Author note: I was really surprised at the response I got for this story. It was just a personal theory that I had about the ending, one that I think may actually be possible. This will continue if you all would like it too, and I have a lot of material I could use for it. Just let me know in reviews, which are like the most sanguine candy to a lot of authors.
Jade sat on the balcony of his home, staring out at the city. Even at night, Chesadonia was full of people going about their business. The streetlights illuminated figures as they passed beneath them, heading to the bars to drink or to the beach to relax. Jade's own wine cellar had been empty for two years. He'd had to take precautions to make sure Luke didn't get any ideas about trying any of the bottles, and so he had given what was left to Guy. All that was down there now was cobwebs he had neglected to sweep away.
Caring for a replica was a fulltime job, although Luke could care for himself much better now then when he was first born. Birth, was that even an appropriate phrase for him? He had no parents, no siblings. His blood was linked to a family somewhere, but that blood was not his own. Jade was very aware of Luke's silent presence somewhere in the house. The boy hadn't spoken to him for days, or even acknowledged his existence. They passed each every day, but they acted as if they occupied a different space, with an impenetrable wall between them. Jade doubted Luke would ever forgive him for his folly. As retribution, he would never able to put what he done in the past. It seemed fair.
Discovering the purpose of his birth, had broken something inside Luke, and he was trying to piece it back together unsuccessfully. When Jade nodded hello to him at breakfast each morning and he only stared blankly in return, it was if an icy wind had blown open the doors to the house and settled down in a dusty frost in the dining room. Jade usually sighed and kept eating.
Well, at least this one hadn't died, Jade thought bluntly. The professor, the previous Luke, Ion, none of them had survived. Professor Nebilim's second replica hadn't even been born before she had disintigrated into fonons. He hoped this Luke would live, and not be a slave to his genetic code. He found it funny that he hated Fomicry so much, yet it had been his idea, his life's work. His greatest enemy was himself, and his former work his greatest sin.
The cold night wind chilled him to the bone, and he embraced it, breathing it in and letting the shock wake him up from the dream he was sliding into. The door to his bedroom opened, but he pretended not to hear it, nor the quiet shuffling that followed across the carpet. His fingers gripped the railing harder.
Replicas seemed to perish so easily. They slipped through his fingers like sand no matter how tightly you held them, no matter how hard you tried to save them. They were always just out of reach. Destined to die the moment they were born. A tragedy, but all those years ago back in Keterburg, he had done it to being back the dead, to turn back time so he coould fix his then greatest mistake. He had accepted a long time ago that it would happen again and again, replicas dying in his experiments, as long as he continued his study of fomicry. If he succeeded, he used to think, then perhaps he could bring them all back, or if he couldn't, when he finally got it right he could save so many more than he had lost. When he was more mature, he understood that they could never come back, his replicas or their originals. It made it all the more difficult when he finally found a replica he wanted to hold onto, and when he had to let him go too. He had realized what he had done was wrong, but it seemed the world still saw fit to punish him for it.
Creating the new Luke had been cruel. It was never pleasant to find out who you truly are, replica or not. Luke hadn't gone home to his "forgotten" friends and family as he had imagined he would. He had introduced himself to them in Tataroo Vally as the true Luke two years after his creation, at Jade's request. He had believed so completely in who he was, Jade almost believed it himself. The innocence of children was contagious. He was wraught with nervous anticipation that day when he had led Tear, Guy, Natalia and Anise into the valley for their yearly visit to Luke's grave. He had instructed Luke to wait somewhere out of sight until the time was right.
Luke had smiled warmly at Vandestelca's younger sister, whom he believed he was supposed to love. He had someone waiting for him, someone that would happy to see him again, something to go back to. He had taken on the role of the person in that journal, and struggled to remember all of things in it. Reading about Tear in page after page of his journal, she had become a fascination of his. She was the only girl he had gotten to know, and he guessed she must have heartbroken when he had disappeared so suddenly.
Jade had never seen him so enthralled by another human. Luke talked about all of the things they would do together when they were reunited. He wanted to take her dancing, and show her how beautful the ocean was outside the city at night. He was eager to regain what he had lost with her. He found her beautiful, as beautiful as the other once did.
His enthusiasm was made even greater by his other friends as well. Although he couldn't remember a thing about them, he looked forward to reconnecting with his best friend, Guy, and the princess and the fonmaster. Jade had told him they had gotten into a lot of trouble together, to which Luke had responded that was the best way to bond with someone, united by your fear of getting caught.
He craved the peace of mind knowing he has finally returned to them. Heading down into that field of Selenia flowers, their fragerance wafting up to their noses, even Jade was forced to admit he was slightly optimistic. This possibilly could have an outcome different than the one he feared, maybe- dare he hope- better. Luke wouldn't be able to help anyone to forget the past, forget Eldrant and all of those sacrifices that had to be made, but he would be able to fill part of a hole that had remained in everyone's hearts for the past two years. Jade could clean out the cobwebs that had collected their and fill the hole with new flesh and blood.
Tear knew soon after she saw Luke, after she heard his voice, that he was not the one she had been waiting for. She had been to close with his original to make that mistake. There was love in his voice and eyes, but no recognition. She was lying on her knees in the valley, he hair blowing in her face with the breeze. The hope in her eyes had flared to life for one second as she saw her friend approach, then died as she looked again and realized her mistake. Her sobs shook her body violently, and the Selenia blossoms quaked in the breeze. Luke tried to hold her, asking her what was wrong. He didn't understand. She pushed him away and turned around, her hands digging into the white mass of flowers. Luke told Jade later that she reminded him of an angel there, and how sorry that made him feel for making her sad. He hadn't understood what he had done to upset her.
