"If one of my clones were to die... what would happen to me?"

Liam shuddered at the thought.

Now realizing just how limited his knowledge was, he knew he needed to take advantage of his ability to learn as much as he could.

***

[Tuesday the 27th of August 11:13 AM]

It has been 2 days since his first clone had been created.

The first clone had finished reading all the books in the apartment at this point.

"Time to get some more books." Liam said admiring the stack of completed books on the table.

Liam believed this would be the best time to experiment with how his clones would act in a real-life scenario.

However, he wasn't comfortable enough yet to leave the clone alone, in case something unexpected were to happen.

It's not as if they could communicate mentally as far as he was aware.

Like so, Liam mapped out several tasks that his clone needed to go through before he was at a point where he could send out a clone by itself without him worrying about an unexpected variable.

Whether it was gaming, shopping or public exercise, he needed to test how his clones would react, as well as how people would react to them in different environments.

And once a clone was done with their assigned task, they would head back to his apartment and merge with Liam.

***

[1:12 PM]

Liam wore casual clothes with a black cap and a face mask to disguise himself.

It wasn't uncommon to see people with face masks due to hygiene purposes, as well as a global pandemic that affected the world a couple of years before the aurora event.

His clone wore a grey flannel with black shorts. Liam wanted his clone to also dress casual to not draw much attention.

His second clone would remain at home, and carry on researching 'ways to make him smarter' on his laptop.

With plans for the first test mapped out, they headed to the library located a couple of streets from his apartment.

***

[2:27 PM]

The journey to the library was smooth.

Liam always made sure to stay a few buildings away from his clone but made sure it was also within his sight.

After the clone entered the library, Liam waited half an hour before heading in himself.

Countless bookshelves appeared before him, stretched far and wide, and arranged in such a way that anyone could easily find the information they were looking for.

The scenery made him feel as if he was basking in the warm glow of a higher intelligence as it enveloped and allowed him to become part of its everlasting glory.

Liam noticed that there were not many people present.

He believed that it was because it was a weekday, and many would be at their workplace.

Another reason could be due to physical books not being as popular as e-books in this century due to the advancements in technology.

Most preferred the portability, access and comfort they brought as opposed to paperback.

However, most that would read physical books would compare them to tools used to stimulate the brain and adjust thinking; a mental tuning; the feeling of the paper against their fingers causing a momentary sensation when they turn each page.

The familiar smell of pulp and glue brought them a joy that just couldn't be brought by digital copies.

Although not exactly the same, Liam would describe it as how he prefers 21st-century anime over the 22nd-century, as most anime nowadays would be CGI, but back then animators may spend weeks just to bring about the perfect scene.

At a far end corner of the library, he noticed that the clone had already picked up a few books of its choosing, and sat on an empty table, already beginning his reading session.

The books mainly consisted of Biology, Mathematics, Economic and Social History.

Liam, who did not want to read sat a few tables away and watched WorldTube videos on his phone.

And so, hours passed, with no one being none the wiser about the clone.

It did get some casual looks here and there as the number of books started piling up on his table, but nothing to warrant suspicion.

At times the clone would regularly get up to ask people where he could find a certain book, or make small talk, as per Liam's instructions earlier in the day.

Liam would occasionally smirk when people stared at his clone, thinking that they must believe he is a diligent reader.

In reality, most thought he was messing around due to how frequently he would flip the pages, and then went on to mind their own business.

The trip to the library was fruitful, with no one having the slightest idea they were interacting with a clone.

It wasn't unusual for gifted to use their abilities in public properties, but most would still require permission from the establishment owner or manager.

If caught, there is a chance that they may get into legal trouble.

However, no one called Liam out, further reassuring himself that no one would be able to spot the difference unless he told them.

This was only natural of course, as the clone was an exact copy of himself, just without the will to go against him.

***

[7:24 PM]

Arriving back home, Liam decided that the first clone had more than served its purpose.

He was contempt with the amount of time it had been activated, and could no longer wait to gain the knowledge it had gathered.

*Absorb* Liam willed as he put his hand on the shoulder of his first clone.

It felt as if a hurricane of information had swept over his mind.

The feeling was only natural as the clone did nothing but study in those two days it had been created.

After a couple hours of rest, Liam kept thinking of a certain biology book his clone had read while in the library, and couldn't help recalling a certain passage.

"Mitosis..."

"The process in which a cell divides into two cells that each have the same amount of DNA as the original cell."

"In essence, I'm not channelling energy like in other abilities, but replicating asexually, creating a genetically identical offspring."

'That would explain the backslash every time I create a new clone...'

"And here I thought it was similar to Shadow Clone Jutsu. Dumbass."

'But still, that does not explain how I'm able to absorb the clone, or the speed of absorption.'

'After all, there is no opposite of mitosis...'

'And what is the catalyst which allows me to absorb the clone in seconds?'

*Sigh*

'There's still too much I don't know...'

"How do you feel about books?" Liam smiled as he turned his head towards his remaining clone.

Like so, he spent the remainder of his week resting and sorting out the memories the first clone had collected.

***

[Monday the 2nd of September 7:20 AM]

Liam stared at himself in the mirror, admiring his looks.

It had been a while since he had last put on his uniform.

His holiday had passed in no time at all.

It was time for him to head back to school.

___________________

UnpaidAuthor:

Liam's vocabulary will gradually increase from here on out, but not to the point you can't understand anything.

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