The Truth Hurts. (One-shot)

[Onides Une]

Oni curled up where she stood with the pain and in defense of the light that came forth, it was instinct as if she was ducking for a bomb. She might be becoming more of a fighter with every passing moment. Who knows...

Well, when the pain stopped and her eyes adjusted from the light she saw her peachy self scoffing and looking in a compact mirror. "When are you going to grow out of that dreadful look?"

Oni scrunched her nose. "I don't sound like that..." Her brow furrowed.

The human looking Oni glanced at her and rolled her eyes. "Keep telling yourself that nerd."

Oni scoffed befuddled by this snob. "I have accepted the way I look you know this is a situation that has long been settled in my mind."

The other she chuckled. "But you'd change it if you could."

"And become like you? Like hell!" Oni's hands began to shake in anger and the hurt this was creating.

The snob looked at Oni in silence. "Talk about Irony... Boy I can't wait to see when Lucifer comes to collect what we owe."

"We've already paid..." Oni argued. "He took away my emotion or something. It was just the trade off

Snob continued her judging look unyielding. "You don't truly believe that... I know you don't, he is, in fact, the Devil and we sold ourself so you could be all..." Her voice changed incredibly nasaled and her face scrunched mockingly. "...I'm doing a good thing, look at me! Gosh, could you be any more vain?! Do you really think our business is done with him?" she scoffed once more.

"Ooooh!" Oni stomped her foot and clenched her fists at her sides. this was becoming incredibly infuriating and Oni hated it! Oh just hated it!

The snob closed her compact with a loud clap and turned to face Oni with a hand on her hip. "What are you bitching about? Am I not who you want to be? Fearless, Pretty, and oh... I don't know... Normal?" She chuckled hard as if it was a wicked joke.

"You are a horrible person!" Oni challenged. "I realize what I did, all I want is to help people and I realized when I wasn't needed and I stopped. it was simple and while sucked it was an easy task. Why are you saying such horrible things??"

"I am the ugliest of you..." she smirked. "Isn't it pretty??" she did a bit of twirl with her dress.

"No!" She snapped. "It's horrible, it's not right, and it's who I want to be"

"Then do better! Do something! Anything! Stop being petty and lazy!" She shoved Oni and she fell off some unseen cliff.

Oni screamed and fell and would not be sure where or how long she would fall. but she felt like she slammed the ground when she got back to reality it was enough to knock the wind from her or maybe bruise her a bit but otherwise she was fine.

(503)

[Kaia Galanos]

A beaker would shatter as Faye fell to her knees in front of her desk, hand desperately clinging to the side of it as she felt the pain in her chest.

She was way too young for a heart attack. Was her lack of sleep finally catching up with her? Ah. She should have tried harder to maintain healthy habits. What a waste.

Before she could fully accept her fate, Faye’s pain would suddenly disappear, and she would slowly lift her head to see her bedroom looked like the one back home. Frilly. Colourful. Clean. The sort of eyesore she hadn’t missed at all.

“Quite a difference, isn’t it?” Her own voice would ask, though there was just a tad more of a pep in it. Faye would grimace but pick herself up, turning to face a version of herself she hadn’t seen in years. The same age as her currently self. Perhaps a ‘what could have been’ image reflecting back at her.

“As expected of mother, she has kept it so tidy one would question if anyone was actually living here.” Faye would say, the disdain not too evident, but definitely there.

“Oh, Hyacinth. You should visit. You could use an open space with the windows open and where a natural light-source can reach. Look at you. You know what mother would say.”

“It’s Faye.” Faye would correct, ignoring the rest of what her well-groomed other self had to say. Because it was rubbish.

“It’s Hyacinth. Are we seriously keeping up that childish rebellion?” Hyacinth would look at Faye evenly.

“We are.” Faye wouldn’t miss a beat when it came to answering. “It was the first time we chose something for our self.”

“Maybe we need her to make those choices instead. On our own, no one even looks at us.”

“I don’t much care about that.”

“A lie. But how would you know? You buried your emotions like you buried the rest of our hobbies and interest.”

“And whose fault was this?” Faye would point out, causing Hyacinth to go quiet. Perhaps the princess needed reminding.

“Mother turned us into this, if that part seems to be escaping you. We were seen, not heard. Ever. She would not have us embarrass her as she travelled from territory to territory, meeting all the lords and ladies she could manage to have a moment with. The only time we were ever free was when she did her research on those of lesser status, and even then she made sure we didn’t have too much fun as to not dirty our dress. Or ruin our hair. Do you happen to recall how long she spent every day on just our outer appearance? Three hours. Every morning. If we even so much as breathed too hard she would have a melt-down. Look at her hard work. Why can’t we just behave?”

Hyacinth would brush a hand through her short curls, giving a nonchalant shrug.
“She did the best she could. You recall we weren’t exactly planned. She still had work to do. Why are you not grateful she took you with her? Showed you so many places people dreamed they could see in that short a lifetime? It’s not like she didn’t love you.”

“No. Instead she stole away any opportunity to express ourselves.” Faye would say.

“You like studying people and cultures. You like alchemy, which she and your father more than happily nurtured.” Hyacinth would point out.

“I do now. I did not always. In a sense, I had to like it. When father learned of my Qi, of course he insisted this become a thing we do together. I wasn’t allowed to like anything else.”

“But you like it now. Why are you still rebelling?”

“I prefer to consider it taking a grasp of my life, finally. Being prim and proper was never who I was, it was who she made us. Now I only fuss over my appearance when I feel like it.” Which is a rare occurrence. “It’s been too long since I let myself feel deeply on any level, which is fine. In some ways, I prefer it. It’s who I’ve become. Science? I’ve invested so much time into it that I would not let it go now that I’m good at it. It does bring me joy, now. As does all my research. But she does not get the credit.”
“She made mistakes. You’ve accepted most of what you’ve gone through, can you at least try to forgive her? She wasn’t perfect…but no parent is. I can feel it within us. We want to go see them.”

“My uncertainty lies in her reaction.”

“So we still care about that stuff?”

“Mm.” Faye would mumble, before giving a quick nod. Yes. She supposed she did still care about that stuff. As expressionless as she was, it’s not like she didn’t have ANY feelings. They were just…hard to see. And hard to believe.

“She is still my mother. I wish not for any conflict. Which is why I have not been to see her. I’ve undone so much of her work, she’d surely be disappointed.”

Hyacinth would shake her head. “We know she’s proud of us. Proud of what we’re doing…the things we’re doing that she’s aware of at least. Is that not worth a few seconds of her scrutinizing your outer appearance?”

“I really want to see her that badly, don’t I?” Faye would sigh, scratching the back of her head.

“I would not be here if you didn’t. It’s time to put this in the past. If you want to be Faye, that is your call. The other things, we need to forgive. You still HAVE parents. Do not take that for granted over things that can be worked out if an attempt is made.”

“Alright. We will go see them.” Faye would concede, having no true argument against that. It was true. It was a thing that had resonated in her mind when she found Lann sitting on that path that day. She assured him he wasn’t alone, that he still had family…while turning around and rejecting her own. She didn’t feel like her reaction was WRONG...but things could be made better if she tried. This was true. At the very least it demanded an attempt.

“Good. Then you will be able to say you tried.” Hyacinth would smile softly, and the room would melt away, back into a dark, messy dorm room. Where it was comfortable.