Jade gave his child a sad smile. Luke had his arm around Tear, and whispered confused words of comfort into her ear. His touch made her cry out in distress and push him away. He fell back onto the grass, stunned, and Jade saw the devasted look on his face. He had never seen him look like that. He had no desire to continue, and so he forced his eyes away.
"Y-you disappeared," the distressed girl whispered. "It was a long time ago, and I waited too long when they all knew you weren't coming back. Please, just leave." The words hurt her to say, but she was clearly trying to spare herself the pain of seeing her deceased friend again in sick imitation of the real person. Jade understood.
It had been vain and selfish of him to hope for anything better to come out of this. He didn't deserve it, after all he had done, and this child would suffer for it.
Luke looked like he'did just been slapped in the face. She wanted him to go away. Jade saw the burn of rejection in his slumped body, and the red flush of his cheeks that he tried to hide.
Fomicry was cruel, both for the replicas brought into being by it, to a world that would never accept them, and for the ones who relieved their deepest sorrows as theyou were forced to look upon their lost loved ones faces, alive, but not truly. Watching Luke and Tear, he was reminded of this sad truth. Fomicry had damned so many to a troubled life. Something good had come out of it though, even amongst all of the death and destruction it caused. With all his mistakes, he had one fortunate accident.
One child, one that he was partially responsible for creating, had truly changed the world, something he never believed was possible. He had read about the butterfly effect many years ago studying in Keterburg. He found it hard to believe that a single insect could have such a dramatic effect on the world simply by going through the motions of it's simple existence. After meeting Luke, he found himself coming to believe it, little by little. The boy did the impossible, and each time he paid the price, in blood and with another piece of his aching heart. He gave up his innocence, his peace of mind, and eventually his life. He wondered if the butterfly had died when the earthquake eventually got around to it as well.
Jade helped Luke up off the ground, politely looking the other way when the tears started to fall, and led him back to the nearest inn to plan their trip home, their observers expressions of grief and disbelief following as far as they could see him. There was nothing for them to say to each other now. He was surprised they trusted him this much up to today. He didn't even trust himself that much.
Jade had takeb Luke to St. Binah's in and explained to the innkeeper that his son was sick, and that he wasn't up to speaking right now, and yes, maybe a nice hot cup of tea would do the boy good. Jade noticed Luke was unusually pale. Sickness of the heart, he decided to call it.
He decided to explain to Luke what fomicry was, how he was created, and about his two orginals, even though he lay curled up on the blankets, mute. He owed him that much. Luke asked no questions but listened, sometimes nodding thoughtfully.
Luke hadn't been his normal self since that day. Not that Jade could blame him. His entire world had been torn apart, and no one could give him a reason why. He would have to learn for himself that alot of "why's" simply weren't there to be answered.
He felt the blast of warmth when the door was opened. The railing creaked as a body leaned against it. Luke had joined him on the balcony, but he pretended not to notice. Luke was still dressed from earlier that day, and he yawned, failing to stifle it. He was barefoot.
"Hey," he muttered, looking out at the ocean. The moon illuminated the shifting surface of the water in bright sgimmering lines of white. It had been a striking sight to see from the Tarturus. He realized that Luke had never been on a boat, and that he really should give him the experience one day.
Jade nodded. Luke was staring at him nervously, and struggled to put on a more composed face. "Don't make the mistake of thinking I forgive you. I don't want to be a replacement for anyone."
"I never said you were."
"We both now that's not true."
Luke didn't say anything for a long time. "I need to tell you something. I don't know what's happening to me" His voice echoed his distress, and he wavered a second before continuing. It almost sounded as if he were about to cry. They know I'm here, and I remember. I actually remember being both of them, Jade. I'm not... I'm not me anymore. Or maybe I never was me? I don't understand why, exactly, but I see what they saw, and felt what they felt."
He paced about the balcony agitated, watching his caretakers face for any sign of recognition. Or was it reassurance? There was none to be found." I had a dream last night Jade. He was there, one of my other selves. He'said your friend, he really cares about you Jade. I see him, both of them, in all in my dreams, and even when I'm awake sometimes.
Jade kept a relaxed expression, but he understood what Luke was saying, and what it implied. "Do you sense anything else besides your other self?"
Luke thought for a second. "Yeah, there is a thing that is kind of weird. I always hear noise, like vibrating all around me, when it comes, and I know I feel really warm inside. I don't mind it being there. It feels nice, actually, and safe. It feels familiar, too. Like when you see a person you know you've met before, but it was such a long time ago you can't recall their face. I can't figure out what it is. You know though, don't you?"
Jade smiled, and saw the absolute certainty in the boys eyes. "What makes you think I do?"
"Because you always do. When you don't say it, that means it's something bad. I hoep you decide to tell me before it's too late. It won't be too late, will it?"
"Someone taught me that things aren't always set in stone.
Was it possible for Luke inherit a part of Lorelei from the two sets of DNA he had used to make him? He could be resonating with the sentient being without realizing it. In doing so, he may have gained access to Lorelei's isofons memories. The possibility that the DNA would cause interference with a new replica was one he'd considered in the beginning of the project, but dismissed after concluding that Loreli had taken its isofones entirely back with it. There was nothing left on Auldrant of Luke and Asch fon Fabre of importance that had not been reabsorbed into Lorelei. Whatever remained was only human DNA. But what was this? It was similar as to when Lorelei had called on its isofons before.
"Jade?" Luke poked his shoulder. "You're spacing out. I'm going to bed, okay? When you're ready to tell me, come talk to me, okay?"
He nodded, and heard the door to the balcony slide closed. What to tell Luke, when he did not even understand what was happening himself?
