Aadil Karim - (DIMENSION: NINETY-SEVEN - LOCATION: SAN MARCOS, TEXAS):

I clicked on the connect button as the capsule split apart and a small screen started extending from the right side, pushing the left approximately three inches. The video of a girl appeared on it, her hazelnut hair and tan skin providing a stark contrast against the white walls of her bedroom. Her dark-blue eyes sparkled with boredom, which made sense since she hadn't been deployed for well over three months.

"Hi Lola," I greeted her, thinking that she'd be happy to see that I was alive.

"Aadil, what did you two do?" she asked in an urgent tone.

"We did nothing," I replied defensively.

"Well you obviously didn't do nothing, else the entire government wouldn't be after you," she sighed.

"Ok, just because we were beside her when we were found, doesn't mean we did it." I snapped at her, "Sorry."

"It's fine. It's just that murdering multiple people doesn't help with trying to convince a grieving king that you're innocent."

"May I remind you that I didn't even know how many people I had killed up until a few weeks ago?" I pointed out.

"Yeah, that is true. But speaking of that, how's the dampener doing?" she queried, making the mood a bit more serious.

"Well," I began but paused and looked around for Alisha, not wanting to concern her. Turning back to the screen, I continued, "The thoughts are less intrusive now, but I can still feel him, clawing at the corners of my brain. He won't stop talking. Every day he tries to convince me to take the dampener out."

"I'm sorry that you have to go through this but trust me, life will get better," she falsely assured me.

"I've been waiting for it to get better for eleven years, but I just can't move on from what happened," I grumbled, hating the fact that I felt so vulnerable.

"You watched the people you considered to be your family get brutally murdered for the second time. I think it's fine if you haven't completely moved on," Lola said, making a good point, but not good enough for me.

"Maybe I'm just weak," I stated what I believed to be true, but this seemed to tick her off.

"Aadil, look at me. You are NOT weak. If anything, your life is proof that you're strong," she said, still failing to convince me. "You helped me through a dark time in my life. Let me return the favor by helping you get through yours."

"How can you possibly help me if you couldn't even help yourself?" I asked, making her go silent.

"I have to go now, I'll talk to you later," she said as she started fiddling with her side.

"Wait, Lola! I didn't mean it like tha-" I tried to say before being cut off by the click of her disconnecting from the call.

I stared at the black screen, right back at my self-loathing reflection.

"Why am I like this?" I questioned myself, wondering why I would never accept help from my friends. Why did I hate myself to such a degree that I could hurt others, even those whom I cared about? Of course, I knew why. It was because I hated myself, but couldn't admit that people did indeed care about me and just wanted to help. I knew why, but I couldn't get his thoughts out of my head. After all, he was the original. He was the real Aadil.

Michael Middlebrooks - (DIMENSION: ZERO - LOCATION: DRAGONHEART PALACE, CENTRAL REGION, NEW REALM CITY):

While I was observing the sprawling downtown of Realm City, I studied the people lighting candles to honor the late queen, believing that she had passed away recently when in reality, she had died weeks ago. I was the one to find Aadil and Alisha kneeling in the queen's blood. Samron immediately opened fire, but they were far too quick and swiftly took the two of us out.

Jaxon Dragonheart was understandably devastated and ordered a bounty to be placed on their heads and any who helped them. He wanted them alive, but he didn't want them dead for one simple reason; he believed he ought to kill them both himself.

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Provisonius, Samron, Jaxon, Mattias, Xelo, and Zathian convened without the knowledge of anyone, save for the exception of myself after the order was handed out. They didn't tell me what they spoke of but told me to stand outside the room to stop anyone from coming in. Although I would be lying if I said that I hadn't eavesdropped a bit, I hadn't heard much anyway.

I heard a few words and could make out one essential sentence.

"Are you sure she knew where the shards were located?"

Lost in the cloud of thought, I hadn't heard that Provisonius was calling for me. Snapping back to reality, I rushed down the hall to the conference chamber. Walking through the doors, I saw Jaxon, Zathian, Provisonius, Samron, Mattias, and Xelo seated at the Knight's Table. The meeting had seemingly concluded, as Mattias and Xelo left their seats. They walked past me, but right before they left, Jaxon called out after the pair.

