Zakaria opened his watery eyes - which was the only part of his body he still had control of. He looked around at the glowing pile of dirt, and at his three very new friends. Despite none of them being able to make a sound or change their expression due to their frozen bodies, it was clear just how much they were suffering from the anguished look in their eyes and the steady trickle of tears running down their cheeks. Involuntary tears flowed down Zak’s own cheeks at the throbbing pain throughout his body and feeling of hopelessness welling up inside him. He remembered his deceased grandparents, his parents, how Mamoru had tried to shield him from their captors, and the reassuring looks Jairo and Martim had given him in their cell. He wished there was something he could do, anything, even if it was only to help his companions. He should have tried harder to escape his cell. He should have gone to visit his mother one last time. He should have finished reading his grandmother's book.

As these thoughts were flowing through his mind one of the tendrils of maroon light stabbed into Zak’s arm, though there was no wound. As if alive, it recoiled back in disgust. The formation seemed to suddenly stop. The black clouds stopped rolling, the tendrils ceased wrapping around them and the water stopped flowing. For one glorious moment Zak thought the weird magic in front of him had malfunctioned and they would be freed. Just as that thought turned to hope, the formation restarted but with greater vigour and intensity. The tendrils of light receded from the other three and instead wrapped around Zak. The black clouds twisted through the air until they were hovering above him and the water flowed rapidly, almost escaping the moat containing it. Zak screamed as the pain intensified several fold. The light burned him, the clouds ripped at his mind giving him an agonising headache. His body seemed to blacken, as if turning to ash. He let out one last grating scream, and with that his body collapsed into dust, destroyed. All that remained was a ball of softly glowing green light.

----------------------------------- ) = ZS = ( ----------------------------------

Solaris grunted as he strained to break the barriers protecting the bandits holdout. He banged his mahogany and ivory staff onto the ground, sending out a shockwave which tore into the near translucent purple dome covering the buildings that was their objective. With a shudder the wall of the barrier shattered and receded from the point of impact.

“We’re in,” said Solaris. “Remember, no mercy, protect each other and be safe” he said resolutely.

As they concluded their battle plans, five cloaked individuals could be seen exiting a building in the distance. A sickly red glow was emanating from the windows of said building. Clearly something was brewing within its walls.

“The Order of Shadows!” exclaimed Yasmin, recognising the ethereal black robes of the approaching group.

“I see why you got involved now sir” remarked Linley as he crouched down into a battle posture. Linley twisted his wrist slightly and a black wand with silver veins flowing down its length seemed to pop out from his sleeve - which he then easily grasped. He also drew the short sword that had been sheathed horizontally along the small of his back.

The others also proceeded to take out their various weapons and magical foci, as the cloaked group approached them.

“The big ones a mid-stage Sorcerer” growled Solaris, “leave him to me. The others are late-stage practitioners except for the white haired woman, she’s an early stage Sorcerer. Zamfir you take her. Watch each other's backs and handle them.”

The two groups were mere metres apart before Solaris raised his staff and banged it into the ground again, sending the five shadows flying from the resulting shockwave. He jumped from where he was standing and seemed to fly parallel to the earth as he smashed his staff into the behemoth of a man, sending him flying into one of the nearby buildings, pulverising the wall when his back slammed into it.

Solaris calmly waved his staff slightly in the air. A new dome shimmered into existence surrounding not only the battling groups, but also the building behind them. Any non-magical beings or beasts would no longer pay any attention to the area. No sound could escape the barrier, and any stray magic would be absorbed by the powerful shield.

A jet of fire spewed from the head of the Solaris’ staff and coalesced into the shape of a thirty metre long, two metre thick snake. The flaming reptile reared back and slammed its fanged mouth into the building where the large man had been sent flying. It struck again and again, sending debris up into the air, obstructing Solaris’s vision.

“Impressive” grunted the large man as the debris cleared, revealing him standing there, blood flowing from a nasty gash on his arm, but relatively unhurt. “My turn” he growled as he flicked his wand at the snake, sending a jet of his own black flames at the beast. The flames struck the snake, and seemed to act like oil as they stuck to and slid across its body, corroding it and causing it to let out a pained hiss.

