CyberTech Worlds Clash

Chapter LIV

Remedy of the Heart

Valkyrie Cain felt like crap. Not that HE should feel amazing. Never let a twelve-year-old choose their own name, especially in a life-or-death situation, or he'll give himself a girlish name. Who knew that the Valkyrie who brought dead heroes to Valhalla to wait for Ragnarök were all women? Well, apparently everyone but him. Luckily Vale was kind of not as girly, and he figure that it wasn't uncommon for someone to take the first three letters, and the last letter of their name to create a less girly nickname, right? Therefore, Valkyrie Cain tried his hardest to make people believe that he sealed his given name with Vale Cain, and even tried saying he said Valhalla a few times, but nobody bought it.

Anyway, Vale was too depressed with feeling like crap to care too much about his name. He didn't have to feel like crap of course, but discovering you were likely going to destroy the world could put a guy in a bad position where feeling good in any way shape or form was not something he could quite stomach easily.

He could still smile, pull out the sarcasm and all that, but left to his own thoughts he annoyingly wallowed too much, but magic really liked to fuck with his head. He had done some pretty messed up things, and even fought some ancient faceless gods of some kind that were sealed away in another universe, but he shuddered at what he had to do next. It had taken a lot of effort on his part to find someone capable of doing what he needed done, and he already felt sick just thinking about it.

Valkyrie looked to his reflection. The annoying reflection (of him – her?). It was certainly screwed up, after it died – it didn't work right after Vale used it as a decoy, so that it could die and not him. It was just a magical reflection, and everybody had one, and normally after they die; they're gone forever, but Vale had to be a bit stupid and took it back to the mirror. The first time Vale saw his reflection again it looked wrong; dead. However, he blinked that away as the reflection exited the mirror and it looked kind of softer somehow, and he hadn't thought much on that until he realised his reflection was female. Vale didn't tell anyone else in case they said the reflection was dangerous and needed to be disposed of, and that would dampen Vale's adventuring with Skulduggery.

Yeah, Vale was certain his reflection was broken, and maybe even messed up in the head. The thing was hiding things from him. It had just stepped out of the mirror to take Vale's place with her parents so Vale could leave the house with no one the wiser. It would have to pretend to be a boy, but the thing did have Vale's memories, and was just supposed to be a puppet, so no big deal, right?

At barely fifteen, Vale was rather tall, but when he looked at his reflection, she was a little shorter than him, maybe tall for a girl, but no one ever notice, like she was a ghost. Vale had always been more on the adverse side of getting his dark hair cut, so it was fairly long down the sides of his face, and tied back from his eyes, and that was actually mirrored on his reflection like it should have been. Vale had always had some softer features than most of the boys he knew, but looking at his reflection was kind of odd to see that it was added to by ten, and yet no one seemed to notice. He didn't get it, but it was obviously some kind of magic screwing with him.

Vale and his female counterpart glared at each other with angry brown eyes, as they looked each other over. Annoyingly, Vale thought that his reflection was pretty. He wondered whether there was a name for someone who was attracted to their shadow, or whether he was just going insane, and needed a girlfriend. Though, Vale might have been more into his reflection if he hadn't been having nightmares and a little trouble sleeping as they both had dark circles around their eyes and looked a little too dead on her feet, even more so than him.

Vale was so fed up with so-many weirdo magical things out to get him that he wasn't even sure he cared about what his reflection was keeping from him any-more. Vale's reflection had never once tried to kill him yet, and he was certain she could leave the mirror anytime she wanted. He wasn't even sure it needed the mirror at all. It was creepy to think about, but did it even matter? If something happened to Vale… if this thing was really alive or something like that; it; this reflection; this shadow of his self would stay – and keep Vale's life. Hopefully if that did happen, no one would ever need know that Valkyrie Cain – or Steven Edgley (his given name) was gone.

"I'm going out," Vale said to his reflection as he started stripping out of his shorts and tee that he slept in and turning from his reflection as he didn't want to get hard or something embarrassing like that as she copied suit to get ready. "You have to get ready for school," he added while topless to see his reflection already stripped and Vale paused with a gulp as he checked out his reflections nude body.

