The meeting ended and Mo Huai invited Qi Lan and her core disciples to his tent.
The final decision of the leaders of the Coalition was the keep the elites, who lost all power, in prison. The army could be assimilated into the different sects and clans, a long arduous selection process would start soon.
"Are you planning on taking on many?" Mo Huai asked.
"I'll take in a couple hundred who seem talented in formations. After the war, I realised we were lacking despite my sects pulling out all the stops. How about you?"
"Me?" Mo Huai fell back, "I don't particularly have a land anymore. I gave Hou the Solar Lands."
"Gave?! The entirety? Why did he need all that?"
"It's... complica–" he was cut off as he sensed something, miasma formed armour around his neck as he swung around.
A spear formed of miasma entered his grasp, while miasma soldiers were called from the ground. He looked at the person who triggered his senses.
Qi Lan, simultaneously, contacted the formation around the entire base camp ready to use at a moments notice.
"Who are you?" Mo Huai saw the person, they had the appearance of a young boy around 12~. Though that didn't lower his guards, in fact it raised them reminding him of the Sect Leader who changed ages often.
"I am a friend, I come bearing news from Hou. He wishes you to come back, but his World has been planted and you may not easily enter without my help anymore."
Mo Huai squinted, "uhhuh..." He lowered his spear but kept his miasma soldiers on guard on either side of the boy, "Do you have any proof?"
He nodded and held out his hands, