Chapter 173 The Memoriam

And with another blow, Van was hurtling through the air. He did his best to land on his feet, but it was a dicey thing, and fell a little anyway. He stood there for some time, gasping for breath. “Great… not only do I have to train with my parents, but now my double insists that I train with him as well. I really don’t need more stuff on my plate…” he thought, somewhat annoyed by this whole situation.

“Come on Van, you can do better than that. I’ve barely moved from my spot.” the double said, one hand behind his back, right foot slightly forward and his right hand slightly upfront with the palm open. “At this rate, you will never beat me.” his face had the same bored-looking expression as always.

Van sighed, taking his stance once more and getting ready for another attack. He then leaped forward, fists hitting nothing but air as he swung with all the speed and precision he could muster.

The double on the other hand. Simply leaned back and would almost glide away from the attacks. Doing only the barest movement to get out of their way. Only periodically using his open hand to gently guide some attacks out of the way should they get too close.

“Come on Van, you are me, I am you. Use that to your advantage.” the double said. “You are very good at planning and if given the chance, you could read your opponents better than anyone can. But the problem is execution. You lack the will and experience, as well as the confidence. Trusting in your ability to dodge attacks take’s complete trust in oneself and one's ability to read their opponent. Another issue is your impatience, the reason why you're so quick to end a fight is because of fear, the fear that you would be unable to win as your reserves of energy starts to dip. You fear that you would be unable to win unless it’s through sheer overwhelming power, so you try your best to end a fight quickly…”

The double then went in for a quick jab into Van’s gut, doubling him over. “Seriously Van… even Luna is beginning to pull ahead of you in that regard… and that’s not even something she specializes in… remember that fight with Thea? She read her mother not once, but twice in that battle, and used it to her advantage. While you as always just simply did the best you could by amping yourself up and hoping your speed and power would carry you through the day. Despite the fact that planning and reading your opponent is supposed to be your forte… perhaps… I really should do a coup d'état and take over. At least then I can make it so that we, me and your subconscious that is, aren't embarrassed anymore…”

Van gave his double a glare upward. He knew now that what his double said was all talk, and that it was mostly to rile him up. But it still was pretty effective considering it really pricked Van’s pride. “I really… don’t need this on top of all my training I already do…” he thought with some exasperation.

“We are done with the sparring now…” the double said. “For now, we will go back to that flicker step that your father has been trying to teach you. Please watch me and try to follow.” he then began to do that weird practice dance that Alv taught Van.

Van watched with some annoyance, already recovering somewhat since he was in his soul realm and energy was available to spare. He then blinked as his double began to move faster and faster. At first, it just looked weird, but the more he watched, the more he had a hard time tracking him. Soon it was like his double was starting to blur in place and in the next second… he was gone.

Van was taken aback. He was pretty sure he didn’t blink or anything this time. It was just that, what was before a large smudge in his vision. Simply disappeared… he looked around, and his heart jumped to find his double right next to him.

“The dance isn’t the important part, Van.” the double said as if what he did was no big deal. “It’s what you learn from it. There's a rhythm to it, a pattern. Once you understand that, you don’t even need to do the dance anymore. The dance is just there to help you comprehend that pattern, and to train your body for that rhythm… nothing more.”

“If you want to learn more of it. You should ask Ren about it. I’ve asked a past life of ours to help give me some pointers about the flicker step. It seems that he was from some sort of wuxia world or another, and there was a movement technique very similar to what you are learning now. With his help, I have been able to increase my understanding of this technique and in some area’s improve upon it. I could allow this knowledge to flow into you… but I think there are more important lessons to teach you at the moment… So I'll save that for later…”

Van frowned. Since he became aware of it, he did in fact find out that what his double knew, he knew. And started to take advantage of that. But It didn’t occur to him that his double could actually hide things from him… perhaps this was just another thing his subconscious wanted to happen, in the hopes that Van would grow mentally… or whatever…

“Seriously… It’s like I'm my own worst enemy… there's some poetry to that I'm sure… but I could really do without it…” Van thought, getting even more annoyed by all this. But sighing in defeat since there wasn’t much he could do about it. If his subconscious was treating him like this, then maybe it really was just to help him improve… What other reason could there be? Seriously… It’s like I'm my own worst enemy… there's some poetry to that I'm sure… but I could really do without it…” Van thought, getting even more annoyed by all this. But sighing in defeat since there wasn’t much he could do about it. If his subconscious was treating him like this, then maybe it really was just to help him improve… What other reason could there be?

