"Hm…" The next morning, Rakna mused as he stood outside his home.
Surrounded by the garden's trees and flowers, he was twisting his neck to stare at his back where he could see his tails. Then, with a thought, a seventh one appeared in a flash, materialized within a crystal shell, followed by purple fire that soon transformed it all into fur.
Just like that, in a split second, the 'Tenth Tail' was summoned. The power it brought forth quickly was felt but Rakna also noticed a strange pressure weighing on him. It was nothing serious at the moment, but he could tell it would become worse if he used it for too long.
After waving the tail around and confirming that it wasn't any different from the rest, he made it disappear just as fast as it appeared. Out of curiosity, he summoned and dismissed it again.
Then repeated the same process several times.
"Six, seven, six, seven, six, seve—"
"Will you cut it out? What are you, a kid?" Kaelith's voice suddenly complained from the side.
Rakna snickered and turned toward her. "Good morning, foxy."
"Yes, a good morning indeed. I'm sure it must have been a restful night of sleep for you," the vixen said with a raised eyebrow.
"…well, I guess. I had to knock out the horny cat to stop her though," the therian deadpanned.
Kaelith blinked and then laughed. "Heh, serves her right."
"She really got carried away with the crest," Rakna sighed. "Instead of being unsettled, she got accustomed to it so fast that she somehow got energy from it."
"She truly is the most enthusiastic…" The vixen sweatdropped; even she had been taken off guard by the Lust Magic the first time. "I suppose that's to be expected from her. Where are they now?"
"Sleeping… well, one of them is unconscious rather," he snorted. "Flavia is sleeping like a log. She mumbles a lot in her sleep. It's quite cute," he added.
A soft expression appeared on Kaelith's face and she stared right into his eyes with a smile. "What did I tell you, wolfy? I knew you'd be happier if you accepted them. You've come a long way from the emotionless guy who asked why an aisle was dedicated to blankets."
"Bold of you to assume I would not ask the same question now," Rakna retorted.
"Hehe... that's true," she smiled. "So? What is that?" She tilted her head to look behind him. "It was just yesterday that you got your sixth tail. Where did that one come from?"
"Hm," the therian pondered for a moment. "Simply said, I'm not a Nine-Tailed anymore."
"Huh?"
"I'm a Ten-Tailed Werewolf," he declared.
"…why are you saying such ridiculous things so confidently?" Her lips twitched. "Nine is supposed to be the limit for many reasons… Not that I ever expected you to heed common sense anyway."
"Ah yes, I'm a 'Law-Breaker'," Rakna nodded to himself, amused by the context. "But that aside, there was something I wanted to try with this new tail of mine. First, I wanted to see how long I can keep it manifested. For now, the strain isn't hindering me. I think I can hold on for several hours as long as it's outside of combat."
"Not to mention, there's no mental imbalance like with demonization," he added. "Even though it gives me extra abilities, it's much more accessible. And…" He trailed and glanced at Kaelith with an intent gaze.
"W-what is it?" She stuttered with a small blush.
"…nothing," he shook his head, tearing his eyes away from her 'soul' flourishing in his vision. There wasn't much difference from using 'Soul Sense', but there indeed was something beneath it. 'That soul-reading thing doesn't seem easy to use,' he mused silently.
"Oh well," the therian stretched his arms. "I can also tell that the Obsidian Star is a bit more under control, but that's about it. Now, what I truly wanted to do; [Tail Clone,]" he voiced and his seventh tail immediately started reverting to a crystal-like state. It separated from his body and began to mold a new body.
The process didn't appear much different from a normal Tail Clone, but when it was over, both he and Kaelith opened their mouths in confusion.
"What is…" The clone's voice sounded as it looked around and at itself; long black hair, purple eyes, a leather jacket and jeans, captivating looks, and a… curvy figure.
"…why the hell did you adopt this form?" Rakna couldn't help but utter.
The clone turned toward him with a gaze even more indifferent than his. "How would I know? Are you sure it's not simply because you're a pervert?"
"No… I'm not that much into selfcest," the therian deadpanned and a System notice rang at about the same time.
⠀
❮ ◈ ❯
⠀
You have acquired a new Sub-Path Skill, Nephal Doppelganger!
⠀
---
⠀
Nephal Doppelganger
⠀
Through the use of Tail Clone, the user sheds their Tenth Tail to create a vessel for the power of the accumulated Sins & Virtues encased by the surplus power of the Obsidian Star compressed inward by the Sub-Path, Nephilim. The Doppelganger will possess a strong ego due to this and will receive power potentially equal to the original self.