She had plenty of visits to still plan out. An extra trip back home wouldn’t kill her. Probably.

(Word count 1101)

[Dime Price]

"Brother..." that was all she said at first after going through the pain and being blinded she still felt her insides churn. No longer physically... No this was pure emotion. "Quarter! Why do you haunt me this day?" she was in hard distress seeing the man she sent Raikotsu to kill because she had not the guts to do it herself. Slaying her own blood ritually or relatively she just never could bring herself to deliver the killing blow. Always working with precision to wound, weaken, and hinder but never murder.

Sands shifted in a sped-up motion around them as dunes rose and fell like a yellow see. She felt her hair constantly in motion with the winds that carried them. "Sister you know I was right about everything. You were too drunk on that cult to see!"

"They were more family to me than you were!" she cried.

"And now your savior had gone and did something stupid and fucking came back in a bag of shit! He didn't think about you... Not once!"

"I-I know..." her lip quivered as she fought back tears. "All I ever wanted was our home to be as it used to be..."

"A Father who gambled our money away!? And spent actual winnings on booze?! Roped you into whoring yourself as you became a heated bitch?!" he nodded sarcastically and gave Dime a thumbs up. "Yeah, Dad of the Year Awarded to Dollar Price! You don't remember it like I did Dime. Remember what he would tell you? It was a pun with your name."

"He'd say I was a Dime a Dozen..." she answered flatly.

"What the fuck does that mean Dime?" he slapped his knees so ready for her to answer.

"I was nothing special..." she did plainly. It was Quarter being the dark voice in her head and words he used to say all those years of fighting and hurting. Quarter was her voice of reason and truth.

"Yeah, that's right. That's what he told you... Unless he needed you I was his pride and joy and he took that away from me too. When the King left father and a few others brought the city to ruin over one single card game and someone hit the jackpot sending all of us into his pockets and into ruin! You blindly follow and worship these men thinking they will just redeem themselves! Chance after chance you give them and you are still left bloody, hungry, and forgotten. I learned this long ago and yet you opposed me! You think you are mature but you are still so naive. The Blood Territory is but a speck on this Earth, a scar upon its skin, and a sad reminder to all of the evil that Raikotsu built on this ground. But you are ignoring that saying he'll fix it, he'll change... and yet..."

"And Yet there he went and died once more leaving us to bleed out onto the land that we are working so hard to make a home!" Dime snapped. "I know! I know Quarter! Fool me once shame on you... Fool me twice... shame on me. I know... And it is about time I stopped shoving my responsibilities on others." She looked at her brother once more ashamed and she felt ever so naked.

But he grinned and nodded like he finally won. He finally succeeded and he was satisfied. "Believe in yourself for once. Not in a Dragon, Diety, Father, Brother, or Comrade... just trust yourself and your instincts. That is how you've survived this long... not by the good graces of any higher power."


"Alright Brother..." she nodded as well and would see him fall away like dust in the wind as it picked up the sands and suddenly a sand storm blew in that was too strong to fight and carried her to reality.

(647)

[Soni Vox]

It was a quiet day today, the day Soni sat reading her newest book in the library. Sound was an important part in life, but every now and then it was nice to get everything to quiet and let her audible brain relax. The library was the perfect place to do that...when there wasn't motorcycles bursting through the windows.

Suddenly a light began to form in front of her. "What is-" her question was interrupted by a pained inhaled of pain, followed by irregular breathing. The light that flashed before her suddenly disappeared, but something was still not right.

The pain subsided, but something still wasn't right. "What was..that.." she thought to herself, still on her hands and knees.

"That was me..sorry about that."

Soni's blood ran cold and her heart seemed to stop as soon as she heard the voice. Nobody else could have that voice. The masked girl clumsily stood up and looked at the source.

Before her stood...her. But this one didn't have a mask on. In fact, her entire outfit was different. From her neck to her toes, she wore light crystalline armor. The armor completely covered her, though retained the ability of full range of motion, and didn't weigh her down at all. The armor was certainly strange, but the most unusual was the uncovered mouth.

"What's wrong? Never seen yourself be free?"

Soni's face was a mixture of confusion and anger, but, in reality, she couldn't fight the truth.

"Take that mask off kiddo. It's just us here. I promise."

The masked girl didn't move, but instead continued staring. She then began twisting her head for any illusionist around her.

"You don't even trust yourself. Goodness..." the armored woman shook her head. "It's okay. It's just us, this isn't some magic trick. Jacob isn't around, I assure you. We both know he couldn't make an illusion this good." She shot a friendly smile at Soni for comfort.

Soni couldn't help but nod in agreement. She unwrapped the black wrap around her mouth and tied it around her waste. "Are you happy?"

"Are you?"

Soni only responded with annoyed confusion in her revealed face of deformity.

"Sit down kid."

"You're giving an awful lot of commands without explanation."

"I'm getting to that explanation. Which is why you should sit down."

Soni, rather reluctantly, returned to her seat on the couch within the library. The armored woman sat across from her on another couch.

"What are you doing, Soni?"

"...I'mmm-"

"I mean in life. Not at this moment." A brief silence sat over the two. "What are you doing in life?"

"I'm just..." Soni looked around the room uncomfortably, before looking back at her interviewer. "I don't know... I'm just-"

"Going with the flow??" The woman raised an eyebrow.

Soni sighed as her eyes darted between the area around her conversational opponent and the woman herself. "...I guess."

"Why?"

These questions were hard, and Soni was not a fan. "Look I don't know man I just..." she looked to the woman to see if she would give the girl a break by saying something, but the armored illusion replied only with a pressing glare. Soni sighed. "I just want a normal life."

"Soni when is the last time you looked in the mirror?"

This question delivered a prick to Soni's heart, and annoyance returned. "Okay if you're just going to-"

"What? If I'm just going to what? Tell you the truth? Get you to quit lying to yourself? Push you to be better? Tell you you're nowhere close to your full potential??"

Soni was quickly silenced by the reply. "...yea..."

The woman nodded. "Yea." Silence returned to the library once again before she continued. "You aren't this quiet girl that's just another face in the crowd, kid. I know you want a normal life. But you aren't normal. And believe it or not, that's not a truth that will ruin your life."

Soni criss-crossed her legs and played with her fingers. "But I want to be normal."

"Why is that?"

The girl considered in silence for a moment, and another moment to gather up the courage to say it. "So I can have friends.."

"So you can be loved."

A feeling suddenly sprang up in Soni's throat as her lip twitched. "Yeah," her voice cracked as a tear slid down her face.

"How can you be loved if you never show people who you are?"

Frustration slid it's way into her pained voice, "Look the last time I showed people who I am they laughed at me and bullied me and-"

"Oh get over yourself. That was years ago and with a bunch of punk orphans."

Soni quieted again as her gaze fell back into her lap.

"The world is different now. People are different now. How many people have you met that hide themselves?"

The girl remained in her silence.

"Did Oni hide herself? Is she walking around wearing full body covering? Did Rhona hide her powers when you asked her to blow up a car? Does Jacob hide his tattoos?" The woman let her outer self contemplate all that was said. "The truth is, you're a warrior, Soni. You're a fighter. You are powerful. You have more power than you know. Don't hide that. You're meant to be a leader, a general on the front lines leading soldiers and calling them to move forward. Not a girl protecting one medic in the background." The woman walked up, her crystal boots thumping on the wooden floor of the library. She knelt in front of the girl. "You're stubborn and powerful. Use that." The woman wiped her outer self's tear from her face. "Lead them in power, in strength, and in voice."

