Walking Two Roads at Once

My mind stirs at the thought. Another me could be easily possible, I’m an emanator of Propagation. However, that comes with its own downsides. Making a clone with Propagation has them act in ways that are unpredictable, and while not harmful I don’t want my clone just going around seducing everyone in sight.

A thought occurs, what if instead of Propagation, I use Propagation.

AN: For those listening with audio or can’t tell the difference, the color is different for each type of Propagation! Idk how to color text on Patreon so its not colored on here either :(

Ivani narrows his eyes as I ponder.

“Don’t do anything too dangerous young man, you shouldn’t get yourself killed.” A single eye looks over him, then a small smile appears on my face. 

“Thank you for your concern, Mr. Ivani. I’m thinking of a plan that doesn’t involve me getting killed.” He lets out a shaky sigh at my words, as though what I’d said was madness. He hands me another cup of tea causing my expression to fall flat. His grin wry as he answers my unspoken question.

“It’s not poisoned.” I down the entire cup of tea in an instant. Stress can make you thirsty after all and this entire situation is a mess. Then I sit on one of the leather chairs. 

“You said they were entering a formation for tomorrow morning?” His eyes sharpen at my words as he nods.

“What are you planning?” I can’t really tell him I’m sending out a clone . . . can I? I don’t think the ‘Swarm’ is a known factor here. Also I could probably spin it as some sort of cloning technology, but a part of me hesitates.

Not for any logical reason, but solely because I want the first people to find out that I have these powers to be the Astral Express. We’ve been together for not even a week and I’m already considering them family.

That’s the curse of being lonely I guess, you make connections too fast even if the other party doesn’t feel the same. But they do feel the same, at least from what I can tell.

Dan Heng is always on the lookout for danger, keeping an eye on all of us to make sure we don’t get hurt. March always looks for a memory we can share, then she captures that moment so we remember it until the day we die, and Stelle . . . Stelle is clingy, adorable, and sort of reminds me of a wet racoon. I still see her almost as a little sister nonetheless.

Welt reminds me of what my father should have been instead of the angry man he was. Himeko is almost like a cool aunt. We share common interests in coffee, and I’m sure that no matter what problem I’d had she’d always be willing to lend an ear to my problems.

Mr. Ivani is trying to help me, but I want them to know first. 

I stare at the man with a fire in my eyes as those thoughts run through my head. The moment lasts minutes and he eventually lets out a sigh.

“I know that look, there’s no convincing you otherwise.” There’s a sad expression on his face as he says,”You can stay here for the night ‘Simon’, and please remember what I’ve said before you do anything rash.” I let out a breath I didn’t even realize I was holding before I gave the man a smile.

“Thank you Mr. Ivani.” He smiles before his eyes flick over towards the hallway door.

“You may sleep in that . . . unused room. You should change your clothes as well . . . sorry about the dust.” He’s letting me sleep in his grandson's bed. I blink dumbly at that as a shiver runs through my body. I’m not going to let this man experience the pain of losing another young man in his life to a foolish decision.

“Breakfast will be ready in the morning. Get some rest Simon, you’ll need it if you’re anything like him.” I walk past him and look at his back, he looks so frail from this angle. With a light breath I go into the dead man’s room and gently rest myself against the bed. 

I ponder for a moment about what I’m actually doing here. Not in the existential sense, but what I am trying to do.

I’m trying to save a planet from Destruction.

This isn’t me trying to pay my taxes, this is serious business. I can’t afford to make a critical error that could get my friends hurt or worse.

I allowed the night to take me, but with my inner fire renewed after the emotional weight of what I’d just experienced I was ready to take on tomorrow with a clear mind and calm heart.

. . . 

I’d gotten out of bed early. I needed to set my plan into motion before the Silvermane Guards acted. The soup given to me was delicious, and didn’t seem to be mixed in with any sort of poison. I should probably be more careful about that in the future, even if I seem to have lots of poison resistance which is quite the useful tool.

“Thank you Mr. Ivani. If everything goes according to plan I should be back tonight.” He lets out a faint sigh at my words.

“You won’t tell me your plan so I can give you some insights on it?” I send a remorseful smile his way before stepping outside with a sigh.

My expression shifts to one of seriousness as I approach the hotel. I stare up at the place where my companions must have been resting for the night and I seem to have to wait quite a while. They seem to be heavy sleepers . . . I take a seat on a nearby bench and wait patiently for the time to arrive, but someone approaches me.

A woman in guard uniform rests a hand on my shoulder and gives me a word of warning.

“Things might get a little dicey around here in a minute, young man. I suggest returning to your home or clearing out of the area.” My gaze flows up to her in a relaxed motion, the sudden calm taking over me is odd. As though I was made to infiltrate- no that's not the exact word. I was made to infest. If I didn’t have a sense of morality I could probably use this current state I find myself in for something more nefarious then saving a planet.

A casual smile appears on my face as I stand up, the woman seeming to realize I’m quite a bit taller than her as I put my hands in my pockets.

“Thank you for the warning, I really just wanted to see the Silvermane Guards. What’s going on anyways? Anything I can do to help?” She lets out a small huff, and shakes her head.

