“I told you, I told you, I told you!” shouted a young lady getting up. Her short, blond hair was fried and smoking. The long red robe she wore was charred by flames and full of sand. Looking around her brown eyes saw the only sea, charred sand and the tropical island behind her. Off in the distance, the burning remains of a once majestic ship drifted along with a burning corpse.

“Stop,” On the ground, her father yawned, “As noisy as always... Respect the resting...”

“Why, why did you use explosion magic!?” the daughter asked.

“You said ‘remove them’... So I blew them up.”

“Did you forget we were ON A BOAT!”

“...”

“Why do people call you ‘The Great Sorcerer’!? You should have an ounce of common sense! You good for nothing father!”

Her father, dressed in a grey robe, was lying face down in the sand. As if a corpse he remained unmoving. Despite being recently caught in an ear-shattering explosion his clothes were untouched. Only specs of sand were littered on him. He knew the reason behind the explosion but refrained from speaking until his daughter had calmed down.

With the good-for-nothing father, unmotivated, the daughter decided to leave. The forced vacation she had to attend ended in a fiery reaction. Drawing a circle full of symbols in the sand she prepared a magic circle for a teleportation spell. Dripping a bit of blood onto the circle-

BOOM!

The magic circle exploded, leaving the daughter painted black. Having failed the daughter began to panic. She had already survived a week with her father. If she didn't escape she might go insane.

Through desperation, she drew another magic circle. Double checking each step to avoid any errors. Another explosion would sully her horrible family name. Yet reality betrayed expectations as the resulting attempt added another shade of black to her face.

Although her magic circles ended in failure, she did not surrender. Telling herself failure was the mother of success more attempts were made. Not stopping until she returned home. Even if it was the last thing she did. Which it was.

With dead eyes and a body painted black, darker than a starless night, she hugged her legs. Muttering words of comfort with a tinge of insanity. She was the daughter to two of the greatest users of the mystic arts. Believing she was a bastard child, she had talent. “Had” being the keyword. As she devoted her studies to subjects vastly different from her parents. Throwing away her talent to escape the shadow of their fame and reputation. Diligently studying she soared through fame and glory. Yet the looming backs of her parents stood over her.

Blankly staring into the sunset, the daughter began to ponder her existence. Being faced with successive failures her pride had been knocked down. Nearby her father still faced flat in the sand. The movement of his body, gradually rising and falling, signaled his life. Despite having his head semi-buried in the sand he still could breathe.

After a few minutes of silence from the two parties, the father sent a telepathic message.

“Isolated place…”

Receiving the message, the daughter lifelessly looked at him. She did not understand what he meant, replying with a dead stare.

“Island, frozen in time…” her father continued, “You need four coordinates… Long, lat, time, altit… Use galactic scale.”

“WHAT!” the daughter jumped in anger, “Why didn't you tell me earlier?!”

“You were too busy.”

Hearing such a poor excuse, she stomped the sand and complained. She didn't know the galactic coordinates.
Feeling the rumbling of the beach, the father twitched his finger. Softly touching the sand, he transferred magic into it. Manipulating the particles and compacting them. After a few seconds, a humanoid shape rose from the ground. A two-meter golem of compact sand stood up.

Controlling the golem, the father had it carry him to the nearest tree. Where he created several wooden variants and sent them out into the ocean. Also one to his daughter. Making several more golems of sturdy materials, mainly rock, to clear the land. All the while his daughter continued her tantrum.

As the sun began to disappear, the daughter had finally calmed down. Reevaluating the area she had forgotten her situation. Stranded on a deserted island with no contact with the world. Even if she hated spending time with her father, she’s no idiot. Survival was the priority.

At least she knew how to survive the wilderness. Learning them in spite of her lazy father. She needed to stay active no matter what. Being as different from him as possible.

With no delay, the daughter cut down some trees with compressed air. Creating a fire and shelter for the two of them. Luckily, fruits and berries were abundant and scattered around the area. A few critters were cooked into decent meals.

With the satisfaction of hard work, the daughter went to find her father. While she had no true experience living in the wilderness, magic was all-encompassing and extremely convenient. Following the shoreline, she found where she left him. Her flames of gratification were instantly snuffed.

In front of her stood a two-story wooden house, furnished with luxurious items. Glass bulbs, powered by a magical generator, hung everywhere. A fully operational plumbing system included too. Next to the house laid a burnt corpse of a Kraken that attacked them earlier.

Golems harvested the meat and fried it on a gigantic fire pit. Cooking the meat at a perfect 160 degrees Fahrenheit. Combined with various spices the smell was heavenly. Her father? Peacefully snoozing away on a hammock.

