Doubled Pair

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Wyatt Graves

I stand in a vast expanse where grass undulates like waves beneath my feet. No wind stirs the stillness, no celestial bodies grace the sky, yet light permeates this peculiar realm. Here, in this featureless plain, I am alone with my thoughts, engulfed in a serene and unsettling solitude. A moment passes as I simply enjoy the... isolation. Then... it quickly becomes uncomfortable. Some part of me just needs to move to do something.

Taking a step forward, I test the grass with my boot, finding it to be illusory. My foot simply passes right through the blade of grass without any resistance, not even the feeble amount such a plant may have.

This Codex is beyond anything I have ever seen.

There are Colts, there are Claymores, and there are Bulwarks. There are even things that transcend all those, like Lily. Yet, this thing, this Codex, ascends far and above them all.

It is a tiny world.

Not a real one, but a tiny world nonetheless.

I can sense simply from starting the journey that time is adjusted in this world. It feels akin to the hourglass, and I don't think Remington has begun to use... whatever it is that manipulates the passage of time on me.

But... what do I do here?

The instant I have that very thought, words appear in the air before me. They are scrawled using Ether in this illusory realm, but I can read them nonetheless.

Stage One commencing. Stage one preparing. Stage one preparation is complete. User identified. Soul is Dominion-Class. Body is Virtue-Class. Mind is Power-Class. Second user identified. Soul is Virtue-Class. Body is Virtue-Class. Mind is Forerunner-Class.

Stage One tasks.

Perform Single Strand Ether.

Create a skill using Single Strand.

Stage One begin.

I stare at the words for several moments, struggling to comprehend what is happening. Remington didn't speak about any of this? What? Why do I have to create a skill—

The creation of skills demonstrates mastery in the aforementioned Ether manipulation. A firm foundation of Ether is more important than anything else.

The written words practically invade my thoughts, forming just inches from my eyes. Shaking my head, I back up, wiping my head as Blodwyn pipes up. The sheer fact he's in this thing with me is surprising. Though, it shouldn't be. The thing did say it found a second user, and we share blood.

"Can I use this thing as well? It is peculiar. Are all creations like this?"

I shake my head, quickly explaining how this is unlike anything I've ever seen or heard of before. Blodwyn mentally nods before we come to a simple conclusion regarding his participation.

"You can only help me. If we try to do two things at once, it'll be doable at this easy level, but beyond Living Strand, it'll fuck us up. So... should we just practice working together?"

Blodwyn doesn't raise any issues with it, so we quickly demonstrate Single Strand Ether, the now simple act of activating more than one skill of Ether at once. To do the first part of the tasks consumes less than a second, as Arbalest and Breakneck qualify when in tandem.

But then, Blodwyn and I grow lost. What do we do now?

With a hand on my chin we start spitballing ideas.

"Should we just do something simple? I mean, it won't be hard to create a skill that uses it, right? Like... A simple stretch of the skin in different places on the body should suffice."

My partner agrees with my thought, but he believes there is a better course of action.

"Wyatt, if we are to develop new skills, it would be best if they were actually valuable. You possess three Dzils, and we share another one. Should we not try to make another? Or improve one that already exists? Perhaps we could add to Tsavuk? Accretion might be able to add to it."

I scoff at the artifact, finding his suggestion to be grand but impossible. If we could so easily upgrade Dzils, it would be amazing. Yet, Dzils are... they are hard limits. I cannot possibly do anything more with Tsavuk, Painsforge, Excavator, or Shiver. The first is made using both Blodwyn and I, and there is only so much I can do for the skill.

The second, third, and fourth are all things I can't improve. I've tried. They simply don't budge. More Ether? No. I lose control past a certain limit. More efficient? Pah! Not possible. New Ether types? Nope, my brain can't handle it.

A subtle laugh rings out in my head. It is choppy, grainy, and scratched, but it is Blodwyn nonetheless. I glare at the sky, knowing that he will feel it.

"Hey! What the hell is that for?"

My partner drawls out an answer that has me nearly falling to a knee.

"You are not alone. Dzils are the limit of a human's focus. Some are stronger than others due to various human limits, controls, or simple functions, but that is what it boils down to, no? Well... even if you count me as a human... there are two of us. That means..."

