The Dawn of the New World

Hao Xuan slowly came to on the other island, surrounded by nine figures eight of whom were the current hosts of the Nine.

His questioning gaze found Baba Jezda kneeling on the side allowing him to quickly deduce what was going on from her servile posture and the strange energies coming off the attendants.

'You are the Champion of Darkness,' Lord Cerritos' dual voices firmly stated.

[I am] he responded openly and without fear.

'You are aware of your responsibilities? Of all that comes with your station?'

[I thought I did but, perhaps not]

'No, definitely not. You would have never accepted her demands if you knew what they led to. And for that, we cannot allow you to exist!' he finished by extending his hand.

Hao Xuan felt the space tighten around him but he remained composed because his words did not make much sense.

[Her demands?] Hao Xuan frowned, [She did not ask anything of me that was out of the ordinary, save for what would happen if things kept proceeding this way]

The golden-eyed attendant immediately intervened before things got too out of control, 'Wait! Speak mortal, what did she ask of you?'

[To bring about a new future, that is all]

'He...speaks the truth...'

Baba Jezda took the opportunity to jump in.

"Your greatness, this is our best chance. The mistress has not awoken yet, we still have a chance to make things right!"

The strange substances around the attendants' heads rose and fell repeatedly in a strange fashion. It was obvious they were communicating with one another through some foreign method that was beyond the understanding of mere mortals like them.

There was a lot more going on in the background that Hao Xuan was not aware and as of this moment, he did not have the right to ask any questions either.

After a brief consultation, the golden-eyed attendant conferred with Baba Jezda.

'And what would you ask of us? What is your plan?'

"A small portion of your powers," she replied with a lowered head, "Mark the boy and grant him clemency so he may go beyond our borders. In exchange, he will belong to the Sanctum for all of eternity and do your bidding."

Hao Xuan's eyes narrowed at the last part but he kept his silence.

Another attendant, the one that had bright blue eyes stepped forth. There were motes of multi-colored lights revolving around his head that made him appear transcendental and very out of place in this dreary location.

Several lights floated over to Hao Xuan and circled around him twice before returning.

'His soul is powerful enough to bear the marks,' he informed the rest.

The substances rippled a few more times before all the attendants floated over to the platform, surrounding him from all sides.

'Mortal, do you accept the Seals?' one of them asked.

Behind them, the undead silhouettes of countless other attendants crawled out of the ground and began beating their chests in unison.

The atmosphere became heavy and Hao Xuan could feel something big was about to happen.

He didn't know exactly what it meant to gain the marks of each of the Nine but it was obviously a necessary step in Baba Jezda's plan so he agreed wholeheartedly, believing that they would not hurt him as long as their goals were aligned.

[I do]

'And do you solemnly swear to do everything in your power to accomplish our goals, even if it means sacrificing all that you are?'

[I...do]

They circled him until each one of them was standing in the same spot where their Obelisks were on the other island. After getting in place, they extended their hands in his direction while the unknown substance from around their heads began to flow into the platform.

The pitch-black liquid from the center of the platform began to rise into the air, completely enveloping Hao Xuan within seconds.

The very next moment he found himself standing in a dark void. There was nothing else around him but he could still feel the liquid splashing under his feet.

And then one after another enormous silhouettes began to materialize out of the darkness. Some of them were so enormous that he couldn't even wrap his mind around their existence while others held forms that were often familiar to him.

But these shapes and forms were always changing and the more he tried to understand them the more complex they became.

Hao Xuan felt the inky liquid grab hold of him before crawling up his body. Upon reaching his head it dug into his eyes, nose, and ears turning him blind to all that was around him.

'Do not...resist' a stranger's voice warned him when he felt the liquid breaking into his internal world.

With a thought Hao Xuan's consciousness appeared inside, right below where his soul rested. It was in the shape of a magnificent white sun, bigger and brighter than any he had ever seen but now eight pillars were being constructed around it.