The Dawn of the New World

Lord Jyothi frowned upon randomly seeing the crystal lizard roaming the area.

"What are you doing out?! I was looking for you everywhere!" he reached out trying to pick it up but it hopped past him and ran up to Hao Xuan.

It was a lot more active than the last time they met and was even carrying something in its mouth, which it dropped at Hao Xuan's feet and then looked at him expectantly.

A little surprised and slightly confused, Hao Xuan looked to Lord Jyothi for answers.

Lord Jyothi bent down to see what it was and was shocked to find a pure blue Spirit crystal.

"Where did you get this??"

"Oh, it's the one I took out earlier!" Hao Xuan exclaimed upon recognizing the stone, "It was growing on its back. I took it out because I thought it would help."

Lord Jyothi glanced at him and then checked the lizard's back where the spot was still red.

His mood immediately soured, "You fool, why didn't you come to me?!" he berated the lizard but it had no reaction, making Hao Xuan think it couldn't even understand him.

*Sigh*

He picked the lizard up like a dog and handed the crystal over to Hao Xuan, "Thank you my lord, you probably saved this one's life. This little rock could have been fatal to him if left untreated but it could greatly benefit someone in your position."

"Really? What does it do?" Hao Xuan tried to get some more information out of him as they made their way up the volcano but Lord Jyothi didn't answer.

"You will know in due time," he chuckled.

A few minutes later they were back on top, standing in front of the large gate that led back into the sanctum. Lord Jyothi placed a hand on the gate and his brow immediately furrowed.

With slight hesitation, he pulled the gate open to reveal several other figures waiting on the other side next to Baba Jezda.

There were a total of seven including her, and they all seemed to be just as old as her if not older. Most of them were surrounded by such intense energies that it completely distorted their true forms.

"Seems whatever you two are planning is nothing to scoff at," Lord Jyothi muttered in a daze, "Never would I have thought to see so many Elders in one place again."

Hao Xuan walked up beside him, awkwardly leaning in to whisper, "Who are these people?"

"Ah, you needn't worry, they cannot see or hear what goes on in here," he said before explaining further, "These are some of the esteemed Elders from various houses. They have been around for a long time, much longer than someone like me. But they don't like to show themselves unless something big happens that affects the sanctum as a whole or...if they are given direct commands from the Nine. The last time I saw some of them was when Maymun's army marched through the abyss."

Hao Xuan's brow rose higher, "So they might have a vested interest in taking down Maymun then..."

"Some of them yes but...that war is already lost..."

While his mind raced with a myriad of thoughts Hao Xuan cleared his throat while preparing to take his leave.

"Then I bid you farewell, Lord Jyothi," he flashed a smile while extending his hand.

Lord Jyothi awoke from his stupor and looked at Hao Xuan with quite a mixture of emotions.

"Seems it really is too late to change anything. I was hoping to talk you out of it at the end but...it seems this is too big for me to interfere. Here, please take this," he held out his hand.

It was an amulet, a simple and unassuming accessory that no one would bother to look at twice. It held the shape of a small wheel with a total of ten empty spots all around. It looked to have been carved out of common rough stone with no redeemable qualities.

"This is...?"

"A parting gift. I had originally made this for my daughter just before she was taken from me. It can't do too much when compared to some of the treasures you might have already come across but...it will work in the depths of the Abyss where others won't. There is a small storage space inside and a few other functions that I hope you won't ever be in need of."

Hao Xuan closed his eyes and sent in some spiritual threads to explore. When they touched its rough surface the amulet began to glow for a moment before returning to normal.

"The connection has been made. You may store the crystal inside."

Hao Xuan brought it close and with a single thought the crystal disappeared. One of the ten empty spots had been filled up, indicating that only nine other items could be stored.