The Dawn of the New World

The mist became thicker and thicker until it looked like a viscous liquid from afar. Its movement was reminiscent of a living creature as it moved towards Hao Xuan's mouth without any outside influence.

With bated breath Hao Xuan waited as the intensity of the hunger increased tenfold in that brief moment. His insides were burning with an insufferable appetite, the likes of which very few had known.

When the mist reached his mouth it felt like the first rain after decades of drought.

? He didn't have to do anything other than absorb the energy and...everything else that came with it.

The tremendous torrent of energy rushed into his body like a maddened bull and was immediately disseminated throughout. But with that cool sensation came something he had never expected.

A series of extremely potent emotions and memories he had never felt before.

Hao Xuan's eyes rolled in his head and his body arched back as every muscle fiber became rife with these completely unknown sensations.

In his mind a series of images were playing out but unlike all the other times none of these were his own, although he couldn't tell the difference in the moment since he was experiencing them firsthand.

He saw himself being born in an old tree on a cold winter night, not as a human but as a younger version of the same beast he had just killed.

He slowly grew up, learning to run before even walking. Hunting, learning about his environment, about all the countless dangers around him, and finally leaving home to explore this foreign world until he found another of his species.

"AAAHH!"

With a sudden jolt he was forced awake to the sound of Baracus's notifications.

*Beep*Beep*

"Blood Energy Level Rising!"

5%

10%

20%

40%

50%

55%

"Blood energy recovered by 58%"

"Resuming standard operating procedures."

As loud as they were Hao Xuan's attention was directed elsewhere.

Rubbing his neck he wiped the tears from his eyes. The sharp tingling sensation from where he had cut the beast's throat was still being reflected on his own body.

Noticing his strange behavior and even stranger happenings inside the body Baracus spoke up, inquiring as to the cause of the change.

"Severe hormonal imbalance detected. Estrogen level dangerously low. Data suggests you-"

"Shut up, shut the fuck up for a god damn second!" Hao Xuan barked back, immediately silencing Baracus.

After taking a quick minute to circulate some energy throughout his body Hao Xuan stood up and began walking.

"You are moving away from the city," Baracus cautiously reminded despite being yelled at a moment ago.

"...I know. I need to check something."

This time his response was much tamer but Baracus was still worried about the rampaging hormones within his bloodstream. The cause certainly wasn't physiological from what he could tell which meant something else was going on.

Hao Xuan moved through the dark forest with lightning-quick speed. It was like he knew exactly where to go. Every leaf, every branch on the ground was as familiar to him as the back of his own hand.

In a little over five minutes he was standing in front of a small burrow hidden behind a bush.

If one didn't already know what to look for there was no way to find it. It was well out of sight and protected by trees and boulders from all other directions.

Hao Xuan stood in front of the burrow unable to move from the spot.

"Baracus, how long did that last? When I absorbed him just now?"

*Beep*

"Approximately 13 standard minutes."

That was not the answer he was hoping to hear. Shaking his weary head Hao Xuan steeled his tumultuous heart and pushed aside the bush to enter the burrow.

It took a few seconds for his vision to adjust to the darkness. And when it did a figure came into view.

Pure white and as big as a cow from earth. More than twice the size of the creature he had killed earlier but with the same exact appearance.

"Fuck, it's real...god damnit..." Hao Xuan cursed while covering his mouth.

He walked around until the creature's head came into view. Placing a couple of fingers where its heart would be he felt for a pulse but the body was already cold.

It had died in the last ten minutes.

"God damnit dude...why couldn't it be anything else..."

Finally unable to hold it Baracus tried asking again.

*Beep*

"I do not understand. Please explain."

Hao Xuan leaned back against the entrance of the burrow while brushing his fingers over the would-be wound on his neck. He could still feel it as clear as day.

"It seems in a moment of desperation I used a bit more of the Immortal Devouring Demon Physique's power than anticipated. It not only devoured the beast's energy but everything else about it, EVERYTHING else."

"Its memories, habits, emotions, all the pain, fear, and sadness it had felt in all its life, I took everything...including its soul..."

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