“That’s classified, and again it would be best for you to clear the area. We don’t want anyone to get hurt.” I let out a small sigh and gave a respectful nod as I started to walk away.

I pull into an alleyway, making sure it's not a dead end before clinging to the wall and scanning for any passerby who could see what I’m about to do. I pause, then I Propagate. The sensation is warm and I channel it into my brain, causing a faint pink light to reflect off my eyes.

The amplification lets me see that no one else is in the area and my thoughts speed up. Before boosting myself I’d planned to peak around the corner, but with the increase I’ve realized something quite simple. 

I just need to wait for the sounds of fighting. This is also good stamina training for seeing how long I can sustain this state for. My senses have been amplified heavily, my thought speed has been increased, and my mental faculties improved. However because I’m not channeling the energy into my body it’s not increasing my strength. However it's still tiring me out.

Interesting. I channel the Propagation as the sounds of shouting start to echo out from around the corner. I take a deep breath as the energy attempts to Divide, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. 

In a strange way, the symptoms of physical exhaustion could be useful here. Then I hear the shout of Stelle and release the energy in the form of another me.

They split off and I immediately covered the fellow in a nearby pile of snow. Obscuring his features is going to be important here.

“Help our friends escape . . . and please don’t say anything too weird.” He gives a charismatic smile which is reduced by the pounds of snow covering his body.

“Of course, of course. We wouldn’t let anything bad happen to our companions, now would we?” Then his body faintly glows with pink, though it's mostly obscured by the snow, and he takes off as I let out a shout.

“Somebody stop him!” I start bolting after him but he’s easily double my speed as he jumps over a Silvermane Guard and grabs Stelle by her jacket and pulls her away from an incoming attack.

“Miss me?” His voice was a bit odd, but I was nonetheless happy he’d aided the adorable Stelle!

Swarm: Prince Sting POV

Pulling Stelle backwards and away from an incoming attack while the Swarm Prince yelled at me was quite the interesting experience. I’d been tasked with protecting a potential consort of the Swarm Prince while he himself had to pretend to oppose me.

“Miss me?” I’d intentionally distorted my voice slightly, anything to aid the plans of the Swarm Prince. The adorable girl smiled as I kicked into the chest of an approaching guard sending him flying into a crate. Ah, was I supposed to avoid killing them? Then analyze my memories for a moment, the memories that came from the Prince and come to a conclusion. The Prince does not desire the deaths of these soldiers. 

“Sam! You’re okay!” I smile at March as I start to run towards her and Dan Heng, multiple firearms being aimed at our backs to my annoyance. However March had proved her skill with her cryokinesis as the guns had frozen over in pink and blue ice in but a moment of her concentration.

“Sam. We are going into the Fragementum.” I give a nod to Dan Heng, as we dash towards the odd portal. Neither I nor the Prince had gone into one of these before, so I couldn’t help but smile in curiosity. 

I’d been the last one in and I couldn’t help but give a casual wave to the grey haired girl at the front as I stepped through. An expression of annoyance on her face at my gesture.

Sam POV

I’d let out a haggard breath as I nearly dived at the guy bolting through the guards and then into a strange portal, but a hand caught me at my gesture and pulled me back.

“What did I say about clearing the area?”

“Sorry, it's just I heard that guy muttering about helping those people and I had to do something!” The lie easily flows from my lips as I look at the earlier woman who shook her head with annoyance as a gray haired woman approached me with an slightly annoyed smile.

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“Take him in for questioning. We need all the information we can get-” She pauses for a moment to reiterate. “You aren’t under arrest, however we would be grateful if you assist us.” I give a slightly nervous nod as all the soldiers turn to me, one of them preparing to pull out handcuffs before he’s silenced with a hand raised from the gray haired woman again.

“That won’t be necessary. Come with me.” She sends a glare to the figure and lets out a small breath with her words. She then started walking off and I gave a bright smile as I’d followed behind her to a massive building. I was brought through a few halls before I was seated in a dark room that seemed to normally be used for interrogation.

I sat in the slightly uncomfortable chair as I adjusted myself, a smaller woman who was with the grey haired one stood in front of me with her arms behind her back and looked at me with a serious stare.

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“Start from the beginning when did you first encounter the outworlder.” I let out a slow nod as I prepared to lie my ass off.

“Well I was actually on my way here, someone I’d met recommended me to join.” I put a hand on my chin as though thinking as I continued. “I’d seen him moving in the same direction as me, and I hadn’t thought anything of it at first . . . until he’d started muttering to himself about ‘getting to his companions before the guards did'.” The woman nods and writes down the information.

“That immediately threw me off, and I was content to slowly tail him as we seemed to be going towards the Silvermane anyways. Then he pivoted and took off in a dead sprint, I’d tried to follow him without him noticing it . . . but I’m fairly certain he could tell I was on his trail.” I casually wave a hand as though what I’d said had always been true, and I was simply recalling the memories.

“Anyways you know the rest, I tried to get him to stop before he hurt anyone and then he and who I presume to be his companions ran into the fragmentum.” She finishes writing down the information before letting out a small sigh.

