07 - Facing the Inner Demon
The place where he found himself was undoubtedly a scene worthy of being a painting by some famous artist. A field of red chrysanthemums stretched endlessly to where his eyes could see, bathed in the light of an agonizing yet elegant blood-red moon, with very few clouds in the sky hiding the shining stars.
Wandering through that vast place without a defined aim, having woken up only a few minutes ago, Long Shen, even being in such a beautiful location, which he would normally wish to linger in for a long time, felt a growing restlessness and anxiety in his heart, which he did not let reflect on his face, keeping it calm and his eyes relaxed yet sharp like those of an eagle.
Such feelings were not unwarranted; this was not the first time, and it would very likely not be the last time something like this happened to him. He was not an idiot, the same trick would not work twice, and thus, right after waking up and recalling what happened before being there, Long Shen knew very well what that beautiful environment was about.
Again, I am no longer in the real world. I must have fainted for some reason right after starting to absorb that pill, so this must be its interior or something like that...
Not only his vision but all his other senses took it as real, demonstrating how well-crafted that entire scene was. The gentle and slightly sweet smell of chrysanthemums carried by the wind filled his nostrils, giving him a sense of lightness and subtly calming his mind. Long Shen was not sure what that world was, but he was certain that if it were not for his previous experience with the System, he would certainly believe he was still in the real world.
... Hmm? What is that in the distance? A cabin?
At a good distance from him, seeing only the outline of the seemingly simple wooden cabin, having absolutely nothing else but flowers around him, the young man felt that somehow he was being guided and needed to go there if he wished to find a way to awaken in his real world.
Without much hurry, just walking calmly for a few more minutes, he arrived there, climbing the few wooden steps and entering through the old door of the cabin, which creaked painfully and loudly upon being opened.
Inside, despite the considerable size of the small cabin, only a simple wooden table and two chairs, one facing the other, were found in the center of the room, leaving the rest completely empty, and already sitting in one of the chairs, with his back to Long Shen, someone was finally seen.
"Sit down. Before I settle my pending business with you, I wish to offer you something and resolve everything peacefully, Long Shen." He spoke seriously but with a slight tone of scorn perceptible in his voice.
Hmm? That voice... Am I imagining things?
Seeing only the back of that seemingly young man with long white hair was not enough for him to draw any conclusions about what he perceived just from hearing his voice, so he went to the opposite chair and sat down, thus, upon looking at the young man's face, his suspicions were confirmed.
"What? You are... Me!?" He asked, his eyebrows furrowed and mouth slightly open, surprised by the unexpected sight before him.
With long white hair tied back, pale skin, and sharp wild black eyes with red pupils, that being had the exact same appearance as Long Shen, the only difference was his deep and terrifying dark eyes.
"Well, I believe that in a way we can say that yes, I am you, or at least, a small fragment of you... For now at least." The figure replied with a subtle and arrogant smile forming on his face.
That being exuded confidence and arrogance. Despite his forcedly respectful and calm tone of voice, it was obvious that he viewed Long Shen as someone inferior to him and genuinely felt like laughing at that fact.
Considering his appearance, attitude, and the demonic energy that he constantly leaked from his body since the beginning of their encounter, it was quite obvious and easy to guess who that figure truly was. Thus, without wasting any more time beating around the bush, Long Shen went straight to the point, asking him calmly and seriously while looking directly into his arrogant and relaxed black eyes.
"You... Are my inner demon?"
Upon hearing the young man, the figure began to laugh to himself. "Kekekeke..." The being raised both arms up. "... Well, well, it seems you caught me, Long Shen. At least you're not as stupid as I thought. But well, this makes everything even easier for you to understand what I'm going to offer you..."
Inner demons, Long Shen had never seen one in person but had heard many bad stories about them.
Beings created by one's own insecurities, traumas, and mental and spiritual weaknesses that seek to dominate their body at all costs. They can be further strengthened by more intense negative feelings or certain types of energy, such as the most obvious of all, demonic energy, something that Long Shen already had in a certain amount within him, and that now, was about to increase even more by absorbing that peculiar pill.
Still relaxed and completely confident in what he was about to say, the demon stood up from his chair and walked around the table towards Long Shen, seeking to get even closer to him.
Tap... Tap... Tap...
The sounds of his light and calm footsteps echoed through the silent room.
"... You know, I have been watching you for many years now, after all, your insecurities created me. From your earliest memory, when you were ignored by others for not having parents or origins, to the moment when your talent was discovered and you began to be envied and hated by people you had not even known or done any harm to, I was there, in each of those moments..."
The demon approached the young man completely and placed his hand on his left shoulder, while he, in turn, kept his head down, as if concentrating on something else; however, the being didn't even care enough to notice this and simply continued with his speech.