Soni looked up to face the woman, but she mysteriously disappeared just as quickly as she appeared. Soni looks around, a sad expression on her face. "...hello??"

[Word count: 987]

[Evelyn Amtrum]

Eve was training on her own when she felt the sharp pain burn in her chest.

“Getting real sick of this,” she snapped, spinning on her heel to face the person behind her. She couldn't see with the blinding light, but the judging stare was so intense that she didn't need to see to find them. Whoever it was.

That whoever stopped her in her tracks. A version of herself that looked like she had seen better days, red eyes glowering, a sharp contrast to the faded red hair that hung in front of half her face. Skin pale and ashen, like she hadn't seen sunlight in years, an aura of anger around her tainting the air, dark circles under sunken eyes. A sense of decay that didn't smell, but a sense of stagnation. And her face...

“Fuck.” This version of her had its lips sewn shut in jagged, haphazard lines. “What are you supposed to be?” The other self raised a brow and tilted its head to the side with a knowing look, never breaking eye contact. It made her skin crawl. She knew who it was; it was the part of her she hid away. The part she made jokes about in her own mind and when she thought no one else was around to hear. Considering yourself undead wasn't something you brought up around other people.

The inner Evelyn created a construct shaped like the Beast, the man she had taken a few shots at when they had been sent back in time. His expression was what she saw when the past caught up with her, but it shifted and broke until it crumbled like a mask, leaving the broken man that she had turned her back on. Even now, her hands balled into fists.

“I should have killed him.” Should have done more than threaten him. Should have made him suffer, anything but do nothing. She'd gone back and done nothing. Always present, always observing. Nothing else. Every thought felt like she had weights added to her, a burden heavy on her shoulders. Instead, it was the construct that crumbled to the ground, the head still formed until she snarled and brought a construct mallet down on it, smashing it to bits. It felt good.

“I could do this all day.” She looked from the construct to her inner self with a frown. “So what's the deal. I'm not dead anymore.” Undead Eve rolled her eyes, shoulder shifting upward as her fingers brushed against her collarbone in a mocking gesture. Eve's lips pressed into a tight line as she stepped away from the obstacle course of constructs she had made, each of them fading as she focused more on her new obstacle.

“I haven't forgotten.” A blade formed beneath her arm, jutting out beneath her palm as she rushed the version of her. “Let's see what happens when we cut those strings. I'd love to hear what you actually think. A shield rose from the ground, spikes of earth framing it as she collided into it and broke through, tackling her self to the ground, blade at her throat.

“What do you want?” Her inner self just smiled, a pillar of energy slamming into her from the side. Eve's shield went up, denting from the attack as the other Eve's eyes narrowed – specifically to dragon slits. She grabbed Eve's wrist and willingly dragged the blade along the threads, but nothing changed. Just a sadistic smile that reminded her way too much of M. Eve rolled back, springing upright.

“Knock that off. I'm the one that has to live with creeping myself out. Besides, I'm not the dead one.” A muffled wheezing sound that sounded suspiciously like laughter came from the other Eve, lips never moving as it rose.

“This is getting us nowhere.”
The inner self took one step forward, then another. Persistent. Silent. Whole and healthy, the light leaving a soft glow as she remained silent. Each step brought her closer to looking as Evelyn did. Same scar, same movements.

Pick a symbol, her father had said. One she believed in. Become it. Is this what she believed in? Her own death? What about everything that came after? Meeting Spike, and the pact they made? Reuniting with her family that survived, returning home? Preparing for the war to come?

Following her father's lead, even when she questioned. Wanting to step out of his shadow and instead stepping further into it. Being constantly throw off her guard every time she turned around. The sense of betrayal and the Beast living. Being so wrapped up in the past that she wasn't moving towards whatever the future had in store for her.

Was that really living?

Inner Eve stopped as the thought struck her, still smiling, still knowing. Armor formed instead of her normal clothes, constructs becoming solid and real. Popping her knuckles as her hands formed fists in front of her, just as repeated and methodical. A construct whip formed in Eve's hands as she lashed out at her inner self, wrapping around her other self's wrists as she scowled.

“I get it. It's a waste if I keep this up.” The other self nodded once before grabbing the whip and pulling Eve forward, her heels digging into the ground instead of being thrown off balance as she let it disappear. The other Eve sprung, moving at a rapid speed as she charged at Eve, who spun and dodged, only to find this stronger, better self behind her as she turned, blade biting at her skin as her head was forced to expose her throat. The cold burn of the blade as it left a light slice, going up to where Liam had severed her spine and the trickle of blood that came with it. She forced her construct to form a gorget, slamming her fist into the side of her inner self's head and turning to face her, following up with a kick to the ribs that she heard crack, a wheezing breathe coming from this...whatever it was. Her inner self? Her self esteem?

Still smiling, the other self brought the bloody blade across the threads holding her mouth once more, this time the blade cutting through them. Her smile widened, voice mute as she mouthed a single word: Mine.

“I can step up without your morbid shit.” Eve's fist slammed into the other version of herself, no qi to boost her strength as she knocked it back. Another laugh from her inner self, cold enough to send chills down her spine. A laugh she never had.

A pillar rose up from the ground beneath Evelyn, sending her soaring into the air as another crashed down from above. She rolled to the side, using one of her own constructs to provide a landing point as the inner self pulled the threads aside and flicked them aside as if they were nothing. The constructs formed wings around her inner self as the woman came down from above, earthen daggers at the ready, a second blade formed at the other end of the handle where the pommel should have been as she cut into Eve, earth and stone dusting her skin as she forced the platform to crash into the woman, sending her out of immediate range.

Until she felt a heavy weight at her ankles, shackles hardened with a shell of stone around them as they pulled her down and the shields before encircled her, blunted pillars slamming into her again and again any time Eve was unable to form a shield to block it. Her tattoo flared, her eyes turned to dragon slits, and when the qi blades came from above to rain down on her inner self, they cut armor and flesh alike.

Stronger. Determined. Relentless.

The thought stuck with her as Evelyn broke through her inner self's shields, shouting as a blade formed in her hand, helmet at the ready when the pillar struck her from one of the remaining shields. But not enough to defend the beam that also came from her head, a technique she knew well from trying to blind opponents with the same move. She strained to listen, but all she heard was her own ragged breathing as the world went dark.

A sharp stab of pain burned in her chest as she struggled to sense her inner self, to lash out and bring it to its knees. A cry of pain before everything faded except the feeling of a gentle hand lay on her shoulder giving it a small squeeze.

Then nothing.

(Word Count: 1,444)

[Avice Locke]

There was not but pain and not but darkness she almost had a flashback to when she took the strange medicine and she felt quite scared it was back for revenge! But when the pain subsided and she tried to feel her way about to stand upright she heard a rough cackle that would carry across the whole area. She checked her Qi and would see not but one color all over the area as if she was inside of her aura it was solid like a thick fog and dark like night. That proving useless she would stop and when she did she felt a cold blaze stab right through her chest arms and throughout her body and felt the form of someone behind her. She cried from the pain and fell to the ground as the assailant withdrew just as quickly as they came.

