Morning sunlight crept through Angelo's apartment curtains in thin golden stripes, one of which Red was gleefully redirecting straight into his sleeping original's face using a dusty mirror he'd discovered in a drawer.

"Red, this isn't funny," Blue's voice carried the particular strain of someone dealing with an unruly sibling. "You could actually damage his eyes." Through their shared senses, both duplicates could feel the irritating heat against their own eyelids.

Red's materialized form bounced on his heels like an excited child. "Aw come on, he needs to wake up anyway. We've got a train to catch!"

"If you're so concerned about the schedule," Blue's words dripped with scholarly disapproval, "perhaps you could assist with preparations instead of tormenting him?"

"What, and miss this entertainment?" Red's grin widened as Angelo's face twitched. "Besides, I'm doing him a favor. He should be thanking me for-"

Angelo shot upright with a yelp that cut through Red's gloating. His eyes snapped open, immediately finding his crimson duplicate. "RED! I swear I'll kill you!"

"We've been over this, Angie!" Red's satisfaction practically radiated through their shared consciousness. "You want me dead that badly, just off yourself!"

"Don't tempt me," Angelo growled, rubbing his throbbing eyes. "Spending eternity with an idiot like you makes that option more appealing every day."

"While I hesitate to interrupt this charming exchange," Blue materialized form interjected with freezing calm, "we do have preparations to complete." His materialized form gestured toward their packed bags with pointed significance.

Angelo's anger deflated with a heavy sigh. "Fine. I'm up." He reached for his phone, only for Blue to smoothly intercept it.

"I'll contact Neiva," Blue offered, already dialing. "Someone should ensure she's preparing as well."

Neiva's voice carried the particular grogginess of someone still half-lost to dreams. "Hello... oh, good morning, Angelo."

"Good morning, Neiva. This is actually Blue," he corrected gently. "I'm calling to verify your preparation status. Our train departs at noon."

Red flopped onto the couch with dramatic flair, flipping through channels as Blue spoke quietly into the phone. The television droned with endless festival coverage, each station showcasing some aspect of Luminia's upcoming celebration.

"Every damn channel," Red complained, finally settling on a historical segment. The screen showed an enthusiastic historian gesturing at ancient maps.

"...celebrating Luminia's 104th birthday!" the historian declared with infectious energy. "Our ancestors fled Infernia during the hundred-year war, finding homes in Geovale, Maridian, and Zhypheria! When they finally returned to establish Luminia, they brought more than memories - they carried the customs of every nation that sheltered them. These traditions merged with their Infernian heritage, transforming into something entirely new and uniquely Luminian! Today we celebrate-"

Red jabbed the power button with excessive force. "Booooring!" He twisted toward Blue with exaggerated innocence. "What, no lecture about my uncultured tastes?"

"Your expectation of criticism says more about you than me," Blue replied without looking up from his methodical equipment check. "Besides, I find such simplified historical accounts equally tedious."

By eleven, they stood at Angelo's doorway, the massive backpack settling across his shoulders with crushing weight that made him grit his teeth. After one final glance around the apartment, he let out a frustrated sigh and reluctantly activated his evolved aura. Orange energy flickered to life around him, and suddenly the burden became bearable - though the fact he needed supernatural power just to carry luggage didn't improve his mood.

The familiar route to Neiva's apartment played out like a half-remembered dream, his mind too preoccupied with their upcoming journey to really notice the surroundings.

The sound of struggle reached him before he even rounded the final corner - determined grunts echoing down the stairwell that led to Neiva's floor. He arrived to find her locked in an undignified battle with an absolutely enormous bag, trying to wrench it through her apartment doorway while muttering what might have been curses under her breath.

"I think you might have overpacked," Angelo called out, making her jump.

She released the bag with a huff, blowing stray hair from her flushed face. "You clearly don't understand how girls pack, Angelo."

Red materialized beside them, grinning wickedly. "Cut him some slack - our resident virgin isn't exactly an expert on women."