The reflection was slim with some nice tits. They weren't very big, but Vale liked them; they were plenty big enough for his liking. Vale's reflection had some dark hairs between her legs, and smooth everywhere else; her muscles taught and strong curving down to her firm arse.

"Are you going to molest me?" Vale's reflection asked suddenly as she stood straight, totally nude and unashamed, and almost robotic, but there was a strange glint in her eyes like she was teasing him.

Vale started as he quickly turned away, embarrassed and weirded out, thinking weird things about his reflection was wrong, wasn't it?

"No. Of course not," Vale finally replied coldly as his cheeks lit up red. "And even if I wanted to do something like that. Your body… its mine. You belong to me. You're nothing but my property. I can touch you wherever I want and whenever I want."

Surprisingly the reflection smiled a little as Vale peaked over his shoulder. "Of course. I do know you," she replied. "You've thought about it. Quite a lot. And I'm you. So, I suppose I've thought about it too. But that is rather egotistical of you to fancy yourself so much you want to… literally fuck yourself, whether I have a female body or not. That is weird that you want to take your own virginity."

Vale grit his teeth in anger. "Just shut up!" he hissed through his teeth, which caused his Irish accent to thicken slightly as he had to concentrate on non-sexy things. "I'm-I'm not like that, I won't, and wouldn't… j-just get dressed," he said as he quickly dropped his shorts and quickly pulled on some tight black elasticated boxers that bulged at the front before he pulled on his socks followed by black armoured trousers, tunic, and leather coat that hung to his knees while the Reflection pulled on her underwear and school uniform.

"Do you think the sensitives not being able to see the future like before means we lose?" the reflection asked, once again startling Vale. But at least the reflection was fully dressed when Vale turned back towards her, frowning. "What if you're going to go through with this only for it to be a waste of time?"

"I-I have to try," Vale replied while shrugging. "Darquesse… no… I won't let it out. I'll stop her before she can do anything. Whatever is wrong with the sensitives is likely someone else's ridiculous evil plot. Maybe that prick, Voldemort is up to something since he hasn't done too much since some piece of crap resurrected him, but I doubt its Darquesse… and why… why the hell are you and she both girls?!"

Vale's reflection only smirked, "maybe because you're just that pathetic that you can't find a girlfriend, so you have to change our form," she said with a somewhat amused smile as she gave Vale a wink while he was blushing and looking frustrated and angry because he half believed that was the truth. "Though, thinking on that, maybe you could make Darquesse fall in love with you," she suddenly added with a whimsical nonchalance. "After all; she is you… kinda; and you already love yourself, so why wouldn't she be the same," she said making a gestured movement with her hand wrapped around something invisible and pumping it slowly and with a smirk growing on her lips.

Vale glared while his cheeks brightened impossibly before he realised punching his reflection wouldn't do anything, but make him feel worse than ever, so sighed tiredly while closing his eyes to take a few deep calming breaths.

"Are you trying to provoke me into hitting you or something?" Vale demanded uncomfortably.

"You would enjoy that though, wouldn't you?" the reflection asked. "Would you pull my undies down, and slap my bare arse? Then once you're done, pound me silly, and fill me up?" she said with a cold shrug. "You've heard them right. Vale Cain, gay for the Skeleton Detective; that's why he always turns down every girl he meets, even turned down other boys like Fletcher and that vampire that wanted to give you one. Nah, you're not gay; that's why I exist, and probably why Darquesse exists. You're too fascinated with yourself, who you are, and what you can do! You're narcissistic, and selfish. You want someone to keep you warm, to make you happy, but you hate the world around you. You want so desperately to find someone who shares your traits so you forget to shop around and see whether you could compromise here and there, and get to know anyone who doesn't immediately interest you, magic or otherwise. You're doomed to die a lonely lost life, Vale… you were brought into this world, and from an outside perspective it's amazing… but you can't have me or Darquesse because WE are you!"

Vale moved fast. He grabbed his reflection by the throat and pushed her up against the closed bedroom door. "Shut up," Vale hissed coldly as his eyes watered and he held back from breaking apart, and for a moment; for the first time; he saw fear in his reflection's expression.

