On some level, I feel like I should have expected something like this—I'd sensed the Remnant's presence in the dungeon even before the Ritual moved into its second stage. Why the Remnant is in the dungeon is another question entirely, but whatever transformation the Empty City went through, it must have affected the Remnant as well.
That, I presume, is the reason it's currently taking the form of a scirix and smiling at us like nothing's wrong.
"Why is your Remnant even here?" I ask, not taking my eyes off him. Novi trusts him, clearly—she doesn't even seem surprised by his presence—but I don't. Something about his Firmament reeks of... not hostility, exactly. But there's something there that tells me that this Remnant isn't just playing his role in scirix society. He remembers being Ahkelios. Is Ahkelios, more or less.
A version of him that isn't a friend. A version of him that remembers a different life, has different goals.
"I've been in the Empty City before," Ahkelios reminds me. "Or I mean... I was in the sewers. I guess that's enough for it to count as far as Remnants goes."
"You sound worried."
"Of course I am! Who knows what he's going to do?" I can feel Ahkelios itching to manifest, but he knows as well as I do that that's not a good idea for the moment—who knows what will set this version of him off. "Let me remind you that he was trying to make me betray you!"
"Which you agreed not to do." I shrug, though mostly internally. "I'm not that worried about it."
"Yes, and I think that's a problem!" Ahkelios hisses at me.
Our internal conversation is interrupted by the actual conversation taking place between Novi and this new scirix. I was too distracted by Ahkelios to catch most of it, but Guard nudges me just in time as Novi turns toward me, smiling. "This is Zhir," she says, gesturing to the other scirix. "He is an Archivist like myself, and I am fortunate to call him a friend."
"Not quite as lucky as I am," the Remnant says, his voice playful. Novi laughs in response, flicking his arm.
"Did you not agree to take care of my children while I do this?" she asks. "I believe they are waiting for you."
"Alright, alright." The Remnant chuckles. He makes eye contact with me for a moment—just long enough to communicate that he knows who I am, that he knows what this is. I feel a slight chill go down my spine. "I'll see you later. It was a pleasure to meet you, Ethan and company. Perhaps we can speak more later? Novi tells me you are astonishingly grounded for a summon; you may well be the most complete summon we've had in years."
"And here I was worried I'd have problems making friends," I say jokingly. "Sure, sounds like a plan. As long as nothing throws those plans off, anyway. Should I bring you a gift? What do you like?"
"A gift?" The Remnant cocks his head. I think that's actual surprise—he wasn't expecting me to play along with him? "I would appreciate a painting. Perhaps some plants."
"Plants?" It's Novi's turn to be teasing. "I am surprised. The last time I tried to gift you a plant, you told me it would dirty your home."
"Ah." Zhir seems briefly thrown. Calling the Remnant by his scirix name is easier, for now. All the better to distinguish him from Ahkelios. "Yes, well... Preferences change, I suppose."
That's definitely Ahkelios. I'm not sure why we're making plans to begin with—it's not like the dungeon is going to last for long once I complete the stage—but there's an underlying tension in the conversation; whatever this is, our objectives are still at odds. I can sense the Remnant looking through me, almost as if he's not looking at me but at...
Well, at Ahkelios. Looking for the fragment of himself that's a part of me instead of a part of him.
Part of me wonders: this Remnant seems to be sapient. Does that mean it remembers? The Empty City as a dungeon exists outside Hestia's Trial, which means that the Trial's resets don't necessarily affect the dungeon—not unless it's explicitly linked to a Trialgoer. It's possible he's spent many loops wandering an empty city, entirely alone.
I frown.
Those aren't my thoughts.
It's not that I'm not sympathetic, or that I wouldn't normally consider these things—but if I pay careful attention, it feels almost like Ahkelios's bond with me is... leaking. Like the familiar I'm sheltering in my soul is tied both to this Remnant and to me, and so is acting as a sort of bridge between the two of us. Zhir is looking at me like he doesn't really understand me, but if I'm catching a glimpse of what he's experienced, then I'm guessing he's catching a glimpse of what I've experienced, too.
