Fang Hau slowly floated within his Chamber's halls with a leisurely smile. After a while, he stopped before a plain wall, no different from the rest. He chuckled lightly, his body moving forward and turning illusory. His purple robe turned transparent along with his entire body.
After phasing through the wall, he floated down the hallway and phased through a wooden door. Inside was a worn down bedroom–his bedroom.
Fang Hau gave the room a quick glance, withdrawing his gaze and phasing through the bed, entering the hidden staircase. A few minutes later, he arrived at the hidden room.
The white walls stood tall and firm, with the strange carvings that glowed with green light. The grand chandelier hung from above, giving off the feeling of elegance.
A few meters in front was a black cat–the artifact. His shape changed, forming his feet as he stepped forward, reaching his hand out but the cat's hair stood in an instant. It immediately jumped back, dodging Fang Hau's hand.
He tilted his head, listening to the cat's voice, "This is the closest place to Mount Lorebale's core, the true Fragment of Truth."
"This is your link to the core, and through the use of the Restrictions laid upon this room, you can enter the secluded realm where the core lies. Your plan is to make it take form." The cat continued, letting out a discontented sigh.
"However, everything you've done has always been suspicious. On the surface, it looks like you want to prove something, but this feels like a cover up for something deeper. As for what it may be, I'm still uncertain." The cat concluded, shooting Fang Hau a suspicious look.
Fang Hau stared blankly, his eyes flashing with light. He chuckled, commenting lightly, "To think that you've gained enough intellect and learned to overthink. If I were your creator, I would be proud of you."
The cat snorted, darting its eyes across the room. Fang Hau snapped his finger, his body turning into purple mist, which turned into a small swirling vortex. It spun rapidly, until a small figure was formed.
He had long white hair and porcelain white skin, and his cyan eyes glowed brightly like a newborn star. He wore a small purple robe that turned into a purple mist at the end.
Fang Hau's younger form.
He raised his hand, pointing at the cat's head and speaking, "You are the perfect example of intelligent creatures learning to overthink. This is already a great feat for you, you're not far from reaching human level intellect."
The cat rolled its eyes, continuing to observe the room. To a small creature such as a cat, every room is as vast as rivers, so whenever it has time, it would always try to observe its surroundings, taking in the information to better itself in the future.
However, this is only the case for its current self. Once it has gained enough power, it will be able to morph into much larger creatures, such as a human.
Hmm? Why does it hate me this much? I don't recall having done anything for it to hate me at all. Was our first encounter so bad? Fang Hau fell into deep thought as fading memories of the past began to resurface in his mind.
…
Over eight hundred years ago, inside the remains of a destroyed town, Fang Hau walked slowly, his eyes calm like water.
The surroundings were nothing but rubble caused by a catastrophic event. What was once a busy street was now completely silent.
He took out a journal from his pocket and flipped through its pages. His fingers halted at a certain page.
"Koris was an ordinary town like the rest; however, due to unknown reasons, news regarding the town came to a halt. An unknown force has annihilated this town, and thus, I, Fang Hau of Longevity, chose to investigate on my own volition." He read, letting out a soft sigh.
He closed the journal, returned it to his pocket, and started walking toward the rubble. After a few more steps, he lifted a nearby rubble, finding a corpse.
The corpse was lifeless, its eyes filled with no light. Its body was thin, as though all the blood had been sucked away.
"No life essence…"
He withdrew his hand, letting the rubble crash onto the corpse and creating dust clouds. With a few more steps, he found another corpse. It was similar to the last one; however, this person seemed to have been carrying a basket and died on the spot when the force came.
After investigating further, Fang Hau concluded: "Whatever may have done this did it all instantaneously; otherwise, there would be resistance in the bodies."
He continued walking down the streets until he arrived at what he assumed to be the plaza. Several more corpses were lying on the ground or were buried underneath the rubble.
Several minutes passed, but Fang Hau still found no signs. There was not even a single suspicious footprint.
Fang Hau closed his eyes, falling into deep thought, "It can't be human; there is too little evidence to suggest such, and a monster would be impossible due to the lack of resistance… so, it's an artifact?"
Fang Hau opened his eyes, scanning his surroundings and noting an interesting detail: "A grey world…"
The entire world seems to have been painted grey with the sole exception–Fang Hau.
A flash of understanding crossed his eyes, muttering, "An artifact gaining intelligence is an impressive feat unlike any other. To turn something inanimate and let it become intelligent… what a success that would be."
However, after he finished, he was met with utter silence. Besides the cold breeze, only his voice echoed across the town.
This "entity" sure knows how to hide, but unfortunately for it, the one searching is me. Fang Hau's gaze turned cold, as the atmosphere reflected it.
He tapped his chest twice, splitting his mind in an instant and entering the White Palace. After which, he took hold of his Heart, drawing his ability from it.
In the real world, he waved his hand as his surroundings changed. From a desolate ruin, into bustling streets.
A few meters before him was a brown gourd, violently draining the life essence of the entire town. Waves of green light surged like a tide and were sucked by the gourd within seconds.
Not even a second later, the gourd fell to the ground with a soft sound. However, the surroundings began falling apart. The buildings lost their color, crumbling into rubble alongside the humans who had lost their lives. Their bodies plopped to the solid ground like dead fish.
The gourd immediately transformed, changing its form into a black liquid. This black liquid quickly moved, hiding underneath nearby rubble.
Fang Hau took note of this, waving his hand, returning the scene to normal. He walked towards where it hid and lifted the rubble. Underneath hid a black puddle with two small eyes floating on it.
He observed for a second before reaching his hand out but the puddle immediately transformed back into a gourd.
Fang Hau narrowed his eyes, taking out a pair of artifact–gloves and wearing them, as he took the gourd. He took out a wooden box, placing the gourd inside and closing it.
He promptly said, "Based on the naming system, this one should be named 3B59."
After an hour, he arrived at the out-skirts of the town. He entered the White Palace again and waved his hand, letting the scene from the past play out like nothing had happened.
"I better come up with a good lie, otherwise, I would incur public suspicion if this ever gets out." Fang Hau sighed, leaving the Koris for good.
…
Back to the present.
Fang Hau asked plainly, "Why did you come here? Of all places, this is one of the most interesting for a cat."
However, the cat remained silent, choosing to ignore Fang Hau as if he never spoke–no, as if he wasn't there at all. Fang Hau smiled lightly, having gained deeper insight of the cat's thought process through the short interaction.
He closed his eyes, leaning on the cat, choosing to rest here. Although there were no beds, it was still quite comfortable, after all…
The cat transformed, returning to its original form, the–gourd. Hidden purple marks that weren't there before started glowing, as Fang Hau's figure shattered into mist that was then absorbed by it.