Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Deep in the Infinite Realms, something writhed. 

“Stop! NO! Stop!!” A scream of agony.

Pained whispers. “No. No. Please.” 

“Master? Where’s? Where’s... No. No.” Frantic rambles.

“Why?! Why?! Why?!” Weeping sobs.

So many voices- screaming, crying, whispering, wailing- at once. Too many hands… one, three, fifteen, fifty. Reaching, gasping, touching. 

What was… No…. That’s not…. Why…. Thoughts caught and released, shifting like so many limbs.

Limbs? Two hands touched, combined. Smaller? Smaller! Yes! No. Good…. Bad?! What…. What. Why….

A wet, sunking noise. Black, white, green mass of ectoplasmic flesh undulated. One leg divided into two. Too many limbs. Twisting. Growing. Dwindling. 

Another head budded, rising up from the mass. A new mouth opened, a wordless moan of sorrow.

A flash of memory flickered. Needle in the neck. Knives. Red blood, seeping from a gash. Cracked bones. Green… so much green. Like….

Eyes darted – green, blue, red, black, white -- dozens on every surface. 

Can’t… focus. What… where. NO! NO! 

The surroundings… almost familiar. So much green. But where…

“ Stop! Hurts! Please make stop!” A mouth cried.

Can’t…. Focus. Too much. Too many…. Too many directions. Nothing makes…. Pain!... Why!... We didn’t…. Where is….

A cry in front of-

All eyes darted forward, alert. A cry, not from we-me-us-I but….  

Focus! A tall, muscular figure. Scarred with tears in his green eyes. 

One head tilted in curiously. Then a second…. Wait. We know….

Dozens of memories slotted into place. Strong arms, holding, caressing. Fingers, wiping away tears. A gentle, deep voice. And the words….

“I’m not gonna… not gonna leave you. I’m… I’m right here.” A focused watery smile, a finger moving to whip away the tear. “You’re not alone.”

Recognition. All eyes focused on the face, black tendrils reaching out to touch, to grab. Malformed limbs encased the other, smaller figure.

 All voices spoke as one. “Brother?”

“How much farther, Ellie?” The girl turned at the question, taking in Prometheus’ raised brow as he continued. “We’ve been flying for a long time now.” Nervous eyes flickered around the green atmosphere, dotted with a few floating rocks and distant purple-green clouds, but mostly empty. “I’ve never been out this far.”

“We’re almost there.” Ellie offered her larger clone brother a comforting smile. “Twenty minutes or so. See that chunk of rock.” She pointed. “That’s where we’re going.”

The muscular clone nodded. “Alright.” Some of the tension leaked out of him, the question casual. “What exactly did you want me to see anyway?”

The girl’s smile morphed into a grimace, the memory flickering in her mind. The distant cry of pain, the writhing mass of black and green, all the blinking eyes…. Ellie shook her head, forcing the disturbing image away. “You’ll see….” 

Pro wrinkled his nose, the skeptical look making dread and guilt sink like a stone in her gut.

The smaller clone looked down; she would have shuffled awkwardly, dragging a shoe across the ground if there had been any. “I thought…. I might know what it is… whatever I saw.”

That… creature, if that was what it had been. That thing she’d seen from a distance and fled from, full of fear and dread… There had been something oddly familiar about it. Later, when she’d arrived at their lair, Ellie knew she had to investigate and somehow… Pro had to be the one to go with her. 

The taller clone accepted the statement with a sigh, flying forward to hover at her side. An arm briefly wrapped around her in a side hug. “Let’s get going then.”

The rocky island loomed larger and larger in Ellie’s vision. She still couldn’t see anything yet but… her ear twitched. A noise, quiet under the roaring winds of the Realms. The sound of crying…

The girl swallowed, core heavy in her chest. They still needed to get closer but-

“What’s that?” Pro’s hand on her shoulder paused her flight.

Slowly, he pointed. Ellie’s eyes widened. There, along the bottom of the island, almost completely blocked by the rock…. Something squirmed.

A scream pierced the air.

“Pro! Wait!” The larger ghost dashed in front of her and Ellie cursed herself. She should have told her brother about this; the creature had screamed like that this last time. 

Ellie hurried after Prometheus, quickly approaching the island. He dipped down, curving to the side to approach the source of movement from below. 

Another wail. The smaller ghost covered her ears, eyes focused on her brother. His wide eyes darted, searching for the origin of the sound. 

Where was it? It should have been right in front of them. Ellie’s stomach knotted. This was a horrible idea. But… 

A wet snapping noise sounded.

The girl froze, ears drawn to the sound. She didn’t… she didn’t want to look. Something green and sticky dripped past her. God. She didn’t want to look. That… that couldn’t be….

Slowly, as if by a spell, her head tilted up. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Prometheus do the same. 

Both clones stared.

Prometheus couldn’t look away. Eyes wide, body frozen, he couldn’t move, couldn’t look away from… from…. He couldn’t describe it. Or maybe, it was too horrible to describe. 

The mass of flesh… constantly moving, fluctuating. It looked… wet. Or gummy. Sticky? So much green…. Arms sprouted, legs, flashes of hair. Eyes blinked, stared, wept. And the noise….

“Make stop! Make stop!” “No. No. Please.” “Master? Where’s? Where’s... No. No.” “Why?! Why?! Why?!”

Blood curdling screams. Crazed rambles. Haunted whisper. Excruciating wailing.

It…. god, this was too much. Too horrible. Nausea rose, tears welling in his eyes. This was… this was horrible. He… he needed to get away. He needed to get his sister way. This was… this was wrong. But…. 

“ Stop! Hurts! Please make stop!”

