Solar clone led his family through the massive stone gate, their footsteps echoing softly.
On the other side, the first thing they saw was a wide underground garden—green grass, neat stone paths, and rows of glowing flowers swaying under gentle red light.
Small streams of clear water from the underground lake, carrying water‑type Sacral essence, flowed between the beds, making the air cool and fresh.
Kamal, Neelam, and Sanya stared ahead. Beyond the garden, the main fortress rose like a carved mountain—huge pillars, tall walls, and balconies cut from the rock, almost like an ancient temple city.
Solar clone waved his hand and several wind puppets formed, shaping themselves into smooth beds floating in the air. "Sit," he said. "No need to walk so much."
They climbed onto the puppets, which moved slowly and smoothly, carrying them through corridor after corridor. They passed family rooms, kitchens, storage halls, bathrooms, and quiet sitting spaces, each room simple but comfortable, with wooden furniture and small decorations chosen just for them.
Sanya kept pointing at statues and carvings, Neelam checked every kitchen corner, and Kamal ran his hand along the walls, testing the strength.
Solar clone then took them to see their rooms inside the fortress, down a long corridor with warm lights on the walls. "Now see your rooms," he said.
Kamal's room came first. A solid wooden bed stood near the wall, blankets folded neatly. A strong study table with a chair faced a simple shelf stack. On one side, a stone stand held a metal lion statue, and a framed carving of a farmer working in a field hung above the bed. Kamal touched the desk and nodded slowly. "Feels… right," he said, glancing at Solar clone with pride. My son knows me quite well, he thought.
Next was Neelam's room. Soft colours, clean and bright. A double bed with thick quilts, a dressing table with a big mirror, and a small sofa in the corner. On a side table, there was a carved statue of a mother holding a child, and the walls had simple flower patterns etched into the stone. Neelam ran her fingers over the designs and smiled. "You even thought of this," she whispered.
Sanya's room was lively. A pink bedsheet, cushions piled at the head of the bed, a study desk with space for books and a computer, and a comfortable chair. On the wall were carved outlines where she could later hang posters, and a small phoenix statue stood on the shelf above her desk.
Sanya lay back on her bed and stared up at the ceiling. Above her, the stone wasn't plain. Right in the centre, a purple butterfly was carved into the rock, its wings spread wide as if it was about to take flight. The wings weren't flat; every line was raised and curved, catching the soft light from the crystal lamp. Darker purple veins ran through each wing, and at the tips the colour faded into light lavender, like the sky just before evening.
Tiny dots and patterns covered the wings, neat and delicate, making it look less like stone and more like something alive that had just paused there for a moment. When the light shifted, shadows slid along the carving, making the butterfly seem to move—sometimes the wings looked folded, sometimes fully open. For Sanya, it felt like the butterfly was watching over her, gentle and free. She smiled. Out of the entire giant fortress, this simple purple butterfly made the room feel truly hers.
Last was Ankit's room, but Solar clone quickly found an excuse so his main body would not be disturbed while resting. Walking back into the corridor together, all three of them had the same thought: this wasn't just a fortress. It was home.
After exploring the living areas, the wind puppets carried them out the back of the fortress. There, endless fields opened up—wheat, rice, vegetables, potatoes, and spices growing in neat sections under floating red suns. Sacral clone was checking the water channels between the crops when he felt familiar auras behind him.
He already knew the family was exploring the fortress with Solar clone, so he hadn't paid them much attention and kept working.
He hadn't expected Solar clone to guide them here without informing him to hide. He turned around and saw four figures standing at the edge of the field—Kamal, Neelam, Sanya, and Solar clone. For a second, nobody spoke. The red suns hung above the wheat and rice, light falling over both Ankits at once.
Neelam broke first. "Ankit…?" Her eyes moved from Solar clone to Sacral clone, confusion clear. "Then who is… this Ankit?"
Kamal frowned, pointing between them. "How many of you are there? Which one is my real son?"
Sanya was equally shocked and didn't know which one was her real brother.
Sacral clone said to Solar clone, "That's why I didn't want them to find out. Why didn't you inform me?"
"Just to see their expressions. And family is here—our existence will reassure them, because we will be gone without the main body," Solar clone said calmly.
Sacral clone didn't say anything more to Solar clone. He turned toward his family and smiled a little. "I am Sacral clone of Ankit."
Solar clone nodded. "And I am Solar clone of Ankit."
Neelam swallowed. "Then where is… our Ankit?"
Both clones pointed toward the top of the fortress.
"In the core of the fortress," Sacral clone said softly. "Main body is resting in his room, just adjacent to Dad's room."
Kamal looked at the endless crops, the glowing suns, then at the two identical sons standing in front of him. "So our boy… split himself just to work more?"
Neelam's eyes softened. "As long as all of you are him… then all of you are my son."
Sanya, after finally processing everything, blurted, "Brother, can you make a clone for me so my clone and I can play? Please, please?"
All of them ignored Sanya.