Loosening his grip, Vale was surprised and confused. His reflection shouldn't be able to fear him. Shouldn't be able to talk back or push his buttons. The reflection shouldn't be able to piss him off like only he, or in this case she could. It should be a puppet to take orders and obey, lifeless, and emotionless. Then, it shouldn't take this female form either.

Vale hesitated for a moment too long wondering whether it was possible that his reflection really wasn't normal any more. After his reflection was shot and died, and brought back; it went wrong, and Vale saw too late as he looked into 'its' eyes that it was alive and had freewill.

He got her answer when he got her left fist to his face. Vale's reflection punched him in the face and he stumbled backwards, as his lip split as he crashed into his wardrobe, shattering the mirror and tasting blood. The glass pieces fell down around them and the reflection jumped on top of Vale and started laying in blows on him while he only blocked as he saw the rage and anger as tears fell from his reflection's eyes.

"Bastard!" the reflection roared out as she lay down blow after blow on Vale's arms where she just hit his armoured coat sleeves before she just stopped, slumping to sit on Vale's lap and wiping tears away before she faded away into nothing and was suddenly sitting on the bed. "I want my life to mean something too," she said as she wiped her eyes again while Vale sat up on the broken pieces of glass, but his armoured outfit kept him from getting cut up. "You get to go out and have a life, while me…? I have to worry every damn time you don't get home on time because you might be dead or something. Do you know why I have to hide my memories?" she asked and he shook his head in shock. "Because I know what an arsehole we are."

"Now what?" Vale asked with a sad sigh.

"I-I-I want to live," the reflection suddenly stuttered out as she looked at the shattered glass as seeing herself reflected in the pieces, she looked so lost.

Vale's eyes softened as he looked at his reflection's expression. "So do I," he replied. "I'm scared she'll completely take over. But even more. I'm scared I'll like it. That I won't fight. That..."

"Don't be silly. You are not alone," the reflection said softly. "I know who I am. I am Mira Cain. I'm the little sister my Big Brother, Vale perves over, but don't worry, he's not very bright and took a girly name," she said with a small smile. "But he is really cute," she said while blushing a little.

"I'll have you know that I am not cute," Vale said in all seriousness before he offered a smile. "I'm absolutely raveningly handsome."

"Well, since you're going to deal with your issue today," Mira said with a weighing of her hands as she stood and helped him up. "I think I'll let you have that victory," she said as she slipped into his arms and he held her. "Just – just come back home safely, and with everything sorted, and our evil sister vanquished or turned good at least."

"Will try my best," he agreed pulling from the hug. "But… have you got teleportation powers?"

Mira shook her head. "Nah., I call it flickering. I can only flicker short distances, but I can flicker things to me and away from me as long as I can see them or they're really close. I don't know why no one can tell I'm a girl, but it could be an aspect of my magic that I have yet to discover."

"Heh," Vale muttered in surprise. "That's rather strange, but sounds pretty useful, but have you tried necromancy or elemental magic?"

"Yeah," she agreed sheepishly. "Well, elemental magic. I can kind of do it, but it feels wrong, so I think I'll stick to my flickering."

"Good idea," he agreed with a tired sigh and felt like he had sighed enough for a whole army in the past twenty or so minutes. "Just, P-protect our… protect our family, when I can't," Vale said after a few minutes thought. "Go to school and do all the boring mortal stuff, and look out for any douchebags, but for all I know is magical's might be able to see what you really look like and leave you alone as I kept Skulduggery from seeing you after this, so who knows?"

Mira didn't have a chance to reply as they heard their mother calling Vale – well them – well Mira. "You better get your book-bag and coat before you're late; it looks kind of cold out today," Vale said while looking out of the window as it was cloudy and grey and looked like it was going to rain.

"Yeah," Mira said as she looked out of the window too. "So… I have the boring life and you get to be the super handsome Detective Valkyrie Cain!?"

"You didn't have to put my first name," Vale agreed as he turned back to Mira as she was pulling on her coat and fetched her book-bag. "I wouldn't say no to a few boring days of no one trying to kill me or take over the world or something equally ridiculous."

"Okay," Mira agreed while rolling her eyes. "Thanks," she added as she hugged onto Vale. It felt strange for a moment before Vale hugged back and it just fit.