Prometheus recoiled, a choked sound, part-sob and part-scream exiting his throat. His stomach twisted, a sick sense of familiarity. 

Suddenly, all the monsters' eyes darted forward, focused on him. One head tilted, then another. A breathless pause and…

Black tendrils reach out.

Panikedly, Pro tried to pull away.  “Hey! What are you-”  Slimy, misty, sticky limbs wrapped around his torso.

The larger clone frozen, core locked in blind terror. He shook, mind spinning and blank. Behind him, Ellie screamed. The malformed arms-legs-tails tighten around him. A small, hysterical thought…. He was going to die again.

But… every eye- red, blue, green- fixed on him, the massive body freezing.

“Brother?” The word was gibberish to Prometheus’s ears, mind unable to comprehend. The squeezing lessened into something almost tender….. Like an embrace. “Brother.” Recognition sparked in the hundreds of eyes. A dozen voices speaking at once. “Brother was there. Brother holds. Brother protects. Brother loves.” 

Prometheus trembled, mind crashing to a stop. “Wha…what?” Throat hardly able to form words.

“Shhhh.” The massive creature shushed him, one tendril extending to caress his back. “I’m not gonna… not gonna leave you. I’m… I’m right here.” One face… the painfully familiar face in front of him, forced a watery smile. “You’re not alone.”

Those words…. Prometheus had said those words to… to… The clone’s eyes widened, understanding crashing over him. “No.” The word brimmed with dread.

“Let him go!” An ectoblast slashed into the creature, Ellie finally pulled out of her stupor. 

The monster, the creature let out a cry.

Pro barely registered. “No. No. It can’t…”

It couldn’t be. It couldn’t!

“I said let him go!” Another shot from his sister. 

A confused whine. “Let… go? No.” A head shook. “No! Yes! Let him go. Hurt brother bad!” The grip tightened. “No! Brother stay. Need brother.” 

Prometheus let out a whimper, tear spilling. “No. You’re… you’re not….”

A set of the creatures’ eyes widened in alarm. “We hurt brother. No… accident. Didn’t mean… Bad! Let go.” The being writhed. “We need! No!” The voices echoed, fluctuating. “Yes! Let go.” Tendrils tighten, lossen, tighten.

Another ectoblast from Ellie. “You, listen! Let Pro go!”

Prometheus shook, core in his throat. It hurt. It hurt. The shadowy limbs hurt. But…. but this… this was worse. The truth, what was happening… it wasn’t possible

“No! Yes! What… why? Brother…. Where?” The voices…. So many voices, arguing. “Why?! Why?! Why?!”

The creature shook, movement returning. Heads, limbs sprouting and disappearing. The mass of appendages holding Prometheus twitched…. The abomination less let-go-off, more threw the older clone.

Prometheus tumbled, hand over foot, chest heaving with emotion. 

“Pro!” Ellie darted after him.

The larger clone slammed into a small shelf of rock.

“Are you okay?” Her eyes are wide with worried.

Wobbly, Pro pulled himself to his feet. He felt… felt sick. Head shaking, stomach heaving. “No. Ellie. No. I’m…I’m…” Bending over, he threw up. 

The smaller ghost jumped back. Her eyes popped wider, panicked. “It hurt you.”

Frantically, his head shook in denial. “No. No. That’s not. It… They didn’t… didn’t hurt me. That’s not…” The taller ghost whipped his mouth. “Ellie…” The word came out so pained. “It’s… That’s them…. All the… All the..” Another heave. “All our brothers that die. They’re there. They’re right here. They’re over there. But… But… they’re stuck together.”

Prometheus’ legs wobbled, falling to his knees. “This is… this is so wrong. It’s so wrong. It’s…” In the background, the creature’s argument with itself has devolved back into incomprehensible noise.

This was… this was a nightmare. A nightmare. All the… the brothers he had held as they died, comforted as their bodies failed. The memories flashed in his mind. All the blood and ectoplasm. Deep cuts, scapals, needles, vials of liquid. The cries, the screams, the eerie silence. The begging.

Please make stop! Make stop!  

Pro shook. He’d been there. He’d held, he’d comforted as they died. He’d whispered words of comfort the best he could. And once he’d…. He listened to the begging and with the needle and drugs, put the poor brother out of his misery. He’d died.  They’d all died. They were… they were all dead and gone.

But they were all still here, all right here. In that… that thing, that abomination, that affront to nature. His insides twisted. All those memories, those bodies, those souls forced together. It was… it was wrong. It was sick. It was… it was cruel. It was… bile rose in his throat, eyes falling over the corrupt, twisted, warped mass. This… this terrible unholy conglomeration. 

There were no words for how horrible it was, never enough tears of the injustice, the perversion of how things were supposed to be. He’d already.. He’d already faced this grief. The reality that all those brothers were gone. They were dead, the only solace that they were no longer in pain. Except….

The grotesque amalgamation….  They were weeping-screaming-crying in pain. 

Pro shook his head, his nauseous feeling melting away. “They’re.. They’re in so much pain.” No. No. No. That was worse, so much worse than then just being gone. The wrongness, the affront to nature he could handle -He was a full ghost clone of a half ghost for crying out loud; the definition of what was natural must be much larger than when he was foolish enough to think. But this…. “They’re hurting… hurting so much.” A desperate compassion crowded his core “I need to help them. There.. There has to be a way to help them.”

For a long moment, Ellie stood, a shaking hand covering her mouth. She stared into the distance, her eyes unseeing. Until… “What?” The words finally stirred her back to life.

“I have to help them.” Prometheus repeated, conviction filling his voice.

The girl’s eyes flickered from him to the being, wide and afraid. “How?”

