The Dawn of the New World

Each one of these eight pillars held a mark of the Nine, save for the 'Void Mother' who had already left her's elsewhere.

The pillars continued to grow bigger and bigger until even his immense soul was trapped from all sides. This was purely a spiritual experience but somehow he could feel his chest getting tighter, making it harder to breathe.

And then the pillars began to ooze the same substances that surrounded the attendant's heads. They fell onto his soul before slowly penetrating further in. They were mixing with his soul in a way that nothing else ever might, tainting its purity with their own truths.

They were inside the deepest part of his being, darting through his very essence and he had no choice but to allow this invasion.

They wanted him to understand and accept that no matter how powerful he might become, or how far he might go, there would always be parts of them ingrained into his very soul.

It could never be undone and they were making sure of that.

Hao Xuan held on for as long as he could until the pain became too much to bear in silence. After all, his soul was being branded by the marks of the Nine.

Outside on the island Hao Xuan's body began to reflect each of the marks on his back, creating a pattern unique only to him.

[AAAAAAAHHHH!] he simultaneously cried out in three distinct voices while the foreign substances continuously poured into his body, burning and maiming it on the way.

The Ninth and final mark was activated by the presence of the other eight, releasing a jet of pitch-black flames that took the shape of a burning halo above his head.

And all of this was witnessed by one being alone. The eyes of the 'Old Witch' burned with a magnificent splendor as she beheld history being written.

The skies burned above them from the combined presence of Eight supreme beings, and the oceans boiled below.

A wicked smile stretched across her aged face as she divined a new future, her eyes reflecting a destiny that only she could see take shape. And if one looked carefully they could see an entirely different scene unfolding within her gaze.

Her voice fell, "And in the final battle of the last age, when the shadows threatened to drown all of creation," she whispered, her words falling through the fabric of time and space, "One remained standing."

"A soul burned by the embers of the Nine, blistered by the fires of hell and tainted beyond redemption. He who chose the path of eternal torment, in his unquenchable bloodlust will find no peace."

"Loved by the legions of chaos, he will scour the realms of creation for God and Devil, seeking vengeance on those who harmed us. He who bears the Crown of Darkness shall know no fear!"

An aurora was birthed in the skies signalling the beginning and the end.

Tears streamed down Baba Jezda's face as she opened her arms in supplication, whispering the final verdict to cement an implausible future.

"And against all the hordes of Heaven and Hell, we will send unto them...only you. Open your eyes and let your soul be cleansed by the sightless abyss, my champion..."

The dual voices of the eight attendants spoke in unison while the last strands of their power wrapped around the walls of his soul, trying to corrupt it fully.

'Awaken!'

*GASP*

Hao Xuan opened his eyes back in the outer world, upon a million shattered pieces of the platform that could not withstand the weight of his being. He was keeled over under the cold murky rain...much colder than ever before.

But it also felt more real, as if he was him again. The voices in his head were not only quieter but far fewer than before.

"What happened...to me?" he muttered looking at his reflection in the water.

His eyes were not black anymore. In fact, their bright green color had never been more eye-catching.

"A gift," Baba Jezda's voice came from the front.

He looked up and saw her standing in front of him with a plain black robe. He snatched it and quickly put it on before looking around the place.

They were still on the island but there was no one else besides them.

"Where did they all go? What gift? And...why do I feel so weak?"

"It is not easy being host to a higher-dimensional being for that long. They had no choice but to leave and recover their strengths. As for the gift, you can see for yourself," she tapped on her forehead.

Hao Xuan closed his eyes for a moment but upon entering his inner world he became confused. The almost blinding light of his soul was nowhere to be found. Instead, there was an eclipse.

A ring of white light filled with a congealing mass of darkness that was deeper than any he had seen before.

With a thought he returned outside, his expression somber.

"What did they do?!"