#56 The dream...Asao

When I opened my eyes, I realized that I was in an unfamiliar environment.

Where am I?

I frowned and looked around myself but I couldn't see anything. It also felt like I was floating, I couldn't feel anything at all, I couldn't touch anything. When I tried to move it felt like I wasn't moving at all.

"Are you surprised?" I heard a familiar voice behind me so I turned around and I couldn't help but wide open my eyes.

What I saw before myself was...me.

Is this a dream? Thought while frowning at the person who looked exactly like me except for his emotionless abyss black like eyes.

"That's right, this is just a dream" He answered me with a smile but combined with his emotionless eyes, that smile appeared completely meaningless.

"And what are you? Why taking on my appearance?" I asked him with a completely calm expression.

"I am YOU of course. You never cease to amaze me...being so calm even in this unfamiliar environment and situation. You are completely powerless here yet you are able to keep your calm. I am thankful that it was you who became my partner." He praised me with a dull voice which didn't make it sound like praise at all.

"Thanks for the praise but I still don't get why you bother me while I am sleeping...And what do you mean by me being your partner?" I joked with a grin but that instantly changed into a frown when I asked him about us being partners.

"This isn't actually our first time meeting, you just don't remember it very well. How do you think that you were able to kill those wolves?"

"So it was you, huh? Does it mean that all those foreign memories I have are also yours?" I asked him, still with a calm expression.

"That's right, it was me who helped you. And yes, those memories are mine. I let you see those memories in exchange that I can see yours" He explained with an emotionless look.

Even if he did that, how come I can't remember what happened to this body at all?

"Those memories were already consumed by my hatred, it was the only thing keeping my soul alive in that dead body until you came of course."

"What should I call you then?" Even though I didn't like having someone else snooping around in my body, I didn't have any choice but to accept it for now.

"I no longer remember my name, no...I never had one anyway. Just call me whatever you want." When he said that I could feel him boiling with anger.

"Alright...Asao, what do you want from me anyway?" I gave him the first name that came into my mind.

"I want to warn you. Since I am part of you I know exactly what is happening to you and I know that you will slowly fall in love at this rate. Didn't you want to manipulate others? By falling in love you will abandon all of that." Asao said.

"So it's about that, huh? And how do you intend to help me?" I asked him just out of curiosity, I wasn't really agreeing with his statement.

"If you let me take control for a bit like before, I can make her disappear from your life" Asao said with a smile and extended his hand towards me as if he was trying to help me.

"Pfft, hahaha" I started to crazily laugh at his words while looking downwards.

"What is it?" He frowned when he saw me laughing like that.

"N-o-t-h-i-n-g" I somehow found the strength to move my body and I instantly appeared before him and caught him by his neck.

"Wha *cough*" He looked surprised, perhaps he thought that I wouldn't be able to move here.

"Trying to control my body? Making her disappear? Don't make me laugh!" I shouted and started to apply more and more strength and he was having a hard time breathing even though he was just a soul. I wasn't sure how it actually worked but I didn't care a bit at that time.

"*cough* *cough* If you will- kill me *cough* you will die too" He quickly said and I stopped choking him so he could at least breath a bit.

"You think I care? I already died once and my only regret is being a puppet. Do you think that I will give you control of this body when I despise being controlled? I would rather die than to give you slight control of this body." I said with sharp eyes and but he wasn't bothered by this, he was actually smiling.

"You are saying that you hate being controlled but you are doing it just for that girl, aren't you?"

"You are just a failed experiment, what do you know about me? I have memories of my past mistakes, I know what to do without you telling me." I coldly said.

"Wha?! How do you-" He looked extremely shocked and also angry when he heard my words.

"I saw them...fragments of your memories while we were talking to each other. I haven't seen everything but I can say that your life wasn't exactly the thing you could call life but that won't change the fact that I won't let you control me to get your revenge." I calmly explained while still holding him up by his neck.

"...Then how about we make a deal? I will let myself be merged with you and you will get revenge for me, how about it?" He said with a wry smile after seeing how he had no chance of changing my mind.

"I have a much better idea...I will consume you just to be safe." I said with a chuckle and started to apply pressure on his neck once again.

"*cough* What are you doing?! You will kill yourself!" He said with a panic visible in his eyes.

"I don't even know if what you are saying is the truth so let yourself be consumed and I will consider taking revenge for you or let yourself be killed and never achieve your revenge. Choose."