“I don’t… I don’t know.”

Head shaking. “This was a mistake. I shouldn’t… I shouldn’t have brought us here.”

“No!” Pro suddenly stood. “No! We… we needed to find them. We found them for a reason. They need… need our help.”

An agonizing wail behind the pair… Ellie flinched. “Pro. We can’t… there’s nothing we can do.”

Prometheus’ mind raced, desperate. “There has to be..” Fresh tears spilled down his face.

And at their back…

“Brother! Brother! Where are you?! Where’d he… alone… alone!” A sob. “Hurts! Hurt! Please!”

Pro turned, trembling with emotion. “They… they need me.”

Ellie stared, unable to process as the monstrous abomination half-crawled, half-swam forward. Again, tendrils reached for Pro. But this time, the larger ghost fell into them, weeping and blubbering desperate comforts.

Empty despair. Helplessness. All she could hope was Pro crying himself out and being able to get him away from the creature. She… she needed help. She had to get her brother away from this abomination even if… even if it at one point in time, had been… had been….

It struck like lightning. “Time…” Her eyes widened, an idea catching.  “Clockwork…” She zoomed away. “We need Clockwork. He’ll… he’ll help.”

Chapter Text

In eternity past. Before the stars took their places, before the first plant opened its leaves to the sun, before the first human received the breath of life, there was Time.

The ectoplasm of the newborn Infinite Realms swirled, condescending. A form took shape, the vague impression of a human body, though indistinct, blending in with the surrounding atmosphere. For a moment, the first ghost hung in the air, present but unaware. 

Then…. their consciousness awoke. And it screamed.

Too much… Infinite images filled their mind… their minds: one but many, many but one. Mountains eroding into dust. Stars exploding into Supernovas. Flowers, opening to the sun and wilting in the light. A chick, breaking out of its shell and a blink later, being eaten by a fox. A woman, screaming in pains of childbirth, then holding her son. A man, dancing with a little girl, and later weeping at her grave. The ticking of a clock.

The future reached back. Countless impressions of time and its meaning molded, imprinted on the very fabric of reality. The changing of the seasons. The cycle of the moon. The tides. The flow of a river, banks overflowing and flood receding. Birth and Life and Death. All these added.

Millenia of civilization, differing cultures. Tribes, villages, towns, cities, great metropolises. So many people, so many thoughts and experiences. Billions of mortal minds, each with their own conception of time.

An orderly procession. A cruel master. A caring father. A power hungry tyrant. Impersonal, passionless. A comforting hand. 

Time was a circle. Time was a straight line. It was steady and dependable. It was variable and relative. It was methodical. It was chaotic. It was impartial. It was ruthless. It was compassionate. 

Time was all these things and more. And yet…

It was too much. Too many images, too many thoughts. A prism of numerous factions, stacked on top of each other. It was too much for such a new ghost, for one so limited, so like the mortals and their thoughts which the being derived from. 

And the power…. pause, rewind, fast-forward, reverse. Creation and destruction. Time, the power to control time itself. So much power, too much power in one so fragile.

It was too much. Too much for the small, humanoid form to contain. Time unraveled, definition ripping away. Growing larger. Expansive, stretching around the Realms. The power of Time lashed out, pained, distressed, confused.

Creation strained, trembling under the weight. Volcanoes erupted. Hurricane winds blew. Disease. Destruction. Death. The timestream shook, splintering with the pressure. Paradoxes sprung up, welling from the cracks. Dying in reverse. Individual people, towns, cities blinked out of existence. Civilizations lost and reborn in an instant. Entire species… extinct, always existed, and never evolved. All at once. 

Existence groaned, cried, wept, all filled with suffering and chaos. On and On and On and On and….

The chiming of a bell tower. The ticking of a clock,

Instantly, Time paused. An image: gears and springs. The swinging of a pendulum. A grand clock tower. Somewhere in the mass of a body, an impression of a head tilted, curious. 

More flashed but… slow and ordered. A tadpole, sprouting its legs. Wheat stalks, blown in the wind. Two children, playing in a creek. A man and a woman, sharing a tender kiss. 

Time made a confused hum. They did not understand….

More images. Trees growing, reaching towards the sky. A mother cat, grooming her kitten. A father, lifting his son on his shoulders, the child reaching high enough to pick an apple. A mother, teaching her daughter to sew. A family, sitting in front of a fire and sharing stories.

A spark of understanding. Was this…. their purpose? A sense of rightness welled at the thought. Yes. Yes. This was why they came into existence. To guide life, to help it flourish. 

The planet Earth, suspended in space. A blue and green dot, utterly unique in the big, grand  universe. The masterpiece of creation. And this was why… this was why they came into existence, to serve the Earth and its life. Especially humankind. 

And… a glimpse of Time’s future flashed in their understanding. Long years of service, repairing the damage they’d caused. Shadows of loneliness, an aching core.

But…. there, far off was love. They would love and be loved in return. The vague impression of laughter, hugs, goodnight kisses. There would be joy, centered around…  a child with white-black hair, green-blue eyes. 

Yes. Yes. An impression of eyes crinkled. This was a good future.

They would be a kind, compassionate, steady helper. Not without mischief and humor, of course. A knowing smile bloomed on the face, the ticking of a clock from deep within.

The expansive personification of Time condensed, growing smaller. Yes. They knew what they would be. The image of Father Time…. That felt right. They… no, He. Singular, not plural. Not the contradictory prism. Not the unstable conglomeration. But one, singular personality. Not all of Time but its instrument.

The form folded in on itself, down and down. Into the shape of a human male, the body of a grandfather (Ha! He already liked the pun there.) clock embedded in his chest. 

