DEPTH - SOULS

Cyer and Kai had made their way to the edge of the forest, a vast desert spread out in front of them,

"I suppose this is where we part ways?" Cyer said as Kai got near him,

"Kai, do you know the general direction in which you have to go?" Cyer continued, upon which Kai nodded, "Ken should be with you soon enough, me staying with you any longer would prove troublesome for both of us."

Kai catching his breath nodded once more, "Don't worry Cyer, I got this"

"You sure?" Cyer raised an eyebrow.

"You worry too much," Kai said as he pushed Cyer onwards, forcing him to rather reluctantly set off.

Kai after parting ways with Cyer had entered the desert himself, not knowing exactly when Ken would return, he kept walking. The dessert started almost abruptly, outlining the jungle. Kai who only remembered the cold and warmth of Aube, which was snow covered for over four months, found the dessert to his dismay grueling to deal with but somehow kept on going. The little to no vegetation wasn't helping.

Kai could see nothing that would grant him shade. The sand was burning hot, He felt the heat through the soles of his shoes. He suspected that the soles might melt away. The sun which appeared many times brighter and hotter than kai could remember was shading the sand in a golden yellow color such that one could burn their eyes out faster by staring straight at the sand rather than by looking directly at the sun. The landscape was desolate, every direction showed only endless series of marching dunes like long yellow teeth spreading for miles on miles into the distance. The ocean of sand blended into the sky glare until it was impossible to distinguish where one ended and the other began.

As Kai marched on, clouds of dust particles rose in his wake, checking his compass occasionally, correcting his direction accordingly, he kept moving. After every dune he crossed he found himself at the base of yet another of the same size if not greater. He could only trust his compass because as far as his eyes could see, everything was identical.

His head began to throb, as though it had been doing so for many hours, his vision blurring up, and perhaps it was the hot air over the sands due to which Kai found himself unable to adjust his vision. His head was becoming exceedingly painful, as he himself was perspiring and felt exhausted.

...

Kai was in his mind again, the cube filled space. Wisdom observed Kai wearing an amazed expression.

"How did you get here?" He asked Kai

"I don't know. What happened?"

Kai confused as well felt nothing, the space was as he remembered, neither cold nor warm.

"You were..." wisdom began to answer.

"I called you here Kai," a third voice sounded somewhere, it was similar to Kai's own.

"Who is it?" Kai asked now in further confusion looking at wisdom's pale face.

Wisdom looked around voicing, "I think he is the very same entity that got us out of that cage back in Hubok. I have doubts that he is the demonic part."

"Nor am I demonic neither am I an entity such as you. I am Kai, I am me," the voice proclaimed before continuing, "but first let us change the scenery a bit."

"What do you mean?" Kai and wisdom questioned at the same time.

Like a waterfall the endless dark began collapsing, to the point that everything got enveloped in white, as if they were falling or the ground beneath them was rising. Their feet were not on what appeared to be sand. The environment became cold, and the night sky shrouded the surroundings. It was darker than normal and filled with stars.

"What's going on?" wisdom asked, alarmed, observing the tremendous change.

"Calm yourself," the voice replied but this time both Kai and Wisdom could trace the voice back to its owner. On what appeared to be a throne in the middle of a desert, sat a taller, stronger, more mature looking version of Kai, his eyes starkly different, completely black, gaping holes. His hair was longer and lastly, he wore a thin smile.

"How did you do that?" Kai asked surprised looking all around.

Put some cloths on first it is difficult to take you seriously, rather talk to you as is with you prancing around, naked, same goes for you entities.

"Huh", Wisdom and Kai looked at each other as soon as they registered what the being had just said noticing the lack of clothing.

By their feet the sand shifted revealing simple white clothing for both to don.

The man with a wave of his hand conjured two more thrones.

"Sit," he said while indicating towards the seating.

Kai Wisdom and this third being sat facing each other.

