The Dawn of the New World

Hao Xuan took his time walking up the stone path. His mind was riddled with questions and theories about this creature's identity and if it was even possible to negotiate with it.

He was so lost in thought that by the time he came to the stone path had come to an end and Hao Xuan found himself standing at the top.

There was a person sitting on an elegantly designed white chair with their back to him. They were staring at the sunset and even when he made his presence known they did not react.

They had flowing golden hair that almost reached the floor. From what little Hao Xuan could see their figure was relatively small and dainty as compared to him.

Hao Xuan cleared his throat, not dwelling on minor details that did not matter in the long term.

"I am Hao Xuan," he introduced himself before realizing that it was probably a moot point, "But I guess you already knew that, being one of the bosses and all."

He waited for a response but even after half a minute there was absolute silence so he continued.

"I am here because-"

But he was abruptly cut off by a soft androgynous voice.

"What's wrong with this place?" the voice inquired.

"....Sorry?"

"This place, what is it missing?"

Hao Xuan's brow began to furrow as he started examining his surroundings.

'Is this a riddle?'

"Not a riddle, a simple question. What is wrong with this place? What is it missing?"

"And of course you can read minds too," Hao Xuan muttered to himself in annoyance.

Hao Xuan heard the sound of clothes ruffling and turned to see the person getting up. They fixed their clothes before turning around to face him.

And with the setting sun on their back a halo appeared around them which almost blinded Hao Xuan but...what was even more surprising was this person's seraphic beauty.

They were perfect. The looks matched the voice to the point that even though Hao Xuan was directly staring at them he couldn't tell if they were a very handsome man or a heaven-defyingly beautiful woman. He could see both depending on what he was thinking.

He was stunned into silence.

The person smiled softly while tilting their head to the side coquettishly, "Am I that good-looking?"

Hao Xuan nodded absentmindedly.

"What do you see when you look at me? A man or a woman?"

"B-Both," he stutteringly replied.

"Well," the person squinted thoughtfully, "Let's settle on one for today."

And the very next second Hao Xuan came to understand that this was indeed a man. At least for now.

"You can call me Light," the person finally gave a name.

Light appeared to be a man in his late twenties. Handsome beyond reproach and perfect in every sense of the word.

It took Hao Xuan a second to break free from the stupor and he had to take a few steps back while putting his guard up. That was definitely a spell...it had to be.

"You...changed your appearance?"

Light shook his head, amused by the thought, "I settled on one, there is a difference. You seemed to be having a lot of trouble with it so I thought I should make it a little easier for you. Those like me don't have genders, it is a requirement for mortals. We are all of them and none of them. We existed before there was a need for them."

Hao Xuan roughly understood what he was trying to say.

"So, can you tell what's wrong with this garden of mine?" Light asked again.

Hao Xuan took in a deep breath and actually gave it some thought, examining every little detail that he could pick up. He started with the most obvious and started going down the list considering even the logistical questions.

But after mulling it over for almost ten minutes or so he realized that something very basic was missing.

"There is no scent, none at all."

Light nodded in agreement, "Correct. No matter how hard I try I cannot recreate it. No treasure can come even close to the beauty of old."

He snapped his fingers and all the petals from every single rose flew up into the air, disappearing after reaching a certain height.

Taken aback by the sudden transformation, by the time Hao Xuan looked back there was only barren land around them.

That wasn't an illusion. Light had actually killed every single living thing down to the roots with one snap. This world was his domain through and through.

"So, Mr. Hao Xuan," Light got his attention again, "It seems you are at an impasse. You have already spoken to the old witch and I'm sure she had some choice words for me. You have met my brother, you know about the Emperor. But tell me, what do you know of their plans?"