With two Chris's stuck watching other people work, the Chris entering the City was hoping he'd find something to do. Otherwise this was going to be a boring day. Maybe he should make another self to read or something… eh, he'd see what happens first. "So, where do you want to go?" Chris asked Jello, preparing to open a portal to the City.

"Where do you usually go?" Jello asked, looking up at him expectantly.

Chris paused. "Hellfire? But… that's a bar. I mean, it isn't like they kick kids out, but it's going to look weird if a teenager and a little girl are hanging out alone in a bar… I don't want anyone calling the cops on me." Chris frowned as he realized almost anything he usually did would look weird if it was just the two of them. Thankfully Jello's human form took after him, so he could say she was his sister or something, but still. "Hmmm… we could go to the mall?" He offered. "Lots of people, things to buy, food to eat, games to play… a little taste of everything."

"Yeah, let's do that!" Jello agreed, ready to do anything that would show her more of the human world. She finally had eyes to see and she wanted to see everything!

Chris nodded before opening a portal to the mall and stepping through with Jello. The moment she stepped out of the Immortal World, Jello began looking around like a kid in a candy shop. Chris had to grab her before she jumped in front of a woman walking a stroller. "Sorry, she's a little excited." Chris gave the woman a small smile and a slight wave as he apologized.

Jello studied the baby curiously as the woman smiled politely back, continuing on her way. "What was that?" She asked, looking up at Chris.

"What? The baby?" Chris asked with a frown.

"What's a baby?" Jello asked, cocking her head.

"It's a young human." Chris explained. "Humans start out that way, all weak and defenseless, until they grow up."

"You mean until they change, right?" Jello asked, frowning slightly.

Chris shook his head. "No. We don't mutate like slimes. We just get bigger and develop slightly more. Once we're born, that's it. No more changing."

Jello's eyes widened. "You mean you're just stuck with the stuff you got when you were born?!?" She looked around. "And you live here?!? There's barely any stuff here! You need areas where lot's of powerful creatures die and have your babies there. Then they'll be powerful!"

Chris blinked. "What?"

"Young need stuff to be strong when they're born. It's just like when you change! You need the right environment, with lots of stuff to absorb!" Jello elaborated. "Also, you can't have too many young in the same area, or they all absorb the stuff and none of them get enough."

Chris frowned. "How do you know all this?"

"How do you not?!?" Jello asked incredulously. "Didn't your progenitor pass on the knowledge when they split you from themself?"

"Uh, no. Human parents can't pass knowledge to their kids until after they're born. Plus, humans don't know about this stuff." Chris replied.

"But you-" Jello began.

"I'm human." Chris interrupted her, shaking his head. "I know you feel some sort of familiarity from my world, but I was born and raised human. I literally remember being born. I even remember being in the womb! No splitting beyond the normal amounts from cell division and whatnot."

Jello crossed her arms, pouting petulantly. "I know what I feel! We are related!"

Chris sighed in defeat, not wanting to get in an argument over something that didn't even matter again. "Believe what you will. Come on, there's more mall to see."

As they walked through the mall, Jello quickly returned to excitedly looking around at every new thing, rushing back and forth while Chris paced after her with a bored expression. Maybe this hadn't been the best idea… Chris didn't have much patience for sightseeing, even when they weren't sights he'd already seen a million times. Without anything to actually buy at the mall, he didn't see much point in being here. "Is that your little sister?" A stern voice asked as he leaned against a pillar, watching Jello studiously examine clothing as if she was trying to figure out what it was made of. Actually, that was probably exactly what she was doing…

Chris glanced over to see some sort of officer staring at him with crossed arms. "Uh… kinda? Why? Did she do something?" He asked, standing up straighter.

"May I ask why she isn't in school at the moment." The officer asked in a tone that said it wasn't a question, but an accusation.

"Uh…" Chris's mind blanked for a moment. "She doesn't go to school?"

The officer frowned. "Sir, are you aware that children are required by law to attend school until after they participate in the Trial?"

"Yeah, but she's not a child." Chris replied, pointing at Jello.

The officer blinked, looked at Jello, then back at Chris. "Shapeshifter?" She asked tentatively.

"No. Well, I mean, yes, but that isn't the important part. She's a slime." Chris explained.

The officer stared blankly at Chris for a moment before turning to narrow her eyes at Jello, who was now happily chatting with an attendant who had walked over to see if she needed any help and seemed to be regretting the decision immensely. "You don't actually expect me to believe that that little girl is a slime, do you?" The officer turned back to Chris, raising an eyebrow at him. "How stupid do you think I am?"

