"Darkness. All I see is darkness...Huh?"
A small circle of light shines into Akihiko.
"Is that?...Hiyori?"
"Big brother!"
"HIYORI!"
He reaches out his hand trying to grab her hand. Akihiko's vision is blurry but he tries to reach her. His hand leans closer and closer towards his sister.
"Hiyori! Grab my hand, your brother will save you!"
"..."
Hiyori leans her hand close too, their fingers almost touching, until suddenly...
"I am sorry big brother. Wake up."
----------------------------------------------------------
"GAAAHH-"
Akihiko wakes up, heavy breathing from the dream he just had. His white shirt and black pants are all ripped, he is all in bruises and scars. He looks around at the environment, trying to face reality.
"Oh...it was just a dream. But at the same time a reality."
He tried to stand up, slowly.
"OUCH, my back, and my leg..."
As he gets up he leans his body towards a pillar that was half destroyed from the fight earlier. Akihiko continues to heavy breathe a few more minutes until he eventually calms down. He takes a good look at his surroundings once again and tries to recall the events that happened before that dream.
"Let's see. My head is still hurting a little so it will be hard to recall everything. I can assume that I was in a big fight, huh? Judging from all those bruises I have. And my sister is gone...That dream I had...It has to be connected in one way or another, that is obvious. I wonder...what kind of being caused such damage? Hum??"
Suddenly, Akihiko spots a glowing blue light near him. It shined like a little star. He went towards it out of pure curiosity. The glow was coming from behind another pillar, smaller than the one he leaned his body just moments ago. With each step the glow was stronger and stronger. After a few more steps he reached the pillar and looked behind it. There was it... A small, round, blue badge. It was glowing immensely, so bright that if looking at it for too long could make you go blind. Akihiko covered his eyes and picked up the badge.
"What's this? A badge? It looks...peculiar. I don't remember this being here before...What if I just...?"
Akihiko touched the center of the badge with his finger and a shiver appeared all over his body. He felt like he just got shocked by lightning.
"AHH WHAT!? WHAT IS THIS PAIN??"
He continues to suffer like that for a few more seconds. It's like he was about to die. Until suddenly it stopped...After that a deep voice appeared from the badge.
"I have been waiting for you, oh wilder of cloning."
"..."
"This badge has been given to you by fate itself. It is now yours fully. You are deemed worthy of wilding the power of cloning."
"Uhhhh, power of what now?"
"CLONING. You imbecile..."
"Okay, okay chill. No need for insults now."
Akihiko chuckles with his response.
"Anyways. This badge is given to anyone who has been trough a great amount of suffering in their lives. Mostly people around your age, I think...How old are you?"
"Oh, me? I reached 15 a while ago."
"Not bad, not great. Anyways to not waste your time. This is your new ability. Use it wisely. I believe you will achieve great things."
"WOAH, Really??!!"
"No."
"..."
"Goodbye, for now. Oh also you may feel a little shock after I leave."
"..."
With that the spirit of the badge left silent. A sudden shock hits Akihiko as said.
"Aw. Stupid badge...Okay, let's see this 'cloning badge' or whatever he called it."
Akihiko then spots a rock. It was kind of sharp and small. He then stares at it and focuses his hand towards the rock. He holds his hand with his other one.
"Okay, here goes nothing. Activate Clone."
"..."
At first nothing happened. He tilted his head wondering is he did something wrong. After all, the spirit didn't give him any instructions on how to use it. He continued saying the phrase "activate clone" a few more times.
"Clone! Clone! Clone! Clone you motherfucker!!"
Still nothing.
"Is this some kind of joke? I SAID CLONE!"
Again nothing.
"Maybe i should try with something else instead. Yeah that looks right."
He goes near a tree and breaks up a branch of it. He then calms down and fully focuses on his task, that being to duplicate the branch he just picked.
"I, wielder of cloning-"
As he was about to say his new phrase he came up with the branch multiplied. Right next to it was an exact copy of the one he picked. Akihiko was shocked. He couldn't believe his eyes. He then tried with another branch. He calmed down and did the same as last time, no phrase or words this time though. It worked well, the branch multiplied again. He tried with all sorts of things. Small pebbles, mushrooms, leaves. He was amazed at how quick he got used to it. It felt like magic. Finally he faced that same rock in the beginning.
"Well, here goes nothing..."
As usual he focuses his hand on the rock, he calms himself and then .the rock starts shaking a little. It shook as if an earthquake was near. After a few moments the rock duplicated. Akihiko started jumping out of joy for his success. He was screaming out of joy that he achieved such a feat, even though small.
"Hahahaha! I am the wilder of cloning! Watch world, as I achieve great things with this ability. I will defeat every bad guy that stands in front of me, I will prove my dad that I am worth living! And most importantly...I will save you, sister. Your big brother will find you, wherever you are."
A sudden ring from the badge comes.
"Huh?"
"Mana meter low, rest."
"Oh. I guess it makes sense that my power will be exhausted after a few uses at this level. Well I will rest a bit."
As he lays on the ground and leans his head on the pillar he looks up at the sky. He raises his arm says.
"Just you wait, Hiyori."