The real Long Chen was floating in a dark space that didn't have even the least bit of light.
He didn't know what had happened. The last thing he could remember was him trying to use the Dark Sacrifice, but before he could do so, he was hit by the attack.
Everything has turned dark since that moment. He couldn't remember anything after that.
He only found himself floating in the endless darkness after that.
He couldn't even feel his body. It was as if only his consciousness was here, not his body. His senses weren't working either. He couldn't smell anything. He couldn't touch anything. At this point, he was unsure if there was actually darkness or he had lost his sense of sight as well.
He tried to test the only thing he could. He tried speaking to see if he could.
Opening his mouth, he tried to utter words, but even that didn't work. No voice came out of his mouth.
He wasn't sure if it was actually that he wasn't able to speak or if he spoke, but his ears weren't working to make him able to hear.
He couldn't do anything.
He was still able to think, fortunately. Using his thoughts, he tried to contact Xun.
"Xun, can you listen to me? Where am I?" He asked Xun, but he didn't get any response.
'Could it be that I am actually dead?" He wondered.
'Is this what happens after people die? Endless Darkness without any senses? Or is this my personal hell?' he thought.
"If it's the afterlife, it's pretty bad. But if it's hell, I can kind of appreciate it. Spending an eternity in a place like this is truly a hell, so it would befit its role," he muttered, but as previously, he couldn't hear his words.
"You are funny. Even in a place like this, you think of such things."
While Long Chen was talking to himself, he heard a voice.
There was no origin of the Voice. It seemed to be coming from everywhere.
Long Chen tried looking around, but he couldn't see anyone. It was actually as if he had gone blind.
"Who are you?" he asked, unsure if his voice was actually coming out or not.
"Who am I?"
After hearing a response, Long Chen was sure that he could speak. Or was it that the person who was talking to him could understand what he wanted to say even if no words came out?
'Can you hear me now?' he tried talking using his thoughts, but he didn't get a response.
This made him sure that he was able to speak. He only couldn't hear.
'Wait a minute? If I can't hear, how can I hear that other voice? And if I can hear, why can't I hear my words?' he thought as he grew even more confused.
He ultimately decided to stop thinking about it.
"Yes, who are you?" He asked.
" Who am I?" the voice said again
Hearing the same response, Long Chen couldn't control himself as he blurted out, "You idiot, stop irritating me by repeating the same thing. Tell me about yourself."
" I am you, and you are me," the voice said.
"Are you me from the future? Am I inside the Sword of Time? Did it link the minds of my current and my future self?" Long Chen asked.
"Hahaha," the voice couldn't help but laugh after hearing his response. "You have an interesting way of thinking."
"No, I am not the future you. I am the current you," the Voice said.
"The current me? What do you mean?" Long Chen asked, confused.
"Tell me who you are?" The voice asked.
"I am Long Chen," Long Chen answered.
"That wasn't the name of the true owner of your body, was it?" the Voice asked.
Even Long Chen was stunned as he heard that since even Xun didn't know about this.
"Yes. The real name of that person was Long Tian," Long Chen answered.
"Do you still need to ask who I am?" the Voice asked as if the person who it belonged to was smiling while talking to him.
"What does that have to do with who you ar-" At first, Long Chen didn't understand, but he soon realized something.
The voice sounded like it belonged to someone who was as young as him or even younger. And the words that came out just now.
"Are you Long Tian?!" Long Chen exclaimed in shock.
"Hahaha, you aren't too slow. I am glad my body is being handled by someone like you. You aren't smart to my extent. You aren't even as hard-working, but you have the thirst to get stronger that I had."
"You also cared for my family like it was actually yours. You even saved my father. I am really glad that your soul came into my body," the Voice said.
"What the heck! How are you still aliv- ahem, I mean how was it that I'm just finding of your consciousness that still exists somehow?" Long Chen asked.
"I always existed. Even as someone who was mentally slow after the assassination attempt, I still existed. I even existed when your soul took over my body," Long Tian said.
"I must say, though. It wasn't very nice of you to take over my body without asking," he let out jokingly.
Long Chen was feeling somewhat embarrassed as he heard it. He couldn't believe that he was actually talking to someone like Long Tian.
The boy was called a Genius of the small place. The one who shattered all records at the young age of five. The kid who finished reading almost all the books in the library by the time he was ten.
Now that Long Chen actually thought about it, he realized that Long Tian was actually a much more talented guy than him. It was only because of the inheritance and his memories that Long Chen was able to rise so much. Long Tian had managed all that based on his talent.
"Why didn't you contact me before? Why didn't I feel your consciousness before? Where were you hiding, and what is this place?" Long Chen asked.
"Ask me one at a time, my friend. We have plenty of time if I'm not wrong," Long Tian answered, chuckling.
"Let's start with your first question. I didn't contact you before because I couldn't. Second answer. You didn't feel my consciousness before it was here always. Thirdly, where was I hiding? I already answered that question. I was always here," Long Tian answered.
"As for the last question, where is this place? Now, this is important, so listen carefully."