They pulled back from their hug before Mira smirked and quickly gave Vale a kiss on the cheek. "Call me if you need anything," she said with a wink as she opened the bedroom door. "And I'll take care of our family… so don't worry."

Vale smiled slightly as Mira closed the door behind her. Sighing Vale looked around at the mess and thought about leaving it for Mira to clean up, but Vale knew he kind of started it, and he didn't need their mother coming in while Mira was at school, and getting them into trouble. Anyway, he apparently had a twin sister now, so he should probably see a therapist sometime in the future. However, Vale shrugged as he spent several minutes clearing away the glass and putting it in the bin before leaving a post-it note on the wardrobe for Mira to vacuum once she got home.

Shaking his head, Vale pulled a cold black ring from his pocket and placed it onto his left-third finger. He felt the cold surge of power curl around his hand for a moment as black energy; shadows pooled around the room, growing thicker for a few moments before it pulled back and everything seemed normal again as the full light returned.

Vale frowned as he felt like he was forgetting something as he pulled on his black leather boots. He caught himself before he jumped out of the window as he pulled out his phone and quickly called for a taxi to meet him a few streets away before he placed his phone away, and shrugged as he slipped the window open, and slid out onto the window ledge before he closed and locked the window before jumping towards the ground with a quick sweeping push of his hands, the wind blast up with interconnected particles, and he slowed to a stop just before his feet hit the ground.

It felt like forever when Vale got to Dublin, and he checked and rechecked the address he had marked in his phone with a phone number. He looked at the old ran down block of flats after paying the taxi driver and watching it leave. He wasn't in the best part of the city but it was drizzling so no one sensible was outside as it was certainly going to start pouring soon.

Moving to the main door, Vale couldn't find the buzzer and frowned when suddenly he heard a soft hum and click and pulled the door open looking around, he couldn't see any cameras, so shrugged and figured it was something magical, which would make sense if magical's lived in the building, and he knew they liked to make things seem uninviting to keep the mortals away, as it was apparently cheaper than huge elaborate wards like some places had.

Vale could sense the soft pressure of a ward, nothing huge, probably just to stop teleporters or whatever other threats they might know about that Vale didn't. Shaking his head clear, Vale let the door close behind him and moved through the building, checking doors, his destination must have been on the top floor he groaned before he made his way up getting more nervous by the second.

Taking a deep breath, Vale stood before flat twenty-seven. He rose his right hand and took another deep breath, and then another. He didn't even know who he was meeting. He just knew that he was meeting a doctor – or healer – or magical scientist like Kenspeckle had been before he died. He was a good man, and looked out for Vale, and treated him like he was his grumpy old grandpa or something. He had never even spoken with this person, and they contacted him as they must have heard about his search – news travelled through the seedy side of magic, so Vale only hoped Skulduggery didn't find out until it was too late.

"Are you broken or something?"

Vale started as he realised the door had been opened by a girl? A young woman? She just about came near to his shoulders in height. She had a cuteness to her as she had a cheeky smirking-grin on her lips. She was pale like milk and her left eye was a brilliant green with a hue of red bleeding out into the white, while her right eye was pitch black with some scarring around it. Her hair was as white as snow, and was cut short but messed into downward spikes over her small ears and forehead, and cut shorter at the back, and her eyebrows and eyelashes were just as white giving the girl a somewhat fairy like quality to her appearance.

"So, you're Valkyrie Cain?" she asked in amusement but didn't wait for Vale's nod before continuing. "They should really think about hiring some pixies or something to help stop little boys and girls giving themselves silly names, so I'll just call you Vale for short, right?" she asked surprising him she knew that much about him. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Vale. I am Remedy White," she said while offering her left hand.

Vale was nervous. Remedy was wearing clean blue short-sleeve scrubs and really looked ready to cut him open that were somewhat baggy on her, so he couldn't quite appraise her fully, but could tell she was slim and had an athletic build. However, Vale gulped as he was regretting any and everything now, but managed to shake her hand as it, along with her arm disappearing into her sleeve was made out of white metal, and looked like something you would see in a cyberpunk sci-fi film set a few hundred years into the future. The hand felt solid and surprisingly warm, and had nails matching her real hand on the right.