Angelo's arm shot up reflexively, but Neiva's sharp cry stopped him. "Don't you dare! My floor's already got one hole - I don't need you putting any in the walls!"

His evolved aura flickered with irritation as he lowered his hand. "Need help with that?" he asked instead, nodding toward her stranded luggage.

"Please," she admitted, stepping aside.

Angelo studied the stuck bag for a moment before letting his aura flow. Like steam rising from hot coffee, thin orange strands of energy drifted out from his body. These ghostly tendrils slipped easily through the tiny gaps where the bag was wedged in the doorframe, reaching spots no hand could get to. His aura brightened as he called on his evolved power, and the smoky strands turned solid, now glowing like melted metal in the morning light. Using these newly hardened energy arms, he got a good grip on the bag and pulled. With one careful tug, the stubborn luggage finally came free.

The trip to the train station passed in unusual silence, Angelo's typically dry commentary conspicuously absent. Even as they cleared security and found their platform, he remained lost in thought, arms crossed as he sat rigid on the metal bench.

Neiva finally broke. "Okay, what's wrong? You've barely said two words since we left."

"Nothing," Angelo muttered, his gaze fixed on the distant tracks. "Just tired."

Red materialized beside Neiva, making her edge closer to Angelo. "He's been looking for excuses to delay this trip since I suggested it last week. Pretty obvious he doesn't want to face Harry again-"

"Maybe save the psychoanalysis for the train?" Angelo cut in sharply. "It's a three-hour ride - plenty of time to dissect my issues then."

The argument died as their train rumbled into the station, its gleaming sides reflecting the morning sun. Angelo rose with the stiff formality of someone walking to their execution.

"Let's go," he muttered, hefting their bags with evolved strength. But his rigid posture and carefully controlled expression suggested this journey meant far more than a simple trip home. Something waited in Ashford - something that made even the infamous Angel of Death approach with evident dread.

The train's narrow booth barely contained their massive bags, the luggage compartment straining against bags meant for a much longer journey than their trip warranted. Angelo slumped against the window while Red sprawled beside him, leaving Neiva to settle across from them. The morning sun painted shifting patterns across their faces as the train prepared to depart.

Blue's azure form materialized with characteristic precision, his scholarly presence a stark contrast to Red's casual sprawl. "May I?" he gestured to the empty seat beside Neiva, his formal politeness making her smile.

"Of course," she replied, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "You don't need to ask."

"How wonderful, the whole family's here," Angelo muttered toward the window, his reflection showing barely concealed tension.

Red's arm shot around Angelo's shoulders as he attacked his original's hair with playful knuckles. "Lighten up, Angie! This is gonna be great!" They looked almost normal in that moment - just brothers horsing around, if you ignored the fact that they were identical save for Red's grayer tint.

As the train lurched into motion, Neiva propped her phone against the window. The screen showed an empty podium decorated with festival banners, the background filled with the distant murmur of an gathering crowd.

"The opening ceremony," she explained when Blue gestured curiously at the stream. "They never start on time, but I thought we could at least watch the speech since we're missing the parades." Her voice carried careful neutrality, but something wistful flickered in her eyes.

She turned to Angelo, whose gaze remained fixed on the passing landscape. "So what's the real story with Ashford? Why the long face?"

His sigh seemed to come from somewhere deep and painful. "Just... bad memories. Growing up there wasn't exactly easy."

"So this Harry person Red mentioned? An old bully?"

"Not exactly," Angelo's voice carried an edge that made her pause.

Blue's measured tones cut through the growing tension. "Our relationship with Harry was... complex. We were both unique, but in very different ways." He studied Neiva's confused expression with scholarly patience. "We explained our condition, but not how it affected our early life."

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

The mood in the booth shifted as Blue continued, all three versions of Angelo wearing matching expressions of old pain. "Before Angelo manifested his aura, Red and I couldn't materialize. We could only communicate internally."

