Arnimos left the palace and wandered the streets alone and angry for a while. Why did his father choose such a man? Why couldn't he just have a normal Dichotomy teacher? Why does he have to be an Archon? Arnimos took a seat at the sea's edge and looked out into the endless blue.

Here he was, one of the most blessed individuals in the world and he was complaining. Not only was he born to an important city lord he was also born as an Archon, did he have any right to complain about his circumstance? There were certainly a million others who would want what he had, even just a small part of it.

He stared up into the sky, the sun hung lazily overhead slowly passing down towards the horizon. What was he supposed to do? Was he complaining despite having everything? Was he complaining about people having expectations? Could he live up to those expectations?

"Something on your mind?" A voice said. "Something you want to talk about?"

Arnimos looked over his shoulder and saw Galtz waddling up to him, he took a seat next to Arnimos.

"You look conflicted?" Galtz said. "Something happen?"

Arnimos looked back out at the sea.

"Tages attacked me," Arnimos said.

"Do you know why?" Galtz said. "I did not know him to be a violent man,"

"He claimed it was to train my Dichotomies," Arnimos said. "To learn how to use them to heal,"

"That would do it," Galtz said. "He's always been quite different in his methods,"

"Isn't there a better way?" Arnimos said. "Some other method to train?"

"Most definitely," Galtz said. "Many in fact though none as effective as making someone fear being harmed,"

"Don't you teach it a different way?" Arnimos said. "A better way,"

Galtz sighed then stood up.

"Follow me," Galtz said.

Arnimos rose and followed as Galtz took a winding path back to his home.

"Dichotomy is a terrible thing," Galtz said. "It is born from fear given to us by that Devil Author,"

Arnimos stared at Galtz, something was wrong. He had just said Devil yet the words then morphed, he had said Devil yet somehow the word changed in his mind.

"It intensifies then feeds off of the fear you produce if you do not know how to control it," Galtz said. "Were it given a choice it would make you Fear Frozen,"

"What did you just-" Arnimos said.

Galtz raised a hand to silence him.

"Save questions for later," Galtz said.

They passed by a group of kids playing in the street, they each had earthen skin and red eyes.

"Of course we do not want to be Fear Frozen so many never learn to use their Dichotomy," Galtz said. "It takes too much time and is far too dangerous,"

Galtz stopped at the kids for a moment and spoke to them, listening to them talk and play for a minute before continuing their walk.

"To train Dichotomy is as much to train your mind as it is those creatures," Galtz said. "Your Dichotomies are living things as much as you, they must trained like carefully so they do not snap at people like a poorly trained hound,"

"Hound?" Arnimos said.

"Ah, yes... Sorry, force of habit," Galtz said. "There aren't real dogs here, just imitations... No need to worry, just remembering older times,"

The two finally arrived at Galtz's house, he unlocked the door to the courtyard and they went inside.

"Back to the main point," Galtz said. "To train them is a difficult task and each man had their own view on it, some better than others. Tages teaches the most effective way, the way he as an Oracle likely learned, while I teach a simpler way to children who are interested in learning about Dichotomy,"

"And how do you teach?" Arnimos said. "Can I learn from it?"

"I can teach you nothing more than the basics," Galtz said. "My teaching relies upon my Dichotomy, as an Arbeross of Fear I can "Become" Fear specifically i can copy abilities from a single Dichotomy of someone i touched in the last 5 minutes,"

"What about your other Skills?" Arnimos said. "Or your Ultimate?"

"My first changed my mind, the second is useful," Galtz said. "And very few of us ever awaken our Ultimate, I'd have to go see an Oracle if I even wanted a chance,"

"Still, are you sure you can't help me?" Arnimos said. "Nothing you can teach?"

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

"As I said, the basics," Galtz said. "If you do not wish for injury in it then we shall try to simply have you try to hold the Dichotomy Essence produced for 1 minute, tell me once you are ready,"

Arnimos readied himself.

"Let's go," Arnimos said.

Arnimos suddenly felt a tug in his soul as something changed about Galtz, nothing physical yet somehow he felt different. His Dichotomy began to eat at the edges of his mind as fear crept in, Galtz had Become Fear. The four intensified it, threatening the edges of his mind as they produced Dichotomy Essence. His body yearned to take it in and use it to fuel his body in place of food, water or even air but he focused and tried to keep it. He closed his eyes and focused his mind inwards, as the sight of Galtz disappeared his Dichotomies stopped producing and went still.

Arnimos focused on the energy within. He tried to constrain it, to hold it in one place yet no matter how tightly he gripped a bit leaked out. He strained further, gripping tighter yet it kept flowing. The slightest feelings of hunger and thirst, even the need to breathe vanished for a few moments as it kept flowing till Arnimos was shaken from his concentration. His eyes shot open and the energy took only a moment to flood into his body and vanish completely.