"Not enough to believe something without sufficient evidence, but just enough to not accept that things aren't always as they seem?" Chris offered.

"Excuse me?!?" The officer asked incredulously.

Chris sighed. "Jello, c'mere." He waved the slime over. "Show her your core."

"Okay!" Jello agreed happily, her skin turning translucent to display her core.

The officer and several bystanders froze as Jello's true nature became clear. "You- you brought a Maze creature into the City?!?" The officer stammered in shock. "An intelligent one!?!"

Chris frowned. "Yeah? She's not violent, you know. Plus, I have complete control over her. There's no danger, and she's just curious."

The officer narrowed her eyes, looking between Chris and Jello. "I'm going to need to see your license."

"License?" Chris asked curiously.

"To own a Maze creature." The officer elaborated, holding out her hand, gesturing for him to hand it over.

Chris blinked. "You need a license for that?"

The officer frowned. "Yes! How did you manage to sneak this slime into the City without one?"

Chris waved his hand popping Jello into the Immortal World, then back. "Like that."

"Sir, you'll need to come with me to complete the proper paperwork for creature summoning." The officer stated firmly, finally understanding the situation in front of her as she fell back into protocol.

"If you insist." Chris sighed, waving his hand as another him appeared. "Alright, let's go." The original stepped forward while the new Chris began to wander off with Jello.

"Wait!" The officer stopped them, looking between the two. "You have multiple selves and creature summoning?" She asked incredulously.

"I own a world and it lets me do a few different things." Chris shrugged. "Can we not get into it though? I'm getting tired of explaining it all." He paused. "Maybe I should just make a card or something?"

The officer glared at him for a moment, before pinching the bridge of her nose with a groan. "This is above my pay grade…" She then looked up with a firm gaze. "Sir, you can't continue to walk around with a Maze creature without a license, even if you have a separate form working on getting said license. I'm going to need you and the creature to come with me."

Chris let out another sigh. "If you insist." He repeated, sending his extra self into the Immortal World. "Come along, Jello."

The officer led the two of them to a nearby security office, where she had them wait in holding while she made a few calls. While they were waiting, Chris decided to call David and see if he could help move things along. "You've been detained for summoning a Maze creature without a permit?" David asked incredulously after Chris explained the situation to him. "What are you doing walking around the City with one of your creatures?!?"

"Jello wanted to see the City." Chris replied with a shrug. "I didn't think it'd be a big deal. Though, now that I think about it, it makes sense. You need to make sure the summoner has enough control over the creature before letting them take it out in an area where it might rampage or something."

"Yes." David sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "You need to have the creature tested by a government official with Reading capabilities. I'd already set up an appointment for you, after you'd have finished your practical exercises. Honestly, I should have known you'd need it before then… an oversight on my part. I'll see what I can do to move the appointment up as soon as possible." David assured him, before hanging up and making a few calls, the first to the security office to make sure they weren't about to do anything rash to his daughter's boyfriend.

A few minutes later, David called back. "Good news! Salvador is free and willing to do your evaluation."

"Salvador?" Chris replied, a complicated tone creeping into his voice. According to the game, Salvador was a Doppelganger. Would that be an issue? Probably not, right? He'd be hiding his identity even if he was, and there was no real way to silence Chris… actually, maybe he'd need to find a way to calm Salvador down so he didn't give away everything if he realized Chris knew his secret. Chris didn't have anything in particular against Doppelgangers yet, and if humanity learned their secret, well… the game had already predicted how that would turn out. He was willing to give them a chance before causing a war that would turn the City into a smoking ruin.

"I'm sending an escort to take you to his office." David continued, not registering Chris's tone, or at least not thinking anything of it. "They'll be there soon."

"Alright. Thanks for doing this for me. I know you're probably busy and I appreciate you taking the time to help me out." Chris thanked him seriously.

David snorted. "You misunderstand the nature of my job. Administration doesn't take time. You just need to make sure everyone is doing their job and be available to make decisions when necessary. An administrator is like a steering wheel. Your presence keeps everything going in the direction it needs to go, and you only need to move when things need to change. Moving too much just wastes energy and makes everything unstable."

Chris blinked, his mind going to his experience handling his subordinates. Like David had said, once they were all on the right track, he didn't have much to actually do. "Then why are administrators so respected?" He asked, frowning slightly.

"Well, just because a job doesn't take a lot of time, doesn't mean it isn't important. A car without a steering wheel would be useless." David replied. "When decisions need to be made, administrators are vital. Without someone to provide direction, the entire system could collapse. Administrators are valued because when the cards are down, you want the best man you can get in the chair, making the best decisions possible before it's too late."

