The next night, Elias retreated into the silent world of his Spirit Domain. Outside, the manor slept, but inside his soul, a monumental task awaited. He had a clear goal: to create a Shadow Clone, a perfect, self-sustaining illusion that would allow him to escape to the city without being missed. He walked on the waters of his soul that mirrored the universe like projection around him, the air thick with the silent hum of raw and Anti-Flow Flow, manifesting as clouds resembling cosmic dust clouds and whole nebulae of Energy shimmering with various colors.
Elias came to a stop at the middle of the infinity symbol at the center of his Spirit Domain. He glaced at his hidden trait sigil floating above before lowering his gaze and extending his arms towards as if to hug someone. Reaching out with his mind, he gathered a vast quantity of his Flow Infront of him. A large cloud of energy was pulled from the tapestry of his Domain and, as Elias concentrated, coalesced into a solid black cube infront of him. Elias had already spent the whole day planing how to go about this experiment so he just focused in the obsidian cube,pulling and shaping it like a sculptor working with clay.
His first attempt was a spectacular failure. The matter, instead of holding its shape, became a liquid-like mess that swirled and exploded as soon as he tried to form it into a solid shape.
He tried again, using more concentration, but this time, the energy became jagged and unstable, a distorted, grotesque pile of crystals that collapsed into a cloud of particles the moment he blinked.
Elias realised he was rushing. He couldn't force the Flow to become what he wanted. Not right off the bat.
He had to guide it, slowly, to work with its nature. He took a deep, spiritual breath and started over, this time focusing on a single, fundamental shape. He spent what felt like hours, patiently shaping and compacting the energy based on what he knew about the frame of the human body from human anatomy. He redid the step that caused the energy crystals to form and used that to make a structure akin to bones then the liquid type of flow he had made, slowly solidifying it around the skeleton until he had a rudimentary, vaguely human-like figure. It was featureless, like a mannequin carved from an otherworldly black rock, but it was solid, stable, and it remained even when he relaxed his focus. Exhausted but triumphant, he left his Spirit Domain, the first victory of his grand plan secured. The blank canvas was ready.
On the second night, Elias returned to the domain, now armed with the knowledge he had gleaned about Arrays. He stood before the featureless mannequin, a far from perfect form in the void. It was time to move on to the next step. He was no longer just a sculptor; he was an engineer. He would use his Flow Programming technique, a language of his own invention that combined the elegant symbols of the Arrays with the logical precision of his old world's words and equations. This was his first time actually attempting to use an array. He had practiced a lot that day and while his Arrays were far from decent they would do. After all this was an experiment. He had now decided in the perfect way of creating his instructions by combining 'Arrays' and his Flow Programing 'Codes'. He'd simple infused his will and bind or hold it together with an array. It was like writing an order or a command as a boss to your subordinates and using various punctuations to show just how serious you are about what you want and the implications of not doing it. So the Codes were the words of instruction and the Arrays were the punctuations and symbols that gave it more substance. Elias started by creating a simple command to shoot a jet of water like a fountain. After tweaking the make of that instruction and after a few failures he managed to manifest said fountain.
Satisfied,he began by applying this to his work first by making a code with a Transmutation Array, its symbols weaving a complex, glittering pattern around the mannequin giving the liquid flow the qualities and characteristics similar to muscles. He defined the equations, his old-world knowledge of height and weight dictating the precise dimensions he needed. The maniquin shrunk in size until it was almost the same build as him. He followed this with a Binding Array, its intricate, knot-like symbols linking the muscles and the skeletal frame together, ensuring they would hold. The transformation was slow and magnificent but the more information he added,the more humanlike it appeared. The mannequin's smooth surface began to ripple and shift, its blank face gaining form. Hair, eyes, nose, and mouth emerged, coalescing into a perfect, lifelike replica of himself. The form was flawless, but it was still a puppet, a beautiful construct without a soul. It was a perfect copy, but it wasn't alive.
Yet.
The third night was all about bringing 'life' to his creation. Elias knew the clone would need to sustain itself without his constant focus. He began by creating a small, intricate ring of raw Flow, its energy a vibrant crimson, a visible sign of his Acolyte-level of mastery. He imbued this ring with a powerful Binding Array, its purpose to link the clone to this flow as a power source. This was the fuel line, and by adding a few more likes to the clone,he allowed the clone to draw a small but continuous amount of energy from it's surroundings to sustain itself. Then, with a chilling sense of purpose, he crafted a second ring of pure Anti-Flow. He bound this to the first linkingnyhe two together to firm a set of instructions. This was his backup, a safeguard that could instantly convert Anti-Flow to Flow if the first ring's energy ran out and vice versela while drawing on ambient energy till both rings were saturated. It also served as an alternative energy source to allow his double to use Anti-Flow as well.
The process was exhausting, but he pushed on, the thought of his successful experiments driving him.
He then began the most complex part of the night: coding the clone's personality to match his own. He wrote an intricate set of instructions, a spiritual script of how the clone should behave in any situation Elias would most likely find himself in that day, from simple greetings to having a degree conversation. He even included ridiculous scenarios, making sure the clone would have a plausible excuse for any strange behaviour.
'I know you Aina.'
On the final night, Elias was running on fumes. The mental strain of the past three nights had left him sore and fatigued. It was even evident in his normal life but he was close. He had one final task: to give the clone a semblance of consciousness. He used a complex, multi-layered Array, a fusion of his most advanced programming, to do the impossible. He imbued the clone with three simple, foundational memories: the warm, comforting feel of the sun on his face, the nostalgic taste of his mother's cooking, and the joyous, almost imperceptible smile he saw on Aina's face when she gifted him the Jade Fang for his birthday. These weren't complex memories, but they were a critical final touch, a subtle hint of a soul that would sell the illusion to some degree, make the clone more than just a programed bot following orders. Ie at least,that's what Elias hoped.
Finally,he was done. With spark of his own energy he started up his body double. It,no,'He' blinked and looked around the Spirit Domain,his eyes lingering in the Infinity Symbol below them before looking u at the hidden sigil above them.
He raised his hand, his body trembling with exhaustion, and the clone looked at him,tilted his head and mirrored the action. He asked it a question, and it responded with his own voice.
"What is your name?" Elias asked.
"My name is Elias," the clone replied in the same manner he himself would.
"But I understand that I am a clone of you. Hmm,this may get a bit confusing." The clone said folding it's arms and rubbing its chin.
"I suppose you could call me 'Eli' to avoid any confusion." He suggested.
" Ok then Eli. Nice to meet you."
" Nice to meet you too." Eli responded and extended his hand. Elias took it and the shook hands.
A thrill of victory coursed through Elias. It worked. The clone appeared to be a perfect mimic, a living illusion. With his curiosity in mind, he decided to test his creation a little more. The clone's eyes, a perfect replica of his own, met his.
"Elias," he said, his voice a perfect copy of Elias' own, "it seems we have time for a more experiment. I wonder what I can do as a Shadow Clone so let's test the functions of my body before the day I'm out to action."
Elias, tired but happy to have succeded nodded, a tired smile on his face. He finally had the key to his escape.
He awoke the next morning feeling utterly drained, his body heavy and his mind foggy. He felt as though he hadn't slept at all, but as he looked around his room, a sense of deep satisfaction washed over him. The clone was gone, a part of himself now, a perfect, undetectable illusion awaiting its moment. He had done it. He wanted to shout a phrase from a popular manga he read back in his old life but he was too tired.