LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 2: Coming Home
His eyes fluttered open. Light assaulted his vision, the stark brightness of fluorescent panels above turning everything into a watery blur. He blinked, slowly at first, his eyelids heavy as they shielded his gaze from the overwhelming glare. It wasn't just disorientation—it was recognition. These eyes, this body, weren't new. They were his. They had been, at least partly his, for a better part of his formidable years, though time and circumstances had stolen them away, forcing him into others for far too long.
As his vision cleared, the lab around him sharpened into focus: the seamless ceiling, the sterile counters gleaming with glass vials and scientific instruments, the glowing monitors with their hypnotic patterns of data. A figure loomed nearby, face obscured by a soft medical mask, murmuring indistinct words as they scribbled notes. Vorden at last, saw a face he knew very well, even blurry he recognized his brother Raten standing next to him in a face identical to his own. Raten Blade who also just got moved into a body. As Raten noticed his eyes open a huge smile appeared on his face.
It's funny, even though the face was the same as his own, the same as Sil's, he looked nothing like either of them. Just like when they were residing within Sil as teens, each had their own way of holding themself, their expressions and tone, they were easy to tell apart. Even now, when looking into his wide and wild eyes, with his big almost nightmare inducing toothy smile, he looked nothing like Vorden or Sil despite being an actual clone. Vorden shifted again, his fingers brushing against the surface of the bed. The texture of his skin felt wrong at first—too smooth, too flawless—yet deeply familiar, like shaking hands with an old friend whose embrace you hadn't felt in years. The weight of his limbs, the pull of muscles beneath the surface—it all came rushing back, the memory of movement and sensation aligning with the present. Literal muscle memory. As he once engain engaged certain muscle groups in order to prop himself up, and try to scoot himself back as to sit up, the foreign sensation to these never before used limbs it was also very familiar, some would say just like riding a bike. This was home, and yet it wasn't. A clone of his former (still borrowed) self, perfected but unmistakably once his. For the first time in what felt like an eternity, he wasn't a guest in another's body. He wasn't a guest in this body. He was himself again. Smiling slightly he managed to sit upright.
"Aha!" Raten exclaimed excitedly after noticing Vorden's open eyes, as his arm shot out from his side, offering Vorden his outstretched hand. Vorden looked at is briefly before he took it and Raten pulled back helping Vorden up on to his feet. Vorden had never walked before, at least his body hadn't having only just been pulled from the glass tube it had been grown in. So he was quite wobbly, his legs felt weak and as he stood he began to sway a bit. Seeing this Raten quickly threw his arm around Vorden and he helped him back up on to the edge of the bed he had just been lying on. "Woah there, sheesh man, first time on legs?" Raten joked before giving a little chuckle.
Vorden couldn't help but smile at this, "Never thought I'd see the day" Vorden shook his head in disbelief as Rated looked around then back at Vorden questioning. "Haha, you in a good mood for once!" They both had a bit of a laugh.
The pair took their time slowly getting a feel for their new bodies as they talked amongst themselves. An outsider might have thought them to be rather chatty, like young school children. Nobody could possibly understand the very strange situation they were actually in. Until this moment, these two ancient men had never actually been alone inside their own heads, with the exception being their first 8 or so years of life. Many of those years could be remembered and the rest were almost just as unfathomable after over 1000 years distance between then and right now. The constant feedback from the other was a usual occurrence, yet nobody else could hear the back and forth before now. The silence inside would take some getting used to. Until then the boys would stick pretty close together for the most part, purely for the fact that it just felt more natural.
Their back and forth banter continued for a while longer, Raten continuing to poke fun at Vorden every chance he got. All in jest, he would mention that Vorden is still the uglier of the two. After a life of occupying bodies other than their own, including the bodies of two demon tier humanoid beasts for a time, they were very fast learners and incredibly adaptable so in no time at all they felt confident enough in their bodies to venture outside of the lab. They decided to head over to the training room to really stretch their legs with a little light sparring. An idea, Raten's idea, mostly stemming from his and Vorden's brotherly rivalry and his desire to finally have the opportunity to lay a friendly beating down on Vorden for all the times he'd promised to do so in the past. A minor detail they would keep to themselves while swearing to return to the lab the next day for a few tests and only after swearing that if anything at all happened and either were to feel even the slightest bit off, that they would return immediately. Each in turn were taken through a battery of questions and last minute checks including their vitals, reflexes, and other mundane factoids to reassure the lab tech that they were both indeed healthy and that the transfers were a success. Shiro insisted that this be done as he had to rest after the procedure having depleted a lot of MC cells to move both of the Blades one right after the other. He was confident the whole thing has gone smoothly but always tended to be the more cautious one. They wasted no time after the lab tech reluctantly agreed and once they had changed from the medical gowns into some of Sil's spare clothes, they were off. Smiling wide as they walked the halls just taking it all in.
For the first time in a very long time, Vorden actually felt excitement building intense pressure in his chest. There were so many things he wanted to do with his new lease on life. Too many, and it was bittersweet. He was not one to throw a potty party or feel sorry for himself. He had been granted a second life by Sil, otherwise he would have died there that day all those years ago. Then again thanks to Quinn and the Demon tier beasts. Further Shiro and all those that helped along the way. He had nothing to feel sorry for himself about, he was thankful. Grateful to have had the good fortune of meeting and forming bonds with such good people throughout his years. However he would be lying if he said he didn't get sad about it all at times. There was pain in his heart any time he pondered too long about how many things he missed out on, and how long he had been living this half life. 1000 years is a long time, and he felt tired. The mental toll living takes on a being is immense but maybe it was the lack of a physical form that helped him to willingly live this long. A flesh and bone body, with aches and pain, would act as a constant reminder of the wear and tear of time on a body. Maybe that lack of perspective is why Vorden wasn't chomping at the bit for death's embrace.
Vorden realized he had been deep in thought, and moving on autopilot.He noticed because he wasn't paying attention and walked smack in the back of Raten who had abruptly stopped and who had just shuffled in front of Vorden when they reached the hall of the training room.
"UGH, OWE!" Raten grumbled after Vorden's head had bounced off of his own.
"Ugh, ouch, shit, sorry..." Vorden said somewhat embarrassed while he rubbed his now red forehead and glanced around to see who might have seen. Nobody could be seen in view.
Raten shook his head and scoffed mildly "I guess I will have to get used to you being an air headed putts in the flesh and not just our head from now on, huh?".
Vorden grinned awkwardly as he scratched the back of his head. "I guess" he blurted through a faint chuckle as he shrugged it off. Shaking his head Raten pushed open the training room door and the boys stepped inside.
The training room was huge. There werent many Blades left after the war against Jim Eno and Jack Truedream. After the destruction of the Blade ship left the few surviving, they had no place to call home. With the help of Logan Green and after an invitation from Sil, they were able to set up a new base. A small structure was placed on the property of Sil's orphanage, very near to the main house but just far enough away as to allow for privacy, training, and some separation from spaces where the children were typically present. Their building was smaller, but thanks to the Green family it was packed with all the latest in technological advances, and anything they may want or need. A rather large area had been carved out for a new state of the art training facility.
A gust of cool air from the training room escaped as Raten held the door open. The crisp chill snapped Vorden back to reality as he had just been standing there lost in his thoughts. Raten gave a nod towards the room as if to let Vorden know he was holding the door open for him. This would be the last show of good manners or kind gestures from Raten, at least until this spar had been won.