"C-can… you do what I need?" Vale asked nervously.

Remedy chuckled as she turned from him after letting his hand go, and gestured for him to follow. He did, but started as the door closed shut behind him and he turned, confused as the inside of the door was a varnished wood, and turning back he was in what seemed to be an endless cottage of wood with no windows, but it had other doors leading off and stairs leading up either side as the corridor was rather wide.

"Healing is my specialty," Remedy said with a shrug as she waited for him outside one of the doors, and when he reached her, she led him inside, and they came into a room with a gurney in the centre. The room was clean and had a disabled size toilet with shower to one side, and it all looked like it should have been in a hospital, even down to all of the equipment, and the whole room itself, but there was another door, leading on.

"So, we do this here?" Vale asked worriedly.

Remedy shook her head laughing at him. "No. Through here," she gestured the other door, "is a prepped operating theatre.

"W-wait, now?" he asked in worry while she shrugged and nodded while looking much too eager to get hold of him for his liking. "But we haven't discussed payment yet, and-and, how old are you? Are you old enough to perform this kind of magic?"

"It is what I do," Remedy agreed while shrugging. "And wow, just remembered I'll be eighteen in about seven months… time flies when you don't care, right?" she asked while Vale felt like he should probably flee but where else would he go? "Anyway, payment? Hmm… I never thought about it. I know. You can buy me dinner after. There is this amazing steakhouse in… or, I know this great Italian place… they make some amazing pasta dishes."

"Are you okay in the head?" Vale had to ask and received a confused look. "I mean, you said I can pay you performing surgery on me and putting a rune on my heart with dinner."

"But I'll enjoy that," Remedy said while shrugging. "Now, get naked and in the next room and on the table, and we'll get this done."

"Erm, don't you need this?" Vale asked as he pulled a slip of old parchment from his pocket and showed it to her.

Remedy rolled her eyes and took it from him before throwing it into the bin in the corner. "Why would someone waste a perfectly good book? That was only one page of three I would need, but I have the book and I've done this before."

"Oh," he said as he paled while she looked him over, amused.

"I know what you are, Mr. Cain, and I don't care," Remedy said to his shock. "I have no interest in saving the world, but I do have an interest in saving a tasty looking boy like you. Apparently, I'm a freak, and most boys have no interest in getting to see that I'm a great gal… well, according to me, but ask mum and dad and they'll tell you how I'm not worth anything… but I stopped caring what they think a long time ago, come on, strip."

"Err," Vale gulped and cursed himself as he couldn't run away now. "Everything?" he asked slowly.

"Yes, everything, even the ring," she replied while rolling her eyes. "I have a computer and a phone. I can see as many naked people of all shapes and sizes I want, so stop being such a baby and hurry up. Also," she said pointing to her black coloured eye. "Artificial eyes can see through layers of anything, I can see your dick any time I want."

"Wait, what, really?" he asked covering his crotch with his hands.

Remedy laughed while shaking her head. "It can make out shapes from the flow of your body's natural energies, so, kinda, but no, sadly magic has its limits, but I'm working on it," she said giving Vale a wink with her green eye and walking through to the next room. "Don't take too long, Vale, or I will come back there and strip you myself."

It took Vale a few moments to start stripping as he had come so far. He stopped at his boxers and looked over to a mirror on the wall and looked himself over. His skin was a light tone with a slight tan colour to it, and his muscles were slight in their definition, tight and athletic and lean, but strong. He was smooth all over which was embarrassing, but he told himself Remedy was a doctor, so this was all grand. He pulled his boxers off and left them with the rest of his clothes and looked himself over. He wasn't small he would say, but he wasn't massive, and it did get much bigger, but he had to not think those things as that would be humiliating getting hard around his seventeen-year-old healer who was really cute even with the scar, robot arm and eye, maybe more so because of them.

Taking a few embarrassed deep breaths, Vale cupped over his penis and balls to try being somewhat modest, and walked into the operating theatre where Remedy stood by a table in the centre of the bright room. He felt humiliated as Remedy's eyes roamed over him as he stopped before her.