He would be, he was Clockwork.

In the present, Clockwork looked away from his time window, from the memories of his origin. He had seen and been so much back then, in those first moments of existence. So different from his current personage. Even now he did not know how, but he had been humbled, compressed into a much smaller, more manageable form. It could be constricting; after millenia, he could perceive and utilize the immensity of his greater consciousness much more readily than at his origin. But being often so limited did have its perks, such as greater ease interacting with mortals and near-mortals.

Speaking of…. With a thought, another time window opened, this one showing two young ghosts. A tall, scarred, muscular male and a much smaller, white-haired female. Ah, yes. Prometheus and Danielle, two of the young Daniel’s clone siblings. 

The two children spoke, the girl’s hand on the boy’s arm as he cried. The younger’s eyes were drawn wide, words pleading. But it proved fruitless as her brother turned away, sobs increasing. He wobbly flew forward, throwing himself into…

“Curious.” Clockwork’s head tilted. The image in the glass blurred, the object of Prometheus’ interaction invisible to the time master’s sight. An irregularity in the timestream then. “Curious indeed.” 

On the screen, the girl paused, staring after her sibling for a long moment before… “Time… ” determination settled on her face. “Clockwork…” The child hurried away. “We need Clockwork. He’ll… he’ll help.”

Again, the image closed, leaving the viewing room silent. 

Clockwork gripped his staff, brow furrowed in consideration. The girl was on her way now, this being the first time she chose to seek him out. Never before had seen even occupied Daniel on a visit, but now… he’ll help. She sought his assistance, and regarding something unperceived by his sight. 

Again, curiosity sparked at the thought. “Well, let her come then.” The ghost mussed, shifting into an old man as he opened the path to the lair. Danielle should have no trouble finding it now.

Sure enough, a knock sounded at his door, not twenty minutes later. “Clockwork!” Came her shout. 

“I’m coming, I’m coming, child.” Clockwork hurried forward. 

The Master of Time opened the door. The younger ghost flew through, nearly bowling him over, if not for his foresight.

The old ghost gave a chuckle. “You are in quite a hurry, aren't you?”

The teasing, normally so soothing to his other charge, had no such effect.

“I can’t believe I found this place so fast. This is the Clocktower, right?” She eyed him a little suspiciously, gaze fixing on the pendulum in his chest. “And you’re Clockwork?”

“I am.” The adult ghost gave her a disarming smile. 

For a moment, the two ghosts studied each other. Clockwork felt the ticking for his core ease, something soft and fond. Floating here, with those green eyes and white hair, she really did look like her original. And the child from that long ago future-vision. Though she remained purely in her ghost form, unlike the black-and-white haired vision child. Perhaps a fusion of Daniel’s human and ghost form? That would explain the mixed features… and the presence of four arms. 

Dismissing the thought, Clockwork cleared his thought. “How may I help you, dear?”

What a refreshing question to ask! And for once not knowing the issue… his core hummed in delight at the thought.

“Well…” The girl landed, awkwardly shifting foot to foot. “I was flying in the Zone by myself a few days ago when I saw this weird, horrible, scary thing. And I just knew I needed to figure out was up with it. So I asked Pro to come with me. And we found the things and…” She swallowed, paling. “It was awful. Screaming and crying and crawling around. Pro said…. He said it was a bunch of our brothers. They…. All ended up here but stuck together…

A hand covered her mouth, cheek green with nausea. “I… god. That’s why it looked familiar. It looked like that time Danny tried to duplicate but he couldn’t quite split so he just kept making more heads and feet and…” The girl leaned over, word trailing off. 

The old ghost floated forward, a hand rubbing her back. “That sounds truly ghastly, Danielle.” He soothed, compassionate. “I am sorry to hear you encountered that.” He truly was. Such an amalgamation…. It echoed back the effects of his early madness. The poor thing… he really should speed its passage along to the Thereafter.

“Please.” Danielle’s quivering voice cut through the thought. “Please. You have to help them.” 

Clockwork gently stroked her back. “I will. Rest assured…. I will hasten the creatures’ fading, quickly bringing an end to its pain.”

“What? No.” Jerkily, the girl looked up, eyes crinkled in confusion and then offense. “No. There has to be a way to… separate them or something.”

The ancient ghost shook his head. “I fear there is not.” In the past creatures like this, full of pain and contradiction, either hide away from the world, wallowing in their agony…

“Please. You have to… you have to try.” Danielle begged

…. Or they lashed out, becoming increasingly violent and destructive. There was no undoing the creation, only hastening the eventual end.

The words were too painful, too cruel to say to the girl, gazing up at him with hope.

“Please.” She repeated. “They’re in so much pain. Pro won’t…. He won’t leave them until he knows they’ll be okay. Please… please. You have to try.” The round, green eyes bore into his, shining with tears…..

The old ghost has no defense against them. “Very well.” Clockwork relented, his core ticking a sad beat. “I will do what I can.”

The words brought some light back to the child's countenance. “Okay. Thank you. Thank you!” She floated off the floor. “Let me take you to them.” She darted off. “Come on!”

Clockwork could have opened a portal but he flew after the girl.

Twenty minutes of flying and they arrived at the scene. The wails and screams came first, echoing across the Realms. Quickly, the writhing black and white mass filled the time master’s vision.

Clockwork froze, for once in a millennia surprised. This… this paled in comparison to Danielle’s brief description. This magnitude of suffering….

A sob rose, the creature harmonizing with itself. The old ghost shuddered; his core trembled with the feeling. 

So much pain…. All these minds, pressed close together. The emotions feeding into each other and echoing. All those poor cores-

Wait. 

