The Tranquility of the Soul

Stretching out before him was an endless plane of water, seemingly extending for eternity. Sunlight bathed the place, dispelling any traces of darkness. The gentle wind and soft echoing bells filled the air with their sounds.

At the heart of this place hovered a small white orb, resembling a miniature sun.

But some distance away from the orb and the seemingly never-ending water lay an area of pure darkness. The light abruptly disappeared, and the water outside appeared to be drawn into this dark space. Crimson smoke rose from the ground, adding to the eerie silence.

In the middle of this peculiar area, a young man lay on the ground with his limbs stretched out in different directions. Dark tendrils of smoke seemed to be trying to approach him, as if they had life, but a mysterious force kept them at bay.

After a few moments, the young man's eyes burst open, gazing up at what appeared to be the open sky. The boy, dressed in simple white robes that covered most of his body and barefoot, was Long Fei.

As he looked up, Fei immediately sat up in an upright position, attempting to survey his surroundings and get a sense of where he was.

As he looked around, he saw what appeared to be pure darkness trying to engulf him. Fei called upon his inner energy and stood up, waiting for a moment.

"What is this place?" Fei wondered as he scanned his surroundings, taking on one of the five Eternal Monk fighting stances. He could barely see five feet in front of him, and even his ability to sense energy was limited to that range.

Suddenly, the darkness in front of him slowly receded, and as Fei strained his eyes to see further ahead, a hand emerged from the shroud of darkness.

Fei reaffirmed his stance and began to circulate his energy using the Lotus Burning technique as the figure slowly emerged from the darkness.

He stood in a daze for a moment after the figure emerged from the fog. His well-trained mind faltered, not just because of the passage of time, but also due to the identity of the figure - it was himself!

Fei couldn't find any words as he stared at the figure. Or was it himself? He couldn't quite figure it out. The copy was identical in every way, from the white robes to the facial features and even the way he moved. Fei began to slowly step back, unable to take his eyes off his alternate self, who confidently approached with arms crossed across his chest.

Just as it seemed Fei was about to step out of the border where the dark tendrils still tried to reach him, the figure opened his mouth.

"Oh Fei, is this all that you amount to? After all this waiting, is this what I get?!" He suddenly screamed.

His voice was coarse, as if he hadn't spoken in ages, and his screams twisted his normally normal tone beyond recognition.

Fei was speechless as his alternate self began to cry and laugh at the same time. It was surreal for Fei to look at himself, who displayed an expression of laughter mixed with tears of pain, all while sharing his exact appearance.

The laughter lasted for a few more seconds before Fei's doppelgänger paused and began to talk again.

"Why? Am I too frightening for your small mind to comprehend?" he shouted. His laughter ceased, and he let out a monstrous scream before muttering under his breath while holding his head in his hands.

Fei, now recovered from the shock, focused his energy, activated his Lotus Burning technique, and charged toward the person. He didn't know who this person was or why he inhabited his body, but he was determined to find out.

With a forceful punch, golden fire erupted from his fists. His doppelgänger looked up, his hands still on his head, and sidestepped just in time. Fei immediately retaliated with a swift roundhouse kick, his leg now covered in the same golden fire. Again, his doppelgänger barely dodged it.

This continued for a few minutes, a dance of Fei attacking and his double dodging. Fei used various forms of the Lotus Burning technique, but all were futile. To any onlookers, if there were any, it would have appeared as if a fiery storm surrounded a man who skillfully avoided every attack.

Dumbfounded, Fei stared at his doppelgänger. He had used all his strength, even though he lacked any weapons, yet he couldn't even touch his double. Gasping for air and recovering his energy using the Golden Buddha's teachings, he stood in front of his counterpart.

"Are you done?" the doppelgänger asked calmly, eyeing Fei.

An unseen force then took Fei by surprise and threw him toward the doppelgänger. Though he tried to resist, Fei was thrown onto the ground and made to kneel. When he attempted to escape, the unknown force held him in place.

The doppelgänger slowly walked toward Fei, his footsteps echoing. Upon reaching him, he gripped Fei's head and forced it upward, their eyes locking.

Fei struggled to look away but found it impossible. The doppelgänger's eyes were hypnotic, a mix of black and red, in contrast to Fei's brown eyes. They resembled the Devil's, as if they could swallow him whole. For the first time since their encounter, fear gripped Fei as he stared into those abyssal depths.

"You make me sick," the doppelgänger whispered, staring into Fei's eyes. "You fear me, even though you are me. How amusing."

With a final push, the doppelgänger released Fei, and he, now free from the force, collapsed onto the ground, covered in sweat.

"The next time you come here, I wonder how you'll feel," the doppelgänger roared, beginning to continue his manic laughter.

Fei tried to say something and get up from the ground, but his body failed him. His vision went black for a second, and before Fei realized it, he could feel nothing more.