Chapter 197: Time Duplication Spell

[Third Person's PoV] 

Peter glanced down at the white robe draped over him, running his fingers along the fabric with a hint of hesitation. "Do we really have to wear this?" he asked, his voice tinged with mild discomfort.

The Ancient One, standing tall with her hands behind her back, smiled knowingly as she observed the group of students clad in the same white robes. "If you are to become a student of Kamar-Taj, then yes," she replied gently, her voice calm yet firm. "It is tradition, and one must always respect tradition."

Peter sighed, pressing his fist into his palm before bowing respectfully. "Yes, sensei. I will relinquish all worldly desires and focus solely on my betterment."

The Ancient One scoffed lightly, raising an eyebrow in amusement. "If you were actually serious, I might have appreciated that."

Her playful tone quickly shifted, however, as her expression grew more solemn. "Now then…" She paused, glancing over the group with sharp eyes. "I have configured a spell like the one Ms. Stacey suggested. You should be able to create time duplicates of yourselves. But I must warn you—the dangers of this spell are great."

The air in the chamber grew tense as the Ancient One's words hung in the air, her voice commanding the attention of everyone present. She allowed the weight of her warning to settle in before continuing.

"You will be able to exist as separate entities for only twelve hours," she explained, pacing slowly as her robes whispered against the floor. "Any longer, and the timeline becomes unstable. You would cause irreparable damage, as versions of yourselves that shouldn't exist would remain tethered to the fabric of time."

The students listened intently as she elaborated further. "And the more duplicates you create, the shorter the time limit becomes. Split into four, for instance, and you'll only have six hours before you must rejoin."

Her gaze sharpened, her words growing more intense. "Injuries are also a concern. Any damage sustained while divided will accumulate in your original body once you conjoin. If one of your duplicates is killed, it will be as though you yourself have died. The spell only fools the universe into believing you exist simultaneously in different moments. But one death means the universe will consider you dead in its entirety."

Felicia, standing at the back of the group, muttered under her breath, "God, so many rules for one spell…"

"I don't know how I feel about that last one," she added with a frown. "Seems like a pretty major weakness."

Harry, who had been rubbing his chin thoughtfully, chimed in. "I get what you mean, but not really. I mean, we'd be in that situation anyway. We'd still die if something went wrong."

Gwen, ever the pragmatic one, crossed her arms and nodded in agreement. "Despite the risks, the benefits outweigh the costs. If someone suspects our identities, we could use this spell to throw them off our trail instantly."

The Ancient One observed their conversation with a patient expression before addressing them again. "So, shall I go ahead and cast the spell?"

The group exchanged uncertain glances but ultimately nodded in agreement. Peter, Felicia, Gwen, Harry, MJ, and Lizzy stood in a circle, Felix having opted out earlier. The Ancient One closed her eyes, lifting her arms as she began to channel mystical energy from the ether.

A glowing light formed at her fingertips, delicate yet powerful, as she chanted in a language so ancient it resonated deep within the walls of the room. The atmosphere became thick with magic, shimmering in the air as golden runes began to materialize beneath the group, floating just above the ground.

"This spell," the Ancient One warned, her voice echoing with an otherworldly quality, "is a delicate weaving of time and space. You must clear your minds, let go of distractions, and surrender yourselves to the flow of time. Remember what I've told you, or the consequences will be beyond your control."

Peter swallowed hard, straightening up in his white robe as the magical energy swirled around him. He glanced at the others, sharing a determined nod with the others before closing his eyes, focusing his thoughts. He could feel the energy humming through the air, growing stronger with each second.

With a final, swift motion of her hands, the Ancient One completed the spell. The golden runes shot upward, engulfing the group in a blinding light. Time seemed to freeze, the world around them fading into nothingness for a moment.

When the light receded, Peter opened his eyes, blinking against the sudden brightness. He was now staring at two identical versions of himself. He looked over and saw the same had happened to Gwen, Felicia, Harry, MJ, and Lizzy. They had successfully split into time duplicates, though their minds remained synchronized.

"Hello, handsome," all three Peters said simultaneously, their voices echoing in perfect unison.

Felicia's eyes twinkled mischievously as she examined her two duplicates. "I'm thinking some very naughty thoughts right now," she teased, her voice echoing just like Peter's.

MJ, watching the exchange with mild curiosity, asked, "So… is this echoing going to be a thing?"

The Ancient One nodded, arms crossed as she surveyed the group. "As I mentioned, they are all you. You will think the same thoughts and speak the same words. They will handle situations exactly as you would."

Peter, still slightly in awe, looked down at himself and chuckled. "I can finally check out my own butt." All three of him turned and leaned back to admire the view, whistling in unison. "Wow, I'm thick with three Cs."

The Ancient One let out an already tired sigh, rubbing her temple in frustration. Without hesitation, she opened a portal beside her, eager to move things along before Peter's antics escalated.

"This portal leads to your hideout," she explained. "Remember, you must remain in close proximity when the time is up, or the spell will automatically choose which versions will sync. If you resist, the timeline will start to unravel."

Peter turned toward her with a serious expression. "We'll need you to choose for us, then. Since we're all thinking the same thing, we won't be able to decide on our own."

The Ancient One nodded thoughtfully. "The middle one stays. The others may leave."

With that, the group exited through the portal, leaving behind their duplicates to begin their superhero duties. The Ancient One smirked, her eyes twinkling with amusement as she turned to those who remained. "Now, who's ready to learn some magic?"

…

Back at the lab, the two remaining Peters exchanged glances before nodding to each other. "Alright," they both said, taking charge. "The ones on the left will be in superhero mode, and the ones on the right will stay in civilian form. Let's separate."

The group moved apart, with one set donning their superhero outfits and heading out, while the others stayed behind, left in their regular clothes.

Peter, feeling a little awkward in the sudden lull, puckered his lips and asked, "So… anyone have any plans?"

Felicia sighed, leaning back against the wall. "God, do we even have lives outside of being superheroes?"

"We could train," MJ suggested half-heartedly, though even she didn't seem convinced.

Lizzy shook her head, a small smile playing on her lips. "Isn't that what our other selves are doing with the Ancient One? We can just… be normal teenagers for once."

The others looked at her, tilting their heads in confusion, as if the concept was foreign to them.

Lizzy blinked, her eyes widening in disbelief. "Wow. The fact that you all just stared at me like that is heartbreaking." She sighed before continuing. "Let's take this time to actually enjoy ourselves. No hero work, no training, no inventing. We could go shopping, grab fast food, play games—anything that lets us live like normal people for a change."

The idea slowly began to settle, and Peter grinned. "Lizzy, I think you just earned the title of the heart of this little group—the one who keeps us from turning into workaholics."

Lizzy puffed out her chest, beaming with pride. "Happy to be of service."

Lizzy then raised her hands, "Why doesn't everyone just come over to my place? It could be fun, a little sleep over to pass the time…" 

"Your house huh… Can't say I have happy memories going there" Felicia muttered, 

"Ugh…" Lizzy grunted slightly remembering what happened last time Felicia was at her home. 

"... I'm still really sorry about that… I don't think no matter how many times I apologize it would be enough" Lizzy said looking really apologetically. 

Felicia just scratched the side of her head and sighed, "No, I'm the one that's sorry, I shouldn't have brought it up. We can go to your place, I don't mind"

"Really?" Lizzy asked worriedly. 

Felicia shrugged, "Really doesn't matter" 

With one final round of making sure, they all decided to go ahead with it. 

"But can we change first?" Felicia asked, looking down at her white robes. 

Making everyone else look down and realize that they were also wearing the robe. 

"Oh right…" Peter muttered. 

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