Understanding dawned in Neiva's eyes as the implications sank in. "So to everyone else..."

"Angelo appeared to be hearing voices," Blue confirmed gently. "You can imagine how that went over in a small town."

Angelo's reflection showed a carefully blank expression, but his white-knuckled grip on the armrest spoke volumes.

"Everything changed when Angelo's aura manifested at eleven," Blue continued. "Red and I discovered we could emerge, take physical form-"

"And holy shit, what a trip that was!" Red cut in, gesturing wildly. "Try to imagine looking at yourself looking at yourself looking at yourself - it's like some infinite mirror nightmare! Talk about a mind-fuck!"

"That sounds... intense," Neiva managed, clearly trying to wrap her mind around the concept.

"While Red's explanation is somewhat crude," Blue adjusted his posture with scholarly disapproval, "the experience was indeed overwhelming at first."

Red's face split into a wicked grin. "Oh man, remember my favorite trick? I'd materialize and watch a clear path to make Angelo walk straight into a wall! The look on his face every time-"

"I'm done with this," Angelo stood abruptly, his movement sharp with suppressed emotion.

"Where are you going?" Neiva asked as he reached for the door.

"Roof. Might as well get some meditation practice in." The door clicked shut behind him with quiet finality.

Blue's expression shifted to something grimly practical. "Red, go with him. Make sure he doesn't get blown off the train."

"Yeah, yeah." Red's form dissolved into crimson smoke that slipped through the door's edges.

They heard muffled protests from other passengers as Angelo made his way to the rear exit. His orange aura blazed to life as he launched himself upward, forged energy tendrils materializing mid-leap to anchor him against the wind. He settled into a meditation pose on the train's roof, trying to lose himself in the rhythm of his evolved state rather than dwell on the conversation continuing below.

"You mentioned Harry was unique too," Neiva prompted gently once Angelo had left. Her fingers traced abstract patterns on the table as she spoke, curiosity warring with sympathy. "What made him special?"

Blue settled back, his scholarly demeanor softening slightly. "Like Angelo, Harry's true nature became apparent later after his aura manifested. He possessed a force aura, but it worked differently than any we'd seen before. Where most force Aurons gain balanced offensive and defensive capabilities, Harry's power focused purely on attack strength."

"Oh!" Neiva straightened, recognition lighting her features. "Like a glass cannon in video games - all offense, no defense?"

"Precisely," Blue nodded, appreciating the analogy despite his unfamiliarity with gaming terms. "But that was just the beginning. Have you ever heard of dual auras?"

"The term sounds familiar, but I don't really know what it means," she admitted, leaning forward with interest.

"It's an extraordinarily rare phenomenon where an Auron can switch between two distinct aura types." Blue's voice took on the careful patience of a teacher explaining something complex. "In Harry's case, his force aura was split in two - a devastating red offensive form with almost no protection, and a blue defensive form that could absorb massive damage but barely scratch an opponent."

"That's incredible," Neiva breathed, the implications sinking in.

"Indeed. While we were dismissed as circus freaks, Harry was celebrated as a once-in-a-generation prodigy." Blue's usual composure cracked slightly on the word 'freaks.'

"That must have been awful for Angelo..." Neiva's gaze drifted to the door he'd left through.

"Hmph, wasn't exactly fun for us either," Red's distant grumble carried through their shared consciousness.

"She can't fully grasp our situation, Red," Blue responded internally.

"Then tell her!" Red's frustration bubbled through their link.

"I won't stoop to your level of pettiness." Blue's mental reply carried firm finality.

"Blue?" Neiva's voice pulled him back to the present. "You were saying about Harry?"

"Ah yes, forgive me - Red was being... Red." Blue adjusted his posture, gathering his thoughts. "We sparred against Harry countless times during those years." His voice dropped lower, carrying old pain. "We never came close to victory."

"Was he really that powerful?" Neiva asked, remembering how effortlessly Angelo had handled the purple energy Auron just days ago.

