February
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Though the energy of the Core replenished quickly, It was beginning to struggle with mental fatigue. It had begun by making a simple body, like January’s. This one, however, was made out of titanium, and It had been hard at work tweaking the design. Joints were made stronger and less exposed in exchange for sacrificing range of motion. The body was thickened and covered in armor. The mouth was made in a more rectangular design, and had been given teeth. These ‘teeth’ being a shaped blade that ran the length of the upper and lower jaw each. Then had come the effort that had exhausted It so.
It had been strengthening the titanium. The body needed to be harder, denser, stronger. It’s memory told It that titanium was not as soft and malleable as metals like silver, but It preferred to be safe. The carapace became heavy enough that suspending it above the Core while It worked actually consumed energy at a noticeable rate. Iron or steel would have been strong enough, but It did not want a child that would rust. It wanted a long and happy life for It’s offspring, with emphasis on ‘long.’ It did not want rust chipping away at It’s creation like that.
Titanium took even more effort to create than stone or silver did, though, and forcing the metal to become denser and stronger took even more. With that and the accumulated efforts of excavating and refining the Core Room, It felt the threat of slumber loom closer and closer by the minute.
It set the body down upon the soft sands, and began one of the final steps. It created more titanium, and formed a large, two-handed sword with a cruciform hilt and a wavy blade. This would be the new one’s weapon. Once the blade was fully formed, It sharpened the edge and point as much as It could, and then began to strengthen it the same as the body.
When the blade was completed, It turned to the final task before it could sleep.
Live. See. Hear.
The titanium body shuddered to life, groaned, and stood up. The golem looked towards It.
Pick up your sword. Protect January. Protect It.
The golem grabbed hold of the titanium blade, and It released the weapon from It’s grip.
It will name you February.
February marched resolutely out the doorway.
It will… give you thought… when It awakes…
The heavy footsteps of the golem faded away as It gave in to fatigue.
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What the fuck? Where am I?!
I awoke in a state of panic — I tried to get up, but couldn’t move. I couldn’t even feel any of my limbs. I tried to scream and thrash and call for help, but nothing happened. The only thing I could see was a silver bowl and an odd, glowing gem that looks unlike anything I’ve seen before. The gem was perfectly round and composed of more colors than I could count, with a spiderweb of interior cracks and flaws. When I tried to scream, a small section of the gem glowed brightly green. I became aware of two people — no, monsters, standing over the gem. One was speaking, it was… asking if the gem was okay? I don’t understand what’s happening. How did I get here? Why are there monsters, am I in a dungeon? Is that gem a Core? Why can’t I move?!
Somebody help! Get me out of here!
The more I screamed and tried to do something, anything — the more tired I felt. No, not tired, but… like I was only half-awake? More pieces of the gem started glowing, faintly at first, and then progressively brighter. Some of the panic abated, and I felt like I was waking up. Everything was going to be fine. This… was just… a bad dream. I was waking up. I was…
Confused.
It was confused.
“It, what happened?” Called January’s worried voice. “Are you okay? What’s wrong?”
It… does not know. It was… someone else?
While January tried to make sure It wasn’t hurt, February dutifully stood between them and the door.
It is okay now. It will try to find out what happened.
As January continued to fret and fuss, It directed It’s attention towards the Sight-Voice that had told it about these things before. When It first woke, it was the Voice that told It what It was. Even if It didn’t believe the part about being a Patchwork Soul, the Voice had said other things It knew to be true. It was willing to trust the Sight-Voice.
Hello? Sight-Voice? Do you know what happened to It?
[ Notice ]
I sure do, little guy.
And the ‘Sight-Voice’ you’re referring to is called the System of Order.
But, most people abbreviate it to just ‘the System.’ Now, me, I’m called Will.
That’s shortened from ‘Manifestation of Will.’ Me and Life worked together to make you.
Now, what happened to you is this:
Since you’re a Patchwork Soul, you’re made up of lots of different souls.
Sometimes when you wake from exhaustion, a particular soul will wake up first.
That means that, for a moment, it will be as though you’re just one soul.
The soul that wakes first usually panics when this happens.
Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
Fortunately, across a long enough period of time, the severity can lessen.
The fragments you’re made of will eventually get used to being a single, unified soul.
Until then, just hang in there, kiddo.
And congratulations on making your first soul!
January seems like a good one.
— Will
That was… a little confusing.
It still did not think It was a Patchwork Soul.
It had remembered being many things, and that was not one.
But… if It accepted that It was a Patchwork Soul, and took that as the truth…
It would make sense.
Confusing.
Nonetheless, It was grateful for the Sight-Voice’s answer.
“It? Did you find out what happened?” Asked January.
Maybe. It will have to think about it, but It might have the answer.
“Well, that’s good at least,” January added optimistically. “You are okay now, right?”
Yes, January. It is the parent’s job to worry for the child, not the other way around. Be at ease.
