12 The Adventure Begins!

The Khan family was amazed and stupified by everything that had happened so far but the knock brought them out of the daze.

*Knock*Knock*

"Who could it be now?" Mr. Khan mumbled and blankly walked towards the door, opening it without a second thought.

All he could see was a massive body blocking the entrance, leaving him speechless yet again.

"Uhm, c-can I help you?" he stutteringly inquired.

"Yes, did a large, bearded man pass through here?" came a voice from the top of the body which was hidden behind the entrance.

"A-Ah! Yes, I'll go call him," Mr. Khan said going back to the dining room.

"I think there is someone outside for you," he shouted towards the locked door.

"Send him in," General Ouki's voice carried over from the other side.

But by the time Mr. Khan turned around the person in question was already standing in front of him. He was almost the same size as General Ouki, just an inch or two shorter.

With such a well-kept and clean appearance he looked more like a scholar than a powerful warrior. The thin handlebar mustache and an accompanying patch of golden hair going down his chin only added to this effect.

He smiled and nodded towards Mr. Khan before swiftly entering the dining room. The door automatically closed behind them and a blue barrier erected around the entire room.

"Tou," General Ouki's gruff voice called out in a mixture of shock and astonishment, "We found it!"

Lt. General Tou circled around the table only to see General Ouki holding a 20 cm wide purple crystal over Hao Xuan's body. It even had a tinge of gold inside it now, shining brightly without a care in the world.

The crystal was pulsating, humming loudly over and over again. It was almost like it wanted to show off.

Lt. General Tou's already bulging eyes widened even more from shock.

"Gold! There is even gold mixed in!" he gasped, "But how is this possible? For him? A mortal without any backing?! This has to be a mistake!"

He couldn't believe his eyes but that wasn't the case for General Ouki.

"There is no mistake, listen to that sound," he said referring to the humming, "Their affinity is through the roof. It can ONLY be him."

But Lt. General Tou still could not believe it, there simply was no precedent for such an event.

"But it makes no sense. We scoured every corner of the Kingdom looking for the perfect host and we find it here? Right as we come back after having given up the search? What are the chances of that? This has to be a trick, the greed of the Royal House must have made them act!"

General Ouki shook his head, reminding him of the truth.

"They do not need to act. In two days time the crystal would have been returned to them regardless and they could have done anything they wanted to it. Why would they go out of their way to pull such a stunt? And to a no-name mortal child of all people?"

"Exactly, why a mortal like him? The burden of the crystal will be too much for his soul to bear!"

General Ouki smiled, "It would have been if he was healthy but because of the injuries to his mind and body it will even out. Don't you see? It was meant to be this way! For ten years we have been looking for a suitable host according to the prophecy but none were up to the mark. Yet here, tonight, on the eve of the promised time it happened."

Lt. General Tou let out a deep sigh, "This matter is too important, we cannot be hasty-"

"How could we not be hasty? The perfect candidate has fallen right into our laps!"

"Master!" Lt. General Tou yelled before correcting himself, "-Senior Brother, give it some time. He is a mortal child not even of a noble lineage. He has no duty to serve our cause. The pressure- The burden it will put on him will be too much for him to handle!"

General Ouki's brow shot up in anger, "No duty?! Do only the royals have a duty to serve the greater good?! It is the duty of every able-bodied human to put others before them, there is no future for us otherwise!"

"But will he?! How can you be so sure that he will not be led astray? The power contained within that crystal will invite all manner of beings towards it! If he does not fall to them he will be twisted by the darkness, which will be even worse."

"You did not see what I saw," General Ouki shook his head, "He chose to sacrifice himself for the people in this household and he fought till the last moment. That kind of determination- I believe he is the one. Besides, there is no other choice."

He pulled the crystal back and Hao Xuan started shaking uncontrollably.

"He is too weak for our medicine. Only the crystal can save him...but you are right, we cannot be certain and it is too big of a decision to be made on a whim. I will seal most of the crystal's power, allowing only a small fragment to come to the surface at a time. This way the process will be gradual and we can keep an eye on him in the meantime. If we find a better host then it won't be too late to transfer it over to them."

Lt. General Tou had no choice but to agree.

"The Royal House will not be happy about this. They have been preparing for this moment for the last decade, ever since the crystal first made itself known."

"I will deal with the King myself," General Ouki added, "Until then the crystal will protect itself like it always has. And if worse comes to worst, we will intervene. I did not raise an army to watch from the sidelines."

He brought the crystal over Hao Xuan's chest and clenched, shattering it into countless pieces that turned into vapor and were absorbed into his injuries.

The process was fast and simple. Within a few minutes all signs of the crystal were gone along with Hao Xuan's injuries.

Just as they were about to leave General Ouki remembered the task he had sent Lt. General Tou out for.

"Did you find anything in the forest? Any idea what started this horde?"

"No, there was no sign of a fight anywhere. Some blood from high-ranked demonic beasts but it was a one-sided slaughter. Whatever landed here was powerful enough to not even give them a chance to fight back," Tou recounted.

"How strange. The falling star set the horde in motion which led me to the host. It cannot be a coincidence."

"Yes, I will keep looking. If there was something within that star then it was either more powerful than me or extremely skillful at hiding," Lt. General Tou mentioned, "But either way, it seems like it doesn't have any bad intentions towards the kingdom," he added.

"Mhm. Let us return to the city, that conniving four-eyed bastard must be waiting for me."

***

The night passed and the morning came. Hao Xuan slowly opened his, still feeling tired.

