Vesta is flying above the city, carrying Kari in her arms. The Myridian girl is so full of joy she could explode any minute. To be up in the sky, literally free as a bird…
<This is amazing! And you can do this whenever you want!?>
<Of course. I take this is your first flight; don’t you have airplanes on this planet?>
<We used to, but then the Oracles declared flying was an insult to Demeter.>
<That is so like my sister.>
<There it is! New Rhetra!> Kari exclaims, pointing her finger towards the city below them.
Vesta touches the ground a minute later. Max is waiting for them, sitting at the edge of the road.
<What took you so long?>
<I couldn’t break the sound barrier flying with her. So Kari, you think we can find our friend here?>
The girl answers while fiddling with Noriko’s green leather jacket. It’s too small for her, so she’s tying it around her waist.
<Old Man Vor lives here; if anyone can find her, it’s him. Does this thing make me look fat?> she asks.
A duplicate appears in front of her, wearing the same exact pink dress with miniskirt but without the leather jacket, examining the original like she’s in front of a mirror. While the two are pondering the possibilities of interplanetary fashion, a second duplicate appears.
<This is weird. I don’t see any rickshaw> she says, completely uninterested in the jacket.
<What, Demeter thinks cars are an insult too?>
<What’s a car?> one of the duplicates asks, raising an eyebrow.
<Nevermind.>
<This place used to be full of people pulling their own rickshaw> the original Kari clarifies.
<I checked the place before you arrived. This is some kind of ghost town> Max reveals.
<It can’t be…this is a big city. There should be thousands of people living here.>
<No really, I didn’t see anybody. Granted, everything was kinda blurry at the speed of light, but…>
<I’m sure it’s nothing, Old Man Vor is probably asleep or something.>
<Didn’t you say thousands of people live here?>
<Yes. Just Old Man Vor. Let’s go find him.>
Two new Kari appear out of thin air. They then split into four, then eight, then sixteen and so on, and in a few seconds there’s a crowd of Karis marching in the streets.
<This place is weird> Max highlights.
Each Kari goes her separate way, creating more duplicates at every street corner. The only way to identify the original is the leather jacket tied around her waist.
<You’re taking my being a goddess awfully well> Vesta notes.
<As long as you’re not one of the evil ones it’s no big deal, really. I know lots of boys who swear they’ve slept with Aphrodite.>
<That is so like my niece.>
<If you don’t mind me asking, how does your power work?> Max asks.
Vesta is slightly relieved: she though he was going to ask how Kari’s clothes duplicate as well.
<Everyone born on Myridia can do it. The Oracles say it’s a miracle by Demeter; Old Man Vor says it’s Drylon technology in the core of the planet.>
<What’s a Drylon?> Max asks.
<You ask the weirdest questions> Kari answers, shaking her head in disapproval.
<Humor us, please> Vesta insists.
<The Drylon ruled the universe before the gods. The gods are fighting over who gets their weapons. Look, there’s Old Man Vor’s home.>
Kari runs towards the house, leaving Vesta and Black behind and confused.
<You never heard of this?> he asks.
<I never heard of anything predating the gods.>
The city is old, but it looks positively ancient by Earth standards. It’s like walking into a Western movie: an endless parade of two-story houses next to a dirty road.
<Can’t believe we’re on another planet. Where’s the flying cars?> Max laments.
Just then, Kari crashes the window on the top floor. Vesta is ready to catch her, but waits when Kari creates a couple of duplicates beneath her.
Kari lands on her exact replicas, who disappear from existence with a loud pop.
A man smashes through the wall like it was nothing, landing like it was the most normal thing to do. As if it couldn’t possibly look more like the Old West, he’s wearing a duster and a hat…both worn out like they made it to hell and back.
<Tell Death if he wants the Old Man, he can come to get him himself.>
<You mean Thanatos? He used to work for my brother!> Vesta says cheerfully.
<You don’t say> the stranger answers. His face is covered by the hat’s shadow, but it’s clear from his voice that he’s smiling.
A dozen swords of red energy appear in front of him. Unaffected by gravity, they shoot out in different directions…even though the stranger hasn’t even touched them.
Vesta avoids the blades flying away. Two duplicates help Kari to jump high above them, but as soon as they’re hit the vanish like soap bubbles.
