//A/N: This chapter is the first one post time skip, there will be a few new developments as Carman has done many things in the background//
It was a warm autumn night, the stars starting to give way to the breaking dawn as Sylvain (Clervie) sat on the ramparts of the Capital of Fontaine with Carman, both shoveling down the breakfast Ryuzu had prepared.
"It has been over a year since we first met, it's crazy what you are able to do with elemental energy Carman. Even with you and Ms. Ryuzu training me, I am still having trouble replicating what you can do. That weird teleport thing was relatively easy once you explained it to me, but how do you create those clones of yours? Mine still look like they are made of cyan threads." asked Sylvain
"Can't really say, as I'm not entirely sure myself." Said Carman. Which was mostly true, over the past year he had pondered that if he could replicate the shadow clone jutsu with elemental energy he wondered if he could recreate other Justus, like the replacement technique.
Short range teleportation was an ability he knew a few characters had in the game but it had taken a while for him to figure it out, and then more to first work it into his fighting repertoire and add the substitution ability of swapping himself with an object to distract his opponent.
Clervie, who Ryuzu had included in their training sessions, after getting a sense of her relative strength, had immediately asked to learn how to replicate Carman's abilities after facing him and his clones.
While she was already a formidable spear fighter, the Anemo vision she had gotten boosted her to unprecedented levels of strength for her. She could increase her speed dramatically, send flying slashes and spikes of wind, even create echoes of herself that would replicate her movements and attacks. The last trick she had mastered was the short jump Carman had shown her several times. It was less of teleportation for her and more that she merged with the wind temporarily and separated at her destination.
Sylvain grinned at Carman. "With powers like this I should be able to stand with Peri to stop my mother. She won't have to protect me anymore, infact maybe I'll be the one to protect her this time."
Carman smiled, "Indeed, you have gotten much stronger after all the times Ryuzu has beaten us or got us to beat each other up." Carman knew otherwise though, Crucabena wasn't given the title of Fatui Harbinger just because she was an insane sadistic b****. No, she had the power to back her position. As strong as she had become, Clervie was nowhere near the level needed to kill her, much less force her to submit. No, Peruere with her cursed flames and Pyro vision, was the only one who had enough power and conviction to end the current Knave.
After finishing their breakfast, Sylvain made their way to Livre's workshop to work for the day and Carman returned to his workshop to do some work before he had to go to school.
As he traveled through the newly created tunnels he had dug beneath his apartment he zigged and zagged through the maze he had created before placing a hand on a specific wall and connected to the transformation circle he had inscribed within it, creating an opening for himself to pass through and closing it.
Looking around the sterile room, he found a bloody sack of materials Ryuzu had fetched for him. If he was lucky, he could complete his current project before the looming deadline.
-6 hours later-
The people wandering the Court of Fontaine slowly congregated, a boy, the rising star behind a new technological development company who had made an uproar in the music sector, was playing his signature instrument again in the plaza.
He had been doing so on and off almost every week during lunch breaks at his academy. Treating passers by with songs that resonated with Fontaineian natives and tourists alike.
These songs, mostly instrumentals with no lyrics, had drawn attention to his invention, drawing interest from the common people as well as the rich nobility.
Today though, he seemed to be playing a song with lyrics and the people drew near to listen.
"There's a candle burnin' low, down in the cellar air.
Dusty books and shadows, secrets hidin' there.
I never thought I'd go this far, to keep you from the dark,
But here I am unraveling, Following my heart.
Whispers in the midnight hours, they call me to the deep.
Where ancient truths and dangers lie, where secrets never sleep.
Your smile is all I see tonight, as I trace that fragile line,
I'd trade my soul a thousand times just to keep you fine—e."
Carman's fingers started to strum the strings faster as he kicked up the rhythm.
"I'm teetering on the edge of knowing, where light gives way to sin,
The things I've learned, the things I've seen have marked me deep within.
But I'd walk through fire, face the abyss-–s
To save you my dear friend…"
Carman's tempo slowed once more as he started to sing the next verse.
"Some drunk bard once warned me, boy don't play with flames,
But sometimes you gotta cross some boundaries, or bow to a fate you disdain.
I never planned to care this much, never meant to lose my way,
But I can't regret this path I've walked, to keep the dark at bay—y"
As Carman continued on to the next part, his tempo picked up again and he started to drum on the side of his guitar between strums.
"The shades above, they judge my soul as I bargain with the past,
The things I've done, the price I'll pay to see you free at last.
The line between wrong and right it blurs beneath my feet,
But for you I'd face the abyss's might, and never face defeat—-t
I'm teetering on the edge of knowing, where light gives way to sin,
The things I've learned, the things I've seen have marked me deep within.
But I'd walk through fire, face the abyss-–s
To save you my dear friend…"
Carman contained playing, his tempo lowering, the chords becoming more somber after a few moments he sang the final chorus of the song.
