《The Chosen of Duality》


 Prolouge

    <h2 style="text-align: center">Aaron</h2>


    The last thing I knew on this world was pain. The glass left my face throbbing but in the rest of my body, I felt nothing.


    Strangely though as I lay on the concrete bleeding out the only thing I felt was cold. I felt as if I had been dunked in a vat of ice water and felt nothing but the dull numbness working its way in from my skin.


    I heard a moan from that bastard that had run into us. A clearly drunk man was calling for help as he sat in his car. He retained enough control of his facilities that he was able to fumble for his the phone but in his drunken stupor he could not even hold it for long enough to call 911.


    I looked into the darkness that was beginning to form. It may have looked intimidating to some, but to me, it was an unwelcome change. I can¡¯t quite describe it, but looking into it reminded me of that feeling right before you get onto the tallest roller coaster that you¡¯ve ever seen. I felt deep anxiety in my soul due to his darkness.


    The funniest thing was that even though I was paralyzed from the head down and felt completely numb, there was one feeling that I felt smothered in. It was excitement.


    I don¡¯t know why I felt this as I lay on my deathbed, but some deep primal instinct within myself felt this emotion strongly.


    With this final emotion roaring through my body I finally drifted into the deep, dark sleep.


    *******


    <h2 style="text-align: center">Angelica</h2>


    I didn¡¯t see much about my death. The last thing I saw was a car coming; then bright searing light.


    <h2></h2>


    I suspected I was dead, but I couldn¡¯t find it within myself to care. Those were problems for the living, I thought.


    <h2></h2>


    The light was really starting to hurt my eyes. In fact, it wasn¡¯t just my eyes that were hurting but my entire body. I almost felt on fire. I continued to stand there for a bit and as I burned I realized that this fire didn¡¯t actually hurt as bad as I originally thought. It felt like when you drink a really hot glass of chocolate milk and were relishing that feeling of warmth, times 10. What was this pain? Was it reconstructing my soul?


    <h2></h2>


    I felt so light that I felt as if I was floating. In fact, in this strange dimension, I may have actually been floating. I looked down and saw no floor, just more blinding white.


    <h2></h2>


    I floated there for what felt like quite a while until I felt a gentle tug on my soul. I gently began to drift in the direction of the tug. As I went on it got stronger and stronger causing me to speed up greatly. In the distance, I saw a forest that was getting closer and closer. By this time I felt as if I was hurtling through the air faster than I¡¯d ever gone before. I was getting faster and faster until I hit the barrier and then with a small pop I burst through.


    <h2></h2>


    *******


    <h2 style="text-align: center">Aaron</h2>


    <h2></h2>


    The next thing I knew after drifting into the darkness was falling. I fell straight out of a cloud and into what seemed like a forest. I panicked as I began falling faster until I reached a speed that no human could survive.


    <h2></h2>


    I looked over and saw my sister, also falling. I barely registered her as I was currently in the process of completely freaking out. My arms flailed through the air as I struggled to do anything to save myself. As I fell I began to feel the bite of the wind lessen on my body. I looked down and realized that as I fell I seemed to be somehow slowing down?


    <h2></h2>


    I thanked whatever deity was up there that I wouldn¡¯t die so soon after my first death and began trying to direct my landing. It was only now once I realized that I was not going to die again that I noticed my fully restored body. I once again thanked whoever had done this when I was all of the sudden uprighted and dropped the last few feet to the ground.


    We were in a little clearing surrounded by bushes with little orange berries on them. It was circular and had a diameter of about 2 yards. Down the hill, past the bushes was another little clearing, this one instead filled with sky blue flowers.If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    All of this examination was halted when a few feet over Angelica fell from the sky as well.


    Surprisingly, the first thing she did was collapse on the ground sobbing. I ran up to her to comfort her as best I could. I was about to say something when-


    ¡°Ding!¡±


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    Congratulations! Due to your close relationship on Earth the goddess of duality, Nephele, has taken interest in you and your sister! You have been reborn on Alium! This planet is different from Earth in numerous ways, the most important of those being the ability to grow and learn with experience. You can gain experience by doing a task relevant to your class/skill! Continue to grow and bring your goddess glory!


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    Congratulations! Your goddess is a generous goddess! She has granted you and your sister a race change token. Use it wisely, for it is consumed after just one use. She has also granted you the trait Understanding Ear. Use this trait to understand all of the sentient races of this world. Closer ties with the goddess may upgrade this trait!


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    Congratulations! Due to your status as a twin, you have gained the trait mental link. You are now inexorably linkedto your sister. This can be upgraded by getting closer links to your twin.


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    Congratulations! Due to accomplishments in your past life, you have learned the skill Water ease. Use this skill to swim through water or travel over ice with great ease. While it gives you no actual power over any water it increases your familiarity and skill while near it over time. A master of this skill is just as home in the water as he would be in his house.


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    Congratulations! Due to the circumstances of your death, you have learned the skill Pain Resistance. Use this skill to lessen the amount of pain your body feels. Masters of this skill can turn on and off their pain at will.


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    What the Fuck.


    *******


    <h2 style="text-align: center">Angelica</h2>


    I felt a large amount of grief once I had been pushed out of that white field. It was as if my feelings were somehow repressed while in that dead state. The feeling of the emotions being restored was so strong that I barely registered I was falling until after about a second and began completely panicking.


    ¡°OH SHIIIIIIT!!¡± I screamed as I fell faster and faster. The only thing I could see was the trees getting closer as I was hurled violently towards them.


    As I reached the ground all of a sudden I was thrown upright and finally, I softly touched the ground.


    The combination of the crippling fear of falling and the sudden depression of my death was too much for me and I collapsed on the ground crying. Aaron can over to comfort me when all of the sudden-


    ¡°Ding!¡±


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    <td>


    Congratulations! Due to your close relationship on Earth the goddess of duality, Nephele, has taken interest in you and your brother! You have been reborn on Alium! This planet is different from Earth in numerous ways, the most important of those being the ability to grow and learn with experience. You can gain experience by doing a task relevant to your class/skill! Continue to grow and bring your goddess glory!


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


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    <tbody>


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    Congratulations! Your goddess is a generous goddess! She has granted you and your brother a race change token. Use it wisely, for it is consumed after just one use. She has also granted you the trait Understanding Ear. Use this trait to understand all of the sentient races of this world. Closer ties with the goddess may upgrade this trait!


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    Congratulations! Due to your status as a twin, you have gained the trait mental link. You are now inexorably linked to your brother. This can be upgraded by getting closer links to your twin.


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    Congratulations! Due to accomplishments in your past life, you have learned the skill Animal Empathy. Use this skill to understand and comfort animals. Can be used to fell monsters but not communicate with them. Masters of this skill can get even the hungriest shark to back off and stay calm.


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    Congratulations! Due to the circumstances of your death, you have learned the skill Spiritual state. Go into this state to commune with those who have died. Masters of this skill can commune with those who have died in long the centuries past.


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    With these boxes to use as a distraction, I was finally able to snap out of my stupor. As I examined these boxes I said in a quiet voice ¡°Oh Aaron what have we gotten ourselves into?¡±