Spirit Lands

'She has good willpower; she's still following me.'

Zoe lagged behind, yet she was still there, following Cain's footsteps.

Cain had long journeyed out of the territory that held the Complex. It was a miracle that every dead zone they passed through so far wasn't too dangerous.

With her gear, Zoe, a normal human, survived tenaciously and continued onward.

'Even if she's still alive, with no civilization in sight, she'll die soon.'

Suddenly, Cain felt a shift deep in his being. At first, he checked what it was, but after a quick mental sweep, he realized it was just his other self waking up. They were done with their self-contemplating.

Feeling the presence of another pair of eyes behind his own, Cain felt his other half's aura. The thoughts of beings such as them could subtly affect the environment; it was easy to use this aura people permeated to analyze their mental state. That is if you were skilled enough.

"You're awake... You seem colder."

A deep and tired voice echoed through Cain's mind.

(Indeed, I can say the same. I can feel... you've changed as well. Even more than I did?)

"You would be correct. Unfortunately, my change wasn't as great as I wanted. It seems it is impossible to erase the past, as it will forever live on in me. It will always bring problems but it will also bring benefits."

(The past? What have you done?)

Reacting to the voice, a bit of the mist around Cain broke off. The silky miasma quickly wrapped around the area, scanning everything.

(Why is there a human girl following us? What happened?)

Cain didn't smile nor frown, he was emotionless. "Here, I'll let you see my memories. Make sure not to register them as your own or you might have your condition destabilize."

(I have already learned that lesson; I'll take your advice this time.) Looking over the memories, the inner Cain's voice grew perplexed. (You removed your emotions? This... the process... I don't know what to say.)

Cain's voice was flat, it was eerie, "You don't have to say anything; it was my choice. However, I feel it still won't fix anything. With my mental problems still present in addition to my tendencies and mannerisms, I estimate my loss of emotion won't hold for long. It was only a temporary measure. I have to find a new solution soon."

Indeed, looking behind him, a tendency of Cain's was ever-present.

'Since I haven't killed her, I can only use this as an experiment for myself. My erratic tendencies haven't changed; she might be useful, or she might not. Ultimately, I'll be keeping her around.'

(Hah, I now feel lucky; that mental problem of yours stems from that horrible experience.) The inner voice exasperated. 

Ever since the two Cains became two, even if they didn't state it until much later, they each subconsciously took over certain memories like taking land, creating a 50/50 division between the soul. But the current layout was much different, after the Dream Realm one devoured the other, but not fully yet.

They can look and share each other's memories and knowledge, but ultimately what they took belongs to them.

For one of them, this means having a mental defect with a tendency for murder, while the other gained an inferiority complex along with his personality almost collapsing completely due to a multitude of factors.

But this also meant the two would mix from time to time. Living in the same house meant they would also rub off on one another. All sorts of developments could come from this. 

Thud!

Cain turned around, and behind him, back 30 paces, Zoe collapsed.

"She seems to have run out of water. The mist can sustain her for a time without killing her, but we have to find a territory with actual people in the next month or so."

The inner voice appeared unaffected by the girl's plight. (I'm not in a hurry; it's your own issue.)

A slight smile crept on Cain's face, it was a reflexive action when something happens that benefits him. "I'm glad you've changed this much. Seeing you now, you're finally free from the influence of those warped emotions and traumas of yours. I told you those memories weren't good; you should have taken some of the original Cain's heartless ones as well. At least now you're not acting as some goody-two-shoes martyr who wants to save everyone."

The inner voice sighed; he couldn't help but agree.

(Yes, I was tainted by my wants in pleasant memories. In the end, I couldn't control my own emotions and became dissociative. But my plans haven't changed. I still want to create a place of peace for myself. Only this time I know I can't help everyone. It's unrealistic.)

The inner voice became filled with conviction and confidence. (I will find our original home, the territory we were born in. There, I will turn the territory into something good.)

Cain's interest was piqued, "Oh? So you're looking for our original Territory now? That's also on my list of things to do."

(Yes, that will be my testament to Luna and everyone else. I will no longer ask for forgiveness like before but do this one thing and leave it at that.)

Wrapping around Zoe in a silky swaddle of mist, Cain rubbed his chin after hearing his other self's goal. "Interesting. You've changed indeed. Well, focus on the present; we have new experiences to take in, and we need to grow first before having any grand ambitions. Remember, real rulers who have had time to grow are like giant trees compared to us, a sapling. We must be discreet... for now."

(Indeed, but you must also remember, I won't be so simple-minded and kind-hearted. I long learned my lesson and fixed this weakness.)

Cain let out a chuckle, "Good, that will make things easier. I hope you live up to those words."

...

It had been two weeks, passing through a multitude of Dead Zones and territories. Cain found himself having to protect human cargo while dealing with beasts, underdeveloped humans, and other races.

Admittedly, civilization was rare in the Landfill. At least in the outer zone.

"I wonder what the Middle Zone is like; that fire that came from your soul in the City of Dreams was tremendous; our homeland must be in the Middle Zone at least."

The inner Cain replied, (I've seen the memory. I agree, the fire seemed strange and magical; even the Territory Core couldn't suppress its capabilities; it must've come from a higher power, and that can only mean from a stronger core from a higher Zone. I just hope that Ruler isn't still alive after all this time; it will be hard taking over.)

