The Black Heritage

Chapter 13: Meeting His Other Self

Ethan kept running in the dark and empty space despite his dreary and injured body. He could feel that there was a monster chasing him.

"Where am I? Where am I?" He said in a whisper.

After a few hours he ran in the middle of nowhere, he finally found a light from not afar. A light just as big as a dot. He headed for it quickly.

As he approached the little light, it was growing wide and shone so bright. It was as if he was advancing toward the gates of heaven. The whole area was covered with cotton-like white clouds. "What place is that? Am I dead? Is that heaven?"

When he got to the front door, he stopped from going in. He braced his palms to his sides and asked himself while panting, "Why am I running? Shouldn't I face that monster and kill him mercilessly? Uhmm, right! For my brothers and for all the villagers, I will take my revenge. I will kill him."

Ethan gritted his teeth and clenched his fists sternly as he turned back towards the dark space. Coincidentally, as he turned around, the monster suddenly jumped out of him from the darkness. He was overwhelmed with fear by seeing himself in the monster. Its whole appearance was a monster except for the face.

While wrestling with the monster, they fell from the space until to the ground, which was why he lost his consciousness.

"Ethan! Ethan! Wake up!" A familiar voice said while shaking Ethan that brought back his consciousness.

Ethan gradually opened his eyes. He quickly threw himself up as to see a crouching man with palms on his cheeks towered next to his head. 

The man smiled, "You finally wake up!" 

Ethan suddenly grabbed the man who looked like him. He pinned him on the ground with his arm pressing on the person's neck and was about to release a strong blow when the man suddenly shouted.

"Wait, I'm not a bad person. Don't rush, let's talk calmly, Can we?" The man said with hands both raised to his side saying he was surrendering. 

Ethan got down from him and released him roughly. "Who are you? Why are you disguising as me?" 

The man sat up, dusting his palms. "I should be the one to ask you that question. Who are you? Is this how you treat the owner of your body?" 

"What do you mean?" 

"Is that not clear enough? I thought you were smart, how can you understand this simple matter?" 

Ethan grabbed the man again in his collar. "Do you have a death wish? If I ask you a question, don't return me with a question. You get me?" 

"Hey, why are you so short tempered this time?" The man pulled off Ethan's hand. "The You I know has a good temper. Why now you become unreasonable?" 

"How did you know my name?" 

"Isn't that not yet obvious? You are me. Me is you. I am the owner of the body you possessed now. Aren't you aware of that?" 

"No. If I am seeing you now, does that mean I am already dead? No. I can't die. I have not yet taken my revenge." Ethan fell himself on the grasses. His face showed that he was unable to accept his early end. 

"What dead are you saying? Who is dead? Are you telling me I am dead? Pooh! Pooh! I am not dead. You are not dead too. I am just sealed inside my own body after you took over my body."

"We are not dead? Then, where is this place? Why are we here? This place looks weird. So many flowers, white surroundings, small rivers and green grasses, aren't this already heaven?" 

"Even I who stay here for more than a month don't know where this is, how did you know? But--if you really don't want to die, I urge you to wake up now. Or else the man who found you will think you are already dead."

"Wake up? Am I just dreaming now?"

The man who looked like Ethan was no longer answering, but just stared at him deeply and carefully. Ethan soon rolled over when the eyes of the said man suddenly turned red and hopped on him. 

"Let go!" Ethan screamed when he woke up, rolled out of bed and fell to the floor. Since his mind was not yet very stable and a bit delirious, he quickly stood up and turned around behind the middle-aged man who was towering on the side of his bed and watching him closely while holding a sharp knife. Ethan smoothly snatched the knife from the man, grabbed his arms and pressed the blade of the knife to its throat.

"Who are you? What are you planning to do? Where am I? Where is the kid with me?" Ethan asked one question after another.

"Sir, calm down first. I am not a bad person. I am the only one who found you in the forest. Seriously wounded and unconscious. Just now, you were screaming, so I came over to check on you leaving my unfinished business in the kitchen. I tried to wake you up but I still can't until you fell on the floor and woke up by yourself. And do not worry, even if the child has a fever, he is safe." The man explained in panic.

Upon hearing the man's explanation, Ethan dropped the knife and immediately apologized. "Sir, I'm sorry. I have no intention of scaring you. After what happened to us, I just need to be alert."

"I understand. I understand." The man said, rubbing his arms. 

"Oh sir, - -" 

"I am Fabian. You can call me that."

"Uncle Fabian, can you tell me now where Jotun is?" 

"Is that the name of the cute little boy?" 

"Yes."

"He is in next door."

"Thank you." 

Ethan immediately left the room and went to the boy. Right after he opened the door, the kid woke up. 

