7 in 3

】〓〓〓〓【

Luna

】〓〓〓〓【

Vone successfully moves into her new body of light blue stone. The way she speaks changes slightly in her new form. Her voice is more… melodic. It’s kinda pretty. I go to throw her into my desk drawer, as promised, but pause.

I don’t - I don’t want to just put her there to rot. I think I’m… having fun with her? It’s nice to have someone else who no one can see. Bodiless buddies or something. I walk over to one of the many dressers scattered around our large room. Yanking one drawer open I see my goal. 

I carry the small jewelry box over to the desk and sit down. I haphazardly toss the communication stone containing Vone onto the wooden surface. She makes a clicking sound as she bounces across the polished wood.

“Ow! That would’ve hurt if I could feel things, you know!” I just snort at her nonsense and pull out a necklace. It’s a mildly enchanted one so it’ll change size to fit anyone’s neck, stupidly expensive for such a small enhancement. I pry the ruby out of the setting in the center with one of my daggers, and grab Vone’s stone. Carefully I place the glowing blue gem into the golden arms of the necklace before twisting them back into place. The shining metal holds the gem in its socket snugly. I grin at my sloppy handiwork.

“Um… Luna? I’m not an accessory.” She sounds irritated.

“I know, I just didn’t want to leave you to rot all alone.” I try to keep the smile out of my tone, but don’t do the best job of it. The blue stone flashes pink briefly. 

“Oh! O-okay then.” She sounds okay with it now, good. I place the necklace holding the encased consciousness around my neck and it slowly disappears. 

“Try not to blow my stealth, please?” I beg her, I have enough knights and lizards following me around trying to do that as it is.

“Okay! I probably won’t say anything unless you talk to me first, it’s not like I can see what’s going on.” Right… she probably could if she opened a communication panel, but then there’d be a giant glowing rectangle following me around. I nod at her wisdom.

“I think I’m gonna nap now, some rude bitch kept me up all night!” I whine. Vone snorts at my jab, her amusement not distorted this time. 

“I didn’t make you do anything, you did the stupid all on your own.” She says mockingly.

 I shrug and jump into my bed and snuggle under the blankets, which would appear to be floating to anyone passing through my bedroom.

It doesn't take me long to drift off.

 

】〓〓〓〓【

Coil

】〓〓〓〓【

 

 As soon as I wake up, I begin my recently created ritual. I sit up in bed, and clutch my head with my hands. I keep hold of my sense of self while the memories of the last few days flood into my mind. Any time one of my siblings had been awake since the last time I was myself invade my mental space like an aggressive worm. I’m not sure why I’m the only of my siblings to go through this, but I am. 

After about an hour of sitting and staring at the wall while messing around in my head, I get up. I pull off the clothes Luna had on that are now trying to strangle me to death and throw them to the floor in a heap. The clothes are tight fitting and plain, Luna has no fashion sense. Not that it matters for her, I suppose. The blue crystal in my new jewelry is slowly pulsing. I wonder what she’s up to.

Finally getting tired of standing nude in the middle of my room, I call on my shadow. The inky black shape beneath me flows up over my skin, forming tight against my body. Once I’m totally covered I focus on what I want to wear. 

The shadows slowly gain definition and texture as they shape into more suitable clothes: a light gray undershirt with ruffles on the chest with an almost black vest overtop. My pants are pressed nicely and are a darker gray. My shoes are so dark they look like they absorb light. Which they do.

A sigh slips out of me. I have yet to figure out how to get the shades to change colors, only black, white, and shades of gray are currently available to me. It might not be possible, but for some reason it feels like it is. Whatever. I raise my hand up and a small shard of my shadow breaks off and flits off into the manor. After a few seconds it returns, followed by a much larger shadow. 

The larger shadow stops in front of me before rising up into a somewhat human shape. It looks like someone made a sculpture out of wet clay kneaded with dark ink. The only part of it that’s defined is its face, which looks like a typical thug with a scruffy beard. 

The being speaks in tones similar to pouring a bucket of water out onto the ground. “I have returned to report, my Lord.” This creature is the first of my ‘children’, so to speak. 

