Young Writers Society

The clone opened his mouth, almost like he was about to utter a reply.

But he didn't get a chance to.

Something suddenly clicked. The rifle wasn't being pointed at both of them. It was just being pointed at Nova. He was reluctant to let go of Bo, but he had to test his theory. Unsteadily getting to his feet, he moved away from Bo.

The tip of the rifle followed him the entire time.

"Bo," Nova whispered, "I think he was trying to protect you."

The clone hesitantly started to lower the rifle, brow drawn together and lips pulled into a tight line. He glanced between the two of them. It seemed like he was looking for answers, but he apparently wasn't getting that far with trying to find them.

"I am," the clone said. "Because it's just a bit worrying seeing Bo being hugged by a wraith."

As he spoke - sounding both tired and exasperated - he gestured at Bo with the tip of his stun rifle. Nova doubted he was going to use it, but it still made him move a little closer to Bo.

The clone went to take a step forward...

...and promptly tripped over his own two feet and went sprawling across the cave's floor. The clone let out a startled yelp, but it didn't little to help him brace for the fall. A few moments later, he was laying right near Bo - muttering a series of swears that Nova would have been shocked to hear the actual Bo say.

Bo stayed where he was on instinct, because there was a gun being pointed around and he didn't want to make any sudden movements. He did notice, though, how his clone kept following Nova with the gun. For the most part.

When his clone fell on his face (which looked painful, and by nature of practically seeing himself take the fall, he was feeling sympathy pains) Bo hurried forward to help him up while the gears in his head started turning.

"Nova's chill," he said. "You don't have to worry about him. He's only disguising as a wraith, kinda like--" there is was. The lightbulb.

"Oh! Kart?" He lifted his clone up to his feet, dusting off his shoulder before looking into his eyes.

"Kart? Is that you?"

Nova stared as the clone gave a nod. Kart wasn't a name that he recognized; his Bo didn't have any friends with that name. But as he watched in bewilderment when "Kart" gave Bo a kind but exasperated look and smile, Nova realized that he did know who this stranger was.

It was Kartiel.

The god of souls that Bo had just mentioned - and the one that Nova was still trying to wrap his head around the idea of. Kartiel wasn't anything like what he had imagined, but, then again, he knew he wasn't anything like what most people imagined Vice Admiral Nova to be like.

Kartiel being in Bo's clone body probably didn't help, either.

"It was the black hole, wasn't it?" Kartiel said to Bo, in a tired, almost deadpan voice. "I saw it when I was going to visit you. The moment I noticed it, I just knew you had gone through it. And then you didn't answer my texts..."

Kartiel let out a sigh.

Nova couldn't help it - he let out a tiny laugh. Kartiel whipped his head around and gave Nova a look. Nova, feeling sheepish and slightly afraid of angering a god, stopped. There was just something funny about how casual Kartiel was with Bo. He acted more like a regular person than Nova would have guessed.

Seeming to remember that Nova was in the cave too, now, Kartiel gave him a judging look. Nova promptly returned it. He was sure Kartiel was trying to see if he was really as safe as Bo claimed; that was what Nova was trying to do with Kartiel.

Bo laughed - first at Kartiel, then at the stare-down between him and Nova.

"Guys, guys," it's okay, he said, patting Kartiel on the shoulder. "And yeah, I kinda got sucked it. It was an accident. Nova ended up on earth by coming through it first, which was also an accident. He's from a different world way in the sci-fi future. And he's a shape-shifter. Dunno if that's the word you use, uh, Nova," he looked to Nova for confirmation. "But yeah. That's why he disguised as a wraith, 'cause he got here before me."

Nova gave a nod in confirmation.

His gaze was still on Kartiel. But the longer that the god was there, the more comfortable that Nova felt around him. He hadn’t done anything to endanger or manipulate Bo yet. Each passing moment was proof that he could trust Kartiel.

Kartiel gave him a tired look that made Nova question just how old the god was - it seemed like he heard a story like this multiple times before.

"I tried sending my soul to the body I had here," Kartiel finally said. "I got...distracted. I thought of you instead of me, so..."

He gestured down at himself, a sheepish expression on his face.

He looked back up at the two.

"But I can send you back," he said. "Both of you."

Nova perked up.

"You can?" he asked, partially in disbelief.

"It would just take the right spell," he said. "And after the last few years, I've gotten the hang of transportation spells."

Bo nodded in agreement, looking over at Nova. He put a hand on Kart's-clone-verson-of-himself shoulder and held him at arm's length.

