The Dawn of the New World

Hao Xuan's body phased in and out of the material realm right in front of Jin Wang's eyes, almost like someone or something was trying to erase his very existence.

And that coupled with his current state of mind left Jin Wang more than a little concerned for his well-being. Hao Xuan looked behind the city in the direction he had entered the city from.

"The skull came from there. I saw it before in the depth, it was watching us but then it woke up. But the fire and the red monsters came from somewhere else. I have to warn them, we need to evacuate the cit-"

Hao Xuan spoke without even taking a breath in between. His eyes were glazed over and blood was starting to trickle down every facial orifice.

Seeing the blood Jin Wang quickly tapped five points on his abdomen and two on the sides of his neck before grabbing him by the shoulder and shaking back and forth while channeling Qi directly into his body.

"Oi, wake up. Wake up! Look at me!"

Forced out of the daze by Jin Wang's voice Hao Xuan once again met his gaze. He felt a stream of Qi enter his body and calm his distraught spirit. His mind and body relaxed within seconds before he closed his eyes and allowed himself to be carried off towards the land of dreams.

**

Hao Xuan awoke sometime later.

He was met with a familiar sight, one that he had missed without even realizing it. A soft mattress under him and a dimly lit wooden ceiling above. This was his cabin, the one that was part of the portable camp.

"Another...dream?" he mumbled in a low voice but it was enough to rouse Salome who was sitting right beside him carving a wooden figurine.

The heavyset giant jumped to his feet scattering all the wooden shaving onto the floor.

*Gasp*

"Eyes open! Have to tell Jin!"

He threw out the words before racing out of the cabin. A couple of seconds later Jin Wang walked in with a steaming cup in his hands.

"Finally, I didn't think you'd sleep THAT long. Here, this is for you," he said handing over the cup.

Hao Xuan sat upright before hesitantly taking the cup that was shoved in his face to see what was inside it. It was filled to the brim with a watery brown liquid that had various flower petals floating on the surface.

It smelled really good and just a single sniff was enough to make his mouth water. Hao Xuan brought the cup to his lips but paused, "Did you make it?"

Jin Wang shook his head before taking a seat on the empty chair.

"Nope, the elf magician did."

"Who?"

"Just drink it, it's safe. It will help with the headache," he gestured towards Hao Xuan's head.

"What headach- Argh!"

He didn't even need to finish the sentence before his head started pounding again. He quickly drank a mouthful and felt the searing hot liquid go down his gullet. The headache almost halved in intensity right then and there.

"Mhm, it's pretty effective," Hao Xuan commented taking another sip.

Jin Wang nodded, "The girl has some talent in brewing potions. She has a natural gift."

Hao Xuan still didn't know who exactly he was talking but he didn't question it at this moment. His mind racing with numerous other questions like;

"How long was I out?"

"About 9 hours."

"How did you get here?"

"Same as the others, I jumped down."

"Others? Henrik's party?"

"Yeah, everyone is already down here."

"Why?"

"That...is kind of a long story but we aren't the only ones either. There are more pressing matters at hand that we need to address first," Jin Wang finished by pointing towards Hao Xuan's hand.

Hao Xuan looked down and saw a piece of black cloth wrapped around his right hand.

Jin Wang's eyes were locked onto his face as he asked the question, "Where did you get that?"

Hao Xuan couldn't remember from the get-go but when he tried to recall what happened before he lost consciousness, all the memories came flooding back.

"Arghhh! Fucking hell what is this!"

The headache's intensity jumped once again. Jin Wang was keeping a watchful eye from the side so he reached into his pocket and took out a cigarette, lighting it and handing it to Hao Xuan.

"Here, try this."

It was the same kind that he had brought from the Beast World himself.

Hao Xuan took a few quick puffs and the headache was reduced to a numbing pain in the back of his head rather than the sensation of being stabbed in the frontal lobe.

He leaned back against the bed, letting out a heavy sigh.

"What the hell is happening man. I can't make any sense of this shit."

"Tell me exactly what you saw, don't leave anything out."

Hao Xuan raised his head halfway to peer towards Jin Wang. He wasn't smiling or messing around like normal and the look in his eyes made Hao Xuan think he was sitting across from someone much older.

That kind of poise and coolheadedness wasn't something Hao Xuan had seen before in someone of his age group. He recalled all the other times Jin Wang had helped him out, always having some valuable information or thoughts that Hao Xuan himself would have never even considered.

There was no doubt he trusted him completely. Jin Wang hadn't given him a reason not to.

"Alright...where do I start..."

Hao Xuan started narrating all his experiences from meeting what was most probably an apostle of 'Beelzebub' if not the Demon God himself, to finding this world and discovering 'everything' within the pyramid and thereafter.

He kept an eye on Jin Wang's expression throughout which only got more and more somber after hearing about 'Beelzebub' till the various visions and things that he saw there.