My shades can do nearly anything I ask of them within their power, but once they detach from my own shadow I have no connection. That means no way to communicate with the shade, to or from. No new orders, no emergency messages, nothing. So I wanted to get around that.

My solution was this thing. Near human beings made of shadows that can think on their own, so they can go on long term missions. Once I make enough of them I plan on making smaller and simpler creatures that just run messages between them. I’m essentially making an information network that spans as far as I want. For that to work, however, this child has to be successful. 

“Hello, Crag, how goes your mission?” I leave my question vague to see if it can fill in the gaps. 

The dark shape tilts its head for a bit. “It goes… well. Captain Jet and the domesticated monster have cleaned the town of the remainder of the dungeon break. They did not need my assistance at any point.” Crag looks away from me, towards the floor.

“Anything else, Crag? Anything you weren’t told to?” I keep my tone steady, to not give the creature any hint at a correct answer. The inky mess shuffles its feet - well, equivalent of feet - nervously. 

“I… saw a child,” the creature burbles out. He adds nothing else.

“You saw a child?” It nods. “Anything else? Did you do something to the child?” 

Once again Crag goes quiet for a moment. “It kept looking at a vendor’s stall, so I watched it. Eventually the child tried to steal from the stall, but I stopped it.” My blood goes cold, I didn’t accidently murder a child, did I? But the shadow continues, “The child cried when I put the bread back, so I found coins that had fallen between the cobbles on the road. I gave the child the coins and he stopped crying.” The blobby figure nods slowly. “That is all, my Lord.”

I sigh in relief, it didn’t kill the kid. It also displayed problem solving skills. Excellent. I sit down in my desk chair and turn it. Bless Scarlet’s thieving ways. 

“I’m going to make you a sibling, Crag!” The thing’s eyes widen a bit. “I think you can keep an eye on them, yeah? Have them join you in following the Captain, and when you think they’re ready have them follow my father.” Crag nods at me. “So, do you want a brother or a sister?” I smile as I feel the blessing inside myself start swirling in excitement. 

“Brother,” the muck-person says. Brother it is, then.

I raise my hand and try to picture the underling I want. Someone dressed inconspicuously, male, light stubble, boring face, average height, not made of oil. I feel the power leaking from my hand and my shadow as they begin to coalesce. The shadows make horrible bubbling sounds as they rise out of the floor. Eventually a perfect cylinder made of all black sits in the center of the room, with me and Crag on either side of it. Slowly the cylinder ‘drains’, leaving behind a human figure.

The man’s face and hair are well-defined this time, missing the messy blob of a head. Below the neck is where the problems begin to show. His body is much better than Crag’s, but still not very good. His figure and clothes have the proportions of a child’s drawing. The shirt he’s wearing has no seams or buttons, and his pants just flow into it. I let out a sigh, an improvement, but still not good enough. 

“Alright, newbie.” The guy blinks at me, which sends a thrill through my spine. His eyes! They’re muddy brown! Yes! I start laughing like a madman mid-sentence, causing the new guy to look towards Crag for guidance. Crag just shrugs.

“Anyways. Your name is…” I stretch out the last word as I think of a name, “Mire!” I nod, satisfied. “Yes, you’re Mire. Alright, Mire, follow Crag here around and learn from him.” I point at my blobbier underling. “Do whatever he says. Crag, be a good older sibling and teach him well!” The two of them melt into the floor before flitting out the nearest window. 

Well, time for dinner!

 

】〓〓〓〓【

Zenith

】〓〓〓〓【

My wrists ache badly. I try to move them only to find them bound. A flickering light above me filters through my eyelids. I slowly crack them open to see a bulb hanging from a wire. The bulb slowly swings back and forth overhead. I look down at my body and find myself shirtless, the cold metal of whatever I’m strapped to biting into my back.

“Alright, test number… what is it at now?” a woman says from just behind my head, causing me to jump. 

“Eighteen, Laura, at least try to be professional, will you?” An annoyed voice comes from past my feet. I can’t see either of the strangers from the angle my head is trapped at.