We can go further. It's not an incredible amount, but if each of us can control a Dzil, then combine it! Wait...

"Yes. We have already partially done that with Tsavuk. We both leverage a part of the load. But there is only one pure Dzil, being Painsforge. We should make another. Perhaps on a way to manipulate blood?"

I stay utterly quiet as my preconceptions on Ether are shattered by Blodwyn. I always forget. He is a whole other person with me. We can do everything together. Not just that, but he's an Arca, meaning he has far more instinctual knowledge of Ether than I do.

My silence, however, seems to damage Blodwyn's confidence as he slows down his words. I don't let him think that he's wrong for even an extra second.

"... Pardon me if I'm being presumptuous, but wouldn't that would be the best combination? We can work on it together and split the focus as needed. I'm sorry if its—"

"Yes! That is genius, Blodwyn! We could each sustain the pressure of Painsforge and this new one, but on the way there, just as we did toward mastering Accretion Ether, we can split the load."

A smile breaks onto my face as I let Blodwyn take control of our head, the grin infectious onto my joy as well. We often share the body, but I rarely just let him take full control. Still... since this is his path, his Dzil that we are looking to learn, as Tsavuk is a Dzil-and-a-half with Painsforge, I relinquish it all.

"This time, buddy, you lead. Take it away. A blood skill it is. Just guide me. I'll do what I can to help."

Our body in this illusory realm takes a single step forward, and I can practically feel the exuberance from Blodwyn. And his happiness is mine.

Together, we split our focus, one of us taking a vein and the other an artery as we manually increase the flow using Ether. Blodwyn guides me through how to do it best just as we contemplate the skill we want to me.

"Ideally, I'd rather use Accretion than settle just for Living Strand as we both can use it. According to Aniwye and Lily, it's a supremely rare circumstance, one that we should take advantage of."

I agree with Blodwyn again and again, and as his ideas grow, so does a confidence I didn't know he had.

"Yeah, that should work, but that means we have to start in such a way that will end with that. How will Accretion work for the whole body? It sounds dangerous."

A few minutes pass before we finish the first task, and the scenery shifts once more, delivering us onto a river bed. There is no confirmation text or anything; we are simply moved without our will. Only after arrival do more words appear.

Skill created: Heightened Bloodflow———Used to slightly increase the flow of blood with two synergistic skills within. Likely has benefits for rest, regeneration, strength, speed, and power. Negatives likely include increased appetite and exhaustion. Note: Investigations into skills are not perfect and are made via the creator's judgment and split-soul.

Stage One complete. Stage Two commencing. Stage Two preparing. Stage Two preparation is complete.

Stage Two tasks.

Perform Many Strand Ether.

Create a skill using Many Strand.

Stage Two begin.

Blodwyn beams with even more delight than before as we succeed in the first stage. The skill we created is something he's done on his own since he was a mindless artifact. The difference now, however, is that we are doing it together, purposely, and splitting the effort in half.

As such, this thing likely sees it as a new skill.

Yet, now is not the time to start. We continue. Time hardly seems to exist as Blodwyn leads our efforts. Many Strand Ether involves using multiple flows of Ether on the same effort in the same place. As such, our workload increases by moving the blood in our body.

As we do so, though, we realize something.

"Are we affecting our body? Or is what we are doing limited to this realm?"

Neither Blodwyn nor I know, but an answer quickly appears during our practice.

All manipulations done within the confines of the Codex cannot hurt the user unless it affects the mind or the soul. Bodily functions are spared as the form you see is an illusory copy of your own.

The guarantee that whatever we do won't affect our body only emboldens us. After all, even without that thought, we were still risking injury by contorting the blood in our body. Now, though?

Progress is rapid despite any failure. Perhaps that is this Codex's most significant advantage.

Skill created: Amplified Bloodflow———Used to increase the flow of blood. Likely has considerable benefits for rest, regeneration, strength, speed, and power. Negatives likely include increased appetite and exhaustion. Sustained use can lead to internal damage.

Stage Three tasks.

Perform Braided Strand Ether.

Create a skill using Braided Strand.

I skip reading everything else other than to confirm our tasks and the new skill we just coalesced. Spending no time to convalesce as we appear on a hilltop looking at that river from before, we continue onward to use Braided Ether.

