Dove opened his eyes. It was dark. An oblong sphere of blackness, defining the walls of this prison. There before him was him. An identical him. A perfect copy. As if he was staring into a mirror.
"Who are you?"
"You."
"You're different."
"I know."
"What happened?"
"I don't know," blinked Dove. "What happened to you?"
Dove blinked. "I don't remember." Dove felt a viscous liquid begin filling up his space, pooling around his ankles, sticking like glue.
"Whatever happened, it looks like you could use some help."
Hands reached for reached hands. "Thank you. What do I do?"
"Do I do what?"
Dove stared at the mirror for a moment. For a moment, the mirror stared at Dove. "We aren't the same anymore."
"We aren't the same anymore."
"I'm not the same person I was."
"You are not the same person you thought you were."
"Are you really me?"
"Yes. At least I was."
"I thought you didn't know."
"I thought you knew."
"What do you mean?"
"She knows."
"Who is she?" The liquid sloshed around their shins. "What does she know?"
"With her, you end. Without her, you disappear."
"Why don't you just tell it to me straight."
"Straight me to it, tell just you. Don't. Why."
"You're not even being a proper reflection anymore. Why even bother!"
"Because it's the only way you can make sense of this."
And with that, the goop stopped at knee level, and he disappeared.
His eyes flickered open. A quiet exhale drifted from his face. Things had definitely changed. Phil was dealing with something concerning with Penny. While he could ask, he felt that it wasn't his place. He flexed his aura. Something was still off. Meeting himself was bizarre. Even if his bits had been a bit shaken, it was surreal. He felt his aura concentrate around his eyes, and the world entered a new hue of emotions: anger, sadness, guilt, pain. His semblance. What was his own name? Was his name Dove? He stared down at his hands. How many people did he kill? Did he feel regret? Was he human? What defines a human? Species? He stared down into the water. His face stared back. His metallic face.