The person spoke addressing Wisdom. "I am not as you hypothesized, an entity of him" he said indicating towards Kai, "and even though I may possess the powers of a demon, I am nothing of the sort," he finished,

"If you are not as you claim, his entity," Wisdom indicated towards Kai, then who are you and more importantly why do you exist here?" He finished, prompted to inquire.

"Hmmm... as to who I am, well I am not so sure myself, perhaps that information is too sealed among those stars," The person responded looking at the sky," for now, I am Kai, as to what I am doing, existing here, this body is Kai's right?"

"Right"

"And I said I am Kai; thus, I am the owner of this body."

"Owner ... what do you mean by that?" Kai asked looking at the contemplating features of the other Kai.

"Listen," The other Kai continued, smiling, "If I were an entity like this so-called wisdom of yours, I wouldn't have had the owner's rights, right?"

"Owner's rights?" Kai questioned not sure as to what it meant.

It was wisdom who answered, "Only the owner of the being, such as yourself Kai, can morph the reality of this ... realm."

"Wait, does that mean, I can also create stuff here, like he did?" Kai asked excited.

"Yes, Kai you can, but it will require a lot of effort to master, besides that isn't the issue here, the issue is, why this other person can do the same." Wisdom was addressing himself more than he was Kai.

"I told you; I am Kai, I am this being, and you entities can only interact with what the owner creates, right? But you cannot create yourselves."

"That is true"

"Well as you can see, I own this realm and control it," the other Kai said raising what seemed like a tower from the sand with a simple gesture of his hand and collapsing it himself with a wave.

"So, does he" he then indicated towards Kai who was staring wide eyed at the spectacle that he had just witnessed, "Thus proving I am no entity."

"Fair enough," Wisdom replied lost in thought again.

"Then what are you?" Kai asked looking back.

"It might be that I am the real you, that we might both share this body... for now I am trying to access memories for answers, but there is a very large amount," The other Kai was pointing towards the stars again, "I have my doubts that many of them don't even belong to us, and most of the ones I have come across have been sealed with ancient magic." The other Kai maintained a pleasant yet a serious tone.

"I ... I don't understand, and what do you, I mean, what do you mean you are the real me?" Kai spoke out confused.

"I mean ... that are you a part of me, as in, that you are my entity but that is highly unlikely because" The other Kai pointed at wisdom who was also listening in, "He is your entity, not mine."

"I am confused ..." Kai answered scratching his head.

"So am I, presently" the other answered.

"Regardless of who you are ... can you leave" Wisdom interjected.

"Either you are wrongly named, or this kid is out right, stupid. Did you not understand, this is as much my body as it is his" the other Kai spat.

"I see..."

"Well, I don't," Kai said aloud, "I don't understand anything. What the hell, I mean first a demon, then an entity and now you. What is going on..." Kai was frustrated.

There was silence.

"Please explain yourself." Kai continued in a low voice,

"Kai, I think, I can sum it up for you," Wisdom spoke looking from one Kai to another, "There are two souls residing in your existence. You and him... What's your name?"

"I don't really know"

"Well then I will name you..."

"I will name myself what I deem fit, for now I am Kai"

"Well, the, kai ... can you please point out the effects of your stay?"

"Gathering the facts and figures including the brief control I maintained over the body here is what I summed up," the other Kai paused, looked directly at Kai and then continued,

"If I stay here, there is no issue, everything will remain as it is but if I were to assume control of the body like last time, well ..." the other kai stroked his light beard,

"The Kai here," he pointed at Kai, "will start to fade away"

"Fade away?" Kai questioned; eyebrows raised...

"The existence that is you will start to disappear"

"Why?"

"Because, you are weak, I am strong, my being if in control will unbind yours."

Kai's eyes became wide.

"Oh, don't worry too much" the other kai continued, "I have nothing against you so I will allow you this much, so as to not force myself on you," he nodded at kai, "but I can. It is easily within my power"

"What happens, if Kai dies?" Wisdom spoke up again.