Falling to her knees, her pride took another hit. All the effort ended up useless, washed away by her inferiority. Comparing her crudely made camp to her father's mansion showed only one victor. Blowing up her own work till only ashes she wallowed in despair.

“Eat some, you're hungry…” the father said telepathically.

“Why,” the daughter moaned weakly, “Why didn't you tell me?”

“I…” pausing for a minute to phrase his words, “I did, you didn't hear… you were too busy…”

Collapsing onto the ground, any remains of her pride were thoroughly swept away. Having no will to resist she quietly ate the cooked squid. In her mind, she began to wander. Again and again, no matter what she did it would never be enough. The dream of breaking off from her family seemed to fade as the days passed.

Eating her fill, she headed to sleep. Having exhausted her mental energy didn't want to spend time with her father. When morning arrived she felt no better. Inheriting her father's sloth-like behavior, she laid in her bed for hours on end. Her world began to lose its color.

As noon passed she forced herself out of bed. Desiring to be her own person, not lethargic like her father. She needed to be someone different, anything but her parents. Only her fragile will could push her forward.

With no connection to the outside world and guaranteed safety, free time became abundant. As clocks ticked the father slept, while the daughter stubbornly continued her research. Attempting to distract her mind from reality. Soon the days had turned into weeks and then into months.

During those times, the daughter sought refuge in meaningless tasks. From writing journals to conducting experiments. The most time-consuming task was mapping the island and recording all kinds of wildlife. Revealing no dangers or threats inland. The reports showed vitality and magical energy filled the land. These tasks soon became routine gradually healing her anxiety. Improving her work speed and concentration.

The only problem she had was her father, he had not done anything but sleep. Letting the golems do everything. Even though the golems took care of most of the chores, it still annoyed her. Especially the one that followed her everywhere while making weird hand gestures.

During a daily inspection of the shoreline, a ship appeared on the horizon. Seeing the glimmer of hope, she thought of rescue. A signal fire would be needed to call them. However, despite the gleaming hope in the distance, the strange feeling of deja vu rolled over her. With a second look at the ship, it did seem too familiar.

As dread began to set in, instinctively, she counted down.

3…

2…

1…

KABOOM!

The ship blew up.

Out from the unfortunate product of firepower, smoke and flames covered the ship. Above it, two objects sailed through the sky leaving trails of smog. Perfectly arcing towards the island the two projectiles were shepherded by fate.

Not wishing for another day smothered black by smoke, the daughter bolted away. Although she lived to unveil the unknown, she didn't understand why the falling objects were following her. Even with enhancements from magic on her body, the danger was inescapable. With no options left she braced for impact. Right at that moment, a golem protected her by catching one of the things. Leaving the other smoking body to crashing into the ground, whirling up a storm of sand.

Being hit by the wave of sand and smoke the daughter was thrown into the nearby forest. As the sand settled the golem ended up in shambles with two craters appeared. From under the sandy air, a voice yelled out.

“I told you, I told you, I told you!”

The daughter, who was tangled in the bushes, felt a chill crawl up her spine. While the voice sounded foreign, it held an uncanny resemblance to one she knew all too well. With no delay magic pulsed around her and burnt the bushes to ash.

Standing up with caution, she approached the voice. As she drew closer two figures became clear. One standing possessed by anger and the other lying face down. Creeping ever so slowly to the two, their forms became more distinct. When the dust settled she saw her. Making eye contact with that person-

“Doppelganger!” Both of them yelled, jumping away. Driven by adrenaline, they took a stance with their right hand forward and left arm back. Magic began to swirl and condense around them. An orb of energy ready to be fired at the perfect mirror image of them.

Without a second breath or lingering thoughts, the two magicians of mystic arts collided. Sand, water, and air ruptured into the sky as the magic disassembled the world around them. Blasts of flames heated sand to glass. Icicles froze the air to fog. Bursts of wind eroded canyons into the land. The once tranquil island became the battleground of two homologous beings.

Feeling the strain of overusing magic the two began to tire. With sharp and short breaths, they slowly came to a standstill. Neither one of them could obtain the upper hand. Unwilling to back off magic was flung once more. With the day passing noon, both of them exhausted their mental power and energy. Barely able to standing.

During their trial of combat, they had forgotten about their fathers. Under the pretense of wariness, a moment appeared to recollect their thoughts. Although uneasy, their instincts were still sharp, they eventually remembered their much-hated ally.

Turning their heads, the two lost power in their legs. The resolute will of combat, crumbled. Their fathers were playing a casual game of chess. While enjoying a helping of fried Kraken. The daughters were helpless Weren't doppelgangers a thing? Weren't they monsters that threatened humanity?

“Time paradoxes, fun…” spoke one of the fathers, telepathically.

