Hao Xuan was standing in front of the second door that led to the domain of a 'Great Old One'. There was a line of symbols on the top just like the last one but Hao Xuan could not make any sense of the words no matter how much he tried to understand them.
Finally, he reached out and gently pulled the handle to reveal what was inside. And for the first time since entering the castle he saw an extraordinarily mundane scene.
It was an ordinary-looking large room with two rows of benches on the left and ride sides facing each other. From the grand furnishings it appeared to be the home of some great noble or even a royal. Everything from the ceiling and walls to the carpets and rugs was dyed in a shade of navy blue to some extent.
There was a lit fireplace on the far side and right in front of it was the only living creature here. It was a great wolf or rather a wolf-like slumbering beast. It was a little over 6 meters in length with bright orange fur.
There was a massive 5-meter-tall greatsword entrenched in the floor right in front of it and most of the wolf's body was wrapped around it protectively. The energy coming from the greatsword closely matched the aura of the wolf but there was still some difference between them.
The only thing Hao Xuan knew for certain was that there were two entities within that domain, not one.
The wolf didn't react when the door was opened nor when he tried to extend a hand into its domain. There was even an invisible wall that kept him from going too far in.
Only when he started gathering spiritual energy around the palm of his hand to break through the invisible wall did the wolf open its eyes. It slowly turned towards the door and met Hao Xuan's gaze.
They looked into each other's eyes for a moment before the door abruptly slammed shut.
'You are not my master,' a childish voice sounded in Hao Xuan's head.
He gave a silent nod in response and continued moving through the labyrinth of hallways. The vast majority of the Old Gods he came across presented themselves as only ideas, shapes, or colors and none of them had any interest in him.
Finally, after a long time of wandering and questioning whether he should turn back or not Hao Xuan came across the third door with some symbols ingrained above its doorframe.
These were translated in the same manner as the first one.
[Jananigo...?]
The door did not budge.
[Janai'ngo-]
*creaaak*
It pushed open with a gust of wind, spraying cold water on Hao Xuan's face and drenching him in one fell swoop.
Hao Xuan wiped his face and craned his neck to peer into the watery world.
The door had opened just above the surface of a large body of water. There was a storm raging outside, creating waves big enough to swallow entire cities. And riding one of these waves was a small fishing boat.
Hao Xuan narrowed his eyes trying to get a better look at them. There were 6-7 humanoid beings scurrying around in a panic, pointing at the wave behind them with ashen faces.
He followed their line of sight and caught a glimpse of what they were running from. It was the head of some immense squid-like creature glowing with a rich white light.
The tentacles attached to its bottom half were extending as far as the eye could see without limit whereas right above its head was a white cloud rising into the sky, powering the storm that created hundreds of meter-tall waves. (Reference Image posted in discord, it is the first AI image I've created and many more will be coming soon)
The bottom half was creating the ocean and the top half was creating the storm that made the ocean a living hell.
But whatever its power maybe Hao Xuan didn't care as long as he could get the mark to enter the central halls of the castle. So he extended a hand into its domain and attempted to communicate with it but just like most of the other beings in here this creature also did not have any interest in him.
Somewhat despondent, Hao Xuan moved away from the door as it closed but his eyes widened when he noticed that the one right next to it also had a row of symbols above it.
[Finally a break!] he happily reached out trying to open the door but suddenly remembered something.
[Why am I doing this?! I should be avoiding the 'Great Old Ones' not seeking them out!]
For some reason, Hao Xuan had forgotten the first and most important rule he had decided on after entering the castle.
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