Hello. I was just reading some chapters from 2014. That was three years ago. Wow.
I feel like telling you a random fact. Haha yeah sure.
On YouTube, there's this AJ series called "Phantom with a Dream."
Anyway, I rewatched the series today. So there is this boy fox character called Dash.
In 2014 and 2015 when AJ things were still a part of my story, I thought of Dash as an inspiration for Duke.
Dang, remember when Duke and Twinkle were AJ foxes who had fur and tails? Remember that? No? XD
Wild times. Oh yeet.
I also looked at older chapters. In this post, I'm gonna explain something I love about the story. And that thing is called Chapter Parallels.
Chapter Parallels: when an older chapter has a scene with a specific theme that relates to a much later chapter
Uh, it's hard for me to explain.
Well, I just want to tell you guys the clearest examples I know.
Story analyzing. Fun. :')
~~~~~~~~
Chapter 55 and Chapter 73. Parallel between Fierdan talking to Duke, and Duke talking to Ardere.
"Being killed is not the only way someone can die," Fierdan in Chapter 55.
"Being killed isn't the only way to die, huh? What a freaking lie," Duke in Chapter 73.
Fierdan and Duke are referring to Duke's extermination of Soulless. If Duke has to be killed for Soulless to die.
-X-
Chapter 59, Chapter 62, and Chapter 74.
In Chapter 59, Ardere recalls a dream he had. Duke's eyes became completely black, he snarled, "You can't kill me that easily," and the room got devoured in black and orange flames.
In Chapter 62, Duke recalls the same dream but in more detail since it's actually about him. More detail as in his eyes became white as well as black, and he said it after someone tried to execute him via a gun shot to the head at one of his temples. Again, Duke snarled, "You can't kill me that easily."
And then there's Chapter 74. By now, it's revealed that the someone who is trying to execute Duke is Risak. But so far in the posted chapters, these are all dreams or visions. Duke isn't with Risak. Not yet.
In Chapter 74, Duke words it differently. This time, he says, "I am the Duke Fierdan. Do not underestimate us," and Soulless says, "If you want to kill Duke, you will have to kill me as well. Unfortunately, I am not ready to die." This could mean that in the dream with Duke's strange eye colors and extreme power of flames, Duke wasn't working alone. Soulless had a big factor.
And those signs begin Duke's character development to Demonic Duke.
Demonic Duke is a result of some events that happen. That might be considered effed up and possibly traumatizing. They involve deaths. In this form, Duke actually becomes more like a fusion of Fierdan and Soulless, so he loses the fox equivalent of his humanity. But ironically, he gains humanity much later. So yeah, there will be a human Duke. At least kind of. I call it Demonic Duke because it's when Duke acts the most like a demon. Some parts involve a lot of brutality from him. Which is, well, pretty much actually violent.
Yeah. :-)
-X-
Chapter 27, Chapter 50, and future chapter.
Chapter 27 was a flashback to the first time Duke tried to cut away the black and purple flame over his heart.
In Chapter 50, Duke refers back to that first time he tried to get rid of his phantom flame marking himself. But this time, the context of it is self harm.
In a future chapter, Duke talks to someone about the times he mutilated his body and how he can't die simply because of his history of borderline suicide attempts. (It goes there. Wow, dark. This messed up story. Acceptance though. Oh, you readers have big storms coming.)
-X-
Chapter 54 and Chapter 75 (the next chapter).
In Chapter 54 when Duke is in the car with Calliah, he thinks about how he's too much of a coward to get out of the car and hope to get run over and die.
In Chapter 75, Fierdan tells Fauna about how he sees himself as a coward for following Soulless's orders to kill others instead of disobeying orders and killing himself instead in order to not hurt others.
Basically, the parallel is about how Duke and Fierdan regret not ending their lives.
-X-
Chapter 62 and Chapter 64.
In Chapter 62, Dawn recalls Fierdan murdering Zios. Dawn also regains a memory of her and Fierdan in the human world.
In Chapter 64, Fierdan recalls when he killed his father. He also regains a memory of him and Dawn in the human world.
-X-
Chapter 52 and Chapter 75.
In Chapter 52, Duke thinks about how he threatened to kill Dawn.
In Chapter 75, Fierdan talks about how he almost killed Dawn.
-X-
Chapter 54 and Chapter 67.
In Chapter 54, Calliah (Duke's mom) tells Duke the reason why she murdered Eternal (Duke's dad).
The reason is Eternal was going to kill Duke if she hadn't killed him. He knew Calliah and Duke's phantom blood identities. He knew Duke was related to Fierdan.
In Chapter 67, Eternal tells Fauna about himself and how he really feels about Duke. He says that if Calliah didn't kill him, he would have killed Duke.
-X-
Chapter 54 and Chapter 72.
In Chapter 54, Duke swears to hurt anyone who hurts Fauna.
In Chapter 72, Fierdan tells Fauna why he hurt Eternal in Chapter 67. It was because Duke wants to hurt anyone who hurts Fauna. Eternal was hurting her, so Fierdan hurt him in Duke's behalf.
-X-
Chapter 54 and Chapter 61.
In Chapter 54, Duke is uncomfortable with the thought of someone else wearing his concealed black flames black jacket.
In Chapter 61, Duke finds out that Twinkle wore the jacket.
-X-
Chapter 55 and Chapter 68.
In Chapter 55, Twinkle has a dream where she and Duke kiss while their fire wings are out and they're above the ground.
In Chapter 68, they kiss while their wings are out and they're above the ground.
-X-
Chapter 3 and Chapter 70.
In Chapter 3, Twinkle finds Duke in the hospital by himself watching over her. Duke tells her, "I don't think I can live with you gone. I can't live without you, Twinkle."
And finally in Chapter 70, it's revealed just how seriously and literally Duke meant that.
In Chapter 70, Duke admits the real reason why he was there in the hospital when Twinkle woke up. He snuck into the hospital and stayed the night there. Duke couldn't live with himself if Twinkle died due to phantoms, so he stayed at the hospital to prevent himself from acting on self destructive behavior.
-X-
I'm too tired to continue. I have more, but they involve chapters that aren't out yet.
Can you find any more chapter parallels?
A lot involve Duke and are about death. Eesh, this boy and the symbolism though.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~