And suddenly there was no pain...

She felt her wound only to see there... wasn't one..?

The voice cackled more.

"Don't toy with me!" Avice demanded, raising up once again much faster this time listening with incredible intent to hear them before she would feel their next blow. A gust of wind here and a whisper of laughter there but it moved so fast.

"Imagine if you still had your eyes, power, and dignity..." The words were a whisper in her ear she felt curly hair brush against her shoulder. Avice swatted her voice away and like the wind, it flew away again. "If only you can see what you were missing!"

Avice would hear her come with a loud his she reached for some power within her to answer! And in a moment she didn't just feel it erupt into her self she felt it fly past her and a snarling bite caused her enemy to scream as bones crunched. When the lifeless flesh fell to the ground with a sloppy sounding thud the snarling beast remained.

"Will I always be an afterthought?" She would ask Avice. "Not useful so forgotten? How do convenient that you reached for me when now you have not else to reach for, what makes you think I will aid you now?" she took a hop and kicked Avice with her small front paws. Small compared to her weight as the paws themselves were the size of Avice's own hands and the rest of her weight pressed down on Avice's chest making it hard to breathe.

"HAD I DIED IN VAIN TO BE USELESS IN THIS NEW LIFE?!" It pressed harder and Avice had gripped her dainty fox ankles to try and remove them.

"Tri-T-Tails.. Please!" she could hardly breathe at all her words came out quiet and raspy. But the Qi-beast hadn't eased her ire.

"You never used your power, you made use of it. It was all just as much a tool as you are. including me! Have you any amount self-worth?" She asked.

Avice smiled and tried to let out a light chuckle at least enough of one that her constricted chest would have allowed. "Not really... I'm feeling pretty shitty right now as you might have noticed I tried to kill myself again." She referred to the thing Tritails consumed just moments before and to when she took the medicine.

"You should know better. You have to think about your actions!" she scolded. "That thing that was in here with you was everything you no longer are, she has nothing you still do and so I came to your call. If she also had me I would have just as enjoyed devouring your--"

"Tritails! Enough!" Avice yelled. She wiggled out from under the paws and swatted them away. "I know... I hadn't meant to ignore you. I... I was ashamed of what I did and you were just a reminder of how I played in their hands. You did die in vain you see. You didn't deserve what I did to you and like everything else I was running away from it."

The Qi-beast remained quiet but only for a moment. "You mourn me?"

"I feel guilty for taking your life needlessly, yes. I hate that I was following orders and basically used you to add as another piece to set me up on a silver platter for Prota. I just fell right into line and took you with me... I almost feel like I can't be forgiven for that."

"You never tried..." It pointed out.

"Aye... and yet that was my pride... I could go on blaming others, He abandoned me, I was tricked, I was not told anything. Right now I have come to a point in this journey that I am no longer able to blame anyone except myself." she held up two fingers pinching a smidge of air. "Very little self-worth."

A cold and wet nose tapped Avice's forehead and pushed it back with firm certainty. "You are still not trying..."

"Do I deserve it Tri-ta--" she was headbutted hard by the fox's skull.

"Try!" the Qi-beast demanded to push her head against Avice who was trying hard to push back and not fall over again.

"Alright! Do you think you can find it in you to forgive me??" Avice gave a good strong shove and the Qi beast backed off.

There was a much longer pause and no one moved. Avice almost said something to make sure all was still there.

"...No..." was the only answer Tritails gave in that moment.

Avice threw her hands up in the air and let them fall again just giving up on the whole situation.

"While I can't find it in me to forgive you right now... Do keep showing me how you'll do thing differently from now on. I might change my mind someday. So do keep trying for yourself and for those who will not use you... but depend on you. With this powerless self of yours, you might find your true strength."

"I..." Avice nodded. "I hope you are right."

With that, the air felt cool again and a much smaller wet nose nudged her cheek followed by a warm little tongue... Her baby qi-beast was climbing her sofa to reach Avice's upright resting position and make sure she was alright. She scratched it behind its ears and it leaned into her palm happy for the attention. Despite its protest, he removed her hand and felt the crystal embedded in her neck and rubbed it as it was warm to the touch and apart of her. She needed to start treating it as if it was an extension of her instead of a weapon for sure.

(1106)

[Caelan Xander]

Cael was in his room, sitting on his bed staring at his feet when it happened. A flash of light, a burning pain inside of his chest. He didn't understand what was going on. An attack or something maybe? Standing up he'd look around his room, looking for something, anything that would explain what was going on. But his room was just as he always left it. Completely empty of anything except a spare change of clothing. Everything else he ever owned burned down with his home.

It was on the third sweep of his eyes around his room that his foot nudged a small teddy bear, one arm nearly ripped off, stuffing spilling out, and it's missing eye covered with an old bandaid. Slowly he bent down to pick it up, squinting as if that would explain what it was doing there, and why it felt so familiar. But he couldn't place it.

"Don't even bother meathead. People like you aren't for thinking, so don't give it a second thought."

The familiar modular voice of The Punk caught him by surprise. Spinning around to his bed he'd see the leader of his home laying on his bed in his full wasteland gear. His head propped up with one of his hands while the other was cocked on his hip. One knee lifted up in with the other leg curled up in front of it.

"Don't believe me ask your partners. I'd say friends, but let's be real. You don't have any of those. They are the brains and you are their dumb muscle." He said before screeching out a laugh while Cael's eyes widened, his jaw hanging open as he tried to process what was even happening.

"Oh God, your face is priceless. Jesus Anal-Loving Christ. Don't tell me this is news to you? Fuck that's rich. Well, it's rich, your not. You're homeless and useless. Well, almost useless. You can punch stuff so you got that going for you shift for brains."

"We are friends, not partners," Cael said slowly, narrowing his eyes at The Punk who'd just laugh harder.

"Oh Lord, you are still on that? Do they even know anything about you other than your name? When was the last time you did something just for fun with them? Or they asked you to hang out and not to do or help them with something? Listen, you should know how this works. There are users and marks, and you, my big dumb oaf are a mark. Always have been, always will be. But that's okay. Because without people like you, people like me wouldn't have idiots to take advantage of."

The Punk brushed the subject away, he was bored with it.

"That's not even the worst of it, you are just sitting here and waiting for what? For something to call for you? To babysit people weaker than you? Pathetic. You're strong buddy, and if you were smart you'd leverage that. Go out into the world and make some money, go get some pussy. Hell, go crush that all girl squad you crushed in the exams."

Cael opened his mouth to replay but was silenced by the Punk suddenly standing on his bed, the barrel of his shotgun shoved into Cael's open mouth.

"Nah uh. This is my time to talk, you don't have anything anyone wants to hear anyways. High fives and friendship are for toddlers. You need to stop with this do-gooder bullshit and just accept what you are. You're muscle and put it to work and go kill some people. You didn't before and now your family is dead. You are hiding away here trying to play pretend hero and now you are trapped and bound by your guilt and insecurities. You tried to go out and help people and not kill the bad guys and what happened there? The bad guys came back. Hey, quick math question. How many people you think they killed cause you were too much of a ball sucking nimrod to do the obvious thing?"

Punk laughed again.

