"Where did you find him? What are these... tentacles doing on him?"
"We have a clue, Lisa. We just found him passed out on the beach with Lynn around some wreckage. We were hoping you could look at him... or something."
"Alright. I'll give him an examination. I'll call you all when it's complete."
"Alright then. See you later, Lisa!"
"Bye Luan."
Lincoln managed to open his eyes, becoming awake for only a few moments to see Lori standing in front of a small brown-haired girl who he assumed to be Lisa. He tried to speak but didn't have the energy to do that. All he could do was observe and listen to their conversation.
"Lisa. We need to talk about something," Lori said.
"Hm? And what would that be, eldest sibling?" Lisa asked back, typing away on her computers.
"Lincoln of course! Or... Are we sure he is Lincoln at this point?"
"State your point already," Lisa said back.
"Don't you see the damn tentacles around him?! How do you think he's doing it? It's protecting him like a shield or some sort of armor while he's asleep!"
"It's simple really. It's magic and he's unconsciously protecting himself while he is asleep. His body must have gone into a defensive state, covering his body with the tentacles that seem to have sprouted from his arms," Lisa simply stated.
"You don't get it, do you? This isn't any normal magic," Lori stated. "This is magic we don't even have the ability to use! Lincoln is using... unnatural magic! Demon magic or something."
"While I may not be an expert in the field of magic due as I am not as gifted in the ways of the dark arts compared to everyone else in the family, I have been able to gather that all magic is different or unique to each person. While yes, anyone can use a simple fire spell as long as they know the exact wording of the spell to activate it, you can develop abilities that are unique to you and you alone." Lisa explained. "Take for instance your ability to manipulate your surroundings with only a punch to the ground. No one else has been able to copy it so far."
"So far? What do you mean by that?" Lori asked, raising her eyebrow in confusion.
"Ah yes. While it hasn't been documented yet, I have a theory that it could be possible to copy techniques special to other people. It could just require lots of training or maybe special circumstances. But I sadly no proof or knowledge to at least experiment with the idea," Lisa simply said.
"And your point is?" Lori asked.
"I'm saying you shouldn't think Lincoln is a mimic just because he has an ability that seems... unnatural compared to your own abilities. These tentacles could just be Lincoln's own set of magic awakening due to the stress put onto his body when Dek attacked him," Lisa said.
"Yes but... Lincoln wasn't able to even use magic back then. We tried to train him but for some reason, his body wasn't able to handle it. We could only get so far to making him shoot out those small projectiles that we use to conserve our energy but even that was a bit taxing on him," Lori replied with a disappointed sigh. "I remember Lynn trying to teach Lincoln a simple fireball spell and Lincoln's whole damn arm almost exploded from the energy used to form it. I don't get how his body wasn't able to handle magic in large amounts. He's human! We can use magic like it's nothing!"
"You are correct. Lincoln was very... different from us. Remember the odd scales on his arms?"
"How could I forget? Those things made Lincoln a prime target for bullies and weirdos in town to accuse Lincoln of being a monster. Thankfully, those scales are gone but I guess these tentacles have replaced them," Lori said.
"Exactly. Those scales caused people to fear Lincoln because they looks odd or unnatural. Fear and Hysteria is a flaw almost everyone in Argana has. May I remind you as to why we live secluded away rather than inside the town?"
"No... No, you don't. Damnit. I'm becoming like the weak-minded civilians in Royal Woods. But still, we need to be on the lookout for these types of things. Especially mimics. May I remind you what happened to some of Lincoln's friends when a mimic took the form of one of their friends and followed them to their home?" Lori asked Lisa, which the small scientist gave a sigh.
"Massacred and eaten by the mimic. I haven't seen Clyde since that incident," Lisa said. "I think he probably moved away."
Lori rolled her eyes and just began to leave the lab, leaving Lisa to her own devices.
"If it makes you feel better, you can tell a mimic is a mimic by the insides of their body. When they take on the shape of a human, their organs and such are very different from a human. I shall be doing a scan of our brother as he sleeps so expect a report once everything is complete," Lisa called out to Lori who gave her the thumbs up before leaving the laboratory.
"Now that she's gone... It's time for your examination, my dear brother."
(It seems suspicions are starting to rise against Lincoln. What will happen next? Who knows at this point but Lincoln's future doesn't seem so safe at this point. Hopefully, he's able to change Lori and Luan's suspicions about him or else things might get a bit dangerous for him.)
