A Banner Torn (Book 1 Complete)

Kaelid:

The morning sun filtered through the canopy as Kaelid and Rannek made their way to the clearing, the leather satchel containing the journal bouncing gently against Kaelid's hip. They had managed to slip away after helping with morning chores, using the excuse of checking their fishing lines to avoid too many questions from their mothers.

Marta had wanted to come with them, but she was needed at the bakery for the morning rush. Next time, she had said with a knowing look, I want to see this mysterious journal everyone keeps talking about.

Curio was waiting for them in the center of the clearing, its form more defined than usual in the morning light. The slime's core stone pulsed with a steady rhythm that seemed to match the beating of their hearts, and Kaelid felt the familiar warmth of connection as they approached.

You bring the curious one, Curio observed, its voice carrying notes of amusement around the clearing. I have been... aware of its presence during your previous visits.

Curious one? Rannek asked, settling beside the pool. You mean the journal?

Kaelid felt a flutter of vindication. His suspicions about the journal had been growing stronger each time he handled it, the way it seemed to respond to their presence, the subtle warmth it emanated, the feeling that it was somehow watching them.

You know what it really is, don't you? Kaelid said, carefully withdrawing the journal from its protective wrapping.

I know many things, Curio replied diplomatically. But it is not my place to reveal secrets that others choose to keep. If our friend wishes to maintain its disguise, I will respect that choice.

The moment the journal was fully exposed to the morning air, Kaelid could swear he felt it... relax somehow, as if it had been holding its breath. The leather cover seemed to shift slightly, becoming more supple, more alive.

It's not really a journal, is it? Kaelid said gently, addressing the book directly. You're something else entirely.

For a long moment, nothing happened. Then, slowly, the journal's pages began to flutter without any wind to move them. The leather cover rippled like water, and suddenly the book's appearance shifted.

What had looked like aged leather now revealed itself as mottled brown and green skin. The pages transformed into delicate, translucent membranes, and where the binding had been, a small, curious eye opened to regard them.

A mimic, Rannek breathed in wonder. But so small...

A very young one, Curio confirmed with gentle warmth. Barely past its first molting, I would estimate. It has been observing and learning, as is the nature of its kind.

The baby mimic, for that's clearly what it was, made a soft chittering sound and extended what appeared to be a tiny pseudopod toward them. Its eye, large and dark and filled with intelligence, blinked slowly in what seemed like a greeting.

Hello, Kaelid said softly, extending his hand palm-up toward the creature. I'm sorry we didn't realize sooner. We didn't mean to make you uncomfortable.

The mimic's pseudopod touched his palm briefly, and Kaelid felt a warm tingle of contact. Not the deep connection he shared with Curio, but something lighter, more curious, like the mental equivalent of a shy smile.

It has been learning from you, Curio explained. Mimics are natural information gatherers. This one has been observing your abilities, your interactions, your development. It finds you... fascinating.

Kaelid shook his head. This is why elder Myra wanted to have us make sure the Praxis never saw this. Elder Myra kept it hidden. They used their own methods to test us and could have found it.

The mimic chittered again, and suddenly its surface began to shimmer. Patterns of light appeared across its skin, forming complex diagrams and flowing symbols that hung in the air above its small form.

It's showing us what it learned by watching us, Kaelid realized. This is what it saw when we were using our abilities.

The display was remarkably detailed, showing the energy patterns that flowed through their bodies when they activated their enhanced senses. But unlike the clinical readouts the Praxis had generated, this felt more... artistic. More alive.

Mimics perceive the world differently than most creatures, Curio explained. They see not just what is, but what could be. Patterns, possibilities, connections that others might miss.

Can it interact with you the way we do? Rannek asked, studying the floating display with fascination.

In a limited sense. Observe.

Curio extended a pseudopod toward the baby mimic, and the moment they made contact, both creatures began to glow more brightly. The mimic's display expanded, becoming more complex and detailed, while Curio's form shifted through deeper shades of blue and green.

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Interesting, Curio murmured, and Kaelid could sense surprise in the slime's mental voice. It is showing me memories I had forgotten. Experiences from before my time in this clearing.

The display above the mimic now showed images that seemed to come from Curio's past, glimpses of other forests, other clearings, encounters with creatures Kaelid didn't recognize. It was like watching someone else's dreams made visible.

How is it doing that? Kaelid asked in wonder.

Mimics can interface with consciousness in ways that even I do not fully understand, Curio admitted. This young one seems particularly gifted at unlocking dormant memories and connections.

The mimic broke contact with Curio and turned its attention back to the boys. Its display shifted again, now showing the familiar outlines of their enhanced forms, but with additional details that neither the Praxis tests nor their own scanning had revealed.