“Thank you for your time, and out of curiosity who recommended you to us?” I give her a bright smile as I recall the blond woman who’d helped me out earlier and I was especially glad not to have to lie about this.

“Ms. Lynx, she said I was blessed by the Preservation so I’d be a big help.” Her eyes widened in recognition, I didn’t know Lynx was famous! She breaks out into a small smile as she nods.

“How would you like to do that right now then?” I sit up from the chair with a smile. This has gone surprisingly smoothly.

“I would love too Ms . . . ?” She waves a glowed hand as I follow her out the room, twin guards positioned just outside the door.

“Just call me Pela, I’m the Intelligence Officer here so I’ll look forward to working with you.” I nod at her words. The name is familiar somehow, but I don’t really recognize her. Maybe she was a character back in my old reality? I suppose it doesn’t matter now.

We enter a much more casual room from the previous one, wooden furniture, a simple desk, and many papers in a neat stack as Pela sits behind the desk and puts some papers in front of me.

“Go ahead and read these over and sign them. The Supreme Guardian has been upping recruitment since yesterday so the process has been a bit streamlined.” I nod at the information, looks like she’s trying to get grunts to deal with us then? 

Looking over the papers most of it involves the benefits of joining, and of course the blatant warning that I’ll most likely die. I signed it without hesitation. I don’t intend to die here, I’m a goddamn Emantor after all.

She gives me a raised eyebrow as she asks me a pretty simple question.

“Did you actually read all of it?” I sweat lightly at the question.

“I skimmed it . . .” She let out a sigh at my admission.

“What does Lynx see in you . . .” She mutters the words but I still catch them, an embarrassed smile appearing on my face before she lightly puts her hands together.

“Go ahead and head out to the training yard, basic training starts the moment you get there. If you pass you’ll be officially part of the Silvermane Guards. Good luck and try not to get yourself killed.” I get up from my chair and give her a serious nod.

“Thank you Ms. Pela. I look forward to working with you.” She waves me off with a serious expression.

“Get through training first before you go putting ‘Ms’ in front of my name, and seriously, just call me Pela.” Looking at her again she’s actually pretty cute. I blush at the thought before exiting the room. 

I’d had to ask a few people for directions but I inevitably made the way to the training yard. A massive area of snow, probably to train us for conditions outside the city. I’d gone to take a step forward but a man somehow twice my size gave me a soft smile and pulled me back.

“You new here?” I have a nod, his attire was definitely that of someone high ranking. I’d better show him some respect.I don’t want to make any enemies here . . . at least before I’m forced too.

“Yes sir!” I give him a respectful salute and he waves me off.

“Go to the quartermaster and get yourself a uniform, we’ll see if you’re allowed to keep it by the end of the week.” Training takes a week? Isn’t that kind of fast for a military? Or maybe that's just to see if I’m able to join at all. I give a nod and end up finding the quartermaster with little difficulty.

Countless people were willing to show the ‘fresh meat’ over to the old man who’d asked for my size before tossing the uniform to me.

“Now throw that on and get out there!” He was oddly jovial for a man in his 60’s, but I wasn’t complaining. I’d entered the bathroom and changed quite fast, peeking into the mirror I’d look the part of a standard grunt. Perfect.

I want to be good enough to be noticed and given more information, but not so good I’m looked at with suspicion. I’m  ‘Blessed by Preservation’ after all. Returning back to the yard I could see a bunch of other new recruits preparing for orientation and I couldn’t help but wonder if this is how I actually learn to fight?

I could throw a punch, but I knew next to nothing about weapons, nor was I master martial artist. I’d intended to ask Dan Heng for help but now she’s way to far away for that plan to work . . . I wonder how my clone is doing? The thoughts are cut off at a bark from the large blond man I’d seen earlier.

“Alright! Everyone listen up, not all of you are going to make it through basic, and some of you are going to quit halfway through. Yet among those who are unable to protect Belobog are also those who can! If you don’t feel as though you can fight, leave instead of wasting everyone’s time. This isn’t going to be easy, but to those who can make it through this I shall gladly welcome you as a member of the Silvermane Guards!”

Nervousness, bravery, and awe run through the crowd at his words. There’s a pause, and a few people seem to have lost their initial courage and walk off in shame. Then the man speaks again.

“I am Captain Gepard of the Silvermane Guards, so with that said.” He gives a radiant smile, but I can’t help but feel nervous while looking at it. 

“Let’s get started with conditioning.”

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AN: I HAVE RETURNED! I said my updates would be erratic and I meant it. Finals end tomorrow though so I’ll have quite some more time to work on my writing. I’ve also been writing a lot for my other fic which has been quite fun. 

Next time we’ll see the viewpoint of the Prince Sting (new species of Sting) and get a peek at what's going on in the fragmentum alongside a touching “reunion”.

I love all your guys' comments, and corrections so feel free to drop 'em below. If you want to support me monetarily you can do so on my Ko-Fi or Patreon.

Thanks for reading and I’ll see you in the next one!