"You were focused quite hard there," Galtz said. "How did you do?"

"I held some in my hands until you shook me," Arnimos said. "But i felt it slowly draining away no matter how hard i tried to hold it,"

"An unconscious part of your mind wants the energy," Galtz said. "But you still held some, I guess Archons really do pick it up quickly as well,"

"How can I learn to hold it better?" Arnimos said.

"With time," Galtz said. "It takes much experimentation for us who can't see Dichotomy to learn the exactness of it all but i'm certain you'll get it in time,"

"What about my Skills?" Arnimos said. "Can you copy them?"

Galtz looked at Arnimos then at the ground.

"Tages told me your Dichotomy was different," Galtz said. "That i shouldn't copy it,"

"Surely it would be fine to try just one, yeah?" Arnimos said. "Learn what the basics of mine should be?"

Galtz stood there conflicted for a moment. He had known the Archon since he was a child, surely it would be fine if he took just a quick peek. Galtz put a hand out and touched Arnimos on the head then felt his Dichotomy explode with power as he activated it. He tried to pull some of it out to copy yet then he felt himself pulled in.

His mind reeled as it stared into darkness, something was there with him. He tried to look around but saw nothing yet he could hear the faint sound of a typewriter. Suddenly, he heard a voice-

Galtz jumped back and took in a few sharp breaths, what had he just seen? could he even say what he just saw. He looked at Arnimos who stared a bit confused at him.

"Are you okay Galtz?" Arnimos said. "You look pale,"

"It's... nothing," Galtz said. "I think i'm going to go inside and lay down,"

Galtz didn't wait for Arnimos to respond and rushed back inside, locking the door.

Arnimos stood alone in the courtyard for a minute before turning to leave, he was confused what had Galtz so spooked. Was there something really wrong with his Dichotomy?

Arnimos walked back onto the streets, he spent some time wandering along the streets passing by merchants selling goods and guards patrolling. He passed by new homes being built and men and Shalbross moving goods about the town. As he wandered still confused on what to do he soon found himself in front of his and his friends little safe house, he stared at it for a moment before turning to walk away.

"And where do you think you are going?" Hilmas said.

Arnimos looked back and saw Hilmas and Milhas leaning out a window.

"You look as down as Jeff at an old folks home," Milhas said.

"Can any of your analogies make sense?" Arnimos said. "Just one,"

"I thought that one was obvious," Milhas said.

"But still, you think you can escape us now that you are here?" Hilmas said.

"We'll be latched onto you like a Mindshard if you try to run," Milhas said.

"That one at least makes some sense," Arnimos said. "But can you please stop saying them?"

"Are you going to run?" Milhas said.

Arnimos stared at his two friends then sighed.

"No," Arnimos said.

"Then get on in here," Hilmas said. "We'll try to get you in and out before Milhas thinks of another analogy,"

"Get in here," Milhas said. "We've certainly got something to do,"

Arnimos lightly chuckled and entered the house.

----------------------------------------

Galtz stared at the ceiling, why did he see it again? He heard its voice, he couldn't have heard it again. Was the impossible so easy now? Did Arnimos have the eyes of something terrible? Is It looking at him now?

Galtz heard the lock of his door unlock, he looked towards it as it opened. A man stood in his doorway, it wasn't him but something close.

"Why are you here?" Galtz said. "How can you be here?!?"

"Ah, ah, ah," They said. "You just saw too much,"

"Was that?" Galtz said. "You didn't... Did you..."

"Do you like it?" They said. "What I have made?"

"You don't seriously think you can?" Galtz said.

"Oh, I can," They said. "And I will, you would get to see if you just kept to yourself,"

Galtz stared at the man for a moment before jumping up from his chair and charging the man. He took three steps before he suddenly fell to the ground, he looked to his legs which had simply vanished. He glared at the man.

"You bastard!" Galtz said. "You should have stayed away!"

"Now where's the story in that?" They said. "Sayonara, Galtz,"

The man wrote something in a notebook and Galtz's felt as his body began to disappear. Galtz stared the man down, anger burning in his eyes.

"You won't get away with this!" Galtz said. "You hear me Wr-"

His voice left him as he tried to speak the name.

"Don't spoil everything just yet," They said. "Not that you could even if you wanted,"

As Galtz was finally about to fully vanish he watched as the man flipped up one of the floorboards and left a single sheet of paper then put them back just as they were. Galtz wanted to say one more curse but nothing came. He closed his eyes as everything faded into nothingness around him.

This place, Shale, had been horrible to him. He hoped and prayed that some other god would reach between realities and tear him from this place, let him be Reborn somewhere kinder. No such help ever came though, there was only silence punctuated by the occasional ring of a typewriter.