Chapter 3: Shadow and Substance
POV: Sam Barton
Midnight in the Barton estate. Sam's locked himself in the basement—concrete walls, privacy, and enough space for whatever happens next. The System interface hovers before him, the "Create Clone" button pulsing with eerie blue light. His finger trembles above it.
"This is insane. This is impossible."
But so is transmigrating into a TV show universe. So is having vampire knowledge trapped in a teenager's skull. So is the System itself, with its game-like interface overlaying reality.
Sam's hand shakes. Creating a clone means splitting himself—literally giving birth to another version of his consciousness. What if it goes wrong? What if the clone is insane, hostile, or worse—what if it's better than him?
"You died once already," he reminds himself. "Sitting truck hit you at thirty miles per hour. If you can survive that and wake up here, you can handle one clone."
His finger drops.
[CLONE CREATION INITIATED]
[MP COST: 50/300]
[WARNING: PROCESS IRREVERSIBLE ONCE BEGUN]
[CONFIRM CREATION? Y/N]
[Y]
Agony.
Sam's MP drains in a rush that leaves him gasping, vision blurring. Shadows peel from his body like smoke given form—not metaphorically, but literally. Wisps of darkness tear away from his skin, coalescing five feet away in a writhing mass that hurts to look at directly.
The basement lights flicker. The air grows thick, electric. Sam falls to one knee, struggling to breathe as half his essence tears itself away and takes shape.
The shadows solidify.
When his vision clears, Sam finds himself staring at his own face. Perfect in every detail—same messy brown hair, same green eyes, same seventeen-year-old features. But the expression is different. Where Sam feels exhausted and overwhelmed, the clone looks... exhilarated.
"Well," the clone says in Sam's exact voice, grinning widely, "this is trippy."
They lock eyes. It's like looking in a mirror that blinks independently. The clone stretches, testing its limbs with obvious delight.
"That's me. But not me. How is this possible?"
[CLONE 1 CREATED SUCCESSFULLY]
[AFFINITY ASSIGNED: ENHANCED SPEED (RARE)]
[MASTERY LEVEL: NOVICE (0%)]
[CLONE PERSONALITY QUIRK: HYPERACTIVE/THRILL-SEEKING]
[MENTAL LINK ESTABLISHED]
The clone suddenly blurs—one moment standing five feet away, the next pressed against the far wall of the basement. Sam blinks, and the clone is back in front of him, eyes bright with manic joy.
"Oh, this is FUN!" the clone laughs, bouncing on the balls of its feet. "I can feel it—like electricity in every muscle. Watch this!"
Before Sam can object, the clone takes off running. It moves in a blur around the basement's perimeter, too fast for human eyes to track properly. Books flutter from the disturbance, dust swirls in its wake. Sam staggers as feedback floods his mind—he can sense the clone's location, emotions, even see through its eyes if he concentrates.
They're connected. Intimately.
"Stop," Sam gasps, and the clone immediately skids to a halt, concerned.
"You okay? I can feel your... our... this is confusing. I can feel your exhaustion."
Sam braces against the wall, studying his duplicate. It has all his memories—he can sense that much through their link. Twenty-two years of medical training, seven years of TVD plot knowledge, every moment of his past life and current existence. But the underlying personality energy is different. Where Sam tends toward caution and analysis, the clone radiates eagerness and reckless curiosity.
"It's like all my repressed impulses given form," Sam realizes. "The part of me that wants to test limits, take risks, act instead of overthink."
"We need to talk," Sam says, settling on an overturned crate. "You understand what we are, right? What this world is?"
The clone nods, suddenly serious.
"The Vampire Diaries universe. Stefan and Damon are coming. Supernatural chaos follows. We're Sam Barton, former medical student, now seventeen-year-old orphan with System abilities." It grins again. "And we can move really, really fast."
"Don't get attached to the speed," Sam warns. "If you die, I lose the Enhanced Speed affinity permanently unless it's saved to a protected slot."
That sobers the clone. Its hyperactive energy dims to a concerned fidget.
"Die? How easily do clones die?"
"I don't know." Sam runs his hands through his hair. "The System doesn't exactly come with a manual. We're making this up as we go."
They spend the next hour testing limits. The clone's Enhanced Speed allows short bursts of superhuman velocity—not vampire-level yet, but enough to cross the basement in an eyeblink. Sam discovers he can see through the clone's eyes with concentration, feel its emotions, even issue mental commands that the clone follows instinctively.
But the personality difference becomes more apparent with every exchange. Where Sam wants to establish protocols and safety measures, the clone wants to test how fast it can run up walls. Where Sam suggests cautious surveillance, the clone volunteers to "scout the vampire boarding house right now."
"Absolutely not," Sam says firmly when the clone suggests midnight reconnaissance. "You stay here. Practice in secret. Get your mastery up."
"But I could—"
"No." Sam's voice carries an authority he didn't know he possessed. "You're not disposable. You're... you're part of me. If something happens to you, I lose more than just an ability. I lose—" He stops, struggling with the concept. "I don't know what I'd lose, and I'm not willing to find out."
The clone's expression shifts, hyperactive energy replaced by something deeper. Understanding. Loyalty.