Chris considered it for a bit, before shrugging. "Fair enough. Still, thank you. This would have been a lot more annoying without your help."

"And that's why you need an administrator." David chuckled. "Well, good luck with the exam. I'm sure you'll do fine."

"If it's just making sure my creatures are obedient, there won't be any issues." Chris agreed. "Thank you again."

"Anytime. Tell Beth I said hi." David added, before hanging up.

"Chris! I heard you needed hel-" Salvador froze as he caught sight of Jello, his eyes widening slightly before he got himself under control. "This must be the creature you need a license for, yes?" He continued smoothly, a trained smile forming as he leaned in to examine her.

*He's my progenitor!* Jello exclaimed through her connection with Chris, barely keeping herself under control as she resisted the urge to leap at Salvador. *He's telling me to keep quiet though. He says it isn't safe here.*

*He's not wrong.* Chris replied, before her words registered. *Wait… he's your dad?!?*

*He's our dad!* Jello responded happily.

*Salvador is not my dad!* Chris retorted.

*Yes he is! I can see it!* Jello countered. *We have the same energy signature! Though yours is hidden in your world for some reason.*

Chris pinched the bridge of his nose. *That doesn't mean anything! I'm human! I have parents, not progenitors! I remember literally every single moment of my life! I was never a slime!*

*He's human at the moment, too!* Jello gestured to Salvador, who was now watching the two of them glare at each other in silence with a worried expression. *He could be your father like that! There are many ways for us to have young, you know.*

Chris paused. That… that was an option. Chris narrowed his eyes at Salvador for a moment. If Jello was right… "Is there a problem?" Salvador asked, a hint of anxiousness creeping into his tone.

Chris studied him for a moment, before shaking his head. "No problem. Let's get started."

A slight tension disappeared from Salvador's shoulders as he waved for Chris to follow him deeper into the building, taking him to a secure, reinforced room. "Since this is a matter related to the nature of an individual's ability, I must ask you all to wait out here while I perform the exam." Salvador explained to the escort, preventing them from following them inside, before securely latching the door behind them and turning to Chris with a serious expression. "So- oof!" Salvador grunted as Jello slammed into him. He paused for a moment, looking down at the little girl whose arms stretched to wrap all the way around him, before looking back at Chris. "So you know." He continued, ignoring Jello for the moment.

"About you being a Doppelganger? Yeah." Chris nodded. "But I already suspected that." Chris paused, pointing at Jello. "She also says you might be my dad, which… I would have words for you if it were true."

Salvador silently stared at Chris for a moment. "It was for your own safety…" He finally said in a soft, barely whispered tone.

Every single Chris froze as his brain crashed, not a thought in any of his heads, before a million thoughts crashed through at once. It was fucking true!?! His father was a Doppelganger?!? How?!? Chris paused. Actually, that could make sense. His father was an orphan just like him, abandoned as a baby. That would be an easy way to integrate into human society for a Doppelganger. Simply leave yourself on the doorstep of an orphanage and you'll be taken in no problem. Except… Salvador had been a politician for years! Including the time when his parents were raising him! The man couldn't be in two places at once, right?

Salvador sighed, taking a seat, pulling Jello into his lap. "I can see you have questions. Ask me anything." He gestured for Chris to sit as well.

Chris sat down, silent for a moment. "Who are you?"

Salvador considered the question for a moment. "My real name is Dichonius. I am a high level member of the Doppelganger command structure here in the City."

Chris raised an eyebrow. "Command structure? For what?"

"For governing ourselves." Salvador, or Dichonius now Chris supposed, explained. "The natural physiology of the Doppelgangers allows them to avoid detection by the majority of abilities and technology. If we didn't police ourselves, then there would be numerous unsolved crimes performed by deviant Doppelgangers. We need a command structure to keep us in check and determine what we can and cannot do."

"So what are you doing then? Why are you here?" Chris asked.

"Initially, we came for the Maze. It provides the necessary environment for our young to grow, as safely as possible. However, after a while… We began to live among the humans as neighbors and friends. We've lived here for hundreds of years, and we consider the City our home just as much as the humans do. We try not to influence humanity in a significant way unless we feel they are moving in a direction that could invite catastrophe. The only reason I'm even running for Mayor is to prevent this ludicrous eugenics program. That isn't even how abilities work! Genetics influence ability type, environment influences ability strength!" Dichonius paused. "But I digress. The point is, our occupation is not malicious, but symbiotic. We use the Maze to raise our young while maintaining it to keep humanity safe. We meld with society like any other citizen, doing our best to be functioning members."

