The forest remained shrouded in silence, the tension from the First Clone's "sacrificial" death lingering heavily in the air. The clones sat in a semi-circle, heads bowed, eyes closed.
Clone 2 (solemnly): "He was... brave. A true hero."
Clone 5 (sniffing): "We'll never forget his sacrifice."
Clone 9 (dramatically): "We should build a monument. A shrine! Something to honor his memory!"
Clone 6 (nodding earnestly): "We must remember the pain he endured... The pain... the agony... the—"
Rio (crossing his arms, exasperated): "Are you all serious right now?"
He flicked his fingers, and with a brief shimmer, the First Clone reappeared, standing bewildered in the middle of their mourning circle.
First Clone (rubbing his head): "Uh... Did I miss something?"
The clones all froze, their eyes widening in shock.
Clone 8 (mouth open): "Y-You're back!?"
Clone 4 (dropping to his knees): "A miracle! A resurrection!"
First Clone (rolling his eyes): "Guys, I'm a clone. Rio can just summon me back."
Rio (facepalming): "Exactly. Why are you all acting like it was some epic sacrifice? We're in a weird dimension, sure, but let's not get carried away."
The clones exchanged glances and burst into laughter, the tension breaking like a snapped twig.
Clone 7 (grinning): "Okay, okay. That was a bit much. We needed a moment, alright?"
Clone 3: "We were just... setting the mood. Keeping things dramatic."
Clone 10 (smirking): "Besides, who doesn't love a good comeback story?"
Rio shook his head, a small smile tugging at his lips. The clones might be extensions of him, but they definitely had their own quirks. And right now, humor was their best weapon against fear.
---
The Village Report
Once the laughter died down, the First Clone grew serious.
First Clone: "Listen up. That village... it's not normal. The people there—something's off. Their movements were mechanical, like puppets. And their language..."
Clone 12 (leaning in): "Alien?"
First Clone (shaking his head): "No, not alien. Ancient. I could almost understand it, but not quite. It felt... old. Like an ancient dialect mixed with something else."
Clone 11: "So, they're being controlled?"
First Clone: "That's what it felt like. They weren't strong individually, but there's something... sinister. And there's more. I saw a map in the center of the village. We're in the far east of this world. The map showed this place is called... 'Vakrimori.'"
Clone 9 (confused): "Vakrimori? What does that even mean?"
Rio: "Twisted Forest, maybe. I think it's an ancient term. But how did you read it?"
First Clone: "I don't know how I read it, and I'm not even sure if it means 'Twisted Forest' or not. It was the only thing I could make out."
The clones glanced at the gnarled trees, their branches twisted in unnatural shapes. The air felt heavy, almost malevolent.
Clone 5 (whispering): "Fits perfectly. This place gives me the creeps."
Clone 7 (excitedly): "So, what's the plan? We could flood the village with clones! Hundreds of us! We'd conquer it in no time. Like gangsters!"
Rio (firmly): "No. We're not turning this into some invasion."
Clone 7 (pouting): "Come on, it'd be fun."
First Clone (laughing): "He's right, though. We could overwhelm them. But I don't think brute force is the answer. There's something deeper going on."
Clone 3: "So, what do we do? Just wait?"
Rio: "For now, yes. We need more information. The First Clone's memories give us an advantage. We know there's a threat, but we don't know what's controlling those villagers. Rushing in could get us all killed."
The clones nodded, their earlier bravado fading. The reality of their situation was sinking in. They weren't on Earth anymore. This was a different world, with different rules. And they were alone—except for each other.
---
Reflections and Resolve
As the clones settled down for the night, Rio sat apart, staring into the flickering fire. The First Clone joined him.
First Clone (softly): "You okay?"
Rio: "Yeah. Just... thinking. This place. It's dangerous. But having you all here... it helps."
First Clone: "We're you. In one way or another. And we're all thankful for you, too."
Rio (smiling faintly): "I know. We'll get through this. Together."
In the distance, the village loomed, a dark silhouette against the night sky. The threat it posed was real, but so was their resolve. They might be in a twisted, ancient world, but they had each other. And that was enough—for now.