The time master tilted his head, eyes wide. He sensed something in the creature. No, not multiple cores. But… one. One, singular core. Somehow, impossibly, there was only one. Perhaps one soul had cannibalized the others. Or

“Please. You have to help them.” A deeper voice begged. 

Clockwork turned at the sound. Ah, yes. “Prometheus.” The adult ghost offered a compassionate smile, a hand resting on his boy’s shoulder. “Yes. I will help them.”

The time master turned back to the conglomeration, brow furrowed in thought. Yes, perhaps, one soul, stronger than the others, had communed the rest, only to be overwhelmed by the torrent of emotions. Or this was not a true ghost but an imprint of dozens of emotions and memories. Or perhaps… this was something all together new.

“Yes,” Clockwork rubbed his chin. “I will take them back to my lair.” 

Slowly, the ancient ghost approached, hands outstretched. “Shh, child.” 

The creature… no, the child, for somehow, this was a child, despite the monstrous appearance… continued to cry, deaf to the comfort.

“Shh…” Clockwork reached, fingers grasping the approximation of a hand. “Father Time is here.”

One gentle touch from the Master of Time and existence warped. 

The two beings appeared in the Clocktower, the room around expansive and empty. 

The child whined, dozens of voices ringing in pain. So much pain. And Clockwork felt all of it. From every pore of the child’s being. In every cry, every pulse of the core, every second. His own core inside of his chest chimed with the need to help, to comfort. And as he promised, he would. He could help, in a way no other creature in existence could. Afterall…. 

With the Time Master’s core so close to the child’s, he could feel it, the similarities between himself and the other. They were a true ghost, not an imprint, nor a simple cannibal soul. No, they were a prism of numerous factions, stacked on top of each other. 

Clockwork could help as no one else could. After all, they were the same type of ghost.

Chapter Text

A breath in, breath out for preparation. Clockwork’s core ticked, pulsing calmly, sadly soothing. He would help….

With total certainty, Clockwork let go. 

He let go of limited, humanoid form and expanded. Singularity gave way to a unified plurality. He, no, they… they grew. They were a great cathedral. Sundials on the river bank. Monoliths of stone. Raging rivers. The cycle of the tide. The dry season, followed by the wet. Falling leaves, followed by snow, flowers, burning sun. 

Numerous images and concepts. But not chaotic and disorganized as in the origin. No, they were contained, purposeful. This would help...

Human form melted away into something more fluid, flexible as they grew. Farther and wider. More expansive. Their form pressed up against the wall, filling the room. They towered over the now much smaller other ghost. Yes. Yes. This was good. This was immense enough. They dwarfed the other being now. Not looming but…. Sheltering, protecting. Big enough to envelop every inch of the child, their child.

Clockwork’s…. Time’s limbs wrapped around the child, tenderly cupping the many heads. The smaller ghost trembled.

Sh. There. There. More feeling than words. 

Time soothed, hummed, comforting sounds. So many voices now, more than their child.

First a meal. Then we will begin.

Time opened their core, bidding their child to drink. At first the other ghost refused; more hiccupping sobs shook their form. But… another nudge from Time.

The smaller ghost’s aura flared, core wobbling. An infant ghost’s instinct to feed… The child drank in the energy, first tentatively but then eager as a babe at their mother’s bosom. 

Drink, little one. Time encouraged.

Their child soothed, core calming. A flicker of trust. Cries quieted.

Good. Good. Time cheered, a relieved parent. What was coming next would be hard. Becoming and unbecoming were difficult work. The little one would need their strength. 

Slowly, the infant (The longer Time held, the more certain they were this was a babe, a babe of their own kind.) filled, content with their meal. They drank less and less eagerly, less and less desperately. Ever so slightly, they pulled away.

All done? No answer came, sniffles remaining. Still, Time closed their core.

Now the next part… To soothe the ache, to heal the hurt. Time remembered: folding in, becoming less. They loved being Clockwork.

And they loved being parent. Parent… the change sang in their core. Already…. A look and a touch and this was their child. Their babe. 

Their child was… beautiful, magnificent. Not an abomination, not a conglomerate, not an offense against nature. They were great. They were Many and they were good. They were like them. They were like Time.

But… this was too much. Too much for one so young and fragile. They would be great, expansive. But not yet. Not now.

Time hummed, gently massaging two limbs at the edge of the child’s mass. The body squished and flexed, malleable as clay. 

Good. Good. Carefuly, the parent shaped the appendages. A small push…

Confusion, distress shivered through the child. An unhappy whine.

Sh. Sh. Time hushed. It is alright.

With a squelched, the limbs fused back together, into one. The smaller ghost’s whine petered off, a curious note.

The larger ghost gently stroked the other, holding them close. Understanding was beyond the little one’s mind now but… Needed. Help. Heal.  

Time kneaded the smaller form, one head folding back into the body, one voice among Many quieting. 

More distress. Confused cries rose. But parent continued to work, even as the sound pulled on their core. Despite the upset, this was necessary. A distasteful medicine to cure illness; a cast worn to heal misaligned bones. Uncomfortable and unpleasant. But in the end…. Their child would be healed.

The smaller ghost cried and squirmed, even as the larger hummed comfort. They massaged the body. Gradually smoothing out, realigning. But… slow, slow progress. This would not do….

Parent tugged time forward. This they could do. They had all the time in the universe; they were its master. Within the four walls, existence sped up. Time held, a river wearing down a boulder, as they stroked their child. 

Eyes flickered, unfocused, confused as the smaller ghost shrunk. Extra limbs folded in on themselves, dozens of eyes closing and fading away. Hours, months, years of healing in a matter of moments.