Look at that, Rannek said, pointing to a section of the display. It's showing connections between us that we didn't know existed.

Indeed, the mimic's projection revealed thin lines of energy linking Kaelid and Rannek, pathways that pulsed in sync with their core shards. It was as if their enhancements were somehow linked, sharing information and energy in ways they hadn't realized.

The mimic sees what you are becoming more clearly than you see it yourselves, Curio observed. Perhaps it can help you understand your development in ways that simple self-scanning cannot.

Kaelid felt a surge of excitement. Could it teach us to create displays like this? To see ourselves the way it sees us?

The mimic chittered enthusiastically and extended pseudopods toward both boys. The moment they made contact, Kaelid felt a rush of new sensations, not the deep, warm connection he shared with Curio, but something more like having his perception suddenly expanded and clarified.

Through the mimic's senses, he could see himself as the creature saw him: a complex web of energy patterns and potential, with the core shard serving as a focal point for enhancement that extended far beyond his physical form. It was beautiful and overwhelming and completely different from anything he had experienced before.

Now, Curio instructed, while maintaining contact with our young friend, try to generate your scanning pulse and project what you perceive.

This was different from their previous attempts. Instead of trying to force his consciousness to create a visual display, Kaelid found himself working with the mimic's natural abilities. The creature seemed to understand what he was trying to accomplish and began guiding his perception, showing him how to translate the information his scanning pulse gathered into visible form.

The result was immediate and startling. A detailed projection appeared in the air before him, showing not just his physical form and enhancement pathways, but layers of additional information: his emotional state, his energy levels, his potential for growth, even hints about abilities he hadn't yet developed.

This is incredible, he breathed, staring at the complex display. It's like seeing myself from the outside, but with perfect understanding of what everything means.

Rannek was having similar success, his own display appearing beside Kaelid's. But where Kaelid's projection showed detailed analytical breakdowns, Rannek's revealed flowing patterns of intuition and connection, networks of possibility that shifted and changed as they watched.

The mimic is teaching you to see as it sees, Curio explained. This is a gift that few creatures can share. You are learning to perceive consciousness itself as a visible, measurable phenomenon.

They spent the next hour working with the mimic, learning to create and maintain their enhanced displays. The baby creature seemed delighted to have found beings who could appreciate its unique perspective, chittering happily as it guided them through increasingly complex projections.

Can we do this without the mimic's help? Kaelid asked eventually, though he was reluctant to break the connection.

The mimic's response was to gradually reduce its assistance, allowing them to take more and more control of the projection process. It was like learning to walk with someone holding your hand, then slowly letting go.

By the time the sun reached its zenith, both boys could maintain basic status displays on their own, though they lacked the rich detail and intuitive clarity that the mimic's assistance provided.

This is remarkable progress, Curio assured them. You have learned in one morning what might have taken months to develop on your own.

The mimic chittered agreement and began to shift back toward its journal disguise, though it moved more slowly than before, as if reluctant to hide its true nature again.

You don't have to pretend around us, Kaelid said gently. We know what you are now, and we're glad to meet you properly.

The mimic paused in its transformation, its large eye regarding them thoughtfully. Then, instead of completing the change to journal form, it settled into a shape that was somewhere between the two, recognizably a mimic, but with the general size and proportions of a book.

I believe it has decided to trust you, Curio observed with satisfaction. This is a significant gesture for one so young.

What should we call you? Rannek asked the mimic. You can't just be 'the journal' anymore.

The mimic chittered and projected a brief display showing various symbols and patterns. Among them, one stood out, a complex glyph that seemed to shift and change as they watched it.

Lexicon? Kaelid suggested, trying to interpret the symbol. Because you collect and share information?

The mimic's chittering took on a pleased tone, and it bobbed up and down in what was clearly agreement.

Lexicon, Curio repeated approvingly. A fitting name for one who gathers knowledge and helps others understand themselves.

As they prepared to return to the village, Lexicon shifted back into journal form, but the transformation felt different now, less like hiding and more like wearing comfortable clothes. The baby mimic had found friends who accepted its true nature, and that seemed to make all the difference.

This changes everything, Kaelid said as they walked back through the forest. Having Lexicon to help us understand our development, to see things we might miss on our own...

That evening, as Kaelid practiced creating his status display in the privacy of his room, he found the process easier than before. Lexicon's teaching had left him with a better understanding of how to perceive and project consciousness patterns, and while his displays weren't as detailed as what the mimic could create, they were far more sophisticated than his earlier attempts.

More importantly, he felt like he was finally beginning to understand what he was becoming. Not a weapon, as the Praxis had envisioned, but something new and wonderful, a being capable of perceiving and interacting with consciousness itself in ways that few others could imagine.