Drip, drip, tap. Black raindrops fell from the sky, the rain pattering down. I stood outside the pavilion, watching the Heavenly Soul. He picked up an empty wine glass and slowly moved toward me. I took it from his hand.
You could leave me, just like Ethan Zhang's Earthly Soul did. You could have your own independent consciousness.
As I spoke, the Heavenly Soul shook his head.
"That’s not how it works, Ethan Zhang. I can’t leave your body. If I could, maybe I’d have left long ago, just like he did. After all, the three of us—Earthly Soul, Human Soul, and Heavenly Soul—are fragments of one soul. We’re incomplete without each other. If any one of us is missing, what do you think would happen?"
Thinking back, when my Earthly Soul was taken away, I became a fool.
It doesn’t just affect you—it affects me too. Right now, our three souls aren’t whole, but thanks to the Nether Syndicate’s technique, we survive.
A rumble from the earth—I felt the ground begin to tremble beneath my feet. It wasn’t obvious, but as I looked at the cherry blossoms in the apartment building, petals began to fall in great numbers from the trees.
"There isn’t much time left. Your instincts—they want to consume you."
"If I die, what happens to you?"
The Heavenly Soul stood up and walked out. The black rain grew heavier. (John Chou)
"I won’t die. I’ll return..."
The Heavenly Soul held up a finger, pointed above his head, and with a gesture, wine materialized and filled my glass. With a crisp clink, our glasses collided. The Heavenly Soul turned into white particles, smiling as he slowly disappeared before my eyes.
"Good luck, Ethan Zhang."
"Return—to the Celestial Path?"
The Heavenly Soul vanished. I let go of the glass—crash! It shattered into pieces. Everything around me began to distort. I felt an overwhelming force.
"Mr. Brown!"
I shouted. Suddenly, three heads and six arms appeared before me, radiating a strange aura. Green light flickered; exhaustion washed over me. Mr. Brown, in his monstrous form, stood before me.
Mr. Brown’s Asura Demon form was my best defense. At my thought, he lifted me onto his shoulders. One of his hands wrapped around me from behind, holding me in place.
With a whoosh, Mr. Brown launched into the air with me. He roared, then in a single swift movement, his fist struck at the emptiness before us. Boom! My eyes widened as a violent gust, strong enough to nearly tear my body apart, rushed toward me.
I couldn’t see it, but I knew something was there in front of me.
Mr. Brown began to move. His body’s exterior was nothing compared to the agony in my mind right now. The exhaustion was overwhelming. Mr. Brown carried me, darting through the air. I gritted my teeth—my consciousness was at its limit.
Boom! Mr. Brown swung his fist, and with a crack, the space beside me split open. I saw a streak of black—Deathbane Aura, a thick burst of it scattered.
I still couldn’t make out how these attacks came, but the copy of Mr. Brown I created could see everything, acting on my will and protecting me with all his strength. I was grateful—I’d seen Mr. Brown fight before, and right now, there was no one more reliable.
This pain—I could handle it. Compared to everything in the Forest of Desire, this predicament was much easier.
Then Mr. Brown’s left arm lifted, holding me in place. His remaining four fists pounded wildly at the twisted space around us. Each strike burst with black light—Deathbane Aura. Even though I couldn’t see it, I could feel it clearly now.
My only option was to use this eye to copy powerful beings, find where coexistence was, and then go there—try to subdue him again.
"Coexistence, if you want to devour me, come out and do it yourself."
I shouted.
Things were getting bad. Mr. Brown’s attacks were all aimed upward. Coexistence had shifted its attack—it was coming straight for me. The copy of Mr. Brown was strong, but if he got hurt, he’d collapse instantly. Yin Choujian had already tested this by hand.
The attacks stopped. Mr. Brown ceased his assault. Everything around us had turned into blocks of color, the apartment building completely unrecognizable.
I glanced at the eyeball in my right hand. This was my second time creating one with my mind. I’d already figured out the method—I could easily use my will to create anyone I’d seen before.
Now I was searching my mind for anyone who could help me survive this crisis. I thought of Redmond, but realized I hadn’t seen his true power yet. Even if I copied him, it wouldn’t help.
After Mr. Brown dissipated, I already had my next candidate in mind.
The world around me now felt like steaming water. The colorful blocks began to tremble uneasily, droplets splashing, and a roaring sound filled my ears.
"Mr. Brown!"
I shouted. Instantly, everything around us pressed in. Mr. Brown’s fists and limbs snapped back, then struck out in all directions. Translucent fists seemed to burst the space around us.
A violent explosion erupted. I covered my ears, squinting against the blinding light that nearly made me faint. I fought against the exhaustion threatening to crush my consciousness. Suddenly, I glimpsed a streak of black—Mr. Brown was almost gone. A shaft of Deathbane Aura pierced straight into his body.
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"Vivian Maple."
I roared, and with a swish, several streaks of violet light shot out. Cracks appeared in the space around me, and I breathed a little easier.
The cracking continued, everything around me splitting like a mirror. Suddenly, the real apartment building appeared before my eyes.
I’d been thinking—this was my instinct, my core dream. It couldn’t be twisted like this. Sure enough, I’d already been swallowed by coexistence. If I hadn’t realized it, I would’ve been finished.
Only Vivian Maple could break through this space in an instant. I hadn’t seen her full power during her fight with that zombie, but thinking about it now—her sword, able to cleave the hardest things in the world, could definitely split open this space my instincts and coexistence had created.
A hand grabbed me. Bathed in green light, we returned to the ground.
"You don’t want to destroy this place either, coexistence. If you do, you’ll lose your home."
I spoke, word by word, looking at the apartment building. Even if it was just a faint feeling—if instinct is illusory, it still needs a real vessel. I am that vessel. No matter what, it won’t destroy its container.
"Thank you, Vivian Maple."
As I spoke, she vanished before me at a thought. I walked step by step toward the apartment building, reached the stairs, and went up.
Everything here was just as it had always been. I reached the fourth floor, walked to the right, and stopped at the door of Room 410. This was my home.
Knock, knock, knock—I tapped on the door. With a creak, it opened. I felt tense, but I knew coexistence was inside. This was the only place it could exist.
I remembered—my apartment building existed in another space, completely unrelated to University Town. People there had forgotten about this place, and then crowds of people and ghosts flooded into the building.
"Looks like I was right."
I looked at the figure sitting on my bed. This was coexistence—half black, half white. The white side had a black eye; the black side had a white eye. Those strange eyes stared at me.
"I won’t apologize, coexistence."
I said firmly. Suddenly, coexistence’s mouth split open, curving like a crescent moon—eerily unnatural.
"Indeed, I can’t kill you. If you die, I’ll disappear too."
"So you want to devour me, torment me, make me suffer endlessly."
Coexistence’s voice didn’t sound human—more like a machine, without a trace of emotion.
"Let’s play a little game, Ethan Zhang. If you win, you’ll gain control of everything here."
As coexistence spoke, my eyes widened. We were suddenly on the roof of the apartment building. I stared in shock—before me stretched a boundless city, a city in daylight; behind me, an endless city shrouded in night.
"One side is for humans, the other for ghosts. This is your wish, Ethan Zhang. I’ve granted it. And you..."
Coexistence pointed at me and continued, word by word.
"...haven’t lived up to my expectations."
"What is this place?"
"Your Ghost Domain..."
My eyes widened as I stared at coexistence, glancing once more at the front and back of the apartment building.
"Its true name is hidden in reality and illusion. If you win, I’ll tell you what it is."
I nodded. Coexistence stepped in front of me, staring at the eyeball in my right hand. Its black-and-white eyes bulged.