While the large man was distracted Solaris waved his staff and sent out bolt after bolt of coloured light, each one clearly a spell with destructive effects. Just in the nick of time though, the hulking man was able to raise a glowing silver shield, absorbing the impact of the various spells with a deafening bang.

He raised his wand and sent back a multitude of his own spells, but with a casual flicker of his hand Solaris summoned a glowing bronze shield which redirected the spells off to the side.

“You're clearly stronger than me, old man” growled Stor, “but do you really think you can maintain an aegis shield that large and still beat me?” he ridiculed.

“I’ll give you one chance. Concede now, or die. I don’t have time to waste with the likes of you” said Solaris in his firm scholarly voice.

Stor responded by sending a vicious yellow spell caneering towards Solaris’ face, which the professor promptly deflected with a swipe of his staff. was how the battle went for a time, several spells being sent by each attacker every second, shielding, dodging, more attacking, but it was clear that Solaris was stll more powerful, and finally one of his spells was too fast for the large man to defend against, and struck him full in the chest, cracking several ribs and sending him dragging thirty metres across the floor.

As the bear of a man got to his feet shakily, he let out a titanic roar as he charged Solaris, hoping physical attacks would be more effective than magical ones.

“I think it's time to end this” Solaris sighed, pulling out a thin, ten centimetre long needle. He dropped the needle to the ground, but before it impacted the concrete below, it came to life and zipped through the air with a sharp whistle.

The large man paused his charge, and slowly looked down at the gaping hole in his chest, before slowly falling back, coughing up blood.

Solaris approached his fallen foe, a cold look of disdain on his face as he watched the man pass on. He kneeled down next to the man and pulled a crystal out from his robes which he then pressed to the man’s temple. A strange gaseous light flowed from the man's head into the crystal, where it then swayed about, like incense fumes wafting gently about a jar.

Solaris took a final look at the now cooling corpse in front of him. He banged his staff on the ground one last time, and searing white flames engulfed the body, leaving not a trace of it when they dissipated a moment later.

----------------------------------- ) = ZS = ( ----------------------------------

The glowing ball of green light that had once been Zakaria Sol flickered a few times before moving to the centre of the now dormant formation. It increased in brightness and suddenly split into three smaller green orbs. Each orb waded through the air taking up position in front of one of the three remaining youths. The gaseous orbs seemed to condense and expand into streams of jade tinted water. The streams of green liquid twisted and twirled until they formed three ghostly ethereal bodies that each looked exactly like Zak, from every blemish on his skin down to the number of hairs on his head. There the apparitions remained, standing guard in front of the three youths, eyes closed, a peaceful expression on their faces.

----------------------------------- ) = ZS = ( ----------------------------------

Zamfir redirected two of her five flying daggers to block a spell that had almost impacted her back.

“Watch your target Linley!” She shouted at her companion, who had allowed his opponent enough respite that he was able to attack her.

“Sorry” he cried, his long brown hair a mess as he redoubled his efforts to blast the hammer-wielding stocky man in front of him.

Zamfir threw another one of her flying daggers at the deranged white haired witch she was battling, but the dagger ultimately failed to impact her.

Leah cackled as she glided from spot to spot, moving at a speed that seemed to defy logic.

Zamfir kept her cool, but her inability to hit her opponent was starting to frate on her. Just before the white-haired woman was about to move again, Zamfir grabbed the medallion hanging around her neck and pounded her fist into the ground. Sharp spikes of rock erupted from the ground all around her, one of which lay in the path her opponent was moving, causing her to smash into it with such force that she was almost knocked out. Zamfir threw the last of her trusty flying daggers and impaled her opponent through the chest. As life fled her opponent, Zamfir clapped her hands and all three of her ruby-encrusted daggers rose up from where they had been laying and assaulted the short man Linley had been fighting. He was able to use his hammer to knock two of the daggers out of the air, and managed to side step the other, but from behind Linley had capitalised on the opportunity as his short sword found its mark and impaled the man in the gut, causing him to keel over in defeat.

