White Soul

by G L Rathweg

  “You could have prepared me a bit better for that you know.” I said, a bit pissed but so awed by my Ki Ocean that I let it slide off my back.

  “Yes, I could have but I didn’t.” He replied, laughing like a little child.

  “Is it really that funny? I mean it hurt more than, more than, well anything I’ve ever felt before!” I finished, lamely.

  Dangun just laughed and laughed at me to the point where tears began streaming down his stupid face. A few minutes of this went by and I was starting to get really fucking pissed off.

  “You know you are being a real fucking asshole Dangun.” I said, glaring at the spirit who was just now starting to get his shit together.

  He was breathing heavily and still laughing but he held his hand up to me placatingly until he got himself under control. Even then he was still grinning, I could tell by his stupid face and eyes he was laughing inside.

  “It is not that it is so funny. It is an inside joke thing. My master, his master, and every master before has done this to their students. We all went through it and now you joined the club thanks to the pain you experienced. It is just funny to know someone else is about to go through what you know hurts like a son of a bitch.” Dangun said, laughing again and shaking his head.

  I thought about what he said as I sat there stewing and after thinking for a bit, I decided that I agreed with him. It’s why we laugh when someone walks into a pole, or trips, or whatever. Because we know the pain and laughing helps. I was still mad, but I understood now and moved on. Besides, I had fucking Elemental Magic shit to learn.

  “Anyway, as you can see this is your Ki Ocean without me subduing it. It is amazing is it not? All of this is your Void Ki.” He said, gesturing to the glowing energy all around us.

  It was amazing, wonderful even. The technicolored pulsating energy was beautiful to behold and somehow comforting to be in. I knew on an instinctual level that this was my Ki, my soul. The only other things I could compare it to were vague memories of my mom holding me as a baby and more memorable memories of my grandma holding me when I was sick or just to say I love you. It was warmth and safety. It was a cocoon of my spirit energy of my inner self.

  “I can see that you are aware of your Ki Ocean. It is time to move on to the first step of Cultivation. This will increase your handling of your Ki and the strength of your physical body’s systems as well, down to cellular level.” Dangun explained.

  “You know about cells?” I asked, genuinely surprised.

  “Of course, I know about cells boy. If I have to keep telling you about how much you don’t know about me and actual history, we will never get any training done. Now, focus and watch what I do.” Dangun snapped.

  From the Lotus position he raised his righthand palm up and a small glowing blue orb of energy grew there till it was the size of a basketball. I stared in awe at the glowing ball of Dangun’s Ki. It was like a shimmering spinning azure energy filled planetoid in the palm of his hand.

  “This is my Ki Ocean at the first stage. You must compact your Ki Ocean till it is this size. It will consolidate your Ki Energy which will focus and begin the tasks of forming and getting your body ready.” He instructed.

  “Wait, that’s your Ki Ocean? You want me to get all this energy out here and shrink it down till it’s the size of that ball in your hand?” I asked, incredulously.

  “That’s exactly what I want you to do. Close your eyes and concentrate. Will it to happen. I will return when you are done. You must finish before we can proceed to the next stage. Good Luck.” Dangun said, then disappeared with a muted pop.

  I blinked slowly as I stared at the spot that Dangun had just vacated leaving me all alone in my Ki Ocean. It wasn’t as awe inspiring and beautiful as before now that Dangun had given me this task. Well, no rest for the weary and all that. As Jocko would say, good. An ancient asshole spirit gives you an impossible task, good. I shook my head and looked around at the vast Ki Ocean and decided not to dick around and start.

  He had said to close my eyes and imagine the energy coalescing into a ball like he had. I honestly had no fucking clue how to do this. I sat there for a minute eyes closed and just breathing while feeling like a total idiot. I just kept imagining the Ki Ocean shrinking over and over again. After a while I started to feel like a super idiot and was getting beyond frustrated. I opened my eyes and was about to callout and start laying into the prick spirit and tell him how shitty of a teacher he was. But I stopped and took a deep breath physically and metaphorically.