This is when we reach our first bottleneck. Blodwyn admits something I wasn't expecting to hear.

"I have never used this on your blood before. It just seems... infinitely more dangerous than the others."

I nod. He's right. Braiding my veins is a no-go. But could we try to braid the blood flow within them strictly? Only... we'd have to somehow ensure that it doesn't just burst open the veins. My ideas are quickly demonstrated to Blodwyn, and he slowly nods.

"It's not impossible. Just the strain... it would be intense. And we're only at the third manipulation..."

I wave his worry. If it's just a strain, we can acclimate. Plus, we won't have to worry about it here. Blodwyn still holds some doubts, but as we get into making the skill, twisting the flowing blood to increase its speed and density, he finds his groove.

In fact, he enjoys it so much that we finish in under an hour. The other two took twice that each.

Skill created: Twisted Bloodflow———Used to massively increase the flow of blood and its viscosity. Has massive benefits for strength, speed, and power. Negatives include vastly increased appetite and rapid exhaustion. Short-term use only is recommended, or use can lead to grave internal damage. Any open wound will lead to massive blood loss.

Stage Four tasks.

Perform Steel Strand Ether.

Create a skill using Steel Strand.

Our progress continues without much pause. The more we work together, the more we enjoy it, and within several hours, we find ourselves before Willful Strand already.

Skill created: Looped Circuit———Increases bloodflow, density, quality, and lifeforce to an incredible degree. Has the power to turn an ordinary man into a threat for any mortal. Negatives include internal damage upon every use and extreme exhaustion. Only use this skill if your body meets the Power-Class. Otherwise, death is likely.

Stage Six tasks.

Perform Willful Strand Ether.

Create a skill using Willful Strand.

Blodwyn punches the air as we manage to elevate the skill once more. Only... it's becoming more and more dangerous than even Pautuhm, though that also reinforces my body with bone.

"Yeah! Another one! We did it!"

"Of course we did. Onto the next. Are you sure you want to stop at Accretion, too? I mean, we're here for Bestowing Strand, right? No, more than that. We gotta learn Solid, too, or we'll never see my father."

Blodwyn falls silent for minutes as we sit on the top of this mountain the Codex has slapped us onto. I allow him time to think as I consider what I could do with Bestowing Strand and, potentially, Solid Ether.

The former allows for an even greater reach of Ether compared to Willful Strand, but also allows one to imbue Ether into objects without it. Now that I think about it, this Codex is likely the most grand version of Bestowing Strand ever used. Solid Ether, however, like Plasmic, has a variety of forms.

Ice, Wood, Stone, and Ceramic are the most common ones. The only one that I know in depth about is Marshall's, which was Stone. It increased the durability, length, and strength of single skills while making it harder to use multiple at once.

It's a large reason why his Painsforge was so above and beyond everyone else's. He used Stone Ether within it while sacrificing other Ether types so as to not overwhelm his focus. For me, however... I'll do the same if I manifest Stone Ether. Otherwise, I'll have to find another path to improve that Dzil toward a Sirza.

Blodwyn finally sparks back up after his deliberation.

"I think... I think we... I think we push for it. Together, we can likely handle eight types at once. Though, Painsforge and this... thing might be stronger together than if we both focus on it with the eighth."

I nod, understanding what he means. Just for clarification, though, I add another part.

"Right. So, will we figure out a way to add it but save it for future development? I'm with you that I doubt it'll be more efficient than the boost from Painsforge."

My partner stands, stretching our illusory limbs and removing the relaxation from our tendons. He bounces from foot to foot, testing the motion as he gives me a finality.

"Of course. Can't you see the future? We will need a Sirza eventually. Dominions can only be countered by another Dominion or a Sirza, or a finely crafted plan to isolate their weaknesses. And even then... some are beyond Dominions. We both saw Vincent. I think we aim to combine Painsforge and this new one eventually. At that point... I think it'll be a Sirza. Maybe. Maybe not."

Our talk ends as I find myself imagining the raw power it would provide. If I were in control of the body, I'd be grinning at the prospect of what is to come. Since I'm not, though, I place my attention towards developing more.