"Yeah, Nova. This guy's been doing transportation spells for ages. He's basically an expert. If anyone can get you home, it's him."

Nova let out a sigh of relief.

"...I thought I was going to have to engineer something," he said, his posture finally relaxing as he leaned up against the cave wall. "If not that, I would have to wait for someone from my reality to come looking for me."

"That would be inconvenient," Kartiel agreed.

Nova gave a nod.

"Is there anything you have to do?" he asked. "Besides...magic?"

"Usually I have to wait," Kartiel admitted.

Nova's shoulders slumped.

"...But I've been doing transportation spells frequently to visit Bo, so I should be able to handle it a little better now," he said, giving Nova a small smile. "I can send you back to your reality whenever you're ready - and take Bo back to ours."

Nova glanced down at himself. It felt like it had been long enough. He usually needed a clock or the sun to check, but he doubted the last one would have been all that helpful. All he could do know was try to change his form.

He closed his eyes and let the change overtake him.

A few moments later, Vice Admiral Nova (uniform included) sat in the wraith's place. For reasons he couldn't entirely understand - or chose not to, at least - Kartiel was staring at him with wide eyes.

(Considering that Bo only had one working eye, it was a very disorientating thing to see.)

Even though Bo had known Nova for a grand total of less-than 24 hours, this was his first time seeing Nova in his "true form" (or whatever it could be called) aside from a holographic photo. He looked at Nova and gave him a little smile. Bo was proud of himself for actually being unfazed by the sudden transformation. He guessed he had all the trauma to thank for that.

He glanced between Kart-Bo and Nova and noticed the look on his own cloned two-eyed face, but didn't draw attention to it. Apparently Kartiel liked a guy in uniform.

He pulled his hand off Kart's shoulder and put his hands in his pockets. He felt a little chill, now. He was, after all, in summer clothes, and the rain storm was making it a little cool.

"So. What's the estimated time for departure, you think?"

Kartiel hurriedly looked away.

"Right now," he said, what almost looked like a...blush? on his cheeks. Now Nova was the one doing the staring, but Kartiel didn't seem to notice. "Once you both say goodbye to each other, I can send everyone to where they're supposed to be."

Nova looked away from Kartiel.

He barely knew this Bo, but he felt like he had known him for so much longer thanks the year he had been trapped in this part of the universe. He wondered if Bo felt the same way about him - it wasn't like he had a Nova counterpart on his Earth and in his reality. This older Bo knew Nova for what was probably less than a day. He'd be lucky if they had known each other for even half a day.

"Well," Nova said, taking a deep breath, "I guess this is goodbye, then."

He glanced over at Kartiel.

"...Can you tell the people I was staying with that I was able to get home? They were living on a planet with mostly water and an advanced city that floated on the sea - I don't want them to worry about me."

Kartiel looked surprised at that, but all he did was give him a nod.

"I can," he said.

Nova gave a small smile.

"That's good," Nova replied.

An advanced city on the sea. Bo briefly glanced at Kart, but otherwise, didn't mention it. It sounded like Nova had been staying at Atlantis, which meant it was nearby, at least. That would make sense, he thought, if they'd gone back in time to when he'd been around Atlantis.

Then again, his understanding of how far things were from each other in the universe was fuzzy, so he could be wrong.

He turned to Nova with a smile.

"Well, it was a pleasure meeting you, Nova. I'm glad that - while I can't do much to help, that I have a good friend who can." He gave Kartiel another shoulder pat. Was it weird, still? Patting his own shoulder, even though he knew it was Kart inside? Yes.

"Stay save, Nova buddy. No more black holes for you."

Nova's smile grew.

"I'll try to avoid them," he said. He started to turn to Kartiel to say that he was ready to go, but he couldn't help but look back over at Bo. "...If we meet again, I hope the situation isn't as chaotic as all of this...this was."

He faced Kartiel again.

"I'm ready," he said.

Kartiel gave a nod.

The god started to mutter words under his breath that Nova didn't entirely recognize. It was only when he started to feel strangely warm that he realized Kartiel was casting the spell. The cave around them faded; it was replaced by the lab that he had been in what felt like an eternity before.

...Or what he thought was the lab.

It looked far older than he had expected. Part of him had been hoping he was only gone for a handful of hours, but the ruins of the lab suggested he had been gone for much longer. Thoughts of tall piles of paperwork were quickly forgotten as he surveyed the overturned tables and crumbling walls.

...Just how long had he been gone?