Cain's eyes narrowed on a massive beast reaching for him in the sky; his silky mist quickly wrapped around the beast's arm and ripped it to shreds. The beast screamed in pain, but its suffering was swiftly ended. Its headless corpse turned to bones by a hungry mist that sprouted from below it. 

'This mist is becoming all too lifelike...'

Cain finally responded to his other self, "You seem to be confident taking over without the Ruler? Do you forget the territory is in the Middle Zone; even the powerhouses there could probably hold up a fight against us; we only recently became a fully-fledged Gatherer."

(True.)

Becoming silent, Cain forgot about his other self's words and focused on picking up speed. He traveled miles in only a few minutes, covering the ground like a bird in the sky.

Finally, after a day and a night, Cain saw hope for Zoe's life in the distance.

There was a huge mountain range covered in greenery that took over the horizon; the mountain tops were covered in mist and appeared mythical and out of this world.

'It seems I've found an interesting place!'

Descending to the ground, Cain walked the rest of the way there. Using his superhuman body, his eyes easily noticed bamboo buildings hidden in the foliage. Though the buildings seemed abandoned and worn.

'There must be a village nearby. These are old grounds used in the past.'

Traveling to the old destroyed village, it was easy to notice the reason why the village relocated. On the periphery of the mountain and forest, the creatures from the Dead Zone neighboring this territory seemed to invade. Cain was attacked more than once while walking through shrubs.

"The pure energy is dense here; even the distinct energy of this territory is far better and abundant than any I've seen to date!"

A groggy voice awoke and echoed through the chambers of Cain's head. (Something interesting is going on?)

Cain cut down a few more creatures from the dead zone before dissecting them to confirm.

"Interesting indeed! These beasts are incompatible with this ecosystem. Their organs have evolved differently than this tiger I just killed; it seems they have been intruding on the territory as of late; the villagers would logically relocate to a deeper spot in the forest."

(Astute observations; I'll leave it to you.)

"It seems you gained laziness in the time you were self-contemplating your mistakes..." Cain commented while he searched for signs of a village possibly nearby.

After half a day, he found them. They hid well, but not well enough to escape from Cain.

Immediately as he neared, the village guards showed hostility, bearing their spears with angst.

"Who are you?!"

Cain put his hands up; he long stopped using his mist and had Zoe leaning against a nearby tree.

"I'm a traveler; I need help; my companion is dying!"

Cain's face filled with anxiety and impatience; easily fooled, the guards rushed to get the village doctor, as well as the chief.

With hospitality, Zoe was taken while the Chief took Cain away to talk to him. The Chief sat Cain down in his home and immediately got to business, "What brings you here outsider?"

"I'm a traveler; me and my partner were looking for a place to settle down," Cain answered.

The Chief asked a few more questions, and Cain answered just as the Chief wanted. Through how the Chief acted before bringing him here, Cain made a somewhat complete mental profile; he was overdoing it a bit though, by the end, the Chief was beginning to think Cain was too similar to him.

Thankfully, the conversation ended without a hitch.

"I see... well outsider. I cannot let you stay here for long, but if you wish, you can travel through the mountain range. On the side are the Spirit Lands, where Immortals cultivate into Gods!"

Cain's eyes dilated, "Spirit Lands? Immortals? Could you tell me more?"

Scratching his head, the Chief turned embarrassed. "To be honest, I don't know much. I only know my ancestors came from there; inside the Spirit Lands are the 7 provinces where Immortals Roam and cultivate. There are also Mythical Creatures and Demons which walk the earth and cause chaos!"

To make sure nothing was being hidden from him, Cain probed a bit more but ultimately found the Chief was telling the truth.

Luckily, the tribe was kind enough to allow Cain to stay the night until Zoe woke up in the morning.

...

In the middle of the night, Cain woke up and spoke to himself in a whisper.

"You take over from here. Seeing your new self, I have no doubts there will be any future clashing... for now. I need to recover and digest the Vampire Core to the fullest extent. Since I couldn't train in the territory's power beforehand, I seemed to have hit a wall.

"Use this as a lesson... seal off our powers when you enter the Spirit Lands fully. Train solely in this Territory's power. It will help when we find the core." He added.

The other Cain roused from his sleep; his voice quickly turned into disbelief. (You want to switch? Did you come across another problem with your mental state?)

Cain replied indifferently, "I guess you can say that. I can already feel my thirst for blood acting up. Nevertheless, I'll still be watching, only I'll have one eye open instead of two. Don't make everything I gained worthless. Just do as I said and you'll be fine. You are no longer weak, you said so yourself."

He paused before mulling something over. Cain's voice turned stoic and serious. "But remember this, don't use our powers and instead seal them using the Dream Core and Mist! It isn't hard, and I'll show you if you need me to."

The inner voice laughed hearing his other half put so much emphasis on something. 

(Fine, fine. It will be fun having nothing to rely on for once. Don't worry, I know you have the most experienced memories; your wisdom trumps my own.)

With nothing left to be said, that night Cain switched. The other half of the soul took over, and when the sun rose Cain opened his green emerald eyes.

"Yawn! Ah! It's a new day, a new me! I wonder what these Spirit Lands will hold!"

He looked outside, a mischievous smile filled with curiosity brimmed.