Remedy smirked and patted the table. Vale managed to slide up without flashing Remedy his penis, but he felt really silly and had to concentrate on silly things like bugs as his pride would not live down getting a hard-on like this. Remedy helped him lie down, and then, suddenly, Vale felt like he had no control over his body as his hands slipped away from his package to lay beside him. Vale panicked slightly more as his cheeks flamed up, but Remedy wasn't interested in staring even though she did peek for too long.

"You're okay, Vale," Remedy said softly as her right hand stroked over his abs and up to his chest where it rested, and he felt some pulses caress through his body and made him feel strange, as he could feel, but not at the same time. "I've made your senses numb to pain, but don't get the wrong idea. This will hurt, and you will feel everything, but you just won't notice. You have to be conscious and aware for the magic within the rune I am going to engrave onto your heart to work."

"Oh, god," he mumbled.

Remedy gave him a reassuring smile as she stroked her robotic hand, her fingers through Vale's hair. "I took my own left arm off, and then my right leg, and my right eye out, and performed surgery to replace them… then in my own paranoia, I did to myself what I am about to do to you."

"Why?" Vale asked as he looked at her in curiosity. "What happened to you?"

Remedy shrugged as she stroked Vale's cheeks, and ran her right thumb over his lips absentmindedly sealing the slight cut on his lip, as she thought about the questions. "My brother… my twin brother was attacked when we were three by one of Voldemort's free Death Eaters after Voldemort disappeared. My dad picked me up by my hair and threw me in between my brother and the corrosive magic heading his way. I only survived because I was destined for the life of a healer I suppose, but I lost the sight in my right eye, and my right leg and left arm were crippled. Sorcerers are considered adults when they reach seventeen, so they kicked me out now, but I don't care. They were rich and I've been skimming from their accounts for years now, so I'll be okay…"

"Oh," Vale said gently. "Skulduggery told me that some older families can be like that. He didn't say they could be such filthy arseholes, just hands-off with certain kids… especially the younger one's or girls as they want boys to pass on the family name."

Remedy smiled and shrugged. "Yeah, well… twatwaffles will probably have karma come along and destroy their lives if or when my idiot brother eventually grows some balls and leaves them. He… kind of realised that mum and dad were full of shit when I saved his friends life a few years ago. She had been pierced by a rusty pipe, and… well, enough of my storytelling, as I have a job to do – we can speak once I'm done and you're clean and rested."

"R-Remedy!" Vale said nervously gaining her attention. "I'm kinda scared."

Remedy shook her head and leaned down with her lips near his and she blew on his lips and he felt relaxed and didn't know why as Remedy stood up straight. "I'm like a drug, right?" she asked sweetly and suddenly, Vale gulped.

Vale felt it, the slice through his chest and down to his navel. He looked down to see a thin red line trailing down his body leaking blood. Remedy's fingertips were just above Vale's bellybutton when she followed the line of her previous cut, and Vale grit his teeth as he felt the cut, the vibrations running through his bone, and she finished at the top of his chest.

"That felt bad, right?" Remedy asked while he could only stare at her as he didn't want to see anymore. "This next part is going to feel much worse… but I will look after you, okay?" she asked but didn't wait for an answer as she leaned over him and gently blew onto Vale's lips, and he felt it this time, it was cool and numbing, making him feel less sick; her breath was kind of minty too.

It felt tight and was worse in that Vale could hear the straining of bone as he watched Remedy as she held her right hand over his chest with a wash of white swimming from her hand and down a vacuum of light, which was pulling his chest open. Meanwhile, Remedy was smiling and humming a gentle tune as Vale's chest finished opening and allowing her to see everything inside. Remedy reached in with her real hand and Vale didn't know what was happening before she gently pulled his heart from his chest, holding it with loving affection as she pulled a pen like thing from seemingly nowhere.

"Now, the complicated part," Remedy said with a wonderful smile while Vale didn't even have the power to freak out. The pen lit up with a white glow on the tip before what looked like a hair thin line of light poked out an inch from the tip, and then, with such beauty and grace, Remedy got to work on the seal.

Vale couldn't look away as he watched Remedy work. She was so amazing. She was concentrating so hard with the tip of her tongue sticking out. Vale would rather concentrate on that rather than the weird smell coming from his heart while a girl he didn't even know had him completely at her mercy.

to be continued…