Skill created: Wretched Blood———A whole-body enhancement created by amplifying the blood in the body by every metric. Allows for a Mortal to forcibly reach Power-Class physical strength and Forerunner-Class speed. Negatives include endless appetite and immediate exhaustion. Use by any other than Power-Class bodies should be limited to less than a second, or use can lead to death.

Stage Seven tasks.

Perform Living Strand Ether.

Create a skill using Living Strand.

Perform any type of Plasmic Ether.

Add the Plasmic Ether to the aforementioned skill.

We don't stop at Willful Strand, even if the tasks have doubled. Things have just become more complicated now. After all, we haven't completely mastered Accretion, plus this is beginning to be incredibly difficult to manage.

I have no clue how many hours or days have passed since we began. However, Blodwyn and I have an idea based on what happened to the Darklight within Bonfire's body. It'd be absurdly idiotic to even attempt anywhere but inside this Codex.

Even still, it probably won't work.

Yet, we want to try to make it work.

Ether builds inside our chest, the depths of our heart. Blodwyn kneels, placing a hand upon the ground for balance as our blood increases to an insane rate, not even by virtue of our heart. We don't want to use Painsforge at all. Painsforge, while synergistic, wastes some of the energy from the blood. It's not perfect to meld, at least not yet.

What we are about to do is to work toward that as a goal.

The cavity in my chest swiftly grows painful, even in the Codex, as the Ether swirls dangerously. All the blood is still being manipulated, twisted, energized, and enhanced. Still, the heart is being ripped apart by a growing Accretion.

Nevertheless, Blodwyn holds the heart in one piece while also building the Accretion. If this were in our real body, it'd be risking his life, but we're not in our body. Furthermore, once we realize the skill, we can move it to the space besides the heart, which is less dangerous and allows for Painsforge to operate simultaneously. For now, however... we need every advantage possible for this to work.

I take hold of all the blood, keeping the first six manipulations running at full force, the strain leaving my head with a piercing round of pain. Still, Blodwyn is under just as much pressure.

Still, with only a few seconds of the Accretion, the blood in our body is going haywire, rushing toward the chest. Even our arteries are working backward, failing to pump accurately.

My partner is both the center of the Accretion and the origin of it. I watch as Blodwyn gradually regulates the Plasmic Ether, having the Accretion pull only blood from the veins within the heart. It is a subtle change, but it makes a world of difference.

The instant he makes the arteries no longer experience the pull, blood from our veins surges into the heart. And there, they twist, churn, and grow in quality. I watch as the blood darkens to a midnight crimson.

I cannot fathom how the Codex is able to create an illusion such as this. No. It cannot be an illusion at this point. Remington... I think I know what he is doing. Is he making some kind of copy of me? That has to be it. No illusion can possibly be this real.

No matter how it is done, the rush of energy from Blodwyn's efforts as the heart strenuously beats once fills me with ecstasy. However, the power lingers for only a moment as the blood is quickly siphoned back to the Accretion. Still... words, mimicking my thoughts, form in front of me as we appear in a snowy tundra, surrounded by tall, thin, and gangly trees. Short, exasperated breaths, leave our lungs as we reach for energy.

Dzil created: Blood Nexus———A singularity for blood. Each beat of the singularity delivers the equivalent strength that a Power-Class body can exude with all its might. Warning: This is highly dangerous. Virtue-Class body is recommended for even short-term use, or death may be instantaneous.

Stage Eight tasks.

Perform Bestowing Strand Ether.

Create a skill using Bestowing Strand.

Perform any type of Solid Ether.

Add the Solid Ether to the aforementioned skill.

Together, we lean back, feeling snow fall onto our body as we stare at the sky. We take partial control of the body, each of us having half split vertically. It feels weird, but it feels right with us sharing such a skill.

The peculiarity of the snow touching us only lasted for a second as we both laughed aloud, the chuckle shared between us.

Another Dzil, huh? Tsavuk doesn't really count as a Dzil, to be honest, as it is just a deviation from Painsforge with Blodwyn's help. It's beyond powerful, but that's because it leverages Painsforge. But this? Woah...

Another heartbeat resounds, the sheer rush of the blood's warmth melting the snow around us. My skin heats up to a dangerous level, and bulges begin to appear around my body. The pressure of the Blood Nexus is enough to kill nearly everyone I know.

It's something alright.