“At least that was an interesting little tidbit of information… it seems my double can also gain access to my past lives… worrying… but also enlightening… I could use this somehow… I should also probably do as he said and maybe talk to Ren about this…” Van thought.

With another sigh, Van asked what else he learned from his past self.

The double shook his head. “Sadly, they do not wish to do much with a double such as myself… They much prefer the real thing. If only because they say that there are things only the real thing can do that I can’t. Which I feel is a fair assessment, but does get in the way of our overall improvement…”

“Was that… annoyance I heard…” Van must have heard wrong… other than that or it must have been buried deep under all that seemingly bored speak of his double. “Well… that is both worrying and kinda nice to know if it’s true…” feeling oddly smug about the fact that there are things his double can’t do… but then frowning as he realized what that meant for him.

“Alright…” Van said, taking a deep breath and letting it out. “I’ll go visit them…”

“You should.” his double agreed, giving Van a small nod of his head.

Van actually really didn’t want to visit his past lives, considering how they apparently wanted to take his body over to live a second life, and the one that didn’t effectively want to take over his body and soul realm does nothing but play video games when he’s not coding or messing with his soul realm…

With another sigh of annoyance. Van flew towards his castle to talk to Ren about his past lives. “You know… I really should also come up with a name for my double… feels weird to always call him my double in my head all the time… maybe… Dan?” he thought as he flew towards the center of his soul realm.

The double shivered as Van left. Not fully knowing why, but instinctively knowing it was bad…

Van landed in his castle and walked down the halls towards his throne room. Upon entering the room, he noticed that Ren had propped himself up in the corner, sitting on a bean bag, and was playing a video game on a tv he had brought. Kassandra was a bit closer and looked like she was finishing up on the last bit of work she had. With a small smile and wave, she beckoned Van over when she noticed him, and he came to greet her.

“Hey, Kassandra. How are you doing?” Van asked his angel/guardian.

“Good, if not a little tired…” She responded. “We have a lot less work than before now that so many people left and that we caught up with all the other minor and major problems we had with the soul realm. So it won’t be long before there is practically nothing left for us to do other than do the daily maintenance. Can’t wait to take a proper break.” lifting her arms and stretching out her back.

“In fact…” a mischievous smile took her and she motioned him even closer as she leaned in. “when you are done with your month of abstinence… why don’t we…” and she began to whisper into his ears. Making them go red with embarrassment.

“I… didn’t think you were like that Kassandra…” Van said, a little red-faced. “And not to mention I kinda thought… you know…” he glanced over to where Ren was and back. “You and Ren?”

“Ya… I get why you would think that…” Kassandra said. “But it’s you I have feelings for. After all, you're the one that saved me, though Ren was the one that helped me greatly while you did your own thing… either way, it’s pointless, since Ren doesn’t want any relationships in this life. He says that he already had enough wives and lovers in his past life, and he doesn’t want to add any in this one for fear of getting attached and being afraid of getting greedy, or something or another…” she shrugged. “The point being… he’s not looking for anyone at this time…”

“Huh…” Was all Van could say to that. He was always a little worried about what would happen if Ren started to form romantic relationships with others, but he guessed it was a mote point now…

“Well… thanks for telling me that. I have to talk to Ren now, but I will give what you said some… consideration…” Van said.

Kassandra smiled. “You do that,” she said with a smile and a wink.

Van then walked over to Ren who seemed to be playing some sort of platform game with a man in a green jumpsuit stumping on what appeared to be red turtles. “Hey Ren… sorry to bother you on your… break? I just want to ask if it was possible if I can talk to a few past lives of mine for help. you know, with fighting and learning new things and such? Do you think it would be possible. I know that we used to have a place for that before, but since everything changed I haven’t been able to see something similar to that since. Do you know how to get in touch with them?”

Ren paused his game and looked up from the tv. “You want to visit some of your other past lives?” he then tilted his head as if to think about it, then shrugged. “Sure, it shouldn’t be a problem… follow me.” he then got up and started to walk towards the end of the throne room.

Van followed quickly behind.

“Since everything had changed when this place went through its upgrade. It was a bit difficult to get things organized again.” Ren began. “So establishing a reconnection was a bit on the bottom of my priorities… though not by far… since those buggers would try to force themselves through without a proper channel to flow into too… so the Memoriam was placed in a special room behind the throne room. Where your power was strongest to put a lid on any who tried to… do more than they should…”

Ren then opened a hidden door behind the throne which led into a wide dome-like area with circular pillars and columns filled with runes. In the center was a massive magical circle matrix and what appeared to be some sort of stand to which one would probably have to stand on.