Max doesn’t need to move. Once he turns his body into light, the blades pass through him without cutting anything.
<Hm. That’s new> the stranger comments, unfazed.
<All right, that’s enough> Vesta intervenes, grappling him from behind. He struggles to get free, but there’s no way he can overmuscle her godly strength.
<I agree> he answers.
Bright red swords materialize on his back, while Vesta is still holding him. The swords cut through flesh and bone, impaling her on the spot.
Max watches as her lifeless body fall to the ground, spilling blood everywhere. Just to be sure, the stranger creates yet another red sword, thrusting the blade directly into her skull.
Max knows he should be something, but this is the first time he’s seen someone he knows murdered in such a brutal yet efficient way. It’s just unreal.
Then the stranger turns towards him, taking off his hat to show what would pass for a common human face, if it weren’t for the red skin.
<Your turn> he says.
Something snaps. Max delivers a massive energy blast; he doesn’t know which kind of energy and frankly doesn’t care right now.
The stranger effortlessly cuts the energy beam in two. The twin blasts miss Old Man Vor’s house entirely, but end up turning half a dozen buildings into rubble.
Even so, the shockwave is enough to shake the house considerably. Old Man Vor loses his balance; if he were a few years younger, he could make a duplicate of himself appear to help him.
Instead, it’s a couple of girls that catch him and help him get on his feet.
<Damn kids> he mumbles, pushing the girls away. The original is right in front of him, arms crossed and tapping her foot nervously.
<Well? Aren’t you gonna say anything?>
<Yes. That jacket’s horrible.>
<Your friend out there is killing my friends, and that’s all you got to say!?>
Vor looks at the girl, stroking his beard. Pink dress, blue eyes, purple hair. Pretty common on Myridia, but she does look familiar.
<I’m Kari! Kari Zel, remember? You saved me from the Harvest!>
<Who’s killing who?> Vor asks, already knowing the answer.
He walks towards the window, where he can see the red skinned stranger deflecting a barrage of lasers with a shield made of swords.
<Oh for the love of…TORN! STOP KILLING MY NEIGHBOURS!!!> the old man shouts.
<Fine> Torn whines, stabbing Max in the chest.
At the very last second, Max turns his torso into electricity; not only the sword hurts him anyway, but to his surprise he finds himself unable to change again.
<This makes far less sense than it should. Hey, come back here! What are you doing!?>
Torn is back to Vesta’s bloody corpse now, kneeling to grab the blade stuck in her head.
<Unkilling her.>
He removes the blade; Vesta opens her eyes. She sits down, examining her current state: her formerly orange tube top is now red with blood, and there’s a hole in her chest where the heart should be.
<Alien ghost towns suck> she says.
Watching the scene from the window, Kari is glad to see her friend is alive. Old Man Vor is unimpressed.
<Hm. Amateurs.>
<You owe me some answers, Old Man! Who’s that guy? Why is he red? Why did he try to kill us!?>
<He’s Torn. He does that.>
<He shoots laser swords with his mind!!!>
<So? We create duplicates at will and your friend over there turns into energy. It’s a weird galaxy.>
<Tell me about it. Is this place safe? Someone must have heard that blast.>
<Don’t worry, the guards of the nearest cities won’t report anything. Being the former Minister of War of Myridia still carries some weight.>
<Speaking of that, I have a favor to ask…>
Just then, Torn’s body smashes through the window. Kari’s first thought is to create a duplicate to push the Old Man out of harm’s way, but she doesn’t need to.
Moving surprisingly fast for a man his age, the Old Man ducks the debris and catches a knife from his nightstand.
When Quantum turns back into flesh and blood, he finds the blade right between his eyes.
<Fight’s over, son. Don’t make me spill blood inside this house. I hate cleaning up the place.>
<I could’ve handled him> Torn says, getting back on his feet. Despite flying through a wall, he’s just fine.
<That’s what they all say> the Old Man answers, turning suddenly to throw the knife at Kari.
One duplicate appears to push her away; another one grabs the weapon in mid-air. All of this happened in less than half a second.
<I see your training style hasn’t changed much> the original Kari says.
<What just happened?> Quantum asks.
<Just a Myridian family reunion> the Old Man smiles.
<I’d hate to see your Thanksgiving…>
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