"Our condition severely limits our strength," Blue explained carefully. "Angelo operates at half power, while Red and I function at quarter capacity." He felt Red's essence twitch in shared irritation at this admission. "We usually compensate through coordination - our shared perception eliminates blind spots, letting us focus on evasion and precise strikes. But against Harry..." He trailed off, searching for words.

"Why didn't that work?" Neiva prompted.

"Because he was like an advancing wall of absolute force," Blue's scholarly tone took on an edge of remembered frustration. "His defensive form was impenetrable - our attacks couldn't even scratch it. And he wielded both forms masterfully, switching to defense just before impacts then closing in with overwhelming offensive power. Red and I..." he paused, "One solid hit was all it took to dispel our forms."

"It's like rock-paper-scissors," Neiva observed thoughtfully. "Except he had paper and scissors, and you only had rock."

Blue suddenly shot to his feet, tension radiating from his materialized form. Neiva jumped at the movement, but then watched in confusion as his rigid posture gradually relaxed. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing to worry about," he replied, settling back down with visible exasperation.

Before she could press further, muffled screams drew her attention to the window. Her breath caught at glimpses of Angelo tumbling through the air, saved only by Red's crimson energy tendrils yanking him back to safety. Moments later, Angelo stumbled into the booth looking pale as milk.

"Are you okay?" Neiva asked, her voice shaking slightly.

"Yeah... fine..." Angelo managed weakly as Red materialized beside him, cackling with delight.

"You should've seen his face!" Red wheezed between laughs. "He pushed so hard his aura just died - went flying like a leaf in a hurricane! Priceless!"

"Perhaps," Blue observed dryly, "a moving train's roof isn't the ideal location for meditation practice."

"Especially not at full speed," Neiva added.

"Or while exhausting yourself to such extremes," Blue finished with pointed disapproval.

"Hey, it wasn't my fault that you-" Angelo's defense cut off as Neiva suddenly straightened.

"Quiet!" She gestured urgently at her phone where a presenter had appeared at the festival podium. They all turned their attention to the screen, momentarily united in curiosity about what announcement could command such immediate silence.

The presenter's voice crackled through Neiva's phone speakers: "...and now, please welcome a direct descendant of Lu-Min herself, the mayor of Lumecent - Jun-Min!"

The crowd erupted as a young woman in a crisp suit took the podium, her confidence filling the screen even through the small display. She waited for the cheers to settle, her smile radiating warmth as she began:

"Good people of Lumecent and Luminia, today marks 104 years since my great-grandmother Lu-Min ended a war that had torn families apart. History remembers her as a Legendary Auron, her lightning so brilliant it rivaled Zephyria's auroras. When she unleashed her power, they say the very sky became her canvas."

"Man, I hope my aura ends up being lightning!" Neiva sighed dreamily, momentarily lost in the possibility.

Angelo's lips quirked with old amusement. "Don't get your hopes up. I spent years wishing for silver."

"That's not even the best part," Red snickered, sprawling across his seat. "We would've taken ANY color but orange. And look what he got stuck with!"

"Indeed," Blue adjusted his posture with scholarly precision. "The statistical improbability of matching both Sleeser's color and aura type is quite remarkable."

"Guess I should've played the lottery instead," Angelo muttered, taking a long drink from his water bottle.

Neiva's giggles faded as something clicked. "Wait - Red, you said 'we would've taken.' You mean you and Blue wanted different colors too?"

"Well yeah," Red's typical bravado softened slightly. "Back then we didn't know we were separate from Angelo. Thought we were all just... him."

"I guess that makes sense," Neiva nodded thoughtfully. "I'd probably think the same thing."

Red's eyes took on a predatory gleam as he remembered. "I was first to break free - some bullies had started using their auras against Angelo. That first taste of freedom..." His grin widened. "Should've seen everyone's faces when this crimson terror emerged! Named myself Red right then and there, after me red aura." He shot Blue a wicked look. "This nerd had zero creativity or a backbone back then, just copied my naming scheme."