"Okay," it says quietly. "I'll stay. Practice. But Sam? When the vampires do show up—when people are in danger—you let me help. That's what we're here for, right? To save them?"
Before Sam can answer, his phone buzzes. A text notification lights up the screen: Caroline.
Caroline: Can't sleep. New school year anxiety. You awake?
Sam smiles despite his exhaustion and types back: Unfortunately, yes. Anxiety solidarity?
Caroline: Lol yes. Is it weird that I'm already stressed about junior year? Like, what if I can't handle all my extracurriculars? What if people think I'm too much?
The clone reads over his shoulder, grinning. "She likes you."
"She barely knows me," Sam replies, but his pulse quickens as he types: You're not too much. Your energy is a gift, not a flaw. Anyone who thinks otherwise doesn't deserve your time.
Caroline: Did you just... validate my entire existence in one text? How are you real?
Sam: Medical accuracy. I only deal in facts. Fact: You're extraordinary.
Caroline: Stop, I'm blushing. My pillowcase is going to be permanently pink.
The clone snickers. "Smooth. Very smooth."
Sam finds himself genuinely smiling as the conversation continues. Caroline opens up about her perfectionist tendencies, her fear of disappointing Sheriff Forbes, her desperate need to prove she belongs in every room she enters. Sam responds with careful honesty—sharing his own isolation, the weight of being "the archaeology orphan," the strange sensation that life feels too quiet.
Caroline: Same! Like something big is coming, you know? I keep feeling like I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop.
Sam's blood chills. She has no idea how right she is. Stefan Salvatore will arrive within days, maybe a week. Damon follows. Then vampires, werewolves, witches, and enough supernatural chaos to shatter her normal life forever.
Sam: Maybe that's just what seventeen feels like. Everything feels huge when you're on the edge of adulthood.
Caroline: Wise words from the mysterious British orphan. Are you always this profound at 1 AM?
Sam: Only when texting beautiful cheerleaders who can't sleep.
Caroline: BEAUTIFUL? Sam Barton, are you flirting with me?
Sam: Depends. Is it working?
Caroline: Maybe. Possibly. Ask me tomorrow at lunch. I promise to sit with you.
They text for another thirty minutes—shared jokes about Mr. Tanner's ego, stories about their respective loneliness, cautious flirtation that makes Sam's chest tight with feelings he hadn't expected. When Caroline finally says goodnight, Sam stares at his phone with a mixture of joy and terror.
"She's real," he thinks. "Not a character from a show. A real person with real feelings, and she's starting to care about me."
The clone flops down beside him on the concrete floor, having listened to the entire exchange through their mental link.
"You're falling for her," it observes.
"It's complicated."
"No, it's not. You like her. She likes you. Simple."
Sam looks at his duplicate—the version of himself with all his caution stripped away. "Nothing about this situation is simple. In a few weeks, she could be turned into a vampire. Or compelled. Or killed protecting someone else. And I'll know it's coming but be powerless to stop it."
The clone's expression grows serious. "Then we get stronger. Fast enough, powerful enough to change the story."
[QUEST COMPLETE: TUTORIAL - MAKE FRIENDS (3/3)]
[REWARD: +200 EXP]
[ADDITIONAL REWARD: MINOR MP POTION RECIPE UNLOCKED]
[CURRENT EXP: 250/150 TO LEVEL 2]
[LEVEL UP ACHIEVED!]
[+5 STAT POINTS AVAILABLE]
[NEW ABILITY UNLOCKED: CLONE TELEPATHY]
[Range: 1 mile, allows silent mental communication with active clones]
Sam allocates his stat points immediately: +2 VIT for survivability, +2 INT for larger MP pool, +1 WIS for faster regeneration.
[UPDATED STATS:]
STR: 10 | AGI: 10 | VIT: 12
INT: 12 | WIS: 11 | PER: 10 | CHA: 11
HP: 440/440 | MP: 330/330
The power increase is subtle but noticeable. Sam feels stronger, more durable. The clone, sharing his stat improvements, grins and flexes experimentally.
"Level 2," the clone says with satisfaction. "Only ninety-eight more to go."
"Don't get ahead of yourself." Sam stands, exhaustion finally overwhelming him. "Practice your speed while I sleep. Stay in the basement. Don't get caught."
"What do I do if someone breaks in? Vampires, intruders, whatever?"
Sam considers this. The clone could contact him mentally, but if something supernatural attacks, they might need immediate action.
"Wake me up," he decides. "Through the mental link. If it's life or death, use your judgment, but try to keep our existence secret."
The clone nods solemnly. "Got it. Guardian duty."
Sam climbs the basement stairs on shaking legs, leaving his duplicate to practice Enhanced Speed in the concrete space below. Each footstep feels like a small victory—he survived clone creation, leveled up, and deepened his connection with Caroline. Tomorrow brings another day of high school normalcy, but now he has backup.
"A hyperactive, thrill-seeking backup who shares my face," Sam thinks as he collapses into bed. "This is either the best or worst idea I've ever had."
Through their mental link, he senses the clone zooming around the basement in tight circles, testing velocity limits and giggling like a teenager who's discovered their parents' sports car keys.
"Definitely both," Sam concludes, and falls asleep to the distant sound of supernatural speed echoing through the floorboards.
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