As Zamfir and Linley’s battle concluded, Professor Solaris approached hurriedly, having just finished off his own opponent.

“Well done Zamfir '' praised Solaris as his white flames engulfed the two fallen bodies. “Linley, you need to get a better weapon than that single dagger, it's holding you back.”

“Yes sir” replied Linley, appreciative at receiving advice from the legendary man in front of him.

“Hurry now, we need to help the other two before rescuing the captees” Solaris instructed as the three rushed to complete their mission.

----------------------------------- ) = ZS = ( ----------------------------------

The piles of dirt, minerals and water gently rose up from the centre of the ritual circle, as if gravity had ceased its effects in the area. The elements each separated into three streams in midair, each making their way to the ethereal green bodies of Zak. As the streams of dirt and water made contact with the bodies, they spread out, coating the bodies like a skin, before slowly seeping in and constructing themselves into a new form.

----------------------------------- ) = ZS = ( ----------------------------------

The final cloaked figure fell with a yell of pain, unable to withstand the combined force of his five assailants.

“Drake, you’re hurt,” said Linley in a concerned voice. Drake's arm was bleeding and charred black in several places.

“I’ve got him,” said Yasmin as she pulled a wooden carving of a tree out from her pocket. She pressed the totem to Drake's arm and a soft amber glow enveloped it. The blackened skin began to fall away and was replaced by healthy pink tissue. The blood flowing down his arm seemed to reverse in flow and return to Drake’s arteries and veins. A few moments after the healing magic had started the amber glow ceased and Drake's arm looked good as new.

“Thanks Yas,” smiled Drake.

“Don’t mention it” she replied, though from the sweat on her brow and her slightly deeper breathing, it was clear to see the advanced healing magic and intense battle had taken a toll on her.

“Professor Solaris, the red light has stopped” said Zamfir worriedly.

“We better get over there then” Solaris replied as the group sped towards the now quiet warehouse.

----------------------------------- ) = ZS = ( ----------------------------------

The ritual formation lay dormant, the once crimson design on the ground now a charred black. The moat of water was empty and the mounds of minerals and dirt scattered about the floor, severely depleted. Jairo, Martim and Mamoru lay quietly on the floor, the pain and shock dealt to them by the formation having robbed them of consciousness many minutes before. In front of each youth kneeled a boy with a slightly brown complexion, long black hair, a lean, slightly muscular body donned in a simple black robe. If the boys were to stand they would measure around five feet. Although all three had their eyes closed, one would find them to have matching light grey irises. In fact, all three were identical in every way. The small scars and scratches adorning the right side of their bodies, the patterns and contour at the tips of their fingers, even the length of their finger and toenails.

Zak awoke suddenly. He remembered the flashing crimson light and a maddening amount of pain and then a blank nothingness. He looked around and found himself kneeling in front of a gently sleeping Mamoru, wearing a strange black robe that he had most certainly not been wearing before he fell unconscious. He rubbed his forehead to try and ease the still lingering headache he had experienced. As he thought about his situation he realised that something was wrong. His four ‘attentions’ were now cut down to three. And his remaining two ‘minds’ were projecting a vision of blackness to him. This was really weird as both his eyes were definitely open, so how was he seeing black? Furthermore, from two seperate places?

He continued to massage his temples as he got to his feet, eager to see if Jairo and Martim were also alright. The sight that greeted him left him gaping like a fish. There was a replica of himself across from him, and another replica off to the side.

“What the hell?” he breathed, “did they clone me or something?” he muttered in confusion as he made his way over to the lookalike across from him. “Hello,” he asked nervously.

The lookalike's eyes suddenly fluttered open, and as it did one of the blank projections in Zak’s mind suddenly filled with colour and revealed… himself, standing in front of him. He was receiving visual information from both bodies, and both bodies were currently looking at each other, or himself? Zak’s headache was getting a lot worse trying to wrap his head - heads? - around what was happening. Then, as if fate found his confusion entertaining, the last body of Zak also opened its eyes, and saw the other two Zak’s staring at each other. The Zak’s just stood there, trying to piece together what had happened. In Zak’s mind he was receiving three different sets of information from three separate bodies. But that didn’t make any sense?

