by Olivia of Luminne
"Come on," Odalys whispered, "Show yourself, you coward."
"You call me a coward?" Odalys jumped at the voice in her head. She stared into the distance, and her eyes caught sight of a darkening horizon.
"Captain!" Odalys yelled. The captain ran up to her almost instantly. "Its time. Ready the men."
"Yes ma'am." Odalys turned back to the horizon, hearing the flyers screech their battle cry. She turned away defiantly and went to her tent to suit up. Once she had on her armor (a special Schinaam creation. Able to withstand heavy blows, both laser and physical), she equipped herself with a pistol and a Schinaam spear.
"M'lady," the captain looked nervous, "Please, I beg you to reconsider-"
"Captain," Odalys looked at him sharply, "Do not question my actions. I would not do this if I had not thought long and hard about it. I am prepared for what is come." The captain bowed. Odalys left the tent without another word.
Within the hour Atis had come, her and her army. She looked almost exactly like Odalys, but with a face of pure evil. Odalys did not waste time locating her twin. The woman stood waiting for her, watching her every move as she approached. Their armies clashed around them. Atis had apparently created a barrier between them and their armies. No help would come today.
"You are a fool to face me," Atis snarled. Odalys watched her calmly, "You come to me with no one with you?"
"I don't need anyone this time," Odalys replied confidently, "I can take you down by myself."
"Such confidence," Atis scoffed, "It's not like you to act and speak so independently. Surely you don't think you can face me alone? Look around you! My army is your army's worst nightmare. My Narakraz Warriors will leave no one alive."
"Your warriors will die before they even lay a finger on my men," Odalys countered. Her lip curled into a malicious sneer, "And I will enjoy every minute of it." A flash of confusion flew across Atis's eyes.
"Where is the caring, loving woman I know, hmm?" Atis smiled, taking another approach, "She would not want to see innocent lives be hurt."
"Yes I would," Odalys nodded, "Oh, how I'd love to see that."
"What is wrong with you?!" Atis screeched, "You're behavior is entirely unacceptable!"
"Oh, don't even go there," Odalys walked around the perimeter of the barrier. She tapped it with her spear, and the weapon nearly flew out of her hand. "Impressive. So it keeps us in. What does it do to those who are out?" The spearhead emitted a rosy color. A nearby enemy soldier suddenly soared across the field and into the barrier, his scream was cut short as he disappeared.
Atis stared in shock. Odalys fingered the spearhead daintily. "So, that's what it does... Very nice."
"Of course you would use my own soldiers," Atis recovered herself, adjusting her maroon colored jacket. "You wouldn't dare use your own-" Atis cut herself off as a Schinaam soldier flew into the barrier and disappeared. "What are you doing?! You can't just kill your own men! Are you mad?!"
"Last time I checked, I had all my marbles," Odalys smiled sweetly. "Oh, I am going to enjoy this. How about a few more?" The captain flew overhead and into the barrier. Odalys laughed at the look of horror on Atis's face. "Surprised, sister?"
"No! This isn't how you behave!" Atis yelled. "You don't just-" Atis screamed as Odalys shot her in the shoulder with her laser pistol.
"Why not? It's so much fun," Odalys sneered, "The pain on their faces. Their agonized screams. I love it." Atis looked terrified.
"You're bluffing!" She shouted, "You're making it up!"
"Am I?" Odalys shot her again, "You have just witness three murders. Completely voluntary. I was not forced in any way. Not influenced. Do you think it's a bluff now?"
"No!" Atis screamed, clutching her head, "This isn't how it is to be! You can't-"
"I can do what I want," Odalys snarled, "I don't need anyone to tell me what to do." Atis screamed again. Odalys was drinking it all in. "I think it's time for us to part. You may leave."
"No! I will kill you!"
"Not if I do it first," Odalys slammed the butt of her spear into the rocky ground, and the barrier shattered. "You should really use something I don't know how to disable." Atis didn't seem to hear. She was clutching her head and staggering back. Odalys smiled gleefully. She gripped her twin's arm and yanked her to the ground.
"Sayonara," she whispered, "And don't come back!" Atis screamed. Her body looked as if it was being pulled into the sky. Atis's army were swept into the sky with their mistress, right into the cursed portal they had come from. The Schinaam whooped and cheered. Odalys sighed with relief, rubbing her eyes. The captain, perfectly whole and well, ran up to her.
"Queen," he said urgently, "We must get you to the palace."
"Very well," Odalys nodded, "Help me, if you would. I now realize how much I hate my twin. Having to act like her made me see how truly vile she is."
"You did splendidly," the captain encouraged, "The dummies you had built were perfect."
"All the same, I don't want to ever do that again."
Odalys was taken to her rooms. There, she changed into a casual dress and tried to recover. Even though they were dummies, the scientists had made them so life-like it still hurt, making them fly into the barrier. Shooting her twin wasn't as bad, but it still made her feel horrible.
"Odalys!" A male voice shouted, making her jump. A young man burst into her room.
"Thank you for knocking," she chided harshly.
"Apologies," the young man bowed. But he clearly didn't mean it. "What just happened?! You went to war?! Your ambassador is furious! I just barely manage to persuade him to remain at his station, but he made me come instead. What were you thinking?!"
"I was thinking about was was best for my country!" Odalys rose to her feet. "Be careful how you speak to me, Zakar." The young man lowered his eyes.
"I'm sorry," he said quietly, "May I ask how you did it? The soldiers aren't quite the most reliable source, and the captain won tell me anything."
"I'd be happy to," Odalys smiled, "My twin is, as you may know, my exact opposite. She hates me with all her being, and despises all I do.
"It took me a few nights to discover how I could be rid of her. I realized battling her would be of no use, because she and I are evenly matched. I realized, very late in the night, that there was one way I could win, without outright killing her.
"I realized that since she is my opposite, she adores all I hate. That includes pain. I don't like seeing others in pain. So, I thought, what would happen if I did? I had no idea how to go about this line of thought, so I brought in someone who is a professional with acting as different personalities from his own."
"A movie actor?" Zakar smiled, understanding.
"Yes, a movie actor," Odalys nodded, "I was able to hire the best. Over the past few days she helped train me to think, feel, and act as my twin does. It was by no means enjoyable, but I was sufficiently able to look and sound convincing."
"No offense, m'lady," Zakar said, trying not to smile, "But the thought of you in such a way is rather terrifying."
"I felt the same," Odalys smiled, "But I did it, somehow. When I faced my twin, I immersed myself in her ways. I led her to believe I voluntarily killed my soldiers. But they were only dummies. I behaved with all the cruelty she possessed. And in the end, it drove her mad."
"Why?" Zakar was totally absorbed in the story.
"Because it's not how I am," Odalys replied, "To her, I am not a killer. I prefer to care for others. When she saw me ruthlessly murdering, she didn't know how to respond. She couldn't like me. She hates every part of me, and she can't change it. I was starting to act as evil as she was, and she couldn't adjust. She is my evil twin. She can't become to good one. It didn't help when I behaved as if I didn't need anyone to tell me what to do."
"But, highness, you don't."
"True, but I can't always make educated decisions by myself. After that, she was completely immobilized," Odalys shrugged, "It was an easy matter to send her through the portal." Odalys went to her desk. "Now, if you would, please send me a messenger, I have correspondence to attend to."
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