I wonder if that's going to be enough to change his mind on whatever he has planned. Because I can tell he's got a plan, and I'm not sure I'm going to like it.
"Are you ready, Protector?" Novi asks, entirely oblivious to the silent conversation between Zhir and I.
Messy is almost certainly going to be an understatement. A quick glance back tells me that despite my warnings, Novi is probably not going to look away or be particularly bothered by the violence. She seems kind of fascinated by it, if anything.
Oh boy.
On the plus side...
[You have defeated an Empty Regret (Rank E)! +3 Strength credits. +1 Firmament credit.]
For whatever reason, they're still enough to give me credits.
Works for me.
Ahkelios felt his heart hammering in his chest—for a given definition of 'heart' and 'chest', anyway. His whole body was made of Firmament, so the old physical sensations of stress and anxiety were more psychosomatic than an actual stress response. It didn't change what he was feeling, though.
Especially since it didn't take very long before Zhir sighed and called out to him. "I know you're following me," he said. "You might as well come out."
Ahkelios considered for a moment that his counterpart might have been bluffing, but it was unlikely. He could feel his Remnant, and if that were true for him, then it was just as true for the Remnant. Trying to hide was an exercise in futility.
Better to find out what he was planning.
"What are you doing here?" he asked, emerging from the bush he was hiding in. He shook his entire body a few times to get rid of all the leaves stuck on him, and Zhir watched him in amusement.
"I hardly have a choice," the scirix-but-not-really said. "I'm as much a slave to this dungeon as everyone else is. Perhaps more. It is fascinating, though; in all the attempts I've seen to clear this dungeon, this is only the second time I have encountered someone able to unlock its Ritual."
"And you're not planning to screw it up?" Ahkelios asked, fluttering next to Zhir. The Remnant turned to look at him, raising an eyebrow. Ridge. Ahkelios didn't really know much about scirix physiology.
"I have one goal," Zhir said plainly. "And it's to reintegrate myself with you."
Ahkelios stopped in place, and Zhir stopped too, waiting for him patiently. "Why?" he asked suspiciously.
"Because I'm tired of this," Zhir said. "Do you know how long I've been stuck here since our Trial? How long I've been forced to play the same old tired game? I didn't even have the option of giving up like you did. I'm a ghost of a ghost, playing the role of a monster, watching Trialgoer after Trialgoer die."
Ahkelios remained silent.
"And I tried, you know," Zhir continued. "To convince you to join me. I'm strong enough and you're strong enough that we could just sever your connection with Ethan. Make us our own person independent from him."
"That's what Ethan wants too," Ahkelios said.
"Ah, but he wants that for you." Zhir raised a finger and wagged it in an oddly human mannerism; it took Ahkelios a moment to realize that he'd pilfered it from his bond with Ethan, and that made him feel strangely dirty. "I want that for me. And that's going to be a problem for us, because I don't think either of us want to lose our individuality."
Ahkelios was almost certain he knew what was coming, but he waited anyway. His fists clenched, but he hid them behind his back.
"And if I can't convince you to let me take over the normal way," Zhir said. Ahkelios thought it was strange how he sounded like he was trying to convince himself, too, but then he wasn't too surprised; he wondered what he would have done in Zhir's position.
Fought like this too, probably. Maybe. He didn't think he'd stooped to threats, but who knew how much his counterpart had been through?
"I've seen the Ritual done once before," Zhir said, turning to Ahkelios. "Deaths in one Ritual stage carry over to the next. And that woman's kids? They're going to be very, very important in the later stages. So: Here's the deal.
"You let me take over and give me my freedom. In return, I won't kill them, and your Trialgoer won't be stuck trying to finish a Ritual that can never be completed."