"I'm just kidding, I am pretty sure you can't count. Hey, maybe Faye can do it for you. She's really smart, right? Wonder if she has a body under the smelly clothes... Not that you'd know, you're too busy trying to put one foot in front of the other to notice much of anything. You just blunder forward like a bull hoping that life doesn't break your fucking leg.

Once more the Punk's shrill laugh filled Cael's barren room.

"God, you are just standing there and taking it too. What a pathetic loser. How the fuck did you even live this long? Fucking retard. But since you'd been a good spot how about I stop with the insults and let you in on something that might be useful to you? No insults, no tricks. Scout's honor."

Punk said as he pulled the gun out of Cael's mouth.

Cael opened his mouth to give his reply, and to defend himself from all of the horrible things Punk had just said but before he could the Punk cut him off.

"Ha! Like I was in scouts, sucker."

And Punk's shotgun would go off, the head of the bear and Cael exploding in a pink mist as both headless bodies hit the ground. The Punk's shrill laughter echoing as it faded away to the void.

902 words

[Lucille "Lucky" O'Donnovan]

She was knocked flat on her back and would see be positively blinded. Seemingly reminded her of the time she got the crystals to explode on her. Pain included...

However, she was not faced with carnage and ruin it was her work shop. she almost thought nothing had happened except with the clicking of a wrench she would notice someone else at her work table. She turned around.

"Hey pull up a chair and grab a tool I could use a hand." It was Lucky herself and now as her twin would suggest Lucky would certainly grab a chair and keep her eyes right on her when she looked at what she was working on.

A pair of gauntlets by the looks of it and they had a pressure system that seemed to try and pump Qi into every blow on impact like a hydrolics system to maximize a punch without much hurt or effort from the user.

"Who's the client?" Lucky would ask her twin.

"Oh a military vet who actually has had a bad injury in his shoulders but still wants to keep fighting. He is still pretty young too, I mean mid-thirties and all." the twin would answer.

Lucky took a mental moment. "Right we are almost thirty." A slight groan just slipped as she fell into some bad posture.

"Not too late you know..?" her twin shrugged.

"Late for what?" as soon as Lucky asked her twin would look at her with a wink.

"You've been thinking about it for a while. We are not getting any younger." she would return to the gauntlet.

"You might have to be more specific..." Her brow furrowed confused.

"Not too late to do something... you know, anything!" She chuckled. "Join the military, fall in love and have kids, amputate your arms and build robotic replacements... okay actually build robotic replacement first THEN amputate these parasitic infected time bombs." she raised her hands and made a calm down gesture. "My point is, make up your mind and go with it."

"People of Aurora are required to serve 3 years in the military I was going to do that anyway." Lucky shrugged.

"Three years at least. Then what though?" her twin grinned as if she knew something Lucky didn't.

"Suppose my plan was just to come back to work. I should have an optimal amount of new skills to make this place explode with business. Do things like this..." She motioned to the commissioned gloves before her. "I would serve my new home that way. But I suppose since I am here talking to you... you know that won't be enough for me."

The twin grinned and clicked her tongue pointed a pair of finger guns at Lucky. "Bingooo." she said in a low and slow voice.

"Oh jeez..." Lucky waved her hands in complete denial. "Don't do that we are not twelve."

"Nope, we are almost thirty." She took one of those finger guns and tapped her temple with a simple motion of the mind game she was playing.

"Alright, I get it, better late than never."

When she said that her twin smiled and the gauntlets started to shake and light up through the cracks. brighter and brighter making all sorts of noise it happened so fast Lucky hardly had time to react when the flash of light and all the pain came right at her once more and she woke from where she sat at her desk with a deep impression of her sleeve, a hard tool that was resting in the crook of her elbow and some marks of the plans she had fallen asleep writing. All just hardcore on the left side of her face.

"This feels familiar..."

(622)

[Sessha]

Sessha gasped as she felt the pain in her chest, taking a swing at the air from thinking she’d just been attacked from behind. Croaking a laugh at her mistake, Sessha would bend forward, grasping at her chest and closing her eyes.

In a manner quite opposite to her recent dream, when she opened her eyes, the pain was gone and she did not carry a wound from whatever happened. Instead, the world seemed frozen, and before her she saw a giant snake gazing back at her.

“Welcome. Tye have been busime sí yallume few weeks.” The snake would speak, causing Sessha to smile.

“Tye quet- sina ve ehtelë?” Sessha would ask, getting a slow but polite nod from the snake.

“Your acsa na- an important er. Tar na- limbe ana discover. Tar na-, however, er nat tye are pende.” The snake would say, slithering close to the girl who stood still and waited.

“Mana na- -yes i ni must care-?” Sessha would ask softly, now face to face with a snake’s head that measured about the same as her entire height.

“Tye've been rúcina about your cilme. Tye are curious. Fascinated bime i world. Sí are mára óre. Tye are unfortunatelime distracted bime sina wonder. Care- vamme forget where tye are -o. Yare tye have discovered man tye reallime are, tye must care- a decision.”

Sessha would give an apologetic smile.
“-yes has been an- difficult. Care- ni trulime resonate ve a iluvátar? Or am ni tare -o a ulundo? Ni care- vamme feel er na- better than i other. -yes na- a sarda cilme…”

“You are heading towards a path of discovery.” The snake would repeat, only using English this time. “Iluvátar or Ulundo. It matters not which. You must pick one sooner than later, or you will fall too far behind. Others chose their path when they were merely children.”

“I am for the understanding.” Sessha would say, crossing her arms and giving a soft hum as she thought.

“Grand Lokë? You say I am on discover path? It is okay if I am to be choosing with finality after the discovery? I am going to location of newness with many plan! If there is to find anything, maybe it will help. If there is only nothingness then I will give it my best think.” She promised, not at all attempting to stall, but because she thought it was worth waiting for. A discovery that could change everything? Was it worth making an important decision now and perhaps having different feelings resonate within her afterwards?

“What if this discovery changes too much?” The Lokë would ask, starting to coil around Sessha, but not touching her.

“Much change is okay. It is life. I do not feel the fear. I am happy to flow and go with life. All different things? They only change the road, but not me. I am me no matter what.”

“You have not faced such life-altering situation, Sessha. You’re cheerful now, but people change for a reason. There may come a time where you need to change too.”

Sessha would giggle and shrug.

“If the life wishes for me to be like this, then I will do what life wants of me. I am not for the worrying. Worrying is for making bad feelings inside. I don’t need this.”

The snake would gaze at her, then uncoil, slithering away.

“I see now that I will be returning. There will come a time where we will need to speak together, again. I will be waiting.”

Sessha would tilt her head, but the snake would disappear, and time would start again.

“I will show you. All will be good.” She whispered to herself, looking down at her chest as she gently placed a hand over her heart.

There was nothing to fear.

(Word count: 637)

[Tina Bennet]

“I didn't do it!” Tina's voice rang shrill with the blinding flash of light, used to people assuming it's her fault (they were usually right) when a display like that happened. If anyone heard or thought to ask her about it, Tina didn't hear and wouldn't have answered as the jarring pain burst from her chest. She let out a jagged breath and came to a complete stop, waiting for it to pass. It was still less painful that getting blow to smithereens; it just lasted longer.

A dramatic sigh filled the air before the light fully faded, and Tina found herself mimicking the sound as she stuck her tongue out at whoever was creating a chain of dramatic teenage sighing.

