The Dawn of the New World

Trying to keep up appearances, Hao Xuan tried his best to not show the utter panic that had overtaken him. Keeping one eye on the man, he tried to summon the Scorpion King since he was the most powerful 'Sever' Hao Xuan had but to his dismay, that still wasn't possible.

The sigils surrounding the walls of his Mind palace still hadn't fully recovered and there was no telling when everything would be back to normal.

Seeing as calling out a sever wasn't an option, Hao Xuan looked for alternatives.

'Baracus, how long till I can move?'

*Beep*

"Approximately 40 minutes if there aren't any sudden moves."

'And how long till I can fight?'

"Seven hours minimum for standard combat movement and thirteen hours for a full recovery."

Baracus's answer put a full stop to Hao Xuan's plan of both running away or fighting. His physical condition didn't allow for either of these options so all that was left for him to do was either pretend not to notice anything or just walk away as soon as he was able to, or that's what he thought.

They both sat in the tunnel in complete silence minding their own business for a good ten to fifteen minutes. The only sound was coming from Hao Xuan's body despite his best efforts to control them.

Every now and then a small tremor would be felt and a few loose pebbles and dirt would fall from the ceiling. For Hao Xuan every minute felt like an eternity and no matter how much he tried to think about other things.

But then suddenly the man spoke up, breaking the eerie silence.

"You have a weird smell about you," he said in a serious tone.

"Huh?" Hao Xuan looked towards him and saw him staring in his direction. His eyes looked so much brighter than the rest of his body or even the surroundings, or rather they overshadowed everything else.

Hao Xuan cleared his throat, "Probably blood," he said in a low voice.

The man shook his head, "I know blood. I can tell when it's blood but there is something else mixed in with it. You smell like...death."

With a raised eyebrow Hao Xuan chuckled lightly, "Is that a threat?"

Inwardly thinking, 'Is he playing with me??'

But the man shook his head with a sincere expression, "No. I am just telling you. You have been marked and sooner rather than later, death will find you. It has already been decided. It would be a wise decision to get your affairs in order while you can."

Hao Xuan examined the man's facial expression in detail while he allowed Hao Xuan to do so without looking away.

"You sound quite sure."

"I am."

"How?"

"How am I sure?"

"How do you know?"

"Like I said it's the smell, among other things. You are alive, brimming with energy but looking at you all I can see is a dead end, a bloody grave."

"A bloody grave?"

"Yeah. That means it will be a painful death."

"Aren't all deaths painful?"

"Not all, but yours most certainly will be. I have never seen anything like it."

The strange conversation between two total strangers came to a pause when Hao Xuan stopped talking. He looked down at his hands, a multitude of thoughts fleeting in and out of his mind.

"It really is strange," the man mumbled to himself, still staring at Hao Xuan with a curious gaze.

"So many years, so much death, but this is the first time I have seen such an immutable death shadow. A prisoner kneeling in front of a sharpened blade would have a higher chance of living than you, friend."

The man sounded more impressed than curious by the end of his monologue.

Hao Xuan was trying his best not to say anything but hearing the tone of his voice he couldn't help but lash out a little.

"Who are you? What gives you the right to say that with such certainty?" Hao Xuan barked back.

The man smiled, "You can call me, Meng, Xue Meng. As for the right? I have none," he shook his head nonchalantly, "I am not deciding anything for you, only telling you what I see."

"Everything has a shadow of death following it, be it alive or dead. When the shadow covers you entirely, it means the current you will cease to exist, one way or another."

"Most people's shadows are the reflection of themselves, a mirror image following them from some distance away. There is probably some meaning behind it but I never bothered to look into it," he chuckled before continuing, "Some rare individuals can push this shadow away, cheat death so to speak but it is always a little behind them regardless."

"But you..." he looked down at Hao Xuan's feet, "Your shadow is already one with you. I can't even tell where it ends and you begin.. You are deader than the undead above," he pointed at the ceiling with a toothy smile, almost like he was expecting Hao Xuan to join in with him.