Vin napped peacefully without any disturbances. He could have slept through an entire day, but his mind and body were too worked up, craving solutions to his predicament. So, after an hour, he was up and on his feet, standing in the dark bedroom with nothing but torn towels wrapped around his body.

  'I'm working for death...' The goth historian had nothing good to say about the black Phoenix. The most feared creature among gods because its flames could destroy spiritual deities, beings that should be immortal.

  Vin stared at his palm. He strained as he tried to channel essence through his veins, but nothing took. 'As much as I hate that bird, Its power has saved me a lot of times now.'

  'Now it's sealed...' He lowered his arms, shut his eyes, and shook his head defeatedly. 'Instead, we have books.'

  The Astral Ichor in his body allowed him to perceive the abilities that came with being a Stray, a human connected with the Archival Dimensions ruler. He could detect a few immediately, while others were hidden behind proficiency walls.

  The first was his ability to sync with another creature's mind, allowing telepathic communication. He had done it already, but his usage was nothing compared to what it could have been. This power could be used to speak with an entire nation, the whole planet, if need be.

  The next ability was vague, but he could visualize books. His mind moved autonomously, channeling the Astral Ichor, and there was a bleach-white flash. When it cleared, a small black, wooden two-tier bookshelf stood before him. It was only as tall as his waist, making it pathetic compared to the historian's boundless collection.

  Vin scrutinized it and kneeled down before the object. The bottom shelf was empty, but two books rested on the first beside a yellow sticky note that read in Earthian cursive, "Hello! I'm sure you're angry about your sealed powers. Fuming even. So, I decided to leave you a little gift to lift your spirits."

  Vin scoffed, crushed the note, and tossed it behind him. What irked him most about the librarian was her lackadaisical attitude; an all-powerful deity shouldn't wear punk clothing and leave sticky notes for Humans. He glared at the mystical shelf and grabbed both books at once. The first was titled [Items], and the second was [Settings.]

  He already knew that these were categorical titles, much like how journals had tabs to organize information about the world. Opening the book of [Items], he saw two entries:

  1) Vin's death cultist attire

  2) Vin's first skateboard(echo)

  He peered at the second line and immediately hailed it with his intent. There was another small flash, and then the first real skateboard his father ever gifted him appeared out of thin air. He grabbed it, felt its weight, and observed the white underdeck, designed with comic flames. Vin spun the board's wheels, amazed it was there, just as he remembered it.

  The historian named them echos, a vestige of something that used to exist. On the other hand, the cultist attire was an original object she created recently, so it wasn't an echo like the skateboard.

  After bringing the object into reality, Vin scanned his Astral Ichor and discovered that only a drop had dissipated, which meant he could do much more before the energy pool dried. Even if it did, he still had regular mana and soul essence, giving him three means to create magic when other mortals only had one.

  As for the first item, he wasn't the least bit curious about the 'death cultist attire.' He didn't think it'd be hideous or anything; the goth historian had a strangely modern and complex fashion sense, so if she made it, the clothing was bound to be decent. It's just that he cared more about the second book titled [Settings.]

  He had hoped the woman had given him the echo of the skatepark in front of his family home, but the first entry read, "Vin's Sanctuary." What he assumed was the garden course he always dreamt of while sleeping.

  It was safe to assume that using this book wouldn't plop the entire garden into reality and crush everyone. Considering his powers came from the Mind of Auroraan, it was more plausible that he would be transported to a secluded space of sorts.

  Before experimenting, he wandered over to the elven wardrobe that had been raided again recently. All that was left was women's clothing, which didn't matter to the test he wanted to run. So, he grabbed a pair of pants and muttered, "Archive."

  He blinked, and in that millisecond, his mind detonated with millions of memories outlining the entire existence of those pants. From the time they were sown together to when the owner wore them to a tea party and left a stain that they desperately tried to wash out. He saw everything.

  It was overwhelming. Five years of memories condensed into a fraction of a second; all that useless knowledge was archived in his mind forever. Once it was over, he collapsed and clenched his mess of a head. It took time for his daze to settle, but once it did, he picked up the book titled [Items] and saw that the bottoms had been added to the list.

  The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

  1) Vin's death cultist attire

  2) Vin's first skateboard(Echo)

  3) Beige elven breeches(Echo+)

  He sat while observing the update, too dizzy to stand back up. 'So it differentiates between copies and a copy of a copy.'

  Everything in the Archival Dimension was already a shade of what no longer existed, like his first skateboard. So, most things he archived would be labeled 'Echo+.' He also knew that the further away an object was from the original, the less perfect it would be. The gifts from the librarian meant so much more because of this fact. Since Earth was long gone, so he could never personally archive his first board or any of his old belongings.