The little one shrunk and shrunk, voices combining. Heads, mouths, arms, legs, fingers, toes. All fused, mingled, melded together. The form grew smaller and smaller. Lesser and Lesser.

And Time lessened, shrunk with them, their… his size matching his child.

So very close now…. Three heads, twenty or so limbs, all sprouting from a still rather indistinct torso. Two still cried, eyes pinched closed. But one…. One single face, resting in the middle, remained quiet. Lips pressed shut, they… he… stared up at Clockwork with one green eye and one blue. Slowly, the expression, once screwed up in discomfort, smoothed into a sleepy smile.

Yes. Clockwork’s core sang. This was his child’s true face. 

The old ghost leaned down, eyes closed. A fatherly kiss, planted on that forehead. With a squelsh, the adult heard the three heads become one. A contented sigh exited the now singular pair of lips. In his arms, Clockwork felt the chest solidify, excess appendages melting away.

The adult opened his eyes to… a teenage boy (He’d partly expected him to be younger, but this… this felt right). Two legs, four arms (excessive but manageable, Lady Pandora certainly did). One head, top covered with white-and-black hair.  Though…. Curious…. In the combination, a third eye had planted itself on the forehead. The solid red, pupiless orb blinked sleepily with its others.

But in the end, all three closed, the chest gently rising and falling with sleep. 

Around them, the room shrank, shifting into a cozy bedroom. The adult laid the boy on the bed. A blue hand gently brushed the hair from the young one’s forehead.

“You are perfect. My beautiful child.” Clockwork whispered, his core shining with love.

Many awoke and… for once, everything was quiet.

Eyes, three of them, stared at the ceiling. Core gently pulsed in ears. 

Slowly, the being sat up. Strangely new muscles stretched pleasantly. Hands…. Four of them…. fluttered into view and….

They…. He stared. He turned the hands, wiggled the fingers. Their mind asked and… the body, his body obeyed. 

Numb disbelief. His mind spun, aching and raw but… blissfully quiet.

Suddenly, something blue flickered into his vision. His head whipped up at the movement. And….

His brow furrowed, gazing fixed on… a blue skinned ghost, red eyes with a clock in his chest. He looked… achingly familiar. 

“You are awake.” A relieved smile parted the other ghost’s lips. “How do you feel?”

For a long moment, his gaze returned back to their hands. Four hands…. One, two, three, four. The count repeated in his head. Four. All bare, a pale green, with short nails.

His… their throat twitched, disbelief settling into reality.

“How do you feel?” The question repeated, a hint of worry in it now.

“We are small.” The words came out quietly awed.

This was real. A blissfully singular thought. 

They shook his hands, wiggled his fingers. Laughter bubbled in their chest. “We are small!” Tears… tears streamed down his face now. “We are small!” Tears of joy.

He cried. He laughed, body rocking on the bed. This was real. One head, four arms, two legs. This was his body and it was real!

The other ghost floated over, arms wrapping around him. “My beautiful child…” So much love in those words. “You are safe.”

The child… yes, that’s what he was, a child…. He buried themself in the hug, cherishing the comfort.

They were safe. It was quiet, hardly an echo inside him at all. He was small. Finally… it had been so long, but now… he was small enough to be held. Held….

Brother! A memory: Floating over the rock, the green…. Brother had been there. Brother had held him… before. He had comforted…

Suddenly, the child pulled away. “Where is Brother?” Came the demand. And…. another far off memory…. A smaller figure with Brother, long white hair. This was…. “Sister? Sister was there. Where is Sister?”

Fear rose at the thought. Where were his brother and sister? And…. eyes narrowed suspiciously at the clock ghost. “Who are you?”

“Calm, child.” The other ghost gently patted his lower right arm. “All will be explained in due time. Firstly, I am your father-”

All three eyes widened, alarmed. “Father?... Father… No.” His hand gripped their hair, fearfully eyeing the older ghost. Red eyes, blue skin…. Flash of memory from before. A fanged sneer, hair slicked up in devilish horns. Father…. Master…. But…. that didn’t match what he was see-

Another pat on his arm. The other ghost started. “No, I am not-”

“I’ll be good! I swear!” They flinched away, knees curling to their chest. “Don’t hurt me, Master!”

The blue skinned figure froze, blinking. “I am not Plasmius.” His hand pulled back, the serene look harding into something earnest and heartfelt. “Rest assured, I am not the depraved cretin who created and abused you.”

The child’s brow wrinkled, head shaking vigorously. His mind swam, cracks forming along the surface. “Master….. Master will be so angry we left the lab.”

“He will not touch you.” The clock ghost said, the words a promise.

Frantic tugging at their hair. “We weren’t supposed to leave. Master will… will come and take us back.”

 “I am Clockwork, Master of Time.” The adult ghost sneered, sharp teeth flashing protectively.  “Let him try.”

Inside, something twisted painfully. He trembled, skin growing moist and slick. The other’s words, continued reassurance didn’t register. Instead…

So many flashing thoughts, memories. The lab… they… he wasn’t in the lab. He was out but… brother and sister…. Where were they? Had Master hurt them too?  Cuts seeping red and green. The scream of machines. Cruel metal tables. Master staring down at him, scapula in hand. Blood filling his throat. His.. his body felt far away… Brother was holding him….

A sudden painful tug ravaged their back. Something… something was pressing out of their skin. Fingers? Fingers! A hand, a forearm…. An arm was growing out of their back. Another torn out below it. And another. And another. Four in a line, a demented crest along his spine.

Oh. No. No! No! Panic clawed up their throat, terror. He remembered…. The open green sky, alone. Alone. Crying, Screaming. Alone!