Due to its independent nature, the Doppelganger, which embodies the Tenth Tail, will not directly weigh on the user's Soul Stele as long as it's separated and will be allowed a continued existence until it somehow is completely exhausted, fatally wounded, or terminated by the original user, in which case, the tail will return automatically through the soul.
⠀
Note: The base passive effects of the Sin Skills encompass both the user and clone.
⠀
❮ ◈ ❯
⠀
'That's not really helping…' Rakna said internally and looked at whom he could only call 'Ranka'.
With a quick check of her attributes, he saw that her attributes were a mirror copy of his… except for Luck which was at 20; the value he would have from the doubling effect. 'That's cheating.'
"{I don't want to hear that from you,}" Fray deadpanned. "{Though, this is interesting indeed… she lacks certain abilities, like any other clone, but less so, and she is definitely closer to you in power. At least, that last one remains true as long as you refrain to use your more extreme skills.}"
"Wolfy…" Kaelith muttered. "I mean, I don't mind the cutie version of you, but…"
""Don't finish that sentence,"" both doppelganger and otherwise retorted at the same time.
Ranka especially crossed her arms and huffed. "It's only natural. How could I ever be an imitation of someone else? How insulting."
"Uh?" The vixen tilted her head in confusion.
"I think… she means that it's an insult for her to be a mere clone," Rakna theorized hesitantly. "This probably is caused by 'Pride'. She's powered by Sins, after all. So, she doesn't want… or rather, she refuses to be reduced to nothing more than a subservient copy."
"But why that form specifically?"
"Who knows," Rakna shrugged. "I stopped caring about stuff like that a while ago. It could be because this is a persona I adopted myself. With a combination of the Sin of Lust and maybe… the title that we will not speak of," he uttered and scowled at this clone. "Your thoughts?"
She huffed. "My assumptions aren't much different from yours. Though…" She smirked. "I believe your personal opinion of this appearance might have left traces. You liked it, didn't you?"
"…" The therian pursed his lips and leaned slightly toward Kaelith. "Hey, my clone's making fun of me, isn't it?" He whispered. "No, more like, she's mocking me, isn't she?"
"Well, think about it," Kaelith raised one finger. "If you were in her place, would you do the same?"
Rakna looked up in thought for a moment. "…I might," he admitted.
Meanwhile, Ranka was twirling her wrists and poking her wolf ears. With a pensive hum, she eyed her 'original self' and extended his hand toward him. "Come," she uttered and the scarf around his neck promptly flew to her, transforming into a Guandao. "I see. It works."
Rakna's expression twitched. "Who told you could take Sonata?"
"I did," she instantly said. "So, you did."
"…"
"{You have no counter, do you?}" Fray snickered in the therian's head.
"The drunkard needs us to be with her today, right?" Ranka asked as she whirled the weapon. "Let me go with her. I have no interest in your spar and you don't need my power for it."
"No, no, that's my power…" Rakna mumbled. "And we need 'me' to be there in public. Unless you're willing to change your appearance."
"Of course not," the answer was instantaneous.
"How unreasonable…"
"Just give me another clone. A normal one," she suggested.
"Come on, that's two tails I'm giving up here. King Gulon is going to notice that in a heartbeat. He'll give me an earful," Rakna scratched his head. "…fine, but you don't get to bring Sonata with you."
"Hm… acceptable," she nodded and tossed the Soul Weapon back to him. He caught it with a shake of his head and put it back around his neck as a scarf.
"Seriously, negotiating with my gender-bent doppelganger first thing in the morning…" He sighed and let out a chuckle. "That's not very high on the list of things I could have predicted."
"So, it's not the last?" Kaelith jested.
"Well, realistically, there definitely are worse things," Rakna shrugged. "More importantly… since your personality is probably founded upon the Sins…" He glared at his other self. "You better not go around relieving your lust with 'my' body."
"Idiot," Ranka frowned. "I still am you regardless. Your tastes and interests are mine too. In other words, those targets of lust are already set, and you have one standing right there," she pointed at Kaelith.
"Oh!" The vixen exclaimed with a round mouth. "That's…" She paused. "Incredibly unsettling!" She said with a tone that couldn't have been faker even if she tried.
"You sound way too happy, foxy…"