“Uggggh.” Another version of herself was draped over the back of her wagon, upside down as it rolled its eyes. Tina would have thought Ardan was practicing except that his version of her would be upbeat and probably spilling with positivity. Double ugh.

“Yeah, yeah, whatd'ya want?” She continued walking the ripe she'd tied between the wagons to practice on, arms held wide to keep balance.

“Are we really doing this? Just keep hitching a ride with a bunch of marks and spreading sunshine and rainbows until they barf it all up?”

“Sure.” Tina shrugged, refusing to stop. “I mean, sure, I could probably make a couple of them think a painted rock is gold, but it's fun.” No people telling her what not to do or giving her weird looks, for one.

“What about going home?” The scruffier version of Tina, smeared a streak of dirt across her nose as she scratched it. Tina snickered so hard she almost fell over, arms windmilling for a couple seconds before she managed to lean back enough to keep going, scowl on her face.

“Don't you make me mess up!” She jabbed a finger at her inner self, not caring who or what it was. She scoffed and continued, cartwheeling onto the top fo the opposite wagon. “Besides, home's always gonna be there. Dad doesn't build shit walls or go for shit deals. It's like a roach,” she claimed proudly. “A qi-infested roach.” Those fuckers could survive anything.

“So we're not even gonna drop by and say hi to John?” Again Tina snorted, rolling on the top of the wagon to mimic her double.

“We don't say goodbye to people. Haven't since we left. Doesn't matter.” Not that dude Rai. Not Elias. Not Rose or Leon or David or that one guy that stopped her from blowing up trees, and DEFINITELY not the one who told her the training grounds wasn't for kids and to go find her mommy. Or something like that. Asshat. Not Marin or Krane – she never got that autograph from him – or that one guy that was trapped in ice while they played. Only one person in that whole list said goodbye to her, and now look at him. Probably smooshed on bits of rock and stuff when the castle fell.

“Shit.” She bolted upright, looking in the distance where Storm's Edge used to be. “That bitch still has my tiara!”

“Soooo....road trip?” Her other self sat up too, slower and more languid like a cat in the sun.

“I'll ask,” she agreed with a sigh. She could probably get a yes out of their ringmaster. Spreading joy to people in need was kind of his thing.

“You didn't have to ask before.”

“Meh.” She shrugged. “I don't have to now.” She could travel on her own and leave if she wanted. Nothing bound her here. But she kind of wanted to see who or what else this little wagon train was going to pick up, too. It was new and interesting, and no two days were ever the same.

“Come on, already.” She hopped down from the wagon, landing with the grace of her normal gremlin child self. “Ain't nothing getting done if we just sit around like a bunch of sluts.” Or a harem. Or whatever it was her dad had at his castle.

“Hell yeah. Let's go!.” Tina's inner self also jumped down with more grace than she did, slapping each other's hands in a high five as she disappeared in another flash of light.

Wherever they went didn't matter. The open road was her home for now. Fuck anyone who'd say otherwise.

(Word Count: 747)

[Novocaine]

Nova's throwing knives would clatter to the floor as she involuntarily swiped them off the table with her arm. The young woman would grit her teeth as she laid her chest on the table, fingers scratching against the wood as she tried to fight the pain she was feeling. Her vision would blur, and after closing her eyes for a brief moment, she would find sudden relief.

Her eyes would open and she would see herself standing nearby, hip cocked and arms crossed.

"What's the point in disguising yourself as the person you're trying to assassinate?" Nova would give a dark chuckle, reaching down for a knife, only to find they were no longer there.

"Because I'm neither an assassin or disguised. I'm you."

"Oh. One of those prophetic dreams, is it?"

"Not quite. More like a wake up call."

Nova would frown and stand up, walking a few steps closer to her doppelganger so they could speak as equals.

"What wake up call? I've been doing everything right. I've got a team. I'm the leader of that team. I'm the only one who did well on the test. I'm being sent off for training soon and I've got a future assignment lined up. That's everything I've ever wanted. What the hell else is there?"

The Other Nova would shake her head.

“You’re so prideful. Nothing wrong with thinking you’re better than others when you can back it up. The problem is you’re not actually as good as you think you are.”

“Yeah? And where’s YOUR proof of that?”

“Did you forget your bloodline, Novocain?” The Other Nova would ask, making Prime Nova clench her jaw. That was the reaction her inner self was looking for, causing her to smirk in amusement.
“You’re well on your way when it comes to everything BUT the thing that should be one of your top priorities. That’s your family’s pride. A Qi that’s impossible to make better. A Qi that can’t even be replicated. The Vivienne bloodline is so important and it runs through you and you just…what? Are happy to know its in there somewhere, who cares about using it? What is wrong with you? You got enhancements made to correct whatever flaws you had and you completely pass on one of your most powerful skills?”

“Hey, shut up already. I’m not ignoring it.”

The Other Nova would raise a skeptical brow.
“You’re not, are you? Your cousins have already learned how to use it. How old where they when they did? In fact. How old are YOU now..? Twenty-five was it? Big Oof on that one, girl.”

Nova’s cheeks would flush a bit, but she’d give a fake smile to try and brush that comment off.

“So I’m a late bloomer on that front. It’s not like I’m slacking off. I’m training myself in other ways. That bloodline isn’t everything. I need to be smart, I need to have experience, I need to be able to rely on my own strength in case my Qi isn’t accessible. I need to be prepared for any situation and able to deal with them at the very least ADEQUATELY. So what if I haven’t trained or developed my bloodline QI yet? That just means when I’m good and balanced, I’ll have all the time in the world to focus on it instead.”

“Yeah? When? At 40?”

“Stop bringing age into this!”

“Then stop rationalizing why you’re the only one without your bloodline unlocked! Are you going to let the rest of them show you up? If you’re so perfect, this shouldn’t even be a problem.”

“Gods, FINE. If only to prove to you I could have done it at any time I wanted and didn’t need to hear myself nagging.”

“Hey. I just want you to work on your weaknesses.”

“Don’t you fucking dare quote what I tell other people at ME.”

The Other Nova would just laugh before disappearing without another word. Nova would raise her head from the table, now back to the Real World  and feeling a bit cranky. She starts picking up her knives, mumbling to herself.

(Word count: 688)

[Kyla Himura]

There was never a quiet day in Aurora, not from when it was Home and not now. It was one of the reasons Kyla was glad to be out on patrol, the crystal walls reflecting the sunlight in the distance. A light that seemed to triple as she came closer, eyes watering until she had to shut them against the fierce pain, her grip on the shaft of her spear tightening at the burning in her chest.

Instead the person who stood before her and got a spear pointed directly at them was a mirror image of herself. Kyla frowned, uncertain if this was supposed to be some sort of trap, or if it was merely one of the academy students at practice. Either option made her uneasy, as did the sense of recognition she felt the longer she looked at the person who was too solid to be an illusion, especially she she deflected the spear with her own, the connection solid enough that Kyla felt it.

“State your business.” The woman's expression was impassive, much like her own as the spear was drawn back.

“You are.” The other Kyla glanced at her, gaze going up and down before settling on her eyes as she took a step forward. “Aurora. The future. What will you do for it?” The question caught her off guard, though her stance never wavered as Kyla gave this other self a wary glare. It was a fair question, but hearing it in her own voice was disorienting. She wasn't the type to talk to herself.