"I'm teetering on the edge of knowing…
where light gives way to sin,
The things I've learned, the things I've seen, have marked me deep within.
But I'd walk through fire, face the abyss-s
To save you my–y dear friend…"
Carman played the final chords and let the song end, there was a lot of clapping as the crowd appreciated the song, some asked what had inspired such a song, but Carman didn't answer, instead he played a favorite amongst the people of Fontaine, Quand la lumiere resplendira, one of the ost's from the game he had been able to hear in this world using his elemental sense.
To every Fontaineian listening to the song, the tune painted an image of their mind of walking around the Court of Fontaine early in the morning, and seeing as the first rays of sunlight created the horizon, causing the intricate metal and glass work of their city to gleam in the dawn's warm light.
Towards the back of the crowd, a young teen with wavy brown hair and sky blue eyes looked towards where the red haired boy would be sitting. They had heard that their friend had been playing the guitar in the afternoon, and today had been the first time their schedule had allowed them to visit and see him play.
But that song, it obviously had a deeper meaning..
"Carman, what have you done?" Muttered Clervie/Sylvain.
Clervie stayed and listened as Carman continued to play the songs. Some older people came along with guitars they had purchased and sat next to him, watching the songs he played, some taking turns playing tunes they had been tutored to play. Soon, the time for the last song came, with some coordination, Carman taught some simple chords to the newer players and melodies to the more experienced ones, with a patchy start, they managed a coherent melody though it was rough around the edges.
At the end, Carman waved and left the crowd as he made his way back into the academy he attended, his guitar safe in its case strapped to his back.
[4 hours later]
Clervie, tired from her shift working in Livre's shop, made her way to a hidden passage leading into Carman's underground network.
Carman had taught her how to operate what he called transformation circles to open hidden passages he had constructed.
It was insane the amount of space he had made underground, a series of tunnels around a block in radius under the building he lived in, all avoiding hazards like pipes and the foundations of other buildings.
It was mind boggling the amount of tunnels he had made, all in just over a year from renting the apartment he lived in.
The additional protection from using strange hidden magical circles that could only be used by people capable of using elemental energy, and it was like her friend was getting ready to be under siege.
As she wandered down the tunnels, making her way to his apartment, she again pondered the meaning of the lyrics of the song he had sung that afternoon.
Carman had stated that he had visions of the future. What had he seen? He only had a few friends, and of them only she was in any active form of danger that she knew of. What future had he seen of her to inspire him to sing such a song? And what was he doing alone in his workshop? What was this sin he was on the edge of committing?
She walked down corridor after corridor. She used an ability called "elemental sense" Carman had helped her train.
Soon, she found the section of wall that led to his workshop. As she was about to place her hand on it, the entire wall was pushed forward. Behind the wall, Ryuzu popped out and saw Clervie.
"Ah Sylvain, Carman isn't here at the moment, he is currently taking a nap back at the apartment." She said.
"I see. I just wanted to talk to him, I managed to hear him perform a song today, but the lyrics made me worried about how he is doing." said Clervie
"Oh what was the song about?" asked Ryuzu.
"It was a song about some ready to commit what they called sins to save a friend." She replied.
Ryuzu stood there for a moment. It was clear she was thinking back to see what may have inspired such a song. The. She remembered Carman's current project and how he had referred to it as edging onto the greatest sin of alchemy in another world.
"I know what he may be referring to. But he explicitly asked me not to tell you yet. However if it has affected him to the point he is venting by singing about it… you should have the right to know, especially as one of the affected parties. Follow me." She said as she motioned for Clervie to walk through the open section of wall and into Carman's workshop.
It wasn't the first time Clervie had visited, so she wasn't surprised by the multiple Gardemeks all lined up, some with their chest cavities open and laying on a table, obviously being operated on. In the back several devices were half finished. What did surprise her was that most of the things had been covered in a fine layer of dust, as though. Camran hadn't touched anything in her for a while.
"What is he working on?" Asked Clervie.
"He has recently only been working in the back room." Said Ryuzu
"What?" Asked Clervie not having heard or seen such a room.
Ryuzu pointed to one of the few blank stretches of clear walls.
"I cannot accompany you, but the room is back there, but brace yourself… it may throw you for a loop when you see it." Ryuzu instructed.
Clervie walked up to the wall, elemental sense showed remnants of hydro energy within the wall, another transformation circle.
Taking a deep breath, Clervie tried to ready herself for whatever was behind the door.
With a push of her elemental energy and some focus, Clervie opened the wall and entered the back room.
The first thing that hit her was the sudden dip in temperature as she passed the new threshold. Dipping dozens in degrees in temperature, her breath now somewhat visible as it condensed in the air.
Then the smell hit her, it was odd, it was pungent and somehow smelled sharp and made her nostrils feel like they were over a fire. Her eyes also stung.