  As soon as I opened my eyes, I could tell something had changed. The energy was still all around me and I couldn’t see the end of it, but it felt different somehow. It felt denser like it was thicker now. Kind of like when you go somewhere that’s really humid you can almost see and taste the water in the air. This was like that but with my Ki. Excited now I closed my eyes and redoubled my efforts.

  This time I could feel something happening. I could sense it all around and inside me. The energy was answering my call. Albeit it was slow at first, it began to come faster and faster as I progressed. Each second that went by caused me to gain more skill and ability in condensing the Ki Ocean. I wasn’t sure how much time went by as I was so focused on my task But some lengthy amount of time later I opened my eyes and grinned from ear to ear.

  Sitting in my open hands was my Ki Ocean condensed down to almost the size of Dangun’s. Mine was a little larger and not nearly as pristine as his had been. The energy roiled and bucked in the ball. The surface was a miniature storm that shot lightning bolts around the sphere. But it was all there. My Ki Ocean was now a white energy ball held above my two hands. My surroundings were dark again just like it had been when I first met Dangun except for the area around me and my ball. It projected it’s light around me in a sphere that went at least a dozen feet.

  After staring at my new and improved Ki Ocean in smug self-satisfaction, I began to look around for Dangun. He said he’d be back as soon as I was finished. Another few minutes went by and I began to call his name.

  “Dangun! Dangun! Hey, Dangun! I’m done!” I yelled, out into the emptiness that had been all Ki moments before, but was now nothing.

  I kept screaming into the void for another few minutes and then finally Dangun appeared.

  “Quit your yelling. I hear you. I hear you. I told you I’d be back when you were done with your task. Why are you calling…” He started to ask, in an exasperated voice but then stopped when he saw the ball of glowing energy sitting in my hands and roiling like a hurricane.

  I just sat there in Lotus holding my giant ball of Ki like a cat who had just eaten the proverbial canary.

  “I see you finished. I didn’t think you’d be done so fast. Well, this changes things. You may be brighter than I had previously thought.” Dangun said, stroking his beard in thought.

  “Thanks for the backhanded compliment, dick. What do I do now?” I asked.

  Dangun stared at me intently for a moment and I sat there waiting until finally he nodded to himself having come to some inner decision.

  “This changes things. We are going to have to change things. This is good news. You have a natural tendency for Cultivation. This will speed our mental training so now we must focus more on your physical body. It is time for you to wake up, you should be fully healed now.” Dangun said.

  “That’s good news. I feel like I’ve been in here forever.” I replied.

  “For you it has been hours in here. Almost two days to be exact.” Dangun said.

  “Holy shit! I’ve been in here for two whole days! What the hell! What’s going on with Tiffany and Nick? What has been happening while we’ve been playing grab ass in here?” I squawked, wanting to get even more upset but the ball of Ki in my hand kept me in place going crazy every time I tried to get up.

  “Relax little boy. Time flows different in here. It’s only been two hours in the real world. You’ve been sleeping in your bed like a little baby and your woman has been watchi
ng over you this whole time.” Dangun said.

  “What? Really? She has… I mean only two hours… Wait, what’s going on?” I spluttered.

  “For all the gods and devils above, below, and beside us… You really are a child. Listen boy, your woman has not only watched over you this whole time, but she cleaned you up and tucked you in.” Dangun explained, with a grinning leer.

  I couldn’t believe it. Tiffany had been watching over me this whole time. Not only that but she cleaned me up…

  “What do you mean cleaned me up?” I asked, fearing I already knew the answer.

  “What do you think it means dummy. She took off those blood covered rags and cleaned you off with a wet cloth.” Dangun replied.

  “All my clothes?” I asked, in an extremely high voice that I wasn’t sure was my own.

  “Yes boy! All your clothes… Oh, I see what you mean.” Dangun said, then began laughing as raucously as he had when we first started training and he’d punked me.

  “That means I’m naked in my room with the girl of my dreams and have been for the past two hours. And I’ve been asleep!” I shrieked.