“I will do whatever it takes to protect my home and its people. Just as I always have.”

“And how are you going to do that?” The persistent question touched a sore spot as she planted the butt of her spear into the ground, standing at the ready without unleashing its curse. This felt like a thought she'd had several times in the past months as the grief over losing her child seeped further back in time. It had been less than a year, but it felt like a lifetime. And this...mirror...of her was right. She had not participated in the past battle as a warrior, as she had in her younger days. She had served as a healer.

“Your elder – your king - tore the enemy's castle from the sky and sent it plummeting. You celebrated with the others. But you know what that also means.”

“Yes.” She started walking, letting her other self decide if she would follow or not. “My job is to tend to the wounded. To help ensure our army is in able to keep fighting.”

“And the next time the Conqueror comes?” The double kept up just fine, the two of them having a level conversation without even looking at each other, matching their pace step for step.

“Then I will go where I am needed. Even if it is in the middle of the fight.”

“That defeats the purpose of why you wanted to be a healer in the first place, isn't it?” Kyla's grip tightened on the shaft of her spear as they continued in silence.

“And then what? Until then, what will you do? You have no elder to dictate your life anymore.” Kyla nodded, her thoughts lingering on their Elder-King. A boy, she remembered seeing him take his first steps, as she had other children they had grown up with. They were raised as a group among the villagers in Home. Now her choice was her own. She could find a way that satisfied her needs and helped her people both.

Except she already had. She had married, born a child. Fought. Killed. Healed. She had tended their king and learned from Cabal's healers how to deal with those who could regenerate. She had had her world turned upside as those they trusted were revealed to be liars, and those they killed or exiled? One now ruled them. He had given everything to save them, even after they had turned their backs on them.

That, too, was unsettling. Not that he had done it, she knew that gut-level of instinct, but that it was a thing to begin with. The manipulations behind the scenes. Their oblivious nature. Killing the enemy without as well as within, only to find out they had the wrong enemy. Those days were over now, and that was why she had raised her vote to make Blake their elder. Their leader. Someone with the strength to do with what must be done.

They all would need to.

“I may have an idea.” Her steps took her closer to the crystal wall, now mere yards away. More silence as Kyla's inner self studied her with an unwavering look.

“Good.” With a nod of understanding, the double disappeared after a moment in another flash of light.

[Ben]

Ben with his rat was scrounging through the dirt and muck looking for mushrooms, well, shoveling mushrooms in their faces when it happened. The pain and flash of light were not unfamiliar to him. Sometimes you got a few bad ones before you got to the really good ones. But that was just how it went. Today they clearly found a good one, so when the giant rat burrowed out of his vomit a few yards back he rolled over to his back, welcoming and embracing it to come and join him.

His spirit gazed hungrily into his eyes. The Totem's human gaze reflecting into his own rat-like one. He could smell the pungent odor of decay wafting from it with each breath and he'd nod his head, licking the matted disgusting fur. He knew what he needed to do, everything was so simple. He giggled as the insects fell from his mouth, swarming over his hands and arms. A waterfall of centipedes and maggots oozing from every orifice of his body as he continued to listen to his instructions.

Eventually, the body that was Ben would be engulfed in the insects of the forest and that mass of insects would eventually disperse, nothing is left of Ben's human body, nothing going to waste. But Ben was beyond human, he was beyond the constraints of mortality and of this realm. He had seen behind the curtain of the universe, and as the rats and the maggots of the world he knew every crack and seam that he could slither through. Every vermin that had consumed his flesh was him, and he was all of the filth that he had consumed. The perfect balancing and repeating cycle. Gleefully eating himself to sustain his vermin who would sustain him and make him whole.

Frolicking through every ommatidia of every compound eye of every carrion consumer consummating to perpetuate their never-ending cycle. Every chittering rat in existence laughed with him as he and his orchestrated their uprising from the shadows. He felt the pulsating warmth envelope his body as he pulsated his dark desires, no, their dark desires into the fornication of billions of his brethren. Child with Mother, Brother with Sister, Rat with Weasle. All were right, all were proper, all would happen as he thrust through their collective minds. Linked together by the Totem;'s desires and wishes. His wishes and desires.

The largest rat was he, the most powerful rat was him. And as the Lord of Pestilence, he needed his army, his Kingdom, his people. Then and only then can the rot and putrification spread further, to encompass all until the only thing left of the green was the rotting bloated flesh of those that were consumed in his righteous fury. The putrified decaying bodies of his enemies and allies alike would go on to feed and infect his precious children fortifying their dark desires further.

It was with his purpose clear that Ben grinned into the dirt and vomit his face was smearing itself into. Happily munching at the mushroom that thought that it could evade his mighty digestive track. His beady rodent eyes gleaming with malicious and gluttonous greed. Nothing would be wasted.

536 words

[Drake]

Drake would be out in the training yard at the Sudeki compound practicing the different Martial Arts forms he had been taught. Reisuke said that Drake needed to learn proper physical form before Drake could start learning the intricacies of the Seikatsugan. Though, that might have just been a lie so that Reisuke could be lazy and just lie about all day. Either way it was whatever to Drake. He was only interested in getting better and if that meant practicing his Martial Arts froms, so be it. However, he wasn’t expecting the bright light and intense pain that suddenly hit him! He would fall to the ground gripping at his chest. His teeth grinding in pain. He would continue to lie there for a moment before the pain began to dissipate.

“What the fuck…”

Drake would say as he stood up, dusting the dirt off of him and his clothes. He was growing rather tired of all this shit. He would look around real quick and notice that he hadn’t teleported anywhere, not the past, nor some creepy Qi Scar. He was definitely still at the Sudeki compound. Then he would look over his own body. Aside from the fact that he was wearing a traditional Sudeki Training Gi for training rather than his normal clothes, he was completely normal. So, he hadn’t been turned into a kid again. That’s a relief. Not to mention he wasn’t in any creepy mansions with dying or dead little girls.

“At least I don’t have to deal with that bullshit again.”

“Why are you such a meanie! And why do you have to say so many bad words?!”

Drake would turn to look behind him at the voice that was speaking to him it was a child. But not just any child. It was him. Specifically, it looked like him after one of his… punishments. The boy had two black eyes bruises everywhere was favoring his left arm and was standing so that he wasn’t putting much pressure on his right leg. This kid had just endured one of the more severe punishments… at least nothing was broken, this time.

“What the fuck?!”

He would say in shock backing up. The boy would make an angry face but tears were forming in his eyes.

“Stop it! Stop saying bad words!”

Drake would glare at the kid.

“And who the hell are you to tell me what I can and can’t say?!”

“I’m you, mean head!"

The boy would yell back at Drake, who would roll his eyes.

“Yeah, I figured that out. What are you?”

“You!”

Drake face palmed.

“Yes, yes, I get that I mean…”

He would sigh loudly.

“I’m the part of you that you try to hide from yourself.”

The boy would clarify. Drake would bristle at that.

“I am not trying to hide anything you little shit!”

The boy would start crying now. Drake growled in frustration.

“Don’t even start with me, what do you want?! Why are you here?!”

The would hobble over to Drake and start punching and kicking at his leg. Drake would just raise an eyebrow.

“I’m. Here. To. Beat. You. Up. You. Big. Meanie!”