“All you have to do…” Ren began to explain. “Is stand in the center-right there… the area should change to match the person you are seeking to communicate with. No more chair bullshit. You are in complete control now…” Then began to explain some of the rules and methods of controlling the place. After that, he turned to leave. “Have fun, and if you need any help. Don’t be afraid to shout for me. See ya…” and then left Van alone in the room.

Van wondered if there was something wrong with Ren… he seemed… a little distant… or perhaps not as energetic as he used to be… he absently wondered if Ren might have overheard what Kassandra and he was talking about. Or perhaps it had to do with something else…

But with a shake of his head, he decided not to pry into other people's business, and focus on the more important task at hand. Such as communicating with that wuxia character that his double mentioned… Speaking of which… How did his double gain access to this place before him? Was this just another subconscious thing he wasn’t aware of?

Or… could it be… that Ren’s screens and numbers were somehow tied into his subconscious…

Again he shook his head, not wanting to bother with something like that at this moment. And bravely took a step forward until he was standing in the center of the room. He closed his eyes and felt more than saw countless stars that each represented a past life of his. Focusing, he slowly screened out all the dim stars and began to search for bright ones that met his criteria. After that, he slowly zeroed in on the one that he was searching for.

He felt the distance shrink between him and that star… and when he opened his eyes… he was in a surreal garden with a simple eastern-style wooden house that was close to a cliff with an amazing view of a valley below.

“So… you have decided to visit me.” a voice said behind Van.

Van spun around, meeting face to face with… well… someone who looked a little similar to him… black hair and blue eyes… in fact. It just dawned on him that that was what most of his past lives looked like. Which was a little disconcerting…

“If you came here to learn more about aura, you came to the wrong person.” the young men with the oriental clothes said. His arms behind his straight back, standing with confidence, yet somehow relaxed at the same time… his aged eyes not matching his young appearance… “If you're looking for an aura instructor you should talk to that knight fellow… he probably could help you more than I can. Unless of course… you want to learn cultivation?”

“Umm,” Van began. “I’m… actually here because I heard you can help teach me the flicker step better?” unsure of what to say or do in this awkward situation. Last he remembered this person was years ago, and he wanted to take over his body! Now though… It seemed like he couldn’t be bothered with it, and was acting very… polite… “if you don’t mind helping me…” he asked unsure…

The young men looked at him for a long second before answering.

“I can somewhat guess what you are thinking,” he said, making Van worried. “But I do not care for your body anymore.” he then casually glanced away, soaking in the beautiful sight of the valley before him. “This is not my second chance at life… I would not meet my wives or anyone I know if I were to take over your body… in fact… it could very well be that some of us are actually still alive… and that we are nothing more than mere bits of information…”

Which made Van perk up, confirming a suspicion that he long held.

“Another thing to keep in mind…” the young man continued. “Is that the reason why most of us were so desperate to take over your body was because otherwise, we would have to deal with an endless void to contend with… thankfully… the one you call Ren decided to… ease our stay here… allowing us to create homes from our memories…” he then turned to Van.

“Can you imagine… to be nothing… to come from nothing… and then all of a sudden you exist and are trapped in a void for years while all around you are those who would try to establish some form of their own order. Even if that means at the cost of others? Because let me tell you… it was not… pleasant…”

Van remembered way back to when his father entered his soul realm for the first time. How his soul realm seemed to be in constant flux and at war with each other.

The young men continued. “Now though… we have calmed down a bit… and things are… nice… so far… so I don’t mind helping you out if you wish. Though I want something in return…”

Van tensed. “What do you want?” he asked guardedly.

“Nothing… at least not yet…” the young man replied. “I just want to be let out every so often… but other than that… I’m unsure… even if you turned me down though, I still will help you out… though not as much… Do we have an agreement?”

Van thought about it. It really didn’t seem like the guy wanted to take control over his body anymore… though he couldn’t be one hundred percent sure about that… he should ask Ren about this before agreeing to let him out… but for now…

“Okay… I agree…” Van said.

The young men smiled. “Thank you… now then… you said you wanted help with something called a… flicker step?”

“Before that… if I’m going to be learning from you. What should I call you?” Van asked.

The young man blinked, then tilted his head, before he gave a small smile. “You may call me… Xan…”