“Nah… why bother? Not like this shady-ass company actually cares. They just want the result, anyways.” The woman sounds amused. A loud whirring comes from her direction for a moment before going silent.

“Jesus! Why do you even have that?” the other voice yelps. 

The woman behind me snickers. “I mean, they gave us any tools we wanted, so why not?” Her smile is clear in her melodic voice.

“Whatever, I’m starting the transfer, any objections?” I don’t think they’re asking me. The woman above me grunts in dismissal. Thought not.

I hear a click and then a loud hum before my perception of the world turns to pain. Something fills every cell in my body, causing each one to scream out in protest. I can clearly see each nerve in my body outlined in my mind, white hot wires of agony. Distantly I hear the two from earlier say something to each other, loudly. That barely registers over the feeling of my cells bursting one by one as some force tries to pull something necessary from them.

A loud crack fills my perception, overtaking even the pain, before everything goes dark and still.

 

【〓〓〓〓】

 

I gasp and bolt upright in bed, my bodies dripping in sweat. I run the horrible dream through my minds again, trying to place when it happened. It’s familiar, but I can’t place it. I let out some sighs as the adrenaline leaves both of my bodies. 

Wait! My bodies! I can feel both! I look around with both and eventually see myselves. I’m in the same room! I wave to myself happily, it’s been so long since I’ve seen the other me like this. I go to get up, but realize my male body is exhausted.

My memories from inside the cavern rush back to me. Right! I got used as some sort of ritual sacrifice? I remember up ‘til when the ball of nothingness started coming out of me, then nothing. How’d I get home? Because this is my room. 

I decide my male body should rest more, so I lay back down into bedding. Using my other self I hop up and dash out the door. On the other side of said door stands a man I recognize from sparring sessions with the knights. Captain Jet. The smiling man quickly looks at me and drops to a defensive position. He whips out a shortsword before locking eyes with me. What the hell?

I tilt my head a bit. “Captain, I don’t think we should spar in the middle of the hall like this.” What is he thinking? The two of us could demolish half the manor if we fought in these unreinforced sections. Doubt flickers in the man’s eyes for a moment, but he keeps his stance. 

“So… Zenith. How you feeling?” Why… Why is such a benign question so charged? Is he okay?

“Well, I’m okay, but I’m resting with my other side, it’s drained.” I hope this is what he’s asking. My answer must be sufficient because his smile softens and he sheathes his sword. His stance relaxes as he walks over to me.

He claps me on the back before letting out an obnoxiously loud laugh. “Lady Zenith! It’s really you!” I raise an eyebrow. “Y’know, last time I spoke with you I had to get my sword replaced?!” He chuckles to himself a bit before continuing, “I really didn’t think you could dent Godsteel like that with bare fists.” Is he okay? This is the first time I’ve seen him since we left for the capital. 

“He’s telling the truth.” I spin and fire out my right fist at the intruder. It makes direct contact with the man’s head, but instead of exploding it into gore or sending him flying, his head just poofs into vapor. Withdrawing my fist with a sigh, I watch as my brother’s head reforms from the dark smoke. “How rude, Zenith, first time you’ve seen me in how long and you’ve already killed me once?” His eyes are filled with mirth. 

“I’m not used to someone being able to sneak up on me, sorry,” I say flatly. He knows perfectly well what he just did, he just wants to get a rise out of me. He snorts a bit at my tone. “So what happened to me, anyways, why is Jet saying I destroyed his sword?” 

Coil just touches his thumb to his chin, thinking. “Are we really just going to talk in the hall like this? We have perfectly usable rooms basically everywhere, you know.” He smirks again and I just sigh.

“Lead the way, then.”

 

【〓〓〓〓】

 

We enter one of the many unused rooms that litter the manor. The room somehow seems both not lived in and immaculately clean. Our maids are kinda obsessive, even for hired cleaners. We sit in the empty sofas and armchairs after flicking on the lights. The faintly blue glow from the gemlights overhead fills the room with a sense of safety. I wonder if it's because they’re powered by the townheart, or because I’ve been stuck in a cave for who knows how long.