Blue looked away, scholarly composure cracking with embarrassment, but Neiva's attention had already snapped back to her phone as the mayor's voice took on new urgency:

"The Sundering Flames' attack on Novaria last week was meant to break our spirit, to weaken us before our celebration. These Infernian terrorists believe crushing our joy is the first step to reclaiming Luminia. But they're wrong." Jun-Min's voice rose with conviction. "Nothing will stop us from celebrating the new light our founder bestowed upon us. We will shine as bright as lightning against the darkness!"

As cheers erupted around the podium, nearby at the top floor of a towering skyscraper overlooking the town square. The VIENNA BEAUTY logo cast its neon glow across an elegant office where a striking woman stood at the window, smoke curling around her as she watched the ceremony below. Behind her, a handsome middle-aged man maintained a carefully calculated distance.

"Lady Vienna," his voice carried practiced charm, "there's no need to make this difficult. The proposal benefits us both."

She exhaled a perfect smoke ring without turning. "Oh Arthur, I wasn't born yesterday. If your company thinks a handsome face and expensive gift will sway me, you've severely misread the situation."

"My dear," his smile could have melted steel, "the gift was purely personal. Visiting such beauty empty-handed would be criminal."

A knock interrupted their dance of words and power. At Vienna's command, Lector entered, his suit impossibly pristine despite the obvious tension in his bearing.

"Madam," he acknowledged with perfect formality, then nodded to Arthur. "Sir."

Vienna finally turned, her beauty making Arthur catch his breath. "I appreciate men of your... caliber, Arthur. I'll consider the proposal, but tell your company to expect negotiations." Her dismissal carried silk-wrapped steel. "Please see to it quickly."

He lifted her hand to his lips with theatrical grace. "Of course, my lady. You'll hear from us very soon." His eyes met Lector's in silent assessment before he departed.

Once alone, Lector moved closer, his usual composure cracking slightly. "I apologize for my absence, madam. I bring concerning news."

"Let me guess - our Angel of Death?" Weariness colored her tone.

"He appears to be investigating his parents' deaths." The words hung heavy in the smoke-filled air.

Vienna's cigarette froze halfway to her lips. "Your evidence?"

"He's en route to Ashford. While we can't confirm his intentions, the timing is suspect." Lector paused meaningfully. "There's more - two additional matters of note."

After a calculated silence, she murmured, "Continue."

"He's evolved - achieved Adept rank in the ACE evaluation. While not immediately threatening, his youth makes this... noteworthy." Lector's carefully measured words carried hidden warning. "Evolution at eighteen is rare."

She nodded almost imperceptibly. "And?"

"Something... peculiar." His hands trembled slightly as he offered her a research paper.

"'The Components of Pure Energy Theory?'" Confusion flickered across her perfect features. "What relevance-"

"Angelo is credited as a primary contributor, along with two others - Red and Blue."

"Strange names for scientists," she mused, genuine interest coloring her tone. "And the boy, delving in scientific research? I suppose its not all too surprising."

"I've reviewed the paper thoroughly," Lector pressed on. "I believe Angelo wasn't a contributing researcher - he was the subject. If my theory is correct..." He swallowed hard.

"Out with it."

His tablet displayed grainy footage of the Infernian attack - two blurred figures wreathed in red and blue light, moving with impossible coordination against the purple force Auron. "Witnesses reported these figures were identical to Angelo. Combined with the paper's findings about matter separation..." He inhaled sharply. "Too many coincidences become a pattern, madam."

"You're circling something, Lector. What exactly are you suggesting?" Impatience edged her voice.

He gathered himself, years of careful control crystallizing into certainty. "The paper discusses splitting matter into three identical copies. I believe Angelo himself is such a case - his energy divided into three distinct entities: himself, Red, and Blue. It explains everything we've observed."

"And you think this connects to our organization." It wasn't a question.

After a long moment, Lector whispered a single word that seemed to reshape reality around them: "Yes."