  “Oh, come off it. You are acting like a little girl.” Dangun said.

  “Get me back now!” I cried.

  “Do it yourself boy. It’s your mind. Just think yourself back.” He explained, in between bouts of laughter.

  I quickly dropped back into Lotus position and closed my eyes. Thinking myself back into my real body, back into reality, and not in my Ki Soul. I opened my eyes a few moments later and stared up at a familiar ceiling. I was back in my room and in my bed staring up at the ceiling of my basement sanctuary. Thank god I was back! I did a quick mental inventory and my body felt pretty damn good. I sat up and looked around and everything seemed right.

  “Hiro, you’re awake!” Tiffany cried, from the bottom of the stairwell.

  TRACK 6 – DRUNK GIRL – SOMETHING CORPORATE

  My eyes snapped open to the sound of her voice and I stared at her like a man dying of thirst stares at water.

  She was carrying a tray with what looked like a sandwich and a glass of milk on it, but that wasn’t what I was staring at. Tiffany was more beautiful then I’d ever seen her before. She had taken a shower sometime recently and it had washed all the dye out of her hair and the makeup off her face. I knew she was beautiful before but without all the makeup and hair dye she was dropdead gorgeous. Her face was one of those that had such a natural beauty that makeup ruined it.

  To top it all off, she was wearing one of my favorite shirts that sported the words, ‘I’m a Legend in Japan,’ as a nightgown. That was the only thing she was wearing. It only came down to the tops of her thighs. She set the tray down on my dining room table and rushed over to the bedroom area, but she didn’t stop there. She practically leaped on the bed as she came over and hugged me tight. Not knowing what else to do I hugged her back. We sat there on my bed like that for a minute.

  “I didn’t know if you were going to wake up.” She said softly, head still buried in my bare chest and arms still wrapped around me.

  I began to feel wetness on my chest and Tiffany began shaking as we hugged. I let her cry and just held her saying it was all going to be alright over and over. That’s how I spent my first time with a girl in my bed. It’s ok because I wouldn’t have changed it for any other girl.

  After a few more minutes, she stopped crying and sat up wiping her eyes.

  “I’m ok it’s just been a lot you know?” She asked, smiling slightly up at me.

  That was it, game over man I’m done. Tiffany just stole my fucking heart.

  “Yeah, I know. Thanks for, you know…” I said, voice trailing off as I broke our hug to gesture all around and at me in particular.

  It was then that I remembered that I was completely naked under this blanket and that Tiffany had undressed and washed me. My face went red, beet fucking red, and the expression on my face must have been comical as fuck because Tiffany went from crying to hysterically laughing in about point two seconds.

  People laughing at me was starting to become a theme today. I stuffed the embarrassment down as far deep down into the depths of my psyche as I could. I waited for Tiffany to stop laughing while trying to figure out a way to get some clothes on. I wanted to get some undies on at the least. Tiffany finally stopped laughing uncontrollably and wiped the tears of grief and laughter from in her eyes. I watched her mesmerized, she really was a beautiful girl.

  “Sorry, it’s just your face was so embarrassed and I needed a good laugh.” She said, looking at me with a smile now instead of the pained fearful face from before.

  “Yeah, that seems to be a thing today. Thanks for taking care of me by the way. I see you, um… washed me up.” I said, trying to sound nonchalant but failing miserably.

  She giggled again and grabbed my hands with hers then looked me dead in the eyes, her face completely serious. I stared ensnared by her gaze like a cobra by a mouse then I swallowed audibly. This caused her to smile slightly making her even more enchanting than usual.

  “I did do that Hiro. I hope you don’t mind.” She asked, softly.

  “No, it’s fine.” I said, voice low.

  “When we got here we barely made it to the bed before you passed out. You were so filthy and covered in blood and bruises and cuts I didn’t know what else to do. I figured get the dirty clothes off and wash the blood and gore away. Then I’d see if I could bandage your cuts and stuff.” She explained.

