The Dawn of the New World

Hao Xuan asked several more questions and Hyde was generous enough to answer most of them.

"That boy, Gavril was it? Keep an eye on him. The old king might have been soft-hearted towards his own kind but no so much to others. I'm sure he left a few things inside his body to help him grow stronger," Hyde warned as Hao Xuan was about to leave.

He also told Hao Xuan that the old king had placed a seal on his main mind palace. Once he summoned any of his severs, the seal would be broken and the effects of having so many severs would slowly become more apparent.

Thankfully it wasn't anything too serious but mood swings, a short temperament, and a change in some of the mental faculties were all too common in such situations. Technically Hao Xuan's soul was nowhere near strong enough to support all the Orcs but the Old King used the last bit of power he was saving throughout all those thousands of years to help Hao Xuan level up forcefully.

The soul was inherently different so it wouldn't be obvious to tell the changes taking place inside it unless he used an ability.

Hao Xuan finished his conversation with Hyde and walked out of the room, the door closing behind him on its own. He walked up to the podium in the middle of the Mind Palace were a few objects waiting for him.

The first thing he saw and the one he was looking for was a black watch neatly placed on the podium. He picked it up with a smile and waved his hand. The watch appeared in the outer world and jumped on his hand automatically like it was alive.

Small metal latches came out from the bottom and inserted themselves into Hao Xuan's skin. Now unless the arm itself was cut off, the watch wasn't going anywhere.

In his mind palace Hao Xuan was still able to feel the pain but it didn't last long.

He then looked at the other objects on and around the podium. The second one was the golden chest he had gotten from the contest with Jia. He still hadn't opened it. He brushed its surface with his hand, feeling the engravings and the cold metallic feeling.

"I'll open you soon, don't worry," he mumbled. The chest didn't respond and just sat there. Even though it was alive, it still hadn't bonded with Hao Xuan.

The second object of interest was the black egg. The glowing blue lines on it had now turned brown and every now than it pulsed with a golden light. Other than that it still hadn't changed much.

The last one was the sleeping white kitten on the podium. Zhurong hadn't changed in shape or size either, but his white fur was now giving off a little bit of light. It wasn't even noticeable in a properly illuminated place but in complete darkness, he would be glowing.

The glow only made him look cuter and as he slept, occasional purring noises came from his little pink nose. Hao Xuan smiled and extended his hand, gently picked him up.

"Wake up, you've slept enough. There is no need to guard this place anymore," he whispered while rubbing Zhurong's head, waking him up.

"Meow~"

Zhurong lazily stretched his back and yawned. He looked up at Hao Xuan and he heard a little voice in his head, "Food!"

"Yeah yeah, you can eat all you want," Hao Xuan said with a smile. Zhurong grinned and vanished, appearing in the outer world as well.

Hao Xuan then walked up to Gavril. His snow-white hair covered his entire face as he sat in a corner with his head between his legs.

"I am sorry for your loss, truly," Hao Xuan spoke in the Orc language while sitting down beside him. Every conversation Hao Xuan had had with the Orcs was in their own language.

A scoff came from under the white hair, "What do you know about loss?"

Hao Xuan was expecting such an answer so he simply smiled helplessly.

"I saw your memories. All of them. And your feelings, for the people that surrounded you, for Buse. Perhaps in this world, there is no one else who can understand you more than me right now. I might not have known her for very long, but I can still feel her absence."

Gavril raised his head a bit and looked towards Hao Xuan, who met his gaze.

Hao Xuan's eyes squinted upon noticing the change in Gavril's. They had changed color and were completely white.

"You have changed," he mumbled looking at the white pupils.

Gavril's lips arched up into a smile, "Not enough yet. There is a lot more left to do."

Hao Xuan was taken aback by his answer and his expression. He thought Gavril would be overtaken by sadness and would not even want to live, but it seemed that was not the case.

"What do you plan to do?" he asked in response.

Gavril lowered his head once again and closed his eyes before replying.

"I want to rip him apart. I want to burn everything he cares about. I want him to feel what I felt back then. I want...Orion!"

"Revenge?" the word escaped from Hao Xuan's mouth unintentionally.

"Hahaha, why? You want to stop me?"

Hao Xuan simply shook his head, "Why would I do that? I'll even help you reach your goal. Instead, help me as well. Deal?"

Gavril opened his eyes a little and stared at Hao Xuan from the corner of his eyes for a few seconds before looking away.

"Deal."