He looked around and had no idea where he was. He was in a room he had never seen before, and slept in a bed he didn't remember.

There was some noise outside his window, he got up and drew the curtains open, reaching out for the window but there was nothing there, just an empty frame.

Ignoring that, he peered down to see where the noise was coming from and saw two cute little girls running around, playing with each other. And then suddenly it all came rushing back. He was in a new world, a world completely unknown to him.

It was filled with monsters from the legends of old, a cold and cruel world.

The strong preyed on the weak, and no one would go out of their way to help someone else. God's existed, or beings as powerful as them, but they stayed in their ivory towers.

"I remember now," he mumbled to himself looking at the scene of the children playing in the garden. That's what he had to protect, that's what he had to fight for.

"I thought I died last night, what happened?" Hao Xuan said out loud.

"Was it that man that saved me? or was it a dream?"

But it didn't matter anymore. He lived through it! He was ready to die but here he still was! His mind felt clearer than it ever had before and for the first time in a very long time, he wanted to do something.

It was a second chance and he wanted to make full use of it.

"I won't waste my life away anymore, enough is enough. I'll become strong enough so what happened yesterday never happens again," he said with a firm voice.

When Hao Xuan went down everyone was caught by surprise, seeing him up and about after his dire condition last night. But they didn't question it, the big man had told them everything would be okay.

After breakfast Hao Xuan borrowed the remaining two horses, some ropes, and tools, before following the same path he went on last night. About an hour or so later he found what he was looking for, Joey's body.

He stood there in silence for a few minutes not knowing what to say.

"I was never good at these things," he mumbled.

After a little while he bowed and said, "Thank you. Thank you for saving them, and thank you for helping me."

Then he tied Joey's body to the other two horses and dragged it to a hill not far from there. He dug a hole deep enough even though it took several hours, something he probably never would have done even a day ago.

By the time Hao Xuan returned to the residence the sun had already set.

Mrs. Khan wanted to ask where he had gone but Mr. Khan stopped her, "Leave him be. He just needs some time."

They ate dinner like they had done the last few weeks but it was much quieter this time, both inside and out.

They were the only family left within the entire district.

Hao Xuan quickly finished his portion and got up to leave when Mr. Khan spoke up, "Hao my boy, some soldiers came today when you were out. They said there was something they needed to talk to you about. Maybe it's about that man that saved you. Pay them a visit tomorrow when you have time."

"Yes," Hao Xuan replied quietly and went up to his room.

He lay there on his bed with eyes closed, mulling over the Cultivation Manual that had been all but useless, thinking maybe he had made the wrong choice in selecting it when he felt a coldness on his forehead.

Surprised, he opened his eyes and saw a cute little face staring at him concerningly.

Without even realizing it, a smile had crept up on his face. "Little twerp, what are you doing?" he asked looking at the adorable Emi who had her hand on his forehead.

"Emi is making sure big brother doesn't have a tempwature. Big brother, does it hurt somewhere? Tell Emi, Emi will make it fly away," she said with an assuring face.

"Hahaha!" he jumped up and turned around to face her, "Emi, do you want to be my sister? I always wanted a sister," he asked with a wide smile.

Thinking he was making fun of her, she bobbed her head up and down, "Mmm!"

"Pinky promise? Then we will really be family you know, are you sure you want that? You can't take it back later!" he reminded with a sly grin.

"Mmm! Big brother is a good person," Emi said 'as a matter of factly' like it was the god's honest truth.

"But what if I wasn't?" he asked again.

"You are!" she replied without any hesitation.

'Are all children so innocent?' Hao Xuan wondered as he looked at Emilie's doll-like face, 'Was I like her too?'

"Okay, then we are real brother and sister okay? If I ever feel sad I will always come talk to Emi. Good?" he asked extending his pinky outwards, "Mhmm", she nodded her head making a pinky promise.

Hao Xuan smiled and patted her on the head, "Good girl."

She giggled delightfully in response.

"Alright, it's late, go to bed now," Hao Xuan said looking at the time.

"Yes!" Emilie nodded gleefully and skipped her way out of the room.

Her objective had been achieved, Hao Xuan wasn't sad anymore, and that was all she wanted.

Hao Xuan sat on his bed watching the little silhouette vanish from sight, his thoughts racing in a new direction.

He packed the few belongings he had amassed and went to Maaz's room. He was still awake since the light could be seen from the bottom.

*Knock*Knock*

"Come in."

"Yo, I have to do a few things. I might not be able to come back for a little while," Hao Xuan said from the door, "Take care of everyone alright?" he said looking Maaz in the eye.

Taken aback, Maaz jumped down from his bed, "What? What do you mean? Where are you going? It's already so late-" he fired one question after another.

"Just to take care of a few things. You don't have to worry about me, I'll be back soon," Hao Xuan replied earnestly.

Maaz saw the look in his eyes and he knew Hao Xuan wouldn't stop unless he was done with his business.

"Alright, if you think that's best. But be sure to come back soon okay? This is your home now, don't act all formal with me," Maaz said as he came up and gave Hao Xuan a bear hug.

"Mhmm, I'll be back soon. Tell everyone thank you and I'll be back soon, don't worry," Hao Xuan patted him on the shoulder and then slowly left under the cover of darkness.

He knew he needed to get strong, and fast! But that couldn't happen while living a comfortable life of leisure on the farmhouse.

He had witnessed firsthand the dangers this strange new world could harbor and he wasn't going to risk something like that again.