The lost pair walked through the cobbled streets of Bastion with a strange sensation burning in their hearts. They had just spent the last few weeks waging a losing war against the abhorrent abominations which dwelled within the eerie reflection of Bastion.
They didn't know which of the two versions of the castle was real and which was merely an illusion, a dream from a distant past. Regardless, they were grateful to be living on this side of the mirror, for the horror of the Others was nothing to disregard.
During their time on the other side, they had thought against just a few of these creatures, and yet it took days of slowly breaking down their defences to even stand a chance. Those creatures were of the Fallen Rank after all, which granted them truly unbelievable power, the same fearsome power that the dragon they slew had also possessed.
Every day, they lost another member of their cohort to the creatures, and every day, they were forced to push themselves to their limits. There were other creatures as well, but they rarely came close enough to force a fight. Only the strange golems seemed to actively seek out the intruders.
Before long, they arrived at a rather large building, whose stone walls had long since been repaired, whose windows had been replaced, and whose door had been redone. There were a couple of places like this around the main keep, but this one was special, for it was where the lost pair had made their home.
Unlike all the others who lived two lives, split between the realms, they were forced to live only one. This had plenty of benefits and downsides, but they managed to make it work for them, not like they had much of a choice in the matter.
The younger man walked confidently up to the door, happily awaiting the chance to be rid of the blood stained leathers and to have a chance to relax before they met with Warden later that same day. Their leader had made one of the towering defensive towers into his personal office, for which only a select few were allowed to enter.
Jasper attempted to open the door to their house, and yet it refused to budge. He tried and tried again, and yet his attempts were futile. Damian watched the man as he desperately tried to get their door open with little success before he asked,
"You locked us out again….didn't you?"
The younger man looked at his counterpart with large eyes as he attempted to make an excuse,
"Well, you know… if it wasn't for…you know how the lock is… the door is pretty old…"
Damian simply raised his hand to silence the man before letting out a defeated sigh. It wasn't the first time the man had locked them out, and he was sure it wouldn't be the last. Walking forward, Damian approached the door before suddenly walking through it as if it wasn't even there.
Unlocking the door from the inside to allow Jasper entry before closing it once again, Damian looked around at their simple home, which they had taken for themselves.
The structure was simple, yet it held a charm difficult to put into words. The walls and floors were composed of beautiful stone with metal inlays to keep them together.
Dark wooden supports had been fashioned from the twisted woods beyond the walls to help keep this place in one piece for longer.
The rather large windows overlooked various streets and old businesses. Tables and chairs sat beneath them, providing a convenient place to relax and enjoy a good meal.
A large outcove with burnt wood buried in its base and a large metallic pot chained to the walls was where they prepared most of their meals. The food they ate was simple, but they had discovered a few secrets to make it just a little bit better.
They had found old pieces of artwork and carpets, and, with the help of Warden and others, managed to restore them to a limited degree. Despite the horrors waiting for them on the outside, they had managed to create the semblance of a home.
///
A while later, the two of them sat in the living area of their lovely home, a fire raging as the smell of a fragrant soup filled the air. They had left their memories to repair themselves within their souls and now wore some rather simple clothes which Warden had fashioned for them.
The clothes were simple yet smart, the perfect apparel for meeting with their leader once they had finished their meal.
Damian stared into the fire as a distant expression hung over his face. He spent a lot of his time like this recently. Jasper knew that he was thinking of the life they had left behind. He knew how worried the man was about his family and how much he wished to hold them close once more.
Jasper stared at the man with a sombre look of pity. Jasper didn't know what it was like to leave his family behind in an apocalyptic hellscape, but that much was true. He did know what loss felt like, however.
His parents had left on a trip many years ago and never returned, leaving him alone in his family home. He was fortunate to come from a wealthy family, one with resources most others would have killed for. He never went a day in his life when he went hungry, never wanted for anything, as he could always get what he wanted at a moment's notice.
He had hated living like that in truth, for others it would have seemed like a life of luxury but for him it simply felt like he lived in the shadow of those who came before him, he had never earned it himself and that had always rubbed him the wrong way, which was why despite all its shortcomings he appreciated this house far more than the one he had left behind.
Altruism was baked into his blood after all, his parents had always wanted to help others, to help the world return to the state it was when they were young, and so he had always wanted to help those in need, and right now the one who needed help was sitting right in front of him.
It was strange, though, they had known each other for a year by this point, and yet Jasper still felt more like a sidekick than a partner to the older man. They had forged a bond deeper than many did over a lifetime, and yet he felt like he would always be in second place.
He felt unworthy of the praise of others, and especially the praise of the Spell during his ascension. In all honesty, he knew that he was worth more than he gave himself credit for, but now wasn't the time for pitying himself when a person in need was right in front of him.
Taking in a deep breath, he forced out a smile and spoke, his tone cheerful;
"So, Damian, you said you had something cool to show me earlier? What was so impressive that it made you look like you were about to launch a coup?"
The older man turned to him, seemingly snapped out of the daze he had been in before, clearing his throat.
"Oh..wha…oh yeah right, I did promise to show you, didn't I?"
Standing up from the table, Damian walked into the centre of the room before taking a deep breath. Jasper watched in anticipation as a cloud of sparks materialised next to him. The shape underneath seemed formless at first, as the light took time to manifest, until a humanoid figure stood next to Damian.
Jasper couldn't believe his eyes as a second Damian appeared from the sparks.