Thought originate in the brain, Zak pondered. So even if I have three separate bodies, and therefore three brains, there should be no way of sharing information between them? Zak was finding it strange to control three bodies, seeing three different things at once and hearing three different sets of sounds. It seemed that none of the three bodies was more important or relevant than the other. They all just were Zak, or rather, the entity known as Zakaria Sol now had three bodies. It was as simple and complicated as that.

The sound of many footsteps could be heard from the side as Solaris and his party rushed into the building. The chaotic mess that greeted them left them all standing there in shock, trying to take it all in.

“What the hell happened here?” exclaimed Linley. “Are you kids alright?” he asked the six young people in front of him, three of whom looked to be asleep while the other three - clearly triplets he thought - were standing there with identical shocked looks etched on their faces.

“We’re fine!” Exclaimed all three of the 'triplets' at the same time, Zak still having no idea how to get only one of his bodies to talk at a time.

“Well some good news at last” sighed Zamfir. “Professor Sal. Are you alright?” She questioned when she noticed her tutors' stiff shoulders and rigid back.

Solaris was staring deeply at Zak. He didn’t stop to blink and failed to register Zamfir’s words. It was only after Zamfir tapped him on the shoulder several times that he broke out of his meditative state.

“Yes, yes I'm fine Zamfir. Yasmin and Drake, go check on those three and give them medical support if necessary. Zamfir and Linley, start canvassing the area and collect all the material in the middle for evidence”, he directed his younger charges.

“What happened here, professor?” questioned Linley as he pulled out a small round jar from inside his robes.

“Let’s see shall we” replied Solaris as he flicked his fingers and yet another disk of tempered glass appeared in between his fingers. He put the disk to his eye and paced around the room. “The Shadow Order were attempting to construct some type of golem using a rather ancient ritual. I’d guess mesopotamian in origin dating back a good seven or eight millenia. The leftover raw materials are what we see scattered in the middle here.”

“But there is no golem sir?” questioned Linley as he opened the jar in his hand. A unique symbol that had previously been invisible on the transparent jar suddenly lit up with a soft turquoise glow as the piles of dirt and minerals lifted up and were sucked into it. The jar was small, easily fitting into Linley’s hand, yet somehow the many kilograms of waste were easily contained within it, almost as if they had shrunk just before entering through the top.

“Yes well the ritual clearly failed, or our young newbloods here would undoubtedly no longer be breathing” replied Solaris.

“Newbloods!” exclaimed Yasmin and Zamfir at the same time.

“Six newbloods” breathed Linley, his eyes filled with slight reverence as he took in the six youths in front of him.

“Indeed,” smiled Solaris. “Those fools clearly made a mistake in using six newbloods as a sacrifice. If they had used four, five or seven it would make sense, but six?” he mused.

Up until this point Zak had been passively taking in the foreign terminology his rescuers were speaking in, but when he opened his mouth to correct the mistake regarding the number of captives, Solaris sent him a knowing look, indicating that he should keep his silence.

“They’re stable here sir” Said Drake as he stood from where he was examining Jairo. “There's some muscle breakdown and their blood is flowing at ninety-two percent optimal speed, but the medics at the Brigid Institute should be able to have them healed within a matter of hours.”

“Hmm,” replied Solaris. “Linley, report back to the council. Zamfir, Yasmin and Drake, take those three to the institute. The triplets seem to be in much better shape so I’ll take them back with me and check on them myself” he instructed.

“Yes professor,” the others replied.

Solaris approached the closest body of Zak and gripped his shoulder comfortingly. He knelt down slightly to whisper to him.

“I know you're confused and probably a little scared, but if you come with me I promise I’ll explain what’s happening and help you with your new situation.”

Zak knew from the way the man spoke that he was aware he wasn’t a triplet - unlike his students. The hand on his shoulder also felt reassuring, warm, like the embrace of a parent. He nodded to Solaris, and all three of his bodies followed Solaris out of the warehouse.