Coughing, she brought her shirt up over her nose to try and get some relief.
'what the hell is that smell?' thought Clervie as she looked around. The room.
Everything, the tables, chairs, the walls were made of or covered with a layer of a strange metal.
Walking to a table she found a circle similar, but different to the transformation circles etched into it's surface.
Next to the table, large chunks of bone were piled to the side.
On another table there was a large sealed jar of what looked like blood.
It was like she had wandered into a very strange butcher's shop. She was starting to get worried what Carman was doing carving up so many animals in his back room.
Then she saw the table at the very back. It was the largest of all the tables, on top of it was something covered in a tarp. On the wall behind it were several papers with writing and sketches that she couldn't make out.
Walking over, she read the papers on the wall.
[Height: 155 cm]
[Weight: 42 kg]
[Pre-existing injuries: cut under left eyelid, large scar to the left of sternum, slight loss in structural integrity of right Radius bone from previous fracture.]
[Left leg 1.2 mm longer than. Right counterpart]
Reading through the notes, all of them were eerily familiar. Clervie traced a finger under her left eye, feeling a small scar she had forgotten was present.
She looked down at the thing covered with the tarp, it was oddly shaped, as she looked she couldn't help but satiate her curiosity, and pulled it off.
What met her was a head of long red hair, pale skin, facial features she was very familiar with.
Though the eyes were closed, Clervie was sure that if she had opened them a pair of emerald orbs would meet hers.
Pulling the tarp further down, she found only the upper torso, left arm, right bicep and spine had been completed.
Carman hadn't been butchering, he had been converting, combining. Stitching flesh together to make a near perfect copy of her, Clervie.
A clattering behind her made her turn around. There she found the subject of her worries, Carman.
He had entered the room and seen her standing before the table holding a copy of herself. The shock making him drop a plate he had been carrying.
"Ah, Clervie… I didn't expect to see you here."
"I doubt you would have, what is this?" Clervie asked her voice a careful tone.
Carman breathed out a resigned sigh. "Something I only wanted to show you after it was finished. As you can see it is a copy of you."
"And why did you see fit to make a copy of my body?" Asked Clervie, her voice level as she held onto the tarp.
"Because if you go back, it is almost certain that your mother will pit you against Peruere in a deathmatch, one where, with no means to escape, you would choose to die rather than kill your friend." Said Carman.
"Was this one of your visions?" Asked Clervie.
"Yes, my plan was that I would make this copy of you, you would mark it with your elemental energy and swap with it at the last moment before you are hit with a fatal blow, that is why I have been trying to teach you the substitution technique." said Carman.
"I see, if that is the plan, why are you going through with all this?" Asked Clervie as she waved at all the items around the room.
"In case Peruere doesn't burn the body to ash. Your mother is in cahoots with a mad researcher whose title is is "The Doctor" I had to make as accurate a copy of you as possible, otherwise, if it was discovered that your "body" was in fact a bunch of mutilated pig carcasses stitched together, they would hound you once again." Said Carman
"I see that makes sense, just two more questions." said Clervie
"Shoot." Said Carman
"Why would something like this be considered a sin of alchemy?" Asked Clervie.
"Oh, because the laws of Alchemy my transformation and transfiguration circles are based on forbids the use of its concepts to be used to try and reconstruct/resurrect a human being. Heck meddling with your hair and eye color was toeing the line. But a near perfect replica of someone's body? Absolutely unforgivable to some practitioners." Said Carman
"Near perfect you say, last question, why is there only muscle and skin on the chest of this thing?" Asked Clervie with an eyebrow up as she pointed at the flat chest of the replica
"... Because it already felt weird making a copy of you, but adding… those would make it more awkward, I was planning on adding them at the end." Said Carman, a flush of embarrassment apparent on his face.
'not to mention it seemed more criminal given I am an adult on the inside' thought Carman.
Clervie laughed as she placed the tarp over the duplicate and walked over to pat Carman on the head. "Good, good, I thought you were implying something you shouldn't say to a young lady like myself."
'why do I feel like I just avoided a bullet?' thought Carman, his face visibly confused as Clervie walked out.
"Well I'll leave you to get back at it.. and thanks, for doing this for me even though it makes you feel awkward. Hopefully we don't actually have to resort to this plan." Said Clervie before she linked to the hidden transformation circle and closed the entrance to the back room.
"I hope so too. But your mother is a sadistic bitch. There is zero chance she wouldn't try to kill you off after she was humiliated by you getting out of her clutches. But I will save you, by borrowed time and stitched flesh, you will survive to see your friend grow up, see the better hearth she makes in your memory." said Carman as he turned his attention back to his ongoing project.
Then he realized, "shit she didn't decontaminate before wandering around here, now I need to bleach everything again."
-To be continued