Chapter 5: Mindspace
After their conversation, Ethan and Alex resumed their training. This time, it wasn't sparring, but a series of physical exercises - running a mile, doing push-ups, and other intense workouts.
And Lucas,the one who never work his body out in his past life, suffered enough.
'Ugh, such extreme training,' Lucas thought, gasping for breath as he finished a set of push-ups.
'They do this kind of training every day, and they haven't even fully awakened yet?'
He was both amazed and surprised by this fact.
Thanks to Ethan's body, he was able to keep up with the physical demands of the training. But mentally, he was exhausted.
This was a different kind of tiredness than what he experienced from writing for weeks without sleep.
This was physical exhaustion, and it was a whole new experience for him.
Just then he can hear a footsteps coming to him.
"Thanks for today, Ethan," Alex said, breaking Ethan out of his thoughts.
Ethan turned to look at him, a smirk on his face.
"Don't need to thank me every time,man, It's not that big of deal" he replied, trying to sound as casual as possible.
Alex simply nodded, sitting down on the bench next to him.There is a pause on their conversation as Alex behin to opened his mouth.
"You must be wondering...why I asked you to start training all of a sudden back then."
Ethan, or rather Lucas in Ethan's body, scoffed at Alex's statement.
"Yeah, right. It's not like you want to tell me or something," he retorted, his tone teasing.
Alex chuckled, shaking his head.
"You got me there, Ethan," he admitted, a wry smile on his face.
"But you're right. I didn't tell you everything back then."
Ethan raised an eyebrow, intrigued.
"Oh? Do I finally get to know the big secret now?" he asked, playing along with the conversation.
Another short pause before Alex looked at him for a moment, his expression serious.That is when Lucas know,the main topic is here.
"I asked you to train with me because I knew something about my future. The future where I am going to be part of something bigger. Something... beyond ordinary."
Lucas felt a chill run down his spine. He knew what Alex was referring to - the supernatural world they were destined to be a part of. But Ethan wasn't supposed to know about it yet.
He decided to play dumb, to keep the conversation going.
"Beyond ordinary? What do you mean, Alex?"
He said,trying to made his face as dumb as possible which is easy enough with his new face.
"That's something I can't tell you," Alex said, his voice down as he felt sorry that he can't tell the truth.
Ethan, or rather Lucas in Ethan's body, scoffed.He know why he decided that decision.A normal human can't know about supernatural entities as it can bring them towards unknown danger.
That's why,with a thought to protect his friend,Alex need to hide the truth.
"Yeah, that sucks, dude," he replied, trying to keep the mood light.
He paused for a moment, considering his next words carefully.
"Anyway, I know you're not joking when you talk about that, even though I don't know what you're talking about. But as long as I'm here, you can train with me anytime you want."
Alex looked at him, surprise evident in his eyes. Then, slowly, a smile spread across his face.
"Thanks, Ethan," he said, his voice filled with genuine gratitude.
"I appreciate that."
"Heh,of course it's not for free."
"Haha,sure Ethan.You can ask me a favor later."
"That's more like it."
________________________________
Timeskip
As the clock struck midnight, Lucas found himself lying in the quiet solitude of his bed, the muted glow of the moon casting long shadows across the room.
'Such a tiring day,'
The day had been nothing short of extraordinary, a surreal journey into the life of his main character, the one he had meticulously crafted with his own hands. He had stepped into Ethan's shoes, navigated his world, and even sparred with his best friend, Alex.
He had laughed at Ethan's jokes, shared his exhaustion, and felt the camaraderie that was unique to their friendship.
'It's not a bad experience,' he thought, a faint smile playing on his lips. The sensation of having a friend, of sharing experiences and memories, was new to him. It was a feeling he had never quite experienced in his past life, a feeling that filled him with a warmth he had never known.
'I wonder,can I have that kind of bond,if the 'accident' didn't happen....,'
'No that's to much hope I put on that thought.I should sto--'
But as he lay there, lost in his thoughts, a sudden rush of unfamiliar memories flooded his mind as he gripped his head.
'Arghh,' he groaned, clutching his head as the onslaught of memories hit him like a tidal wave. It was intense, overwhelming, but amidst the chaos, he recognized these memories. They were Ethan's memories, memories of the body he was now inhabiting.
Each memory was a snapshot of Ethan's life, vivid and poignant. They were fragments of a life he had created, of a character he had breathed life into. And now, they were part of him.
As the final memory washed over him, a screen appeared in his mind.
'Synchronization Complete,' it read, the words glowing with an eerie light.
And then, just as suddenly as it had started, his consciousness started to fade, slipping away like sand through his fingers.
It felt like a second before his conciussness coming back.
When he opened his eyes, he found himself in a vast expanse of white. It was a space devoid of any features or landmarks, a white canvas that stretched as far as the eye could see.
'Where am I?' he wondered, his gaze darting around the featureless landscape.The endless space where he can't see anything but white space.
'Is this Mindspace?'
Random thought on his head as he looking around.
Right then Lucas unconsciously glanced down at his hand, and a jolt of surprise ran through him.There is something he noticed right after he look at it.
'This scar !!'
This wasn't the hand he had woken up with. This hand bore a scar, a scar that he recognized. A scar from his past, a stark reminder of his life as Lucas.
A realization hit his head like a truck.
'No, this scar...this is my original body's hand,' he realized, his heart pounding in his chest. The scar was a reminder of his past, a testament to his life as Lucas.
Meaning that he is back in his own body.
'Lucas,' he whispered, the name echoing in the vast emptiness. He was Lucas,a writer of The Phantom's Curse.
Just as he confirmed his situation, another voice can be heard.
"Hey, you're here!!" A voice echoed through the vast white expanse, jolting Lucas from his thoughts.
He froze, his heart pounding in his chest.Another Suprised expression plant on his face when he heard the voice.
It is because one thing.
The voice...it was familiar.
Too familiar. It was the voice he had been using all day, the voice of the body he was inhabiting.
A sudden realization struck him, causing him to whip around.
"Ethan... Allen??" He stammered, his voice barely above a whisper.
"Ding, ding, you're right!" The voice responded, a hint of amusement lacing the words.
Lucas felt a chill run down his spine. He was standing in a mindscape, face-to-face with the character he had created. The character whose life he was now living.
It was a surreal moment, one that left him reeling. He was Lucas, but he was also Ethan. And now, he was standing in front of the real Ethan. It was a meeting of the creator and the creation, a moment that defied all logic and reason.
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