“No more fight, eat now…” spoke the other father.

Turning to each other with dumbfounded gazes, the daughters had no words. While they didn't care too much for their fathers, they still had merit. Silently obeying, they quietly ate while a game of chess played in the backdrop.

“Communication…” spoke one of the fathers, noticing the dismay, “Too busy to speak… no talk then no piece.”

Being hit by words, the first daughter wanted to cry. Did she travel back in time? It felt as if she repeated her first day on the island. Nothing did change, she was still a flame under a blazing sun. Did anything she had done have value?

After eating, a quick solution was developed to distinguish the four. The first father and daughter were called “firsts”. While the new pair had the label of “second”. An extremely simple solution that the sorrowful daughters agreed too.

With frail words, the first daughter gave a lackluster tour to the other daughter. Reliving the recent past, but with a companion full of empathy. Later when the task finished two girls silently sat across from each other.

For several months the first daughter had no one to converse with. Although her father was there, her disdain for him wouldn't allow contact. Loneliness, a deadly emotion, accompanied her. Having another person to converse with alleviated some of the stress. However, wouldn't accompanying oneself be the loneliest of all? Both of the daughters thought this.

“Um…” both of then spoke, “Ah, you go first… I insist…”

Wearing wry smiles the two, were truly the same person. Starting a conversation with oneself remained a difficult task. Twiddling their thumbs, the air stayed silent. After an hour, they mustered the courage to speak.

“This house…” said both of them.

“Was made by your father?” asked the second daughter.

“Was made by my father,” said the first daughter at the same time.

Having spoken at similar lines, the two fell silent. Over and over, they tried to converse, yet awkwardness contaminated the air. Their fathers, on the other hand, pleasantly played chess on the porch.

Two golems poked its head around the corner and fell. Breaking into rubble, dirtying the floor. Exploding in rage the two daughters cussed, but soon burst into laughter. They were really the same. Not long after they finally found a topic to discuss. Unfortunately, the fathers had to accept being the target of insults.

Recalling many memories, the girls agreed and supported each other. All the times her parents stole the credit. All the times she felt backstabbed by so-called “friends”. Sharing suppressed memories, everything spilled out. When many hours of tears finally dried, the two somehow created a special bond. A deep understanding that no other bond could compete with. Yet wasn’t this just inflating their own ego? Unfortunately, the kinship between the two didn’t allow doubts.

Over the following days, the first daughter shared everything she had done on the island. Like busy bees, they occupied all their efforts to a common goal. In the presence of each other, the speed of their research tripled. Adding on other daily necessaries, they became a well-oiled machine. So in sync that there was little to no communication as if they mentally connected.

In a flash, the time began to fly. The daughters made countless breakthroughs. Ranging from their specialty to others. Joy and accomplishments filled their lives, just the two of them discovering answers and solving hypothesis. The isolated island’s vast resources fueled the never-ending flame of curiosity. While they had conflicts, those were quickly resolved. As knowing oneself leads to happiness.

Eventually, a year had passed. During that time the daughters set up their own base. Moving everything there, disregarding the worry of their fathers. Any thoughts of seeing the outside world disappeared. Out there no one cared about the daughter’s efforts, instead, the isolated world seemed to be perfect for them.

The fathers, on the other hand, were still laying back in the first house. Mentally discussing a few subjects regarding theories and possibilities. Around them, golems were busily maintaining the house. Over the months they had worked together to find a connection back home. Yet finding the solution wouldn’t be simple. Restrained by their powerless body they worried for the future.

They had discovered, via airborne and aquatic golems, the island looped back onto itself. By creating signal towers, they were able to explore the sea. Heading in a single direction they eventually looped back. The same happened when they dug down. Which made them question how water, nutrients, and magic energy were replenished. The island was too small for natural cycles to happen. Leading to two different conclusions.

One option meant new resources came from the outside world. The other conclusion leads to a dangerous situation. Limited resources. If the latter was true escape was dire. However, the abundant wildlife and energy required many years of observations to find the true verdict. By then it would be too late.

The golems patrolling the island had detected anomalies. Twists and distortions in space. Showing the signs that the isolated island had become unstable. While the father’s had noticed the danger, the daughters were blissfully ignorant. To combat the problem the father’s synchronized their minds to work swiftly. Attempting to create anchors and reinforce the isolated island. Carefully controlling the golems and creating an array to stabilize the small world.

While the fathers would drag the daughters into the problem, no message would be received. The hefty arrogance they had wouldn’t have them lend an ear. With no choice, the fathers pushed their mental capacity to the limit, to restructure the isolated space. Even if two heads were better than one, the amount of work was still massive. Using golems did reduce the stress, but dealing with spacetime held many dangers. A single error with the dangerous and unpredictable concept would result in dire consequences. They were not careless to overexert themselves, as they didn’t have too much energy to begin with.