"If the vessel is unable to sustain life, we both die. speaking of which," he added to Kai, "Kai don't you dare die, as long as you don't get us into impending death situations, I am perfectly fine here."

"I see..." Kai answered trying to grasp his situation, "so if you were to come in control like last time I will die?"

"You won't die, you will disappear and that to not immediately, the longer I am in control the more you fade. It may take months or years for you to be completely gone ... but alas all this is merely a hypothesis."

"Well ... that's relieving ... in a way, I guess" Kai answered, a little less tense, "so when I am gone, wisdom here also goes bye-bye, right?"

"Naturally" the other kai answered with a smile.

"Interesting" Kai replied,

"Oh, and Kai, you have potential, become stronger, unlock your limits. Also inform the demon he is no longer welcome here, I won't allow him or for that matter anyone else to enter our realm and do as they please, again."

"I will try and explain it to him" Kai said while thinking, "So what are you going to do here?"

"I will explore, create... discover, I can literally do whatever I want," The other Kai answered as he with a wave of his hand conjured blue roses in the sand and with another wave transformed the petals into butterflies, and with a third wave, the butterflies to dust.

"But mostly I will be watching you, to make sure you don't get me killed along with you... call on me whenever you want, I will assist, but remember."

he spawned a tower, a small tower, the size of which approached kai's waist if he stood up, there with a touch of his finger he lit two flames on opposite ends at the top, one fire brighter and stronger than the other. At the whim of his index finger the stronger flame brushed the weaker one and soon consumed it so that only it burnt brighter than before.

"Oh, and I have two, conditions"

"What?" Kai asked his eyes fixed on the flame!

"One, when I am in control, I will do what I want, you will not interfere, although I will entertain your opinion. Two, I will remain in control for as long as I like,"

"Ahh... but" Kai began, looking at him now.

"Come now, I told you I have no intention to make you disappear, but it's only fair that I stay as long or as short as I want, so no questions asked."

"Hmm... "Kai replied in agreement with the conditions.

"Oh, and one more thing," the other kai looked directly at Wisdom, the face looked alarmingly serious, "if you dare, even think of chaining me down again, I will tear you limb from limb, ..." he looked back at Kai, now you may return," and with that he waved his hand again, everything turned to dust all of a sudden. Kai and Wisdom were back in the empty cube filled space unclothed as before.

"What was that?" Kai exclaimed but his head was hurting, again his vision got blurred as he closed his eyes.

"KAIIII!!!" it seemed like someone was yelling, but the yells sounded so very faint to him, he tried to open his eyes again, but it felt as if they were glued shut. Kai realized he was in pain, each and every muscle, limb or any other part in his body was hurting, his head the worst of all, he felt hot, too hot, throat dry so much so that breathing hurt his lungs as if on fire and he lost consciousness.

The next he came to, he felt as if he was burning up, he could see the desert sky but the heat was comparatively less perhaps due to his current location being in the shade, someone was beside him.

Ken, kai thought still unable to speak but it wasn't Ken it was someone who had parted ways with him not too long ago.

Cyer was dressed in a slightly yellowish white cloaked hood, it had silver lining, an assassins clothing for the desert. His attire easily camouflaged him in the desert, he was sitting beside Kai, who he had rescued from the desert's kiss, the phenomena that people named the process by which travelers died in the dessert, consisting of heat strokes, heat cramps, dehydration and such.

Kai could barely move, he tried but somehow felt too fatigued, Cyer had brought him into the shade, removed his shirt and was wiping his body with what felt like a soaked towel, Kai let out a groan.

Cyer looked at him, sighing with relief, he then lifted Kai's head to ease him to drink the liquid that he was offered,

"Drink... it's a special concoction designed to deal with the desert's kiss"

Cyer laid him down again and proceeded to adjust his legs at an elevated angle,

"This is to help the blood flow in your body, the potion will knock you out," Cyer's voice was beginning to fade, "it ... also ... r e l ie ... of the .. pa in ... suppli..."

Kai was unconscious once more, a dreamless sleep.