  I looked at my naked body and noticed there was no bandages. As a matter of fact, there were no cuts, bruises, or anything. Even my broken nose was fine now. Dangun had explain that he fixed my meridians and my body had healed during Cultivation. So, it made sense to me, but I guess Tiffany didn’t know all that information. I was about to enlighten her but she put her finger on my lips immediately causing me to shut the fuck up and lose all the saliva in my mouth.

  “No, let me finish.” She said.

  I just nodded in reply as she took her finger from my lips.

  “It was already crazy enough what happened with Nick and the guys. I mean, they totally turned into vampires or demons or some shit. Am I right?” She asked.

  “Demons.” I said.

  “Ok, demons then. They turned into demons and tried to fucking rape me asshole fucking pieces of shit.” She said, vehemently.

  “Are you…” I started to ask but didn’t really know what to say and she waved me off anyway continuing her tale.

  “Then when I woke up you were different. Not that I didn’t like you before but you are, well… a hottie now and I couldn’t believe it was you. Not only that but you were covered in blood, beat up to hell, and I thought you were going to die. Then we left after you killed all of them except Nick. When we got here I barely got you inside. I washed all of the blood and gore off. Then got you all cleaned up. Once you were all clean there weren’t any wounds or any sign of damage anywhere. No cuts, no bruises, no nothing. Hiro tell me honestly. Am I losing my fucking mind?” She asked, her eyes were so big and she looked up at me like a little lost kitty cat.

  I couldn’t help it and started laughing. This was definitely the wrong response as I saw thunder clouds begin to form in her beautiful sapphire blue eyes. I raised my hands up placatingly as she was about to go to town on me and not in the way I’d like. I quickly began explaining about the pendant, which thankfully she didn’t take off when she cleaned me up. I told her about my newfound connection with Dangun and my introduction to the Celestial world.

  “Oh, come on. You are telling me you were possessed by some ancient spirit and it did all this?” Tiffany asked, skeptically.

  “Yes, and he’s the reason I’m like this. He pretty much saved us.” I finished, gesturing around lamely.

  “Listen, Hiro I like you. You don’t need to make anything up. I’ve liked you for a while.” Tiffany said, putting her hands on my bare chest on each side of my amulet.

  “But I’m not lying… wait
did you say you liked me?” I asked, a bit squeakily as my brain was malfunctioning from her words and touch.

  “Yeah dummy, for a long time I…” She began.

  My amulet started to glow grabbing both our attentions. It flashed a bright blue and KAPOW! Standing next to us was Dangun. Well, not quite, it was more like a projection of the ancient warrior. He still looked as he had in my Ki Soul but here he was less tangible. He was semitransparent and seemed almost ethereal but his voice worked just freaking fine as usual.

  “Yes, I’m real, Hiro wasn’t lying, and yes he likes you to. Sorry to interrupt but we have no more time I can sense the demon’s presence. They are coming this way.” Dangun said, ominously.

  “Holy fucking shit!” Tiffany exclaimed, reeling from the appearance of Dangun and hiding behind me on the bed.

  “It’s ok, that’s Dangun. I told you about him. But I didn’t realize he could just make himself visible.” I said, my mind elsewhere.

  Damn it felt good to have Tiffany use me for protection.

  “Wow… just wow…” Tiffany said, shaking her head in disbelief.

  “I can do many things you don’t realize boy. But there is no time for that now. I can feel the demons heading this way. I had sensed them gathering earlier but they were far away. I thought we’d have more time before they found us. I imagine that Nick fellow knows where you live?” Dangun asked.

  “Yeah, he does.” I replied, a bit sheepishly because I should have been more serious about that prick fuck before he got away.

  “Yes, well this is my fault I should have factored him in more. I have been away for a while. I’m a bit rusty. Anyway, no use crying about stepped in shit as my granny used to say. As I was saying judging by their auras they should be here in less than an hour. That only gives us enough time to get your physical body to the first stage or level one as you’d say.” Dangun said.

  “Training? We have to get ready for Nick and his fuck boys. We don’t have time for training.” I said, heatedly while standing up and facing Dangun.