Little Drake would say between kicks and punches.

“You’re gonna be at that awhile kid.”

“I’ll do whatever it takes!”

The boy would say taking a break as his little body started to hurt at the opening of old wounds and his bruises started aching.

“I swore I’d beat up all the bad guys, and that’s what you are! You are big bad guy! So Imma beat you up until you decide to be a good guy again!”

The boy would punch Drakes leg with his left arm, which the boy immediately regretted as he only just remembered how badly it was hurt. The boy fell to the ground and started crying again. Drake would kneel down and try to help the crying boy, but the kid would turn away from Drake.

“No! I don’t need help from a big mean face like you!”

“Why do you keep saying that, I’m not a bad guy…”

Drake was actually starting to get upset that this little him thought that he was the bad guy.

“I’m not a Dragon like Dad is. I’m working to become bigger and better than them. Just like we swore we would. You re-“

“NO!”

The boy would shout cutting Drake off.

“We swore that we would beat up all the bad guys that hurt Mommy and all of mommy’s friends! We swore to beat up all the bad guys EVEN if they were as strong as Dragons! But YOU forgot that! You got angry with Daddy and started to blame Daddy and all his friends for what happened to us! It’s not his fault! You know that!”

Drake would just stare at the boy in silence.

“You became angry and started doing whatever you wanted just like all the angry men that hurt Mommy, Mommy’s friends, and us! You are just like the bad guys that we wanted to grow up big and strong to beat up!”

Drake slowly started to remember some of the boys words, but…

“You… you just don’t understand. You’re still too young to realize what our Dad did. If it weren’t for him-“

“YOU DON’T KNOW THAT!”

The little boy swung wide and clocked Drake right on the nose. It was a damn good hit cause it even made Drakes nose start to bleed.

"OW!”

Drake would say falling backwards from his kneeling position. The boy would struggle to stand back up and hobble to stand over at Drake pointing at him.

“There! I beat you up! Now you have to promise to be good from now on! Stop being a meanie head or else I’ll come back and beat you up again and again until you remember that we don’t want to be a bad guy!”

Drake would just blink and stare at the boy.

“I won’t promise you anything, kid… but… I will try to not be a ‘bad guy’ any more, ok? But fuck you if you think I’m going to stop cursing.”

The boy would smile a little. Excited that he won his first fight!

“Baby steps, you are a little slow, so I’ll let it slide this time! But if I have to beat you up again you’ll be sorry!”

With that the little boy would fade away. Leaving Drake in the dirt by himself with a bleeding nose.

“Man… I guess I have always been a pain in the ass. No wonder I always got my ass handed to me…”

(1106 words)

[Blake Oleander]

Blake was sitting in the training yard, his chest bandaged and the wound slowly healing that Ali had given him in his last spar. Without the monster within, he was simply a man, much like he was before his life had spiraled downward with his exile before Aurora was formed. He loosely held a wooden sword in his hand, just feeling the weight of it. HE still had some abilities from his oath, his soul, and from the Qi beast he had consumed. But it paled in comparison to the power he so recently wielded, that he had turned into the sword and shield of Aurora, bringing the Castle of the Conqueror down from the heavens.

He thought the pain in his chest was just from the wound, but suddenly he was not alone. Before him stood another version of himself, though one seemingly lacking in injury. Where Blake held a wooden Blade, his copy held his cursed Blade, unsheathed and held at the ready. His face contorted with rage and anger. A look he knew well.

"Pathetic."

The doppelganger rushed at Blake, his blade gleaming in the sunlight. It was all Blake could do to get up and block the blow in his injured state, his sword being pushed to the side as his posture suffered, creating an opening that the doppelganger would exploit. Stamping on his foot before slamming the handle of the blade into his face. Blake reeled from the blow but remained standing, raising his wooden blade in front of him, now ready.

"They will discard you again. Without the Beast you are nothing."

The Doppelganger charged in again, his swiping to try and find purchase in Blake's flesh while the real Blake parried the blade with his hardened wooden sword. Though the last cut was enough to cleave through the wooden blade and shatter his defense.

"With the Beast, you were a freak, without it you are useless."

Once more the attacker came in, his movements fast, a blur of steel and flesh. The sword of Blake's soul appeared in his hand to block the blade, his arm quivering as he struggled to hold back the rage and power of this imposter. He felt his chest tighten from the strain and a feeling of dampness start to spread as his wound opened up.

"Your 'wife' will abandon you like before. Your precious survivors will forever think of you as a freak, an outsider. And the others that you brought in will smell your weakness. They will come in like wolves picking off the weak. You will lose your home and your life because you are too weak. You are too soft."

Again and again, their blades clashed while the doppelganger snarled in fury. The blood seeping from Blake's chest, soaking through his clothing as he advanced, exploiting an opening in his imposter's form to strike with his blade.

"I know."

Blake said as he brought his attack back, aware of the blood he was losing. He couldn't go all out right now. Not without opening the wound further and making the bleeding worse. It would create a battle of attrition he would lose. He needed to find openings and exploit them.

"Then why do you do nothing? Use Virgil and find every scrap of power you can. The Autumn Stone, the power of the land the conqueror wants so bad. Exploit the Prota research you stole and use it on yourself. We can be a God, and not like those that call themselves ancients. A real one."

The ringing of steel continued as they clashed, Blake losing ground against his fake as the rage-filled version of him continued its relentless onslaught.

"I'm a man, not a God."

Blake said, his head held up in pride while his double scoffed.

"Barely." His double sneered, "You refuse to do everything you can to grab the power that we deserve. The power that we need. All of this could be Aurora. From Ocean to Ocean. The Conqueror knows nothing about what we are capable of. His own fallen Kings can see that we were chosen while he has to steal from the land. He is not worthy in the way we are. We are better than he is, and we are the ones that should be ruling. And we are the ones who should crush any that would say otherwise under our heel. The Elder's were wrong to isolate us, we should have struck outward long ago. We should be King of everything, the God of everything."

The blood started to trickle to the ground as he stood his ground, but his arms grew weary. His stance weakened, and as his clone spoke his blade lowered, his head hanging down in defeat.

"Everything you say is true..."

There was no denying that there was truth in the words of the other Blake. He knew that he was disposable, that when push came to shove Bailey would abandon him again. This his people had turned their back on him once before. That those he had brought under his banner were still new to following his orders and would look for a chance to take over. He knew that his life balanced on the edge of a knife and that he was weak now. That without the Monster he couldn't defend his home as he could before. That there were things he could do to obtain more power, there were resources and people he could exploit to become stronger, and maybe his copy was right. Maybe he could be a God, maybe he should be a God. Not just of this land but all of them.

Seeing Blake's defense lowered the Doppelganger got a wicked gleam in his eyes as he charged forward, bursting with speed as he blitzed Blake, his blade driving itself into Blake's chest, blood splattering from both ends of the wound. However, it was not Blake, but the doppelganger that wore the shocked expression on his face. Blood bubbling out of the Doppelganger's mouth as Blake pressed his Qi blade, now formed in his other hand all the way through. Their eyes meeting for one final time.

"You're right, but I would rather die just a man than become what Valto has."

Blake dropped to his knees as his copy vanished, his hand moving to his chest to grip his wound as he used his Qi blade to keep from falling to the ground completely. He needed to get to a medic...