"I expect a report from both of you every month on both the symbiotes and Troy." He stated in that monotone, yet commanding voice.

They nodded in unison and left the room, leaving us five alone. The lighting was a bit off, so I couldn't see their faces, and I hadn't seen Jaxon for weeks.

"You asked for me?" I asked nervously.

"Ah, yes Michael. We have a mission for you, Samron, and Provisonius," Zathian explained. "Our intel says that Frenzil is going after a dimension that may contain something very important. It is in the Empire's best interest that you three go there at this very moment and prepare for her invasion attempt."

"Yes sir. Was that it?" I queried, realizing how out of my place I may have sounded.

"No, we wanted to make sure you knew just what you'd be facing on the frontlines," Jaxon responded. "Along with Frenzil, you may also encounter the terrorist Blezeren."

Everyone knew who they were at this point, and if you didn't, then you were most likely dead already. Nobody knew who Frenzil was due to her helmet or where she came from. But in just a few months, she had climbed the ranks to be one of the URE's most wanted individuals. Blezeren on the other hand had formed one of the most nefarious interdimensional terrorist groups, the Harbingers, some of the most dangerous individuals to date.

"I understand and am still willing to fight, will that be all?" I asked, hoping to leave so that I could start preparing.

"Yes, you'd best go get ready Michael, don't want one of our best soldiers dying," Zathian said in his usual upbeat tone.

I nodded and made my way out of the room, making my way to the sergeant's chambers. I had recently made history for being one of the youngest sergeants to serve in centuries, which unfortunately caused the other sergeants to pick on me. But that didn't bother me, because, in the end, I knew I could defeat all seventeen of them in hand-to-hand combat all at once. I put on my suit, and the nanobots engulfed me in the soft, yet dense, fabric.

Looking in the mirror, I looked at the simple, yet sleek black and blue tuxedo-like design. It resized itself to fit my five-foot-seven-inch frame, and I stood proud as the two shining patches of the United Realm Empire symbol on both arms glittered in the changing room light.

I prepared myself for yet another battle, hoping that this time we would take down Frenzil. When exiting, I crashed into Provisonius, who seemed like he hadn't slept in days. His eye bags were dark, providing a stark contrast against his fair skin. His bald head shined like a bowling ball, and he was wearing a black tuxedo, black dress pants, and a red tie like usual. The scar located under his left eye seemed more obscure because of the previously mentioned eye bags. He also hadn't shaved his thick mustache and beard that went from ear to ear. His jawline was immaculate like always, and even through his tuxedo, you could see his muscles.

"Ah Michael, I was hoping I'd run into you," he said as he fixed his tie. "I wanted to tell you, if you happen to interact with Frenzil or Blezeren on this mission, do NOT fight, always run."

"Yes sir," I said, showing that I understood what exactly would happen if I were to fight either of them.

"Good. And one more thing, do you know what Roko's Basilisk is?" He asked me as we began walking down the hallway.

"I'm sorry, I don't." I replied, baffled as to why he was asking this now, "If I may, why do you ask?"

"Oh no reason, just wanted to see if you knew what it was. Good luck Michael." He answered, leaving me even more confused than before.

Provisonius can be quite peculiar at times, but he's a good man and a good friend.

Walking out, we greeted Samron at the carrier platform. A large aircraft descended, filled with multiple researchers and soldiers. Overhead flew four other Halocrafts, most likely filled with more soldiers and researchers. All of them had the United Realm Empire's symbol plastered on them, a sword wrapped in chains with the acronym URE displayed over it.

Samron held her helmet in her hands, her red hair providing a sharp contrast against her smooth black skin. Her pupils looked like an endless, yet beautiful, void in her indigo iris', standing out against her dark skin. She was approximately six feet and two inches tall, and her uniform was split into multiple segments to allow her to use her ability to painlessly snap and contort her body to move around at the speed of sound.

In the distance, the five gates glinted, their metal frames visible from thousands of miles away. This wasn't because they were large, but rather how they were built. The second the gateways stopped shining, we would know something was wrong, and the majority of the army would be deployed.

As we ascended, I looked down at the palace and saw two shadowy figures, no doubt Jaxon and Zathian, observing us as we departed. Turning back to the others, I noticed that most of them were tense, which was to be expected since after all, this could end up being a suicide mission.