Chris nodded slowly, taking it in with a grain of salt. He didn't believe Dichonius was lying, but people always believed they were the good guys, even if they were blatantly screwing the other party over. Still, he was convinced the Doppelgangers weren't malicious, and that was enough for now. "What happened to my mother?"

Dichonius hesitated. "Your mother- is alive. In the City. In a different form, just like me."

Chris froze again. "You're both Doppelgangers?!?"

"No… your mother is an Elf." Dichonius replied.

Chris blinked. "Come again?"

"Your mother is an Elf." Dichonius repeated. "Her ability lets her change forms, arguably better than a Doppelganger can. She can even alter the forms of others if she wishes. She's the main reason the Elves' infiltration has been so successful."

"Whoa, back up. The Elves have infiltrated the City? Since when!?!" Chris asked incredulously.

"After humans invented teleportation technology, the Elves began to notice the abnormal spatial fluctuations. They sent a team to investigate, discovering humanity. They soon sent an infiltration team to observe humanity, as well as subtly influence it. We aren't sure what they're end goal is, but we know their plan at the moment is to help strengthen humanity. They're the ones who started the Trial, convincing humanity that they needed to be stronger. They encouraged more and more exploration into the Maze, feeding humanity resources to continue to grow. If that was all, there wouldn't have been an issue. We somewhat disagree with influencing a culture to develop abnormally, but since they kept their involvement light, mainly providing suggestions that humanity pursued on their own, we wouldn't have had enough of an issue to fight them over it. However, once they discovered our presence, everything went wrong. Elves kill Doppelgangers on sight, for reasons we, and even most of them, are unaware of. They began to secretly hunt us, which… Well, that's how your mother and I met." Dichonius explained.

Chris pinched the bridge of his nose. "Okay, hold on. I thought you said Doppelgangers couldn't be discovered. How did they find you?"

Dichonius flushed slightly. "Specific abilities can analyze our structure and find the remnants of our cores. Your mother happens to have such an ability, though she needs to physically touch a person to use it."

"Huh." Chris grunted. "Your people must be pissed you slept with her."

"They don't know." Dichonius shook his head. "They must never know. They would destroy everything we love, everything we care about!"

"We?" Chris raised an eyebrow.

"You, me, and your mother." Dichonius replied in a serious tone. "Neither side would let our betrayal go unpunished, and they would never let you live a life of peace. They would consider your very existence an abomination!"

"Outstanding." Chris sighed. "I take it this has something to do with why you both abandoned me?"

Dichonius nodded. "After we fell in love, we abandoned our original identities to run away together. However, it only took a few years for the others to begin to track us down. We avoided them for as long as we could, but eventually… we ran out of options. We always knew it could happen, so we made sure that even if we left, you would be taken care of, either by the Monteros or through the Scouts. We continued to monitor you as best we could, making sure you were properly taken care of in our absence, but… our presence would have only made your life worse, forced you to live a life of danger and subterfuge that you were completely unequipped to handle. Without an ability… we thought you deserved to live what little life you had in peace." Dichonius finished with a pained expression, sorrow in his eyes.

Chris frowned as he took in Dichonius's explanation. "I guess that makes sense." He finally sighed, accepting the explanation, his curiosity sated. His parents hadn't died, but they had abandoned him, for a good reason though. He felt like he was back at square one. His parents were gone, but it wasn't their fault. He couldn't blame them, he could only blame the world for being cruel.

Dichonius blinked. "You seem remarkably… composed given the nature of what you've learned."

Chris shrugged. "I was a little surprised for a moment, but… it doesn't change anything, does it? I stopped looking for parents when I was twelve. It's good to know that you had your reasons, but… anything you could do at the moment would be too little too late."

"Chris, we-" Dichonius began with a pained expression, before Chris held up a hand to silence him.

"I'm not blaming you. I get why you did it. As I said, it makes sense. However, just because you had a good reason doesn't change the fact that you weren't there. Being a parent isn't about genetics. It's a role, and you have to do the work to earn it. If you don't, then you aren't a parent, you're just a random source of genetic code." Chris explained with a shrug. "I know that may seem harsh, but the truth often is."

Dichonius grimaced for a moment, before letting out a weary sigh. "You have a point. I can't expect you to treat me like your father when I've never been your father. But please, give your mother a chance? She could barely push herself to do what needed to be done. If you refuse to acknowledge her… I worry about what she might do."

"I'm not against that. I'll give you a chance too. I'm just saying you shouldn't expect me to be all happy over the fact that my abandonment had a good reason, when it still left me to grow up without parents." Chris replied, before pausing. "Actually, who is my mother? You do know, right?"

Dichonius coughed awkwardly. "You've already met her. Your mother- your mother's name is Jo'Vuntulla."