Two pairs of groups off doing their own things. Time began to take flight once more. A desperate struggle or a heavenly paradise. Nonetheless, the large scale construction around the island caught the daughter's attention. Remembering that any gigantic construction efforts, by mystic users, leads to nothing but trouble. Hoping to be wrong the daughters search for their father.

Flying over the island. They quickly found their “lazy” guardians. With no regard for formalities or delay the discussion quickly aimed for the crux of the problem. In spite of the demands of the daughters, the fathers’ slow form of dialect took hours to explain. At least there were two of them.

With tapping fingers, the daughters opted for a written response. Reading over the papers and research details, the two understood the dire situation. After a year of self-therapy, a chance to one-up their parents appeared. Along with protecting their sanctuary, but their pride held the former reason as the highest priority.

Returning to their base, they quickly gathered equipment: Magic stabilizers, energy batteries, and many other important magical items. Pulling out documents and research papers, they quickly drafted several solutions. Comparing them to prior land surveys and any ideas they had. In spite of their desires, they had to work on the foundation already set out by the fathers. At least they can somehow improve their fathers’ work at best. Believing that their youth and creativity would topple the problematic situation.

Over the course of the following days, the girls went around inspecting the altars and dimensional support pillars. As video feeds through golems would always miss small details. Stenching their minds the two fixed various errors and reinforced/improved anything they found. Such tasked only boosted their pride. Believing they had surpassed their fathers.

Despite knowing the horrible road their girls were heading down, the father’s could only sigh. They could no longer daunt on them. After all, they were already adults. Also, the situation required professionalism. A single crack would eventually shatter a dam.

Through the father’s management and the quick wits of the daughters, everything was quickly progressing. Until golem readings began to spike again. Revealing a large distortion on the island. Worrying for the worst a few golems were sent to secure the anomaly. Being alerted the daughters decided to check the scene.

“Stay back, it's not safe,” said the second father, telepathically.

“It’s fine,” Replied the first daughter.

“But-”

“She said we had it,” interrupted the second daughter.

Arriving a the scene the daughters manipulated the earth to create a temporary barrier. Having stronger materials being delivered, the girls fearlessly drew closer. Then-

KABOOM!

The space distortion exploded. Flinging the daughters to the ground. Being coated in black once more. Along with the shockwave, a rush of magic sent to two flying once more. Covering them in sand. Like a broken valve, air rushed into the isolated place, kicking up dirt and sand.

Under the storm of dust, a figure walked out. The daughters at the scene rose up and summoned a barrier. Preparing to confront whatever appeared. However as the air cleared, any attempts to retaliate were quickly stopped as they were tackled to the ground.

“MOTHER!?” both of the daughters shouted.

With disheveled hair and bags under her eyes the person was no one else but their mother. On her face were tears and the sorrow sounds of joy escaped her mouth. Being dazed by the current situation the daughters' minds weren’t functioning. Was this their mother? Did she actually care for them?

“I found you,” their mother spoke, wiping away her tears, “Um… err. I found both of you?”

Unable to comprehend the situation, the second daughter leak a voice: “There's… two of us… wouldn’t-”

“Doesn’t matter”

“But…”

“I know you're my daughter, both of you. I was so worried when I lost contact.”

Hearing their mother’s words the daughters were speechless. Unable to reply they could only embrace their mother, as they carefully listened to everything she spewed out. Removing their cloak of ignorance. Brutally destroying their pride with guilt, as they received more damage then any failure they experienced.

Their fathers paralyzed by a curse in a freak accident. Their mother working tirelessly to find a cure. All the while watching a troublemaking daughter. Even the golem that always accompanied them was their fathers watching over them. Also learning that they were only missing for a single week. Telling their mother they were stranded for more than a year, doubled her tears.

Soon the fathers arrived being carried by golems. Seeing there were two of her husband, the mother shriek in joy. Seeing two of who she love, with no conflict, ignited her fantasy. Ignoring such dubious thoughts, the mother was informed of everything that had happened. Despite the complexity, she simply shrugged. She was tired.

When the isolated island connected with the isolated world, it conveniently became stabilized. As isolated spaces were rare and extremely difficult to create, they would claim the area. They would save the family matters for the future. Magic was convenient. The mother was too tired, so another vacation was due. Even though the fathers and daughters had a year-long one. A holiday at home sounded nice.

Leaving the space, the daughters looked back. The year they spent there appeared to be an illusion. All the things they did and every breakthrough she found, seemed to be a lie. Over the course of the following weeks, they needed to reevaluate their perspective. Maybe, just maybe they could drop their pride for once.