The Dawn of the New World



Hao Xuan followed along the exact path he had walked the last time to pass through the illusion array that was created by the World Spirit and reached the remains of the house that led to the underground tunnel system.

He paused momentarily to inspect the ground. His eyes lit up as Hao Xuan sniffed the air.

"They tried to hide it but too many people have passed through here, I can smell their anxiety and fear. If the illusion array wasn't keeping this place hidden they would have been dead by now from the demon hordes," he mumbled under his breath but a voice responded from the shadows ahead.

"You can smell their fear?"

"!!!"

"Who's there?!"

Hao Xuan jumped back out of instinct before recognizing the speaker. And then like a warm ray of sunshine that familiar figure walked out with a smile.

"You're late to the party," Jin Wang jokingly replied.

Hao Xuan lowered his fist and responded with a radiant smile, "Holy fucking shit you're alive! Never thought I'd be so happy to see you again!"

He walked forward with wide strides and gave him half a bear hug but quickly backed away with a deep frown as soon as he felt something was off.

"What's...wrong with you? There is something...not okay."

Jin Wang seemed genuinely surprised that he was able to tell that much from just a casual hug. But he still lifted his shirt to reveal an injury shaped like a spiderweb. There was a fist print in the middle of his abdomen but cracks around it were not actually on his flesh.

Instead, it looked like there was glass shattering around that fist print.

Hao Xuan squinted hard and bent down to inspect it closer. When he tried to touch the cracks his hand passed right through them.

"What the hell even is that? I have never seen anything like it. Is that an illusion?"

Jin Wang let out a deep sigh, "I wish. It's kind of a seal that is constantly sapping away my energy. The cracks are not on this body but on another. They are just being reflected here."

Hao Xuan straightened his back with an even deeper frown than before.

"You have two bodies?" he asked suspiciously, staring into his eyes.

"Yeah," but Jin Wang admitted it right away, "It's not that uncommon. A lot of Gods and higher species have several forms."

"What, you a god now motherfucker?" Hao Xuan sneered at the very idea but then a sudden bout of deja vu struck him like a hammer.

"Wait, have we had this conversation before? I swear I asked you this before..."

Jin Wang's expression turned solemn for a brief moment but he hid it before Hao Xuan could notice.

"Maybe. Too much shit has happened these last few days, I can't remember who said what."

"Whatever, who did that to you? Let's go fuck him up after," Hao Xuan teased but Jin Wang was unnaturally serious.

He turned around and started walking away, replying after a few steps, "Who else? The Abysswalker."

Hao Xuan froze momentarily upon hearing the name.

"You...fought him?"

"Nah, wasn't much of a fight. It was over before I could even get started. He had locked the entire place down so I couldn't even summon my true form if I wanted to...not that it would have made a difference considering the shape of this place."

"O-Oi, where are you going?" Hao Xuan called out just as Jin Wang's figure disappeared behind a broken-down house.

'Come,' his voice rang in Hao Xuan's head a second later forcing him to trail behind. When he turned the corner the scenery suddenly changed.

A row of tents appeared out of nowhere followed by several other figures. Jin Wang was waiting for him.

"The World Spirit made this space for the survivors. There's not much food or water left but at least it's safe...for now."

Hao Xuan looked around as they made their way through the campsite but couldn't recognize any of the dirt-ridden bandaged faces that were staring back at him.

"Did the...did any of us survive?"

"The cultivators? A handful. That Wern kid went out a little while ago, the others you can meet in the last camp."

Hushed whispers began spreading among them as Hao Xuan and Jin Wang walked through the site. They were trying to be discreet but he could hear everything as clear as day.

"Is that him?"

"Yeah. Look at him all neat and clean. Coming back here like nothing ever happened."

"He's a coward through and through. You can even see the bits of food hanging from his clothes, I bet he just ate too."

"What else would he be doing in hiding?"

"Heh, probably fucking his witch whore and eating whatever is left of our supplies."

"They're all the same, they killed us."