  Receiving the setting was also a tremendous gift. Just archiving a pair of pants jumbled his mind, so a location like the garden at the top of his city's mall that had existed for half a century would probably shatter his sanity.

  He had to be cautious with this power. But... At the same time, it was all he had.

  After losing his flames, finding a new way to survive became the top priority. There would be no escaping the A.D. without taking risks. So, Vin did something he knew he would possibly regret. Still sitting on the floor of the unlit room, he crossed his legs and acted before his rationale could reason him out of a stupid decision.

  Vin placed his palm against his chest and whispered, "Archive."

  A typhoon of his own remembrances barraged his mind. They came wave after wave without relenting, starting from his earliest childhood memories. He vividly recalled everything. The good and the bad, including the moments he wished had been buried forever. He was reminded of every single time he died and every person he'd killed. The people he loved and the ones he hated.

  All of it. 17 years of life exploded in his mind within a mere second. It wasn't just jarring; it was sickening. It was a form of hell.

  After the torture ended, he sat motionless in that dark elven chamber. His eyes were plastered wide open, his mouth agape with a line of drool rolling down the corner. Seconds and then minutes passed before he wobbled and fell face-first onto the cold hard floor.

  Bonely, still in the shape of hands, was yelling and rocking him, trying to wake him, but it was pointless. Its Human master had fallen into a petrified status.

  It wasn't until the half-hour mark that Vin finally blinked. His head was so foggy that he couldn't tell which way was up or why he was on the ground. Vin shakily rose to his knees, Bonely speaking urgently into his mind. He couldn't make out their words; he just knew they were disturbed.

  Everything and everyone's concerns just felt so incredibly distant. Out of touch. It seemed like that for some time, but then, Vin had a surge of pure impulse. His body guided itself to the small, black shelf where a third book that read [Characters.] was waiting.

  He opened to the first page, and with a simple desire, the impossible happened.

  He happened.

  There was a dramatically bright entrance, and then a tall young man with dark hair and stern violet-colored eyes that seemingly glowed in the dark joined him in that room. They wore the same elven garb he'd worn before the Sun Market mission. Just as planned.

  Vin's mind slowly discerned left from right, realizing he had achieved what he had hoped for. He crawled forward, tugged at the pants of the spitting image of himself, muttering as loud as he could, "I need someone I can rely on... Please."

  The Shade held a confused and grim expression on their face. That was good; it meant the doppelganger wasn't aware of any recent events. Vin was able to make a version of himself before he got injured at the music shop and before his powers were sealed. It worked perfectly. Vin just had to deal with their confusion, and fortunately, there was a solution to that, too.

  The archiving process forced him to see the past of the entity he touched. However, he could also implant memories into the target. So, he did, updating the Shade's mind so they could understand what was happening.

  Everything was going smoothly for a period. But then, he felt a powerful presence fill that room, and within a blink, a golden bracelet snapped on the Shade's wrist. Either the librarian was watching, or they expected him to try and cheat their arrangement and added a fail-safe. Regardless, the mirror's powers were now also sealed. It was regrettable, but he was still more than just a flame-wielding brute.

  "It's fine. I don't need them," stated the violet-eyed Shade. They hooked their arms around Vin's and hauled him to his feet. Even though they were separate entities, the doppelganger wouldn't see themself crawling on the floor in that pathetic state. The Echo sat Vin on the bed, examining them with a dark gaze as if cynical of their existence.

  Growing up, Vin was often told that he looked intimidating. However, it wasn't until he looked himself in the eyes that he really understood how threatening he was. In all honesty, he would rather be face to face with a murderous Ravenour than himself.

  The Shade had no questions or even a sense of self-pity at knowing they weren't real. They merely accepted their predicament, ready to die for their shared wish for happiness. Vin didn't feel bad for his duplicate; he knew he would have done the same if the roles were reversed.

  Vin watched the Echo open the window and stared at a dawning sky with a contemplative stare. After a moment, the Shade clenched their fist, looked back with a determined gaze, and told him, "I'll need our skateboard."

  Vin was too bewildered to hand the object to them and just nodded at his doppelganger. And with that, the Shade picked the skateboard up, jumped outside, and rode off into the city without a word.

  Bonely landed on Vin's shoulder shortly after, communicating, "I hope you know what you're doing."

  Many people would probably jump at the chance to converse with themselves. Yet, to Vin, nothing was more terrifying than seeing and having to accept the man he'd become. He was sure his Shade felt the same way, which is why they left so soon.

  Vin sprawled out on the floor and breathed, trying to reclaim a clear mind. The full gravity of what he did hadn't sunk in yet and probably wouldn't anytime soon. After all, he had just created and set himself free upon the world.

  Eternal flames or not, his despicable past and powerful mind, made his Shade a menace. Lord, have mercy on the Elves that crossed their path.