He was growing taller, towering over the now smaller ghost. Their chest stretched wider, shoulders elongating.

He was… he was growing, changing into… into…

An immense pain, a pressure spiked at the joint. The flesh twisted, bubbling. Something else was pressing out. His vision blurred. A sprinkle of coarse hair on the shoulder… 

Alone, floating over the rock, no control over his body. Their body…. Too many thoughts, emotions. Couldn’t focus…

A horrible ripping sound. His vision doubled, mind splintering. Another head… they’d sprouted another head from their growing shoulders. 

They were turning into that thing again and they couldn’t stop it. They couldn’t stop! 

Crying, hyperventilating. They could feel their spine lengthening. That was a tail… another eye?

This was… this was…. “No! No! No! No!” The words poured out. “Please! Help! Stop! No! No! No!”

“Perseverance.” The word cut straight through the panic. “Focus.”

Like lightning, all eyes focused on the kindly figure. The clock ghost, floating in front of them… him, a hand… on each shoulder? A questioning chirp exited both throats.

The older ghost chuckled. “Yes. I grew to match you. Now.” The serious tone returned. “Focus. Listen to my voice.” A hum of acknowledgement. “You are like me, my child. You are made of many pieces but you are one. You must focus. Focus on your singularity, on what unites you.”

The other’s brow wrinkled, core rumbling in question.

“What will define you, young one? It needn’t be permanent. But a thought, a memory, a feeling to cling to, narrowing yourself down.”

They… did not understand… So many questions rang in their head. Their body hurt. They still didn’t remember how they got here…

“Perseverance.” The word repeated, earnest, loving. “You must focus. Come back to yourself, my son.”

Many eyes blinked as one. “Perseverance?” Understanding dawned. “We are… I am Perseverance.”

A name…. He’d never had a name before. Something in him shifted, realigning.

“Yes.” The word breathed with relief, a proud smile. “I have named you Perseverance. Now what else… who else are you?”

Who else…? He was… Many. The memories returned, this time with clarity. More than a dozen lives, all filled with pain, torture, abuse. And… Death.

The knowledge sank like a stone in his core. Each of him, all of him had died. He was dead. But….

“I survived. I have suffered and I have died. But… I survived. I live on.”

“Yes.” The other ghost encouraged.

Perseverance felt his tail melt away. He continued. “I was… never alone.” A dozen memories of his brother’s face, tear stained and bloodied, rose in his mind. “My brother was always there. He…he loved me.”

“He still does.” The clock ghost added. “He and your sister are the ones who found you and brought me to you to help you.”

“Yes.” He remembered: holding Brother close, the tears, the words of comfort. “Brother… Prometheus….” That was his name, his sister had said. “Prometheus loves me. So does my sister. And I… I love them…”

His second head disappeared, voice folding back into unity. “I love them so much.” He wanted to, needed to see them soon. But first….

His eyes, now just three, focused on the ghost in front of him. It was all so clear now. This ghost had come to his aid. He’d brought him here; to his lair, he’d said. And… Perseverance had been distressed, crying. He hadn’t understood what had been happening. But… he’d been held so tenderly, completely enveloped. His hunger satiated, his aching limbs massaged. Time had pulled itself forward and…

“You… you healed me.” His voice rang with surprised awe.

“I helped you along.” Perseverance felt himself shrinking now, the other ghost (Clockwork, he’s said he was called) drifting closer.

“Why?” The rest of his body reduced down, the extra arms shrinking.

“As I said, you are like me. I could help you as no one else could.”

“So… so that’s why…” A hint of doubt stalled the boy’s reversion.

“That is why I initially reached out. However…” A blue hand cupped his face. “As soon as I held you, I loved you.” A crinkled smile. “As any parent does.”

The boy blinked. “You said you were my father.” Something like hope swelled in his core. “You adopted me?”

“Yes. If you’ll have me.” So much love and respect echoed in those words.

If you’ll have me….  Perseverance’s muscles relaxed with the given choice. He finally sighed, relief washing over him as his body settled back into proper shape. 

Relief bloomed on the Clockwork’s face. “You have returned to yourself.”

With a nod, the younger ghost landed on the ground, legs strong under him. For just a moment, he bounced on his feet, testing out the new and yet familiar limbs. Again, he wiggled his fingers. He hadn’t had this much control of his body since…. The thought back, past the monstrous beginning of his afterlife, to his dozens of lives. All of them had been unstable, sick their entire existences. But… he was healthy, safe, and…

The realization suddenly bloomed. He. HE. Not they. Singular, not plural. He was one being. Not more than a dozen lives, hopelessly intertwined. But… One.

Perseverance looked up. “Yes. I’m… I’m back to myself. I’m… me.” His eyes shone, wide and grateful with the knowledge. “Thank you. Thank you for helping me.”

The younger ghost floated forward. With hesitance, he opened his arms. There was still so much to sort through, so much to figure out but…

Clockwork gave an encouraging smile, drawing the smaller ghost into his arms. “It was my delight, my dear son.”

He nestled into the hug. “I think… I’d like it if you would be my father…” 

There was still so much to learn but with his siblings and his new parent…. Perseverance was sure he would be alright.

Bonus Scene:

Prometheus watched Clockwork disappear with the nightmarish amalgamation that had been his lost siblings. And for the next week, he stewed in anxiety. A worry that wouldn’t be eased, no matter his siblings’ words….

“What happened to them wasn’t your fault.” Dami reassured, little body tucked under his chin in a hug.

“Clockwork… he saved my life. He’s a good ghost.” Danny patted his back. “He’ll… he’ll take care of them.

No matter the offered distractions.

