The Dawn of the New World



The witch leaned back in her chair and took a moment to gather her thoughts before continuing.

"I don't have to tell you the importance of the spark since you have already experienced it yourself. But for others, those that were neither lucky nor fortunate enough to catch a glimpse of its true splendor, the spark is utterly invaluable."

"It is the Holiest Artifact for beings like us that depend on the Chaos for strength. Even peeking at it from afar is enough to propel us forward which is why it was the core of the 'House of Chaos'. Do you understand? It was because of the spark that the 'House of Chaos' and its masters were able to stand between Maymun and total destruction."

Even Hao Xuan knew that much, [Get to the point, our time is limited as it is] he said anxiously.

The Old Witch reached into her robe and pulled out a scroll before carelessly tossing it over to him. He opened it after a quick inspection.

There were just a few short lines written on it in an old language, a language that probably didn't exist anymore but he had some memories of it.

Hao Xuan read a few of the important ones out loud, [The chaos is depleting, no more energy, the Chaos Lords cannot be reached? What is this about?]

"This was a call for aid...or rather a call for 'information' that I got a few years before the 'House of Chaos' fell. At the time we didn't know but it was all Maymun's doing, he had already been planning this for a few centuries by then. He figured out a way to temporarily seal the power of the spark, thereby severely limiting the natural chaos energy that was within the layer."

"This not only affected the newcomers but also the 'Housemasters', the ones you call the 'Chaos Lords' who were the first line of defense in case of an attack. He lured some of the Chaos Lords away and trapped them in hidden spaces while the others were either maimed or killed before the war even began."

"Once his armies began marching through the Abyss it was already too late to stop them."

She finally met Hao Xuan's gaze, "You have already changed the past once in small ways but now I want you to do the same only on a much greater scale. Go to the past and change it for the better. Free the spark before Maymun launches the Great Demon Crusade and make sure the House of Chaos is not destroyed within a mere fortnight. Help them in the war however you can."

Hao Xuan's heart almost skipped a beat hearing that. All he wanted was to go back in time and change what happened on the planet but that was something he planned to ask for in return for doing her bidding. And now to be offered the same thing without even asking was nothing short of a miracle.

But as always there were always a few caveats and he knew what to look for this time.

[How far back do you want me to go? Didn't this happen a long time ago?]

She shook her head calmly, "Just a few centuries ago. Well, 693 years to be exact."

Hao Xuan's brow furrowed, [Almost 700 years??]

The witch mistook his curiousness for indecisiveness which prompted her to remind him of the only other option.

"Or you can go to the abyss now and fight through countless hordes of demons trying to reach the 'Wailing Castle' and then see how you fare against Maymun's immediate subordinates. It is your choice."

She turned towards the fireplace in contemplation, voicing her inner thoughts openly.

"The abyss has always been hostile to humans but at least back then there was some semblance of order. There were a few sanctuaries where you would have been able to stop and recover, maybe even gather your strength before continuing the journey. But all those places have been wiped out by now...."

"The abyss belongs to Maymun now. It is a bubbling cesspool of demonic energy used solely for birthing his great demons. It is HIS hell. The human you call the Emperor also fell because of this reason, what use is killing a million demons when ten million more will take their place?"

Hao Xuan looked at the words etched on the scroll, sensing the stark hopelessness that plagued its creator when he penned them down.

There was no real reason for him to decline the offer even if it would bring great benefit to the Old Witch. Yes, her power and influence would increase which was not ideal for him but it would also limit Maymun and at least distract him enough to buy some time for himself.

After all, Maymun was always just a step behind the Emperor and this would give Hao Xuan some much-needed breathing room which was vital at this stage.

[Fine, I will do as you ask]