I sit quietly on the ground. It's been a long time since I entered my Instinctive Space—a metaphysical realm within my soul where my instincts and ghostly fragments interact. I must cross this threshold. I still remember it all—I once witnessed Master Zachary Wu speaking with a childhood version of myself, the one who had lost all faith in humanity, the evil ghost dwelling within my body since birth.
Back then, that version of me made a twenty-year pact with my lifelong benefactor, Master Zachary Wu. But the twenty years have not yet passed, and already the thing inside me—the evil ghost, my fractured soul fragment—has emerged.
Ethan Zhang, Earth Soul, seemed to have known everything long ago, but he would never tell me. I know clearly—only Ethan Zhang, Heavenly Soul, holds the answers.
"Go, Ethan Zhang. Go and ask—get a clear answer."
I nodded and closed my eyes. This time, I must get answers—there are many things I need to ask.
My consciousness slowly ebbed away, my mind growing hazy and dull.
When I opened my eyes, I saw the world around me—dark, sunless. My ghost souls were all present, but none came near, as if they sensed I had something weighing on my mind.
"Come out. I have questions for you."
I shouted, but there was no response from all around—so silent it was terrifying. I continued to yell.
"Stop shouting, Ethan Zhang."
With a whoosh, I turned my head. It was my Shadow—a dark mass, only its two golden eyes discernible, flickering with a lively light.
"I won't tell you. That's it. Go ask someone else."
As expected, its attitude was uncompromising. My Shadow refused to tell me anything.
"What have you been doing all this time?"
I demanded, but my Shadow just laughed and walked toward me, step by step.
"What else could I do? Do you wonder why, lately, you can't suppress the darkness inside, why those murderous urges surge out—and then obediently return?"
"It was you!"
I stared at my Shadow in astonishment.
"I'm exhausted, Ethan Zhang. Every time I have to help you suppress these things you can't control. I've worked so hard, and yet you show no progress at all. Why is that?"
"Tell me everything."
I demanded forcefully, but my Shadow just burst out laughing, shrinking back into the ground. I reached out, trying to grab him, but he had already vanished into thin air.
I waited a long time, but my Shadow never reappeared. I slowly floated upward, gradually nearing the top. The long, black shapes began to move aside. As I ascended, they shifted, forming a path. I drifted along it.
A flash of red, the clatter of chains—it was Ethan Zhang, Evil Ghost. I floated toward him. This was the root of my inner darkness: a ghost with slanted cheeks and white fangs. The moment he saw me, he howled in rage.
I can't communicate with this thing. Either I control him, or he controls me. Whenever the power of darkness is released, I am at its mercy.
"Was it you who spoke with Master Zachary Wu?"
I asked, and with a roar, a powerful gust swept toward me. I raised my hand and slowly floated closer. The Evil Ghost struggled, exhaling an icy breath, but chained up, he couldn't move—he could only snarl at me.
This reminded me of the battle with Lord Wraith—when I was fused with black and white, and the Earth Soul was there. The three-in-one, all connected at that moment, just to reclaim what mattered most.
I shouted, and a voice like muffled thunder descended from above.
"Do you truly wish to communicate with him?"
I nodded. At that moment, I saw the chains binding the Evil Ghost's hands, feet, and neck begin to vanish.
"Wait..."
Before I could finish speaking, a roar erupted. A powerful hand gripped my neck, and with a crash, I was slammed to the ground, my back pressed down. Violent tremors shook me—I opened my mouth wide, completely immobilized. In an instant, I was forced down from my instincts.
I clung desperately to the Evil Ghost's thick arm. He seemed intent on killing me. In those crimson eyes, there was nothing but endless murderous intent.
"Tell... me... Tell me!"
I shouted, regaining some strength. Instantly, I turned into a mist, vanishing and reappearing behind the Evil Ghost. Raising my Killing Intent Sword, I struck at him.
With a bang, my twin Killing Intent Swords shattered. The Evil Ghost seized my arms, opened his mouth wide, and suddenly lunged at my neck to bite.
With a metallic clang and a flash of white, I turned in shock—it was Ethan Zhang, Heavenly Soul. He blocked the attack with his arm.
"No matter how angry you are, there's no going back."