Ellie half-dragged a much-too-big-for-her sword behind her. “You’ve gotta show me what Pandora taught you!”

“Practice sign with me?” Zeke asked, thin fingers forming the words in time with his speech.

Daniel holding a basket of tiger fruit. “Prometheus, will you help me peel these?” He smiled proudly. “You and Damian have yet to sample my pie recipe.”

His brothers and sister really did try. But worry refused to release its grip, interrupting his sleep, sapping the joy from eating, playing, exploring with his siblings. 

A week in and Pro had half a mind to barge out of the lair and just search out the Clocktower himself. 

But… a note appeared on his bed, in-between one blink and the next. Pro picked up the blue post-it note, admiring the golden script. 

Your brother wishes to see you. Only one guest, please, as to not overwhelm him. We will eagerly await your arrival. - CW

For a long minute, Prometheus stared at the note. A note from Clockwork… relief surged through him. Finally, news from the time master. But… 

Worry bloomed at the mention of only one brother…. His mind scrabbled for an explanation. Had Clockwork managed to separate their siblings? But… dread balled. Had only one wished to see him? Or… an even worse thought…. Had only one survived the process? Had the others faded, leaving only one among the over two dozen? His throat felt thick, clogged with sadness at the thought. But…

A shake of his head. He would still go. He had to. And… he would bring Ellie.

Pro showed his sister the note and after a brief talk with their other three clone brothers, the pair took off. 

The trip to the tower weighed heavy, the air choked with a sad tension. Soon Clockwork’s lair appeared, towering over them. Arriving to the door…. The pair landed. Pro reached out, a nervous hand hovering over the knocker. If he knocked, if he opened the door…. A churning dread. If he opened the door, he would know. He would know what happened. And that… that was worse than not knowing. He… he couldn’t. He couldn’t. He-

“Pro.” Ellie’s hand gently rested on his arm. “It’s going to be okay.”

The calming words, the younger ghost’s wide, earnest eyes….. The older’s expression relaxed, his trembling calming. With a nod, he knocked on the door. Another second…

Without a touch, the door swung open. The two clones floated inside, the opening clicking closed behind them.

Ticking surrounded them, a deep chime shaking the room. It rang out, the sound filling Pro’s every sense. His core fluttered, nervously pounding out of his chest. They were here. Now, where was-

“Brother! Sister!” A black, white, and green blur slammed into Prometheus. “You’re here!”

The taller ghost stumbled back. “What are-” He froze, staring down at the figuring clinching to him. Four arms… those were for arms. And-

“Who are you?” Ellie squirmed out of the group hug.

Pro remained frozen. The figure hugging him stiffened but didn’t let go. The white-black haired head looked up. Round eyes, filled with hurt, met his. The larger clone stared. A strange sense of familiarity…. 

The other ghost pulled away. “Brother… Prometheus. Don’t you recognize me?” The question was so soft, so desperate.

Recognize… of course he did. The face in front of him he’d seen on Danny and Daniel, Zeke and Ellie, Damian and himself. And… two dozen lost siblings. Of course he recognized it. The three eyes were new but…

The revelation crept into his core, quiet and awed. This particular mis-match of hair. One blue eye and one green, in these specific shades. This exact pattern of freckles. 

“It’s… It’s you.” One specific death, silent with one last moment of clarity, of gratitude at the end. “You survived.” A shaking hand cupped one cheek, just like Pro had at that death.

An eager nod. “Yes. I am here. I made it.”

“You made it.” Happiness, pure joy at the thought. But… heartbreak too. “One of you survived.”

The three eyes crinkled, for a second confused, but then widened. “All of us survived.” The boy’s hand reached up, cupping Pro’s. “Prometheus. Brother. All of us made it.”

“What?” Pro’s forehead wrinkled. 

“We, all of us, survived.” The eyes closed, brow furrowed in concentration. “We are here. We are safe, all here together.” The words sounded deliberate, spoken evenly.

“I don’t understand.” Ellie sounded a little uneasy.

The boy opened his eyes, pulling away from Pro. He turned looking down at Ellie. “We are… Many.” For just a blink, his form wavering, flickering into something large and indistinct. 

Pro’s blood ran cold… He thought he understood.

But the next moment, the eldritch terror was gone. The boy’s face relaxed. “But I am one. Just myself. Simply… me.” A smile bloomed.

That smile…. It was like the sun on Prometheus’ skin. “You’re… all of them. But…” The clarity in those eyes, the joy behind them…

The oldest clone did not understand at all. This miracle in front of him but…

He reached out, enveloping his clone brother in his arms. “You’re… you’re small enough to hug again.”

“I am.” A laugh. “I was very happy to wake up this small.” 

“You really are them…” Ellie’s awed voice. 

The hug tightened, the girl joining the embrace. Tears… tears welled in all eyes. Pro’s chest shook, full of overflowing joy. Ellie was crying too, head buried in their clone brother’s shoulder. 

Finally, after so long, and yet never long enough…. “It’s really you. You’re really here.” The shortest ghost blubbered out.

“Yes, Ellie. I’m here.” The watery reassurance.

“You know our names.” The girl breathed.

The recognition hit Prometheus. The boy he was holding did know his name… Somehow, impossibly, his miracle of a brother knew his name. And Pro hadn’t even thought to ask this most important question….

The taller boy lifted his head, enough to see the other’s face. “What’s your name?”

“Perseverance.” The boy smiled, not a hint of doubt.

Ellie snorted. “I’m calling you Percy.”

A chuckle. “Percy… I like that.” The newly dubbed Percy hummed.

“Percy…” Pro tried out the name gently, revertantly, like it was something sacred. Something beautiful. “Percy… I’m so happy you’re here.”