Chapter 152 - Training Jason (Part Two)

Jason, who was now the Lion that was circling lunged at him. Ben who had transformed held its mouth by the fangs, was holding the lion in place. A smirk appeared across his face as he held the lion.

"Is that all you have Jason? I was expecting more from you", he said as he took a deep breath. The lion roared out loud as it began to slash at him.

Ben was moving from side to side, dodging the slashes as he was looking at the momentum that the lion was gaining. The more he dodged, the faster it became. 

"Come on Jason, I know you can do it. Find the Beast that is residing within you", he muttered as he kept dodging the attacks that were made at him. The lion was slowly getting exhausted, and he kept looking at the place where it was standing.

Ben was watching as the lion was slowly losing its momentum, and the moment he saw it stand still in a place, he wrapped his arms around its neck. He began to whisper inside its ear, trying to guide Jason through.

"Jason, if you can hear me, let a small roar", he said. A low grumble was heard, and it was still as a kitten. Ben still help it in place as he knew the moment the two of them began to fight for control, the Lion would begin its rampage.

"Let me bind it to the ground", he thought and bound all of its legs to the ground by covering them with diamonds. The lion was now bound, and now the only thing left was for Jason to find the Beast within him and strike a deal.

(Inside Jason's Mind)

The moment he transformed into a lion, he began to feel the loss of control. Panic began to take over him, and he didn't want to become the mindless Sphinataur once more.

"No!", he thought but then he saw something in front of him. A path had opened up, and at the end of it was a white light. He had never seen this, and he began to follow the path that was leading to the light.

He kept walking, and something didn't seem right to him. He felt like the more he walked, the distance never shortened. He still walked for a few minutes and found that was the case.

He began to walk backward and saw that he was moving farther away from the place in an instant. He was wondering what it was, and how he would be able to reach the entrance of the light.

The light began to pulse, and a male voice came from the light. Jason was confused as to who the voice belonged, but tears were forming in his eyes unknowingly.

"Welcome, we have been waiting for your arrival. Pass our tests, and we shall reveal who we are. This will be your first test. Are you willing, to walk through the unknown to reach your goal?", came the question.

Jason clenched his fists and let out a deep breath. He was about to make his move when he heard Ben's voice.

"Jason, if you can hear me, let a small roar", said Ben, and he was wondering how to do that. He roared like he always would, except that this time it was mildly. He didn't know what he had done, but it seemed to him like he had given Ben what he needed.

Jason was now motivated to keep walking towards the light, as he had many questions running through him. And the voice which he had heard was so familiar and yet strange to him.

The more he pushed forward, the more he felt like giving up. The walk was slowly breaking him down, and the panic was once more beginning to settle in. 

He didn't stop his ascending though and he kept pushing. The light was pulsing, and he kept his hands right next to him. Some emotions were beginning to resurface, and there were bubbles all around him.

They were vague at first, but the more he pushed forward, the clearer they became. He turned his head to look at one of them, and a little kid was running through some meadows. behind him was a woman chasing him with a plate in her hands.

"Is that me?", he thought as he reached his hands out towards the bubble. The moment his finger connected, he felt a wave of emotions.

He didn't understand the emotions that he was feeling, and the more he looked at the bubble, the more they were bubbling. He felt something slide down his cheek, and he placed his finger to see what it was.

"Tears? Am I, crying?", he thought as he looked at the memory once more. This time, he tried to remember who it was in the memory. The person was quite hazy, but the voice was crystal clear.

"Is that you, Mother? Did I have a Mother?", he thought as he looked at the memory once more. He tried hard, but he couldn't remember her face. It was hazy, but he could see the amount of love she had for him.

The way she was chasing him throughout the meadows just to feed him some food, and the way a man was watching all of this with a smile on his face. 

He had a cap on his head, and it was lowered to cover up the face. The only thing that he could see was his smile and a cigarette that was playing on his lips. 

He did not have any idea about who the man was, but the voice that he spoke was the same that came from the light. He was now determined to reach the place and know who the both of them were, and with his newfound ambition, he stepped forward.

This time, the more he moved, the light seemed to be getting closer to him. He had a smile across his face as he reached the light, and entered it.

The path that he was on was still extended, and there was a door within the light. The light was all around him, but he sensed the emptiness that was within the light. 

"What is this feeling? Why is it so empty?", he pondered as he moved towards the door that was on the other side. He kept walking forward, and never stopped his advance. 

All of his energy came from the motivation of finding out who those two people were, and in the process learn something about himself. For the longest time, that was the answer he was seeking.

His eyes were filled with fire as he kept moving forward and slowly began to embrace the emptiness that was surrounding him. He did not feel anything, no joy nor sadness. 

But the door was something that kept him fuelled, and the more he embraced this emptiness, the closer he came to the door. After what seemed like an eternity, he reached the door and had embraced the emptiness wholeheartedly.

"If this emptiness is a part of me, then will I ever be able to find joy and love?", he began to wonder. Right before he could open the door, he saw another bubble. He reached out to it and grabbed it in his hand. 

He watched the memory and heard the sweet voice of his mother once more. 

"Son, you will always be loved. And in days when you doubt if love exists, remember that I, and your father, will always love you. No matter where you are, and how far you may be, you are always loved", she said as she wrapped her arms around little Jason's body.

Jason looked back at the door and took in a deep breath. He was wondering what kind of Beast he will meet, and if they knew something about his parents.

"Here goes", he muttered as he opened the door. A blinding light hit his eyes, and he felt his surroundings change. After some time, he opened and saw himself standing in the middle of the meadows he saw in the memory.

"This is the place I had seen in one of the bubbles. Does this mean that the Beasts that are residing within me are related to my parents? Will I be able to learn more about my past?", he thought.

"That is not possible, as we are not related to your parents. After going through the memories that we could access, this seemed like a good place to stay, so we chose it", came a voice and he turned around.

He saw a majestic lion standing behind him, and it had the face of a beautiful woman. There were some wings attached to her body, and it was standing right behind him. 

"You're a Sphinx, aren't you?", he asked as he looked at it. The Sphinx turned its head towards him and smiled.

"Indeed I am. I know you do not like riddles, but I would like you to answer one of mine.. If you answer it correctly, then you will be able to use my power freely", she said.