Jet’s ever-present smile carries an undertone of confusion, like he’s not sure how he got into this situation. I look over at Coil and wait for him to start. The annoying prick is just looking around the mostly empty room at the fascinating nothing that fills it. 

“Coil, begin!” My frustration filters into my tone, which apparently satisfies my annoying brother. With a smile he starts to lecture.

“So you were brainwashed.” He nods to himself. “Probably by the woman who self-immolated in that portal. We found you in a dungeon - well, Jet did.” Jet perks up a bit upon hearing his name before zoning out again. “You acted odd when you woke up, not knowing what we meant by your other body, you attacked Father and Jet blocked you.” 

Jet stands up suddenly, his eyes sparkling with energy. “Yeah! My Lady, you were vicious, I could barely keep you back. You punched so rapidly that I couldn’t make a countermove. I would’ve lost eventually when my sword gave out but your little brother interrupted.” His face falls, mostly. His smile remains. Wait, brother?

“Which little brother?” Who could’ve put me down when I was pushing Jet back? 

“Wight,” the two men say simultaneously. My eyes widen in surprise.

“Wight?” I can barely believe that the five-year-old took me out. Jet and Coil both nod.

“Wight is probably the strongest of us, right now, at least,” Coil says sullenly. “Including Jet here. I don’t think there’s a person on the continent that could keep him down.” 

What happened while I was out?! My shock must show, or Coil’s love of his own voice implores him to continue, “His dragon half took over his human side. I’d say an almost fifty-fifty split between the two. His blessing also disintegrated an entire forest. He’s dangerous at this point, so bad we tried to collar him.” 

Jet sits up suddenly at the mention of the collar. “What happened to that, anyways, Lord Coil?” the knight asks. 

Coil sighs, pretending to not enjoy blathering on. “The soul shackle almost killed him.” The captain raises his brow in surprise. “I personally think it’s because of his dragon side, as far as I know a dragon has never been shackled. Maybe dragons are made partially of magic, unlike the other races. So the soul shackle might’ve tried to basically turn off half of his body,” Coil finishes his spiel, looking genuinely worried over his brother. Not that Wight died, I’m pretty sure Coil wouldn’t be here if that had happened.

Suddenly the couch I’m sitting on vibrates slightly, causing me and Jet to jump into combat positions. Even the always calm Coil jumps in his chair. After a moment of silence some clicking and lights come from under the furniture. Jet and I tense, readying attacks, as Coil relaxes for some reason.

“You guys, it's the Unraks. Emerald and Sea?” Who is he talking about? Jet apparently doesn’t know either, judging by his continued readiness. “Relax, they’re friendly.” Jet immediately lowers his guard at Coil’s words. I keep my fists up but relax my posture a bit.

The couch shuffles again, more clicking and lights coming from below. I jump back a few feet. Slowly a pale blue tendril worms its way from the dark space, soon followed by another. The two limbs pull forward, bringing a large oblong stone into view. After a moment I realize the stone is covered in holes, and the limbs are coming from two of them. 

I somehow sense that the thing is looking at me, so I raise my fists. The thing turns its strange body slightly towards Coil. Coil gives a big smile.

“Long time no see, you two! Why are you under the furniture?” Coil’s tone is gentle, for him, almost familial. The stone creature makes some clicking sounds and a bright flash lights its translucent shell from within. Slowly some green tentacles come from under the sofa, dragging out a second creature. This one is slightly smaller, and moves like a flighty cat.

“Sorry, I forgot I can’t understand you. Scarlet’s memories must be rubbing off on me.” Coil smiles, but his eyes darken for a split second. “I’ll get some paper.” He makes no movements and continues to sit in his chair. 

I stare at him, eventually glaring. How is he going to get paper if he doe- The door to the room opens and a horrific figure walks in. Despite its horrible appearance, I can sense it’s not a threat. The lumpy attempt at mimicking a human shambles in and clumsily hands Coil a pen and some paper.

“Thanks, Crag.” Coil gives the thing a genuine smile. The creature gives him a nod before melting into the floor. “Well, here you go!” He places the tools down in front of the two stone things. We all blankly stare at him, the rock monsters included.

“What?”