“If that’s the case, maybe you shouldn’t make me worry!” They teased, opening their wooden mouth to a very particular angle.
It could not think of a response to that, and January simply ran off giggling. It was convinced that they had been smirking at It. Never mind that It hadn’t given It’s child an expressive enough face to do that. There was nothing else that expression could have been! January… had been teasing It. That thought took several moments to sink in, letting the heavy footsteps of February fade as it followed after its sibling. There was no word for what It felt other than pride. ‘January seems like a good one.’ January was a good one indeed. It… was amazed. It had created something so wonderful. A soul. January’s soul.
A grim determination settled over It’s thoughts like a mask.
It would protect It’s children from the world, and everything in it.
February, January, come back. I must do something.
January’s light, clacking footsteps rapidly came within earshot as they sprinted for the Core Room. The thunderous clunking of February’s heavy frame soon joined the echoes. First, January came skidding to a stop before the pedestal, once again exaggeratedly saluting with a clack. Several seconds later, and February fell in behind its smaller sibling.
It will grant February thought as It has done for January. February, approach the Core.
“Ooh! I’ll watch from over here.” January dropped the salute and skipped over to the bench still hanging from the wall.
February marched up to the Core and looked directly at It.
It prepared Itself for another round of exertion as It funneled energy into February’s body. The first thing to do was to grant the child a voice, so that when it gained a mind it would be able to speak it. There was little shaping to do, with the mouth already in place. Next, It added the same minuscule crystals that It had given January, to enhance the sense of hearing It had already implemented. Once both changes were made, It began sending more energy to the titanium shell. Now for the hard part.
It willed the creation It called February to not just live, but think, and become a soul. The effort was Herculean, although It could not remember where It learned that word. The energy flared and glowed with greater intensity, and kept stubbornly shrinking into nothingness. To combat this, It simply threw more energy and more will at the problem, just as It had done with January. The only physical sensations It had felt thus far were January’s touch and the feel of It’s pedestals, but the growing strain of forcing It’s energy to obey almost seemed to approach physicality. At long last, the invisible barriers gave out, and It released It’s hold.
Hello, February.
“Hel… lo…” February spoke in a deeper, more robotic voice than their sibling, likely due to the different acoustics of their metal body.
It can see you are still getting used to your voice. Talk with your sibling to practice while It rests.
“O, kay…”
Without warning, January jumped on their sibling’s back. “Nice to meet you! I’m January! It made me before you. First, actually! My favorite color is, um, all of them! Like It! But I also like gray, like the pebblebugs and rocks. And you! You’re a very shiny shade of gray. It’s cool! Do you have a favorite color? Ooh, how about we play a game! What sort of games do you like to play? I’ve been chasing the pebble bugs for a while, that’s fun! They’re pretty fast, though. You might not be able to keep up. Maybe we can try, um… building statues out of pebbles! Yeah! That sounds fun. Come on, let’s go—”
February only had time to let out a distressed groan before being pulled towards the door by January.
You two… have fun…
For the third time, It felt Itself begun to fall asleep. Making souls was hard. It should probably make soulless minions for a while instead. At least until It was more sure of It’s safety.
It would consider it when It awoke next.
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The gradual return of sense did not bring a sense of panic or otherness this time. Its rousing was a peaceful endeavor, hastened slightly by the echoing chatter of It’s children. Ah, that was a beautiful thought. Children. It was a parent to two beautiful new souls. Even if It’s soul could not withstand destruction, the new souls It had given birth to would persist. How wonderful. With a metaphorical sigh of contentment, It began push It’s senses into the many pebblebugs roaming the tunnel. It had given them all orders to follow interesting things, and so was confident that soon It would find the source of the merry voice echoing It’s way. With mild surprise, It noted that the pebblebugs had begun reproducing — and that It could see through the offspring as well. It would have to find out what they ate later; there couldn’t be much of sustenance down there.
Just when It thought that, It tuned into the senses of a pebblebug drinking from a small stream that had appeared in the tunnel. That was concerning. It had not thought there was any water down here. The tunnel looked like it had been shaped by water, based on the features of the rock, but it had seemed as if it had dried out. Listening closer, It could even hear the trickle of flowing water from the Core Room. Where had this water come from? It redoubled It’s efforts to assimilate the sense of all It’s pebblebugs with newfound urgency. Soon, It found the pair following January and February. It could not hear their conversation, as the beetles were deaf, but the important thing was that It had eyes on them.
January, pick up a pebblebug and carry it with you. It needs you and your sibling to investigate something.
It couldn’t hear whatever response the wooden monster had for It, but they soon complied, scooping up a pebblebug and setting it on their shoulder.
Water has begun flowing through the tunnel. Follow it upstream, the same direction you’ve been going, and find the source.
January said something to February, and then the two got to work. First, February dug through the pebbles near the center of the tunnel to verify the direction of the flow. Then January said something, and they set off.