image, Rosa still had nothing to do with it. This was a problem Kori had designed against herself, so she would have to come up with her own solutions.

“Sophie, before you close up, do you mind attending one last customer? Rosa here still only has Fiona’s clothes, she has nothing for herself. It might be better for her to wear something she could call her own, something of her own choice style.” “Oh my, that’s a great idea. Rosa dear, could you come join me here so we get an idea of your own personal tastes?” Kori stepped aside as Sophie took control over the situation, the fashion expert in the room in her own element. Kori meanwhile just waited in the same room, leaving the two with room to work things out for themselves. Sophie was really good though, and in hardly any time at all she returned with a Rosa dressed in a holo sample of a choice outfit. Rosa was much taller than Kori’s 152cm, beating her by 11cm, and you could tell most of that was achieved in Rosa’s legs. Lean and beanie, Rosa’s mauve choices were rich in warm tones, a complete contrast to the usual sapphires Fiona had gravitated towards. The tiny capelette floating over her shoulders looked completely unlike anything Fiona might have ever worn, but went well with her sleeveless top and slender pants. For an additional effect, even her hair was done up in a distinguished ponytail. Contrary to anything Fiona, Rosa looked like a woman who wasn’t afraid to get her hands dirty, a very serious look in contrast to Fiona’s energy.

“Before you ask, no, none of this was my idea. It seems our little Rosa has quite the personal tastes, wouldn’t you agree? The actual outfit is currently in printing, it should be ready soon. In the meanwhile, if you ladies would excuse me, I really need to finish closing up. Also, don’t worry about the purchase, Kori, I’ve already looked into it. Rosa, I’m sorry but you won’t have a chance to get change here. Instead, why don’t we all go to my place to relax a bit more? It would give you an opportunity to actually get into your outfit, and we could talk a bit more about anything. Kori, please wait with her just outside of the store, I’ll be there shortly.” Sophie then rushed off before anyone could get in a word, not even in reply to her requests. Kori and Rosa blinked at each other, both aware that there wasn’t any room for complaints here. Rosa’s holo outfit was dismissed as the two of them made their way just outside the store. They really didn’t have to wait very long, Sophie only needed to make sure that the nanites present had the current closing instructions and that everything was still in good order before packing up for herself and going outside too. From there, Sophie led the way back to the holo elevator, the unit rapidly bringing them to the basement in the blink of an eye. OSIDF lightspeed engines were really reliable in empty spaces, although alternatives were required in denser environments.

Sophie then brought the two of them to her vehicle, a very classy drifter made with a silicate alloy in a quality holo chassis. Fiona herself had worked on the holo pattern for it, a sleek reflective black shade that somehow shone with an inner light. The whole thing also handled quite well, it’s holo grips being very well made. Humans classically loved models like this, as it apparently had a lot in common with the old cars that the people of earth had used ages ago. Rosa herself took an immediate interest in the thing as well, taking shotgun beside Sophie at the front and leaving Kori to the back seats. Kori had no problem with this, returning to her own thoughts in silence. Sophie made sure Rosa was safely secure before getting everything started and calibrated.

“Audio response system activated. Best of nights to you, lady Chalcedony.” “Yes, thank you. The young lady to my right happens to be unskilled in reading comprehension, so I was hoping that we could get some audio responses for any inquiries she might have, if you will be so kind.” “Of course. Support will be provided for auditory readings of writing found during this journey. Feel free to point at anything you want explained, Rosa. If you have any other specific inquiries, feel free to express them vocally.” The nanite system of Sophie’s drifter was operating with live audio in response to Sophie’s instructions. Kori glanced at Rosa, finding this whole thing was actually about as surprising as one might have expected. Of course, Kori hadn’t been using audio mode the entire time, she found it a bit too loud and slow. However, for someone unable to read but perfectly capable of listening, it did carry a bit more details as to what was actually going on. Rosa had no problems making friends with the nanites involved as a result, making plenty of inquiries along the way on each different sign and banner. In the end, Kori avoided a headache by activating a sound screen to the back seats, leaving her to relax in silence. Such silence lasted until they rapidly reached their destination, pulling into another underground garage. The vehicle stopped, the doors opening automatically.

“Wake up Kori, we’re here.” “I know, I wasn’t actually asleep.” “Can you bring Rosa inside and show her into my spare room so she can get changed? I’m going to go make sure Iggy is doing alright.” Sophie again didn’t even wait for Kori to reply, already inside before Kori could leave the vehicle. Rosa stood there holding the bags Sophie had given to her at some point, most likely containing the new outfit. Kori guided Rosa inside, making sure that their heavier snow gear was left in the main closet before making their way inside. Rosa quickly found herself alone in a fairly empty room, with nothing but the new outfit that was provided for her, Kori waiting outside. Rosa quickly rushed to get changed while contemplating her circumstances. This was Sophie’s home, Rosa’s supposed sister according to the world’s logic. It did remind her that Yhzia’s sister was still waiting, another reality away. She was supposed to go there with Yhzia too, much like her current situation. Much like Sophie though, Rosa knew very little about Yhzia’s sister, not having actually visited more than once. Once had been plenty enough, the girl was insane, actually trying to care for this red lizard she had found in the wild one day. By the divine, that thing had terrified her. Rosa was only a young teen at the time, but she’s remained terrified to visit ever since, convinced the thing was looking for an opportunity to devour her. Fortunately, her sisterly visit in this reality wouldn’t have such concerns to worry about, a firm perspective on how she was far away from home. Once she had finished getting changed, she stepped out to stir Kori from a chair.

“So, what’s the plan now?” “Oh, Sophie is probably just feeding that iguana of her’s in her study. She’s been the one with a plan so far, so we might as well go see what’s next on the list.” “Fair enough.” Rosa could tell even Kori was just in for the ride here, neither of them able to keep up with everything. Sophie was quite a good business influence, just throwing you into doing things without giving room for hesitation. As she followed Kori up a set of stairs, she took a quick moment to wonder.. what’s an iguana?

Coming to face the tiny lizard, Rosa shrieks her own round of terror, the sound echoing through the house. It was too much for Rosa, herself having fainted as a result of such an encounter.