"B-by killing me you will also kill yourself...maybe you don't care but what about that girl? Do you want her to get bullied once again? After all, you caused quite a lot of trouble and everything will fall onto her head without you around." It was apparent that he had no intention of being consumed by me.

At first, he wanted to help me by getting rid of her, my weakness. But now he is using her to intimidate me? Considering what I saw from his memories, I would have thought that he is much smarter than this.

"Hehe, couldn't care any less!" I crazily smiled and prepared to completely crush his throat even though the sight will be pretty weird, seeing myself with a crushed throat...

When he saw my crazy look he frowned instead of panicking and when I tried to crush his throat, he turned into smoke.

"Heh" I chuckled at the sight and started vigilantly looking around myself.

Out of nowhere, the 'lights' turned on and I was finally able to see my surroundings.

I was in some kind of white room without anything, only white walls and a white ceiling.

"It seems that you aren't as stupid as I thought"

I turned around and saw Asao standing there, leaning on the wall.

"So what now? Are we doing White room torture?" I chuckled after asking him with a mocking smile.

"Of course not. I can't keep you here forever, therefore I will take this body by force...You can only blame yourself for turning down my offer." He said while shaking his head.

"Heh, finally showing your true colors?" When I said that he already made his move and quickly appeared in front of me with his leg raised vertically high.

Shit, he is fast!

He performed axe kick but I was somehow able to evade it by stepping backward. When his heel hit the ground, a few cracks appeared on the ground.

"Where do you think you got those memories of martial arts?" He asked me with a smile while stretching his neck.

He once again appeared in front of me performed thrust kick but instead of evading it, this time I blocked it with my hands. I felt a strong impact but nothing I couldn't handle.

"Even if you practiced it here all the time, you are still just a failed experiment." I said mockingly and drove my knee into his stomach.

"*cough* Let's see if you will still be able to call me failed experiment when I am done with you!" He shouted and threw a fast punch towards my face but I was able to barely evade it by tilting my head to the side.

But it was only a distraction and he used his other hand to hit me into the stomach. I felt like throwing up after feeling the impact but I was able to hold it in and used the chance to punch him back since his face was unguarded.

We continued fighting, each time we received punch or kick, we started to smile more and more. It basically became the fight where crazier one will become the winner.

...

"*heavy breathing* How?!" Asao was resting on his knee, trying to catch his breath.

"*heavy breathing* Hehe, I told you...even if you practiced entire time here, it won't change anything." I was gasping for air, This was the second time I became so dead tired. The first one was my first practice of that breathing technique...

*cough* I coughed out a bit of blood but I had no idea what to even think of it since this was all just a dream... Will I be so tired once I wake up? Or will I feel any pain at all from this fight?

"Fucking 10 years! I practiced 10 years for this day yet I failed!" He gritted his teeth and started punching the ground in frustration with the bits of strength that remained in him.

"I am sorry but one mountain cannot contain two tigers. I won, you are weaker, just accept it. But thanks for confirming one fact for me" I said with a smile while wiping away blood coming from my mouth.

"What?" He asked with a confused expression.

"Your attacks contained killing intent within them therefore you practically told me that I can kill you without any consequences. I never even wanted to consume your soul because it would somehow change my personality even if it would be minimal change."

"?! Y-you actually planned all of this just to be sure there won't be any consequences?! You just toyed with me the entire time, you bastard!" He yelled and used all of his strength to stand up and throw a punch at me.

I easily caught it and used my knee to break his arm.

"Argggh!!" He released a low scream.

I caught his neck with my right hand and coldly stared at him.

"You probably thought of me as a weakling by watching my interactions with people but you didn't even know how much I wanted to vent like this. Knowing so many moves from martial arts, yet I wasn't even able to use them because of the stupid rules."

"It doesn't matter, once they get to know that you are alive, they will take action and you will be deep in trouble." Asao said with a mocking smile.

"This isn't your problem anymore. By taking your body, I also inherited your problems. At least you showed that your willpower doesn't fall into the category of failed experiment" I praised him with a bloody smile.

"Even though I hate you, I still hope that you will be able to win against them..." He said and released a self-loathing smile.

"Thank you for your memories and for this second chance in my life. Unfortunately, I won't let any entity occupy my body, therefore this is goodbye, Asao" I said and crushed his throat with my knee and threw his motionless body to the side.

It was quite a gruesome sight, killing someone who had the same appearance as me.

Now, how to get out of this shitty dream? When I thought on how to get out I started hearing a sound of glass shattering.

When I opened my eyes once again, I noticed that I was finally in my bed.

I was all sweaty but I didn't feel any pain except for a headache.