The Dawn of the New World

Jin Wang listened intently, choosing not to interrupt the young master of the Republic since he seemed so willing to part with the information.

'The primordial spark, I wish I could say I had some experience with it but throughout all my lives I was never able to witness it in person. All I know of it is hearsay and rumors. But what's more concerning are the details of how the 'Son of Chaos' is created. If what this boy says is true then...is Hao Xuan really it? But why would the emperor work with the Old Ones?'

Since Jin Wang was lost in thought Dima saw it as hope for himself and the others to escape. He had been honest about everything to him so the least he was expecting was for Jin Wang to not kill them but to put his life on the line was not an option.

He took a few short steps back to try and close the distance between himself and Lady Natalia when Jin Wang came out of his stupor.

"Is there a way to stop it? What if the individual refuses to do whatever the Old Ones want? What if he doesn't listen to them?"

Dima breathed a sigh of relief inwardly that Jin Wang hadn't caught up to what he was trying to do and answered truthfully.

"It doesn't matter if listens to them or not. The circumstances will not give him any other choice. The more he opens himself to the Chaos the more pain and torment he will go through. Sooner or later, no matter how strong he is, the Domain of Chaos will win."

"Just by existing he will become an enemy of the Heavens. The mortals will fear him, just being in his presence will cause them discomfort and even fear. He will be viewed as a monster wherever he goes, an outlier with no place to belong. And in his loneliness he will embrace Chaos, falling deeper and deeper still. Tell me, could you stick to your morals if you were in his place?"

Jin Wang fell silent.

He already knew that Hao Xuan had a physique capable of devouring demonic flesh and he had seen in person the Chaos he cultivated. But he didn't know who was really behind it.

'The emperor wouldn't do that. He would never align himself with the Great Devils...right?'

It would be foolish for him to admit that he knew everything about the Emperor. It had been a very long time since the last time they met so it COULD be possible that something had gone wrong.

'I have to open the vault.'

Jin Wang cleared his throat before meeting Dima's gaze.

"Alright, I still don't believe you completely but I won't hurt you either. In exchange, you have to come with me for the time being."

Dima instantly put up his guard. He back up a few more steps making it look like he was scared until Lady Natalia's statue bumped into him.

"Why? What do you want from me?" he inquired with no small amount of doubt.

"For now, nothing. But soon you can make your case again when I have more information at hand. Trust me, I won't harm a single hair on your heads," the moment Jin Wang finished speaking his gaze was attracted to Dima's shining bald head.

"Ah, I didn't mean literally-"

Unfortunately, Dima wasn't planning on going anywhere with him. He reached back with one hand to grab the statue while with the other he made a claw right before slamming it on his stomach.

"AAAH!" he screamed from the pain as a vortex of white light seeped out of his clothes.

Dima's body cracked and bent at odd angles as if it was being forcibly folded in half. He continued screaming while his bones popped and were then pulled into this half a meter wide vortex of light.

When his screaming vanished so had he, but Lady Natalia's statue was still there.

*Sigh*

"Why does no one ever believe me when I saw I won't hurt them? Putting yourself through so much pain for no reason," Jin Wang snapped his fingers and white smoke began to dissipate.

Four kneeling figures of the followers that had been swallowed by the white smoke appeared in their place. They were unharmed but not conscious. Two of them were even foaming from the mouth.

"A simple illusionary spell made real by the victim's own imagination. The more scared they got the more dangerous it seemed but in the end, it was all just 'smoke and mirrors', as always."

He went up to the statues and ran his forefinger along their side. It looked like the black sand was a suit and his finger was zipping it open. Both Lady Natalia and the other follower fell to the floor lifelessly. He checked to make sure they were still breathing-

"Oh, that was cutting it close but at least they are alive."

-before walking over to the edge and looking down towards the entrance they had come from.

"I have to seal it now but I just hope the guardian beast is not awakened by the noise. I'll return to the surface after taking care of these rude youngins," he looked back halfway towards Lady Natalia.

Regardless, she could not leave now that she was here.

***

Back on the surface within the Walking city of the Temple, Dima's limp body fell onto the floor of his personal room in front of an ordinary-looking Budha statue.

Several joints were popping out of their sockets and it took every bit of his strength not to scream from the pain.