The nearest lake was nice and warm, so much so that steam was coming out of it. Lately, N-Zs had gathered here to enjoy the water, though most Dark Matter didn't mind their presence. They were simple creatures, with grey fur and pointy ears.
The Dark Matter was gently placed on the ground as soon as the duo made it to the lake. Though the ground wasn't as warm as the lake itself, it was still warm enough to feel pleasant.
"All right, Brother. First I'm going to show you how to possess someone," Brother said as he looked at the few N-Zs that slept near the lake. "We'll borrow their bodies for a little bit, though I assure you that they don't mind."
The Dark Matter watched as his brother phased through one of the N-Z's bodies. For a moment, he looked just as tired as the N-Z he was possessing. However, he was able to get used to it after a while. The Dark Matter tried to follow his brother's example as he attempted to possess another N-Z. However, he tackled it instead and it fell into the lake. Although the N-Z was started at first, it crawled out of the water and fell back asleep as if nothing had happened.
"Er...That's OK," Brother said as he phased out of the N-Z he used. "Maybe you could try again with this one?"
Although groggy, the N-Z appeared to be fine otherwise. The Dark Matter tried to concentrate, he tried to imagine himself phasing through the N-Z's body. However, when he tried again he knocked the N-Z over instead. Unlike the last one, this one let out a loud growl. It leapt into the air and tackled the Dark Matter back.
"HEY!" Brother yelled as if he was the one that had gotten hurt. He shooed the N-Z away with his cloak, afterwards he checked on the Dark Matter. There was a bruise on top of his head, and tears came out of his eyes.
"Are you all right, Brother?"
Although he was hurt, the Dark Matter nodded as he wiped the tears away quickly. He was determined to possess one of these N-Zs one way or another. After all, he wanted to make his brother proud. Unfortunately, no matter how much he tried he would tackle the poor creatures instead. It eventually got to the point where one of them tackled the Dark Matter into the lake, much to his dismay.
...Then again, this was probably what the Dark Matter needed right now. He was dizzy from all of that tackling. Possession should be an easy thing, and yet he just couldn't do it for some reason.
Not long after he fell into the water, his brother decided to jump in as well. His spines barely stuck out of the water's surface.
"It's all right, Brother." The Dark Matter's brother told him. "We could try again, later."
The Dark Matter let out a bitter sigh, he wondered if there really was a way to do this without hurting the N-Zs.
"Come on, don't be like that!" Brother said in a stern yet kind tone. "It used to take me quite a while to get the hang of possession as well...Granted, Lord Zero was the only one willing to teach me. So if I can do it, then you certainly can too."
The Dark Matter had his doubts, but he was willing to believe that he would be just like his brother one day. With that in mind, the Dark Matter nodded in response.
"...Perhaps later, we'll practice something else?" Brother offered. "I might even teach you a few sword techniques."
The Dark Matter loved that idea. However, his thoughts were interrupted when a large being hopped into the water. The wave almost sent the duo in the air for a moment. The being in question was a Zero. But unlike Lord Zero himself, this being had multiple red eyes that covered his entire body. Needless to say, he wasn't the prettiest being here.
"Uh...what brings you here, Lord Miracle?" Brother asked in an attempt to sound polite.
"Hm?" One of Lord Miracle's eyes opened as he looked down at the duo, he contentedly floated as he let out a strange noise. The only way to describe that noise was like a low, demonic chuckle.
"Ah...Forgive us, but we needed a moment to rest." Lord Miracle responded. "And how is training the little one going?"
The Dark Matter gave Lord Miracle a worried look, he knew that Lord Zero wasn't going to be happy with the fact that he couldn't possess any of the N-Zs.
"We're...I-It's still a work in progress," Brother said nervously. Once again, Lord Miracle let out a chuckle that was loud enough to startle the duo.
"Brother may not agree with us on this, but any progress is better than no progress," Lord Miracle replied. "He tells us that you were showing the little one how to possess, but perhaps he's just unable to do it?"
"Well...We were thinking about doing something else for now." Brother replied. "Isn't that right, Brother?"
The Dark Matter replied with a nod. He felt that he wouldn't be able to possess anything anytime soon, so it was probably best to try something else. After all, maybe he could shoot lasers out of his eyes? Or maybe he could learn how to launch his fins at his opponents? He could even learn something new, like summoning his own weapons.
"Well Little One...perhaps if you're lucky, you might be able to learn the Copy Ability," Lord Miracle said proudly. Brother shook his head in response. "Only a few of us are lucky enough to gain an ability like yours, Lord Miracle."
"Oh, you know we're joking," Lord Miracle said in a jolly tone. "Still...even though you two aren't connected to the rest of us, sometimes it feels like you two are your own little hivemind."
"Er...I wouldn't go THAT far," Brother told him. The Dark Matter nodded in agreement. Since he couldn't talk, he had to find other ways to communicate. He was happy that his brother could understand him despite the lack of words, but even then there was no way to vent to him or to bring his own thoughts into words. It was frustrating, but he was just happy that his brother could understand him in some way.
After a few seconds of silence went by, Lord Miracle began to speak again. "So what will you do, now? We would suggest sitting in the water to relax, but I'm certain that Brother would not like that."
"Understood, Lord Miracle!" Brother replied. "We should get going now, anyway."
"Right, and good luck with the training Little One!" Lord Miracle told the Dark Matter. He gave Lord Miracle a nod before he followed his brother out of the water. He honestly couldn't wait to try something else, because he had to be good at something...right?