"... Anyway, I know your desire for revenge and power better than anyone. At first, I only wished to eliminate your consciousness and take your body for myself, however, given your personality naturally fitting with my objectives of spreading chaos and destruction, I decided to offer you the chance to join me...""
The demon extended his left hand towards Long Shen.
"... Share your body with me, and together, we will fulfill each other's ambitions! What do you say, kid?" He offered with a twisted smile and gaze subtly appearing on his face.
Without lifting his head yet, one of Long Shen's hands, which had been beneath the table until that moment, slowly showed and gripped the demon's hand, causing an even greater smile to appear on the latter's face, revealing his horrible and sharp teeth.
"You made the right choice, kid! Know that together we will conquer what we have always—"
Slash!
Suddenly, cutting his sentence in half, the being had his hand pulled forcefully towards the young man, and then, in a fraction of seconds, feeling a diagonal cut slicing through his clothing, skin, and flesh, with his hot blood consequently dripping down his chest.
As he looked at the young man, he noticed his right hand being revealed, which was drenched in blood with his index finger covered by that spectral purple blade. Deciding to flee before things got worse, the demon released his hand and jumped back, breaking through the wall and creating a huge hole in it.
"You bastard son of a bitch!! Can't you see a great opportunity even when it's right under your nose!?"
Getting up from his chair and calmly jumping through the hole in the wall, Long Shen found himself back in that flower-filled field once more, a subtle smile of genuine happiness appearing on his face as he kept his hands behind him.
"Hahahaha... Great opportunity, you say? Do you really think I would trust a damned inner demon? You're just a piece of shit that decided to show up when a larger supplement of demonic energy started entering my body!!"
Long Shen's heart raced so wildly that it felt like it was about to leap out of his throat. It was the first time he was truly fighting someone since all the other times he had just taken a beating without being able to fight back properly, and worst of all, he was still putting his life and body at risk by fighting against that corrupted being.
However, no matter how desperate the situation seemed to become, with the demon quickly healing itself through its demonic energy within a matter of seconds, the smile of happiness did not fade from Long Shen's face, on the contrary, it remained as that strange, gratifying feeling circulated within him.
Emerging in his heart and taking over his body and mind, an intense emotion, which he had felt before but never in that way, grew stronger and stronger, running serious risks of becoming addicted to that which made his blood boil, begging him to start the fight as soon as possible. Yes, that strange sensation was nothing less than a great and explosive adrenaline rush, acting almost like a drug with how incredible it made Long Shen feel.
"Okay, I tried to be nice to you since you were the one who created me, kid! But now, it seems I have no choice but to proceed with the original plan."
"Hmph, talk less and do more, you pathetic demon."
In a synchronized manner, both of them took a quick leap toward each other, covering a distance of 5 meters in the blink of an eye, their purple blades colliding against each other.
Clash!
The power they both possessed was well-balanced and equal, for even though Long Shen had access to his spiritual energy as well, the demon was being strengthened by a small amount of demonic energy present in the pill at that moment, causing them both to find themselves at an impasse in their duel of strength for a few seconds before changing their plans.
Boom!
Thinking along similar lines, both used even more of their energies in their blades, causing a small explosion from the impact of both, which created a cloud of dust and forced both of them back a few meters in response.
It's a waste of time trying to subdue him with just my energy, and probably his physical strength and techniques are the same as mine... I need to think of something different if I want to break the tie and win this duel as quickly as possible.
His eagerness for battle was great, however, an unexpected calm rested upon Long Shen's body and mind, bringing him an almost supernatural focus in that battle, causing him to remain completely concentrated and not intimidated at all, even though it was his first time in such a dangerous life-or-death situation.
"... Keke! What are you standing there thinking about, kid!?"
What!?
In the blink of an eye, having stopped to think for just a few seconds, the demon appeared in the sky, falling like a shooting star toward him, aiming to split his head in half.
Slash!
The sound of his blade slicing through the wind was heard by Long Shen, who quickly managed to dodge by jumping to the side and then taking advantage of the opening in his flank to strike him with a straight kick using the sole of his foot.
Ugh... Damn...
However, his plan backfired when, in front of him, he saw his red and hot blood trickling down his foot, with the demon having been smarter than him and, in a matter of moments, changing the hand where his purple blade was from the right hand to the left hand, defending himself and driving it directly through the young man's foot.
"Kekekeke, did you really think you were in a balanced fight, Long Shen? I admit, you are strong for someone at your level! But unlike you, who is just an inexperienced young man, I am a being created by your hatred and sadness! If I didn't know how to kill people, how flawed would I be as a... What do you call it again? Ah yes, an inner demon!?"