"Jotun." Ethan immediately hugged the child. "This is fine Jotun. This is fine. It's over now. Brother is here. Don't be afraid."

"Brother Ethan, I can't breathe. Your hug is too tight." Said Jotun. "And don't worry about me. I'm fine."

"I heard you had a fever. Let me check."

Jotun smiled as he blocked Ethan's hand aside. "I am really fine Brother Ethan. Really. I feel good now. But- it's you who don't look good at all. Is this still hurt?" Jotun pressed his palm at Ethan's left chest. 

Ethan took Jotun's hand and the kid drew a bitter smile on his lips as he saw his cut fingers again wrapped with the plaster.

Ethan hugged the boy again, "Jotun, I promise, from today onwards, I will not allow anything to happen to you. And I promise you, I will take revenge for our loved ones that they killed as well as the rest of their victims."

"Brother Ethan, thank you."

The old man sighed at Ethan's side, "That boy is very fond of you. In the past few days you were unconscious, he patiently watched over you and did not leave until he caught a fever. But based on his better complexion now, it looks like his fever has subsided. "

"Great. Thank you for helping with us Uncle Fabian. In the future, I will surely pay your kindness." Ethan said.

"That is what I should do. No need to repay me. I am all alone. I actually like having you here in this big house."

"What are you doing Jotun?" Ethan asked as Jotun kept sniffing at his body.

"Yuck Brother Ethan, you stinks." Jotun said while pressing his nose to a close with his left fingers. 

"Am I?" Ethan sniffed his body too and his nose wrinkled to realise that the kid was right. Ethan looked at Fabian. "Uncle, where can I have a bath here?" 

Fabian replied, laughing. "This room does not have its own bathroom because it can only be used once, but there is one in your room."

Ethan rubbed his neck, "Uncle Fabian, can I bother you again, we don't have any clothes. If only I could-"

"No problem. Take a bath and I will deliver to your room the clothes you need."

"Thank you."

*************

Ethan was staring in the air as his body was soaked in the bathtub. His mind was full of images of the sensational events in the village last week. He did not think that he had slept that long but the tragic end of his brothers were still fresh in his mind and heart. The pain was the fresher.

Ethan's tears flowed down slowly again from one of his eyes and as it fell into the water, a picture of his face appeared. No. It was the other Ethan. The real Ethan of this chaotic world. 

"Stop torturing yourself. Don't be too sad. The dead will not live again even if you drown yourself in mourning. Besides, you are not their real brother, why are you so affected?" The face said. 

At first Ethan was startled. He stirred the water to check if he was hallucinating things but the face didn't disappear.

"Is this me or you?" Ethan asked, wrinkling his brows. 

"Of course, it is both of us. Your reflection displays in the water but the consciousness is mine. So it is me and you." He replied. 

"Why are you here?"

"If I am not bothered by the pain in your heart, I wouldn't show up. My spirit is still weak and needs more recuperation."

"Then why are you here? How did my emotions bother you?"

"Don't forget. That is my body. I may can't feel the pain in your physical injuries but I feel what your heart feels. You are happy, I am happy. If you're sad, I am sad. If you're heartbroken so do I because we are now one."

"I am sorry. I can't help it."

"I understand but instead you keep lingering on that pain, why don't you stand again where you fall. Didn't you say that once?"

Ethan lowered his head. He felt embarrassed with himself. "I am sorry and thank you for enlightening me. I feel a bit better after talking with you."

"That's good to hear. I have a question for you. Why are you so affected by my brother's death?"

"You don't understand. I grew up alone and yearning for warmth and love from a family. I got a chance but it was taken back away from me in such a despicable way." Ethan's eyes glowered. 

"It was despicable indeed. I didn't know, there are really monsters in this world." The voice said bitterly. 

Ethan held his laughter. 

"What are you laughing at?" The brows of the face furrowed in askance. 

"Don't be angry but I actually kept dreaming you shifted into a monster."

"What? Are you kidding me? How can I shift into a monster? You are the monster because you snatched my body.

"Hey, relax. It was just a dream. Of course you are not aware of it. But, for you to know, my dream is quite reliable and often happens and real."

"Don't slander me. From the two of us, you are the monster." The voice said angrily and in the next second, the face disappeared. 

"Hey, are you leaving just like that? Are you really mad? Hey?"

"Ethan, are you okay out there? Lunch is ready. Come in the dining when you're done. Oh, your clothes are on the bed." Fabian's voice echoed to the room along with loud knockings. Only by that moment, Ethan woke up from sleeping inside the bathtub. 

"So it was just a dream again. But still thanks, I know now what to do." He murmured and finally came out from the bathroom.