Chapter five: Absolute power Corrupts absolutely.
I just stared at him dumbfounded; somehow I managed to build up enough saliva in my mouth to create words.
"This must be a dream, I killed you four years ago at the Shaman tournament."
For the longest time Hao only stared back at me, he had changed physically. Like he was the same age as me. He stood a little taller then me and his voice was deeper but still held the same arrogant tone.
"You did kill me yes, but you killed my body. Not my soul."
"Your soul should be rotting in hell right now you bastard!"
Hao laughed loudly at this statement, "Yes I know it should be. And believe me I dearly miss the place but much to my surprise as well I woke up here. Inside your mind and soul." He watched me intently, expecting me to start speaking but continued seeing that I didn't understand what he was telling me.
"Four years ago you took everything from me, my weak little brother defeated the great Hao. Back during the Shaman fights you were as useless as an asshole right here," Hao pointed to his elbow. "After I was killed I thought I had lost everything all over again but I was greatly mistaken. You see, we are the same. One soul. You the kinder, passive side. The weak side. I, on the other hand am the more violent and aggressive side. The one with the power. When I died I just simply returned to my other half. At first I was pissed, thinking that I would be forced to live inside your head until you died. Listening to your constant dribbling thoughts about god knows what. I was discouraged and was about to accept defeat once again by your hands. Then a thought came to me, the aggressive side of your soul had returned, a side you have never felt before, the more powerful side. At the time I didn't have enough power to do much."
"You mean enough power to corrupt my mind," I spat out.
Hao glared at me but did not raise his voice when he spoke again, "I like to call it educate you in the use of real power not corrupt," he cleared his throat loudly, "As I was saying before I was rudely interrupted was that I did not have the power to do much, so I had to wait. Four long and painful years later I finally reached the levels of power that I needed to control you. That day you so violently smashed your fist threw the computer screen. That was just a test to see what exactly I could make you do. But you tried to fight back the rage and that earned you a very nasty headache. Again thanks to me." Suddenly Hao's face turned into a wicked grin that caused me to subconsciously step back, "At this very moment I control a very large portion of you mind and soul. To put it mathematically about 70. And I did this without you even knowing. Unfortunately I can only do so much behind your back without you feeling some changes. Now its up to us to work together so you will be able to obtain both our powers for the next tournament."
Now it was my turn to laugh at him, "I don't need your power, and I never will."
"Oh but you have used my power already. I've noticed how you no longer fear Anna. Her words roll off you like water on wax. That is not your courage, that is mine."
He was right and I knew it, it made me sick to admit it but never in my life had I ever stood up to Anna.
"You had a taste of my power, and you liked it I know you did." His every word sounded like cruel laughter.
I clenched my fist so hard I thought they would start bleeding, I was angry. Not because he was taunting me but because he knew how I enjoyed the liberating feeling of having power over another.
"You wont stay in my head much longer, I'll tell Anna what has been happening and she will find a way to get you out," At these words Hao's features turned dangerously fierce.
"You tell anyone about me and I swear I'll make you suffer. Hell, even if you think about telling someone about me, I'll make you twist and turn in pain and spill blood from your mouth." He stormed up to me and grabbed me by the shirt pulling me only inches away from his violent eyes as if he was going to kill me right then and there. "I know everything your thinking, so I'll know, trust me I'll know if your about to be a horses ass, so if I was you, I'd shut my mouth."
He pushed me down and I hit the ground with a thud, I felt pain in my elbow when I fell. Never had I felt pain during a dream. "That's impossible, you can't do that to me!" I yelled back still recovering from the pain of the fall.
"I can't can I? Well we will just see then wont we." Hao suddenly looked up as if he was listening to something only he could hear. Then just as quickly turned back to me. "I would like to continue this conversation but you're about to be rudely awakened."
"Sir? Sir are you alright?" A slightly panicked voice filled my ears as I regained consciousness.
I opened my eyes and saw a figure looming over me. I bolted up thinking that I was still having that nightmare. But relief flooded over me when I realized it was a policeman. I looked around and saw that I was still in that rundown park. My eyes burned when the officer shone his flashlight into my face.
"Have you been drinking at all?" He asked in a much calmer voice realizing I was alive and that he didn't have a homicide on his hands.
"What are you joking? Its only late in the morning?" I answered.
He looked at me his eyes telling me he didn't believe a word I was saying. Pulling back his coat sleeve he looked at his watch. "Umm sir its 10:50."
I nodded my head in agreement at his statement. What was this guy getting at?
"I meant 10:50 at night."
"What! No it can't be I left the house at 8:00 in the morning how could it be that late? I only rested here for a moment," My words jumbled together as I rambled them off like I really was drunk.
The officer rearranged his hat then sighed deeply. "Sir, people around here reported seeing you lay down on this bench around 2:15. Then you never got up, even in this rain you never moved a muscle. They thought you were dead. And this is a ruff part of the city so that sort of thing happens all the time. They figured you had OD'ed on something then just passed out and died." His face became serious all of a sudden, "Your not doped up on something either are you?"
"NO!" I yelled back at him, I was getting tired of him thinking I was some burn out that chose a dirty old park as my corner to die in.
The officer backed up slightly at my sudden outburst, "Ok, no need to get offended just making sure that's all."
I got up with great difficulty, my limbs burned like they had thousands of red-hot needles stuck into them. I looked around again, this time more carefully. The entire park was shrouded in darkness except for the lone streetlamp that created a dim circle of light around the bench. The rain had given up a little and had now become a pitiful drizzle.
"Do you need a ride home sir?" My focus went back to the policeman who still stood close by.
"Ya, that would be good," I started to follow him to his car. I caught a glimpse of myself in a puddle on the street. My hair hung messily around my pale and hollow face. I didn't look at all like the person I was a month ago, I was becoming a stranger even to myself.
When the officer asked for directions to my house I couldn't tell him because I had no idea where I was. This little spiel of course didn't help with my earlier statement that I wasn't drunk so I had to blow into a breathalyser. Not one of my prouder moments, an a moment that I would never tell Anna about nor Horo Horo, he would never let me live that one down.
After the officer was satisfied that I wasn't drunk I told him the street I lived on. He was new on the job and didn't know where that area was.
"Well I'll take you to the police station so you can call someone from there," he glanced over at me, "You do have someone to call right?"
I nodded my head, "I do have someone to call but they are probably going to kill me."
The officer chuckled to himself, "Man you are having one ruff night."