theafflicted | 🎉🎉🎉

Quite a magnanimous point of view.

[And because it's Hien, Phantom's voice isn't even sarcastic. The loaded question gives him a moment of pause before he tilts his head in a shallow nod.]

If you're not asking for one in return, then yes.

I won't.

[ Because he thinks it's a rather useless secret. ]

If it looks like I'm good at doing something, just know that it took an excessive amount of years for me to learn it.

[ He doesn't think he was good at doing anything that actually mattered, so he used his seemingly infinite time to obtain various skills, even if it took him an outrageous amount of time to learn it.

But the point of this was to tell Phantom that he really isn't better than the average person just because he knows how to do a lot of things. His learning progression was extremely slow. ]

[Oh. That's... a surprisingly safe secret? And possibly even a kind one, although that thought is uncomfortable to Phantom. He looks a little taken aback for a moment.]

Anything worth learning takes a lifetime. If yours is longer, then it's... admirable of you to use it accordingly.

[That's as close as he can manage to saying outright that he respects Hien working hard on learning something if he's bad at it. He fidgets for a moment, and then before he can second-guess it:]

I'm clumsy. Particularly when I'm distracted with something.

[Is this even remotely a secret? Probably not to anyone with eyes, but it's still a concession.]

Yeah? That sounds pretty normal though.

[ Hien thinks that's absolutely normal... cue flashbacks of seeing people distracted and running into things. ]

Yes, well. So is taking time to learn things you have no aptitude for.

[So they've each traded useless secrets, and all is equitable in the world. Never mind that it seems to have had some significance to Phantom.]

[ Hien catches that and is curious. ]

You seem pleased for some reason. What are you thinking about?

[ACK. Caught in the act, and without an immediate lie. He can scramble for one quickly, though.]

Nothing of significance. I merely found it interesting. I can't claim familiarity with anything like an immortal from my own world.

If you want to know more about me, we can trade information.

[ His past isn't free, but he'd like to know other people too. ]

I'm not as grand as some people think I am.

I doubt I'm that easily overawed.

[(affectionate)(???!)]

...That would be acceptable. Perhaps you can begin by explaining the 'as a dog' note in your profile.

Oh.

[ That one is actually pretty easy to explain on the surface, so that's just what he'll do. ]

I can turn into a dog with magic. People love cute dogs, therefore, easier to manipulate.

[Probably exactly what he should have assumed there, huh.]

I can see where that would be effective. Is a dog the only thing you can turn into?

No.

[ But. ]

It's your turn. What does your nickname mean?

[ ripa. ]

[Phantom's expression sours for a second. It shouldn't be surprising that someone would manage to hit one of the actual sore points from his profile.]

Nothing in particular. It's simply the name Phil... that mage I mentioned chose when he created me. [...] I won't answer to it, if you're considering it.

Hm. Well, alright.

[ He doesn't seem put off by it, as he continues to pat his head. Phantom can't escape from his hand... ]

You can choose what sort of information to divulge next time. As for what else I can turn into, I can change into what I will inevitably be in the future, a monster that eats worlds.

[ That sure is heavy. Phantom better have some good info as a trade. ]

But I can turn back, as you can see now. I'm as me as I can be.

[Trying to escape and failing would have the opposite effect on his dignity, so he'll just have to live with it. Even if it's increasingly difficult to channel any villain energy like this.]

What sort of-

[There are a lot of questions that opens up, actually. But they do have a deal. Phantom pauses for a moment, but he can only think of one piece of information of equivalent weight. And why not be direct with it? He doubts Marcus would keep it a secret.]

Immediately before being brought here, I was in the process of unmaking my own world.

[Somewhere, Marcus is hopefully enjoying the complicated tide of anger wound with contempt seasoned with guilt. It's not reflected on Phantom's face, at least. He's gotten that much control over it in the last week.]

Now, will you expand on that? Why is it inevitable?

[ Unmaking his own world. That's interesting. He wonders if that was the reason why Phantom was an experiment. ]

I'm the metaphysical concept of the Self. What keeps me alive is that variations of me in other worlds are alive. It's also a requirement for me to gain access to that world.

[ A little bonus info for good boy Phantom. ]

Death is an inevitability, so they'll eventually die, whether by natural causes or accidents or whatever else. When that time comes, I turn into a monster that only wants to eat, and it finds worlds very delicious.

[ Though he'll add something, also for free. ]

Two of my variants are similar to me, but in a much lesser fashion. They can't die of natural causes, but they can choose to pass away, if they want to. They'll be the ones who are keeping me in my current state.

[ Which, you know, is a good thing. ]

[That's... a lot to digest. Phantom might be one of the worst or one of the best people to process this particular information, actually. But from the complicated look on his face he's still deciding what to make of it.]

So as long as they persist you remain... 'as you as can be.' And your other selves form a feedback of a sorts. I wonder what they think of the situation.

It's your turn.

[ Pay up, Phantom!! Then he'll tell you. ]

You've almost exhausted my supply. There's very little to know about me.

[It's almost true, in a sense.

...Well, he supposes maybe that counts. So he'll volunteer it.]

Despite my age, I've only existed for a few years.

[ Young one. ]

That's not true. It doesn't have to be secrets, so tell me what you do in your every day life.

[ Does he want to get to know Phantom better? Yeah. ]

As for my other selves, the two that I talked about... one of them really hates me, but it's justified. The other is too nice to hate someone. Each of them controls the concept of Memory and Life in their respective worlds.

You're rather unaffected by it. I suppose even humans are familiar with the concept of hating themselves. Let alone a concept of the Self.

[It's not a question, yet. Phantom is still thinking aloud as he's trying to process all of this... everything. But since Hien started he owes the answer to that fairly benign question. Which is actually still slightly difficult for him.]

...I don't know what constitutes "everyday life." If you mean here, I mostly read. There's very little else to do.

[He needs enrichment so badly.]

Just tell me what you do in your home world.

[ And. Well. ]

Humans are very familiar with the concept of hating themselves.

[Is it luck or just the 'it's complicated' that kept Phantom from appearing on his own list of dislikes? He loses the battle of self-control to a bitter little smile at that. But, the question:]

I run a militia group that operates in opposition to the prime minister. Well, Marcus handles the physical labor. Most of what I do is magical research. If you're so curious to hear the details of mirristry at length, then...

[He tries to pitch it to sound like a threat, but, honestly. He would keep going. Indefinitely.]

Yeah.

[ Hien says without hesitation. Let it all out, Phantom. Hien will keep petting his head too. ]

[He probably should have expected Hien to say yes to that? Hien is the type to go along with anything. But it still takes him a second to rally.

...He should probably protest the petting at some point.]

I intend to count this towards the balance of information shared. [...] It would take too much time to explain from the beginning. My research was mostly on the fundamental energy that makes up life and our world, as well as... applications of energy pulled from other worlds. I did a great deal of field study.

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