With a crash, the Evil Ghost howled as Ethan Zhang, Heavenly Soul, sent him flying. After landing far away, he immediately got up and charged toward me.
"Instinct—origin..."
With a creak, green appeared on the ground. Vines shot up, instantly binding the Evil Ghost tightly. No matter how he struggled, he couldn't break free.
Gradually, I heard the sound of running water. With a rush, pale blue water surged from below, enveloping the Evil Ghost. Then, with a roar, blazing flames ignited around the water, forming a barrier that completely sealed him inside.
"Now, it's finally quiet, Ethan Zhang."
I quietly watched the Heavenly Soul. He sat cross-legged on the ground, and I sat facing him.
"You must know something. Tell me—I want to know."
Ethan Zhang, Heavenly Soul, shook his head.
"Now, I can't tell you anymore. Ethan Zhang, Human Soul—each of us three is part of a whole. We had self-awareness long ago, but Master Zachary Wu sealed two of us, so for seventeen years, you've lived in peace."
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I bowed my head in silence, my mind filled with Master Zachary Wu's gentle smile. He saved me, kept me safe for seventeen years, made my journey smooth. But now, Master Zachary Wu is gone. He once told the Earth Soul that people always grow. Now, I have grown—so I've come here.
The Evil Ghost represents the dark side of all three of us, and none of us can be missing. Things diverged the moment the Earth Soul was forcibly separated from the body. Now, we're strangers. That's why he's angry—angry at you. Back then, you did nothing, right?
I nodded, recalling the time the Soul Splitter forcibly extracted my soul. Back then, I was powerless and could only rely on John Chou, but still one of my souls was taken.
We're all stubborn—you, me, and him. What you insist on, what I insist on, what he insists on. Different paths cannot be followed together; what is lost can never be regained.
"Tell me—where did I come from, how was I born, who are our parents?"
Faced with my barrage of questions, the Heavenly Soul shook his head.
"No comment."
Just those four simple words left me feeling hopeless. Even though we each have our own consciousness, I can still sense the moods of the Heavenly Soul and Earth Soul. Even if I fought the Heavenly Soul and won, he still wouldn't tell me.
"What do I have to do to be worthy of knowing everything?"
A stream of white energy flowed from the Heavenly Soul’s left hand. I stared, wide-eyed, at him—the power he released was something I'd never felt before, vibrant and full of life, like the morning sun.
"Hope..."
After a long while, I spoke those two words.
"Yes, hope."
The Heavenly Soul stood up and waved his hand. Everything behind him vanished. With a roar, the Evil Ghost charged at us again, aiming straight for me.
I looked at him quietly. One of his hands gripped my neck, his earth-shattering roar and immense strength threatening to crush me.
"There was a time when I gave up hope, just as I gave up on things I can't do now."
As I spoke, the Evil Ghost's crimson eyes flickered and stopped—he no longer howled.
I slowly placed my hand on the Evil Ghost's arm and patted it.
"It's hard, but I think—one day, the three of us will gather again. The person called Ethan Zhang will once again exist in the living world."
With my other hand, I reached for the Heavenly Soul. After a moment's hesitation, he placed his hand on mine.
Gradually, the Evil Ghost before me turned into wisps of black smoke, his exterior peeling away bit by bit. In a daze, I stared wide-eyed at him.
"You are..."
There were no words. Before us stood my Shadow, his eyes filled with sorrow, the golden eyes quietly watching me.
"Instead of thinking, use all your strength. That's who you are—always have been. Don't let hope extinguish in your heart, no matter what happens. Never give up hope, Ethan Zhang..."
I turned my head. At this moment, the white energy in the Heavenly Soul's hand grew larger, spreading like ribbons, weaving and dancing in the darkness around us.
More and more white lines spread out like ribbons through the surrounding space.
"This is what you wanted, Ethan Zhang. Guided by coexistence in instinct, use your power well."
The Heavenly Soul gradually turned into white particles, drifting through the space. My Shadow also became black particles, intertwining with the white ones in the air.
This reminded me of the battle with the Ghost Rakshasa—when I was fused with black and white, and the Earth Soul was there. The three-in-one, all connected at that moment, just to reclaim what mattered most.