Connection (Part1)

"Right, so what do I do now?" Joshua said to himself as he sat there in the field he thought of. "Wait, I don't even feel the concrete floor?" he thought surprised. "So you dared to conquer me?" an image of himself said to him from behind. Except the image wasn't him exactly.

The black hair, the jawline, the same tired eyes, and the outfit were the same. However, the air was different around him. It was like Joshua was looking into a mirror that distorts what is shown. "Who... are you?" Joshua finally asked after staring at it. "I'm the very being that you are, if not more superior than you," it said back to him, making Joshua confused.

"I'm the being you have heard yelling at you from within, I am the being that told you to get stronger, I am the being that dished out what was deserved," it explained to him, but Joshua's head was spinning, he couldn't snap back to reality. "What's-" Joshua began, but it finished the sentence for him, "Going on?"

"You seem confused so I'll dim it down Joshua, I am your power," it finished, leaving Joshua confused. "Your power never misfired that day, nor did you run out of energy the day you went to save Elena the first time. Your desire broke my control and you were able to stab Peter. You were stabbed by your own spike because I made it happen," it said to him, the normal yellow eyes he had glowing a shade of blue.

"You mean... Elena nearly died, because you didn't deem me worthy enough of this power?" Joshua realized, in saying this the figure of him laughed and answered him. "Yes, you did prove me wrong that day though." After saying that it laughed even harder at how confused Joshua was, at how mad Joshua was, at how scared he was.

"Your power comes from me as I am your power. Well to be specific, I am a manifestation of your power in your mindscape, or my residence you could say," it told him, before summoning a sword of its own with earth. "Wait how are you manipulating this? It's my creation! What is going on?" Joshua screamed out, he was terrified, enough to stop listening.

"You came to conquer me, to reconnect your connection to bring your power back to 100, so I'm giving you a chance to do so, let us begin," it told him, giving Joshua a grin scary enough to make him shudder. "WA-" Joshua started to shout before he was stabbed through the chest by the spike sword.

"AHHHHHH!" Joshua yelled out after being stabbed, before realizing he was still in one piece."What?" Joshua thought as he grabbed his chest. "This is your mindscape, and my residence, you can't escape until you defeat me, nor can you die from my hands. The pain will still be there though," it explained as it gripped his sword by the back and thrust it at Joshua.

"NO!" Joshua screamed out before being impaled. *Cough* "Wh-What the hell!?" Joshua yelled out as he turned around to look back at him. "How hard is this to grasp?" it asked him, summoning another sword to throw at him. "O-OKAY, OKAY! I'll fight you!" Joshua yelled out, hoping to live a bit longer. "Then let us begin!" it yelled back at Joshua as it stabbed him through the head.

*1 hour later* (Still in the mindscape)

"I WON'T DIE, NOT AGAIN!" Joshua screamed as their swords collided over and over. Joshua swung from the right, but it was easily blocked and he was kicked in the chest. Suddenly a spike rose from the earth and stabbed him through the back. "Damn, I forgot about... that," Joshua muttered before dying once more.

"YOU'RE WEAK!" it yelled at him as they traded blows once more, but Joshua still couldn't keep up with the basic strikes, let alone the mix of spikes being thrown at him. "I barely have enough time to think, let alone enough to summon spikes to help me!" Joshua yelled in his head as his arm was blasted off by a spike flying from the ground.

"DAMNIT!" Joshua yelled as he got back up just in time to evade a strike from the other him. "WHY DON'T WE TAKE A BREAK!" Joshua called out sweat beading down his head, he was slowly breaking down mentally and physically. "Please," Joshua murmured as he was stabbed through the stomach by another spike that rose from the ground.

"HOW MANY TIMES ARE YOU GOING TO KILL ME!" Joshua screamed at the other him, he was exhausted. "UNTIL YOU AREN'T SO WEAK!" it yelled back at him, stabbing him through the head with its sword. They had been going at it for hours, and Joshua couldn't defend himself from a single strike anymore. "Fine, small break, you pathetic bastard," it said to him as it walked away.

"ARGH!" Joshua screamed out, his muscles were practically torn to shreds in this realm. "One...shot..." He muttered as he grabbed his sword and ran behind the other him and swung down. "Nice try," it responded as it dodged his strike and cut his head clean off. The once beautiful field was stained red with blood and brown with clumps of earth.

"Why? Why? Why!? WHY!?" Joshua screamed out when he got back off the ground. "That's it!" Joshua yelled in his head. "HEY BASTARD!" Joshua yelled at the other him. "What?" it asked him, half-curious, half-ready to cut his head off again. "This is my mindscape right?" Joshua asked, getting a nod. "Then stop," Joshua commanded a bright glimmer in his eyes.

"HAHAHAHA, you finally figured it out eh?" It asked him, receiving a nod from Joshua. "Your goal was never to make me stronger, it was to prevent me from meeting with my full power and restarting my connection," Joshua explained getting a smile from the other him. "Congrats Joshua, you got it right. But I won't let that comment slide," it said to him, the smile turning into a creepy grin.

"WAIT!" Joshua screamed out, but it was too late. Once again his head had gone flying, followed by a sea of blood. "Smart kid, I suppose you deserve to meet with all of me now," it remarked standing over the newly regenerated Joshua. "D-Damn you," Joshua muttered, getting a chuckle.

*With the others*

"JOSHUA!" Elena and Ethan screamed out above him. "His whole body is writhing in pain!" Nathan shouted at Fabian. "I-I know! This shouldn't be happening!" Fabian yelled out as he carried Joshua upstairs to the couch.

"This isn't what I saw would happen, this hasn't happened before!" Fabian screamed inside his head. "HEAL!" Fabian shouted, using all of his concentration possible, but Joshua's body never stopped moving, it was clear whatever was happening was causing immeasurable pain. "WHAT THE HELL IS HAPPENING!?" Owen yelled out in genuine concern.

"Everyone leave the room now!" Fabian commanded. Seeing no choice due to the urgency in his voice, everyone did as told. "I have to save you, I can't let you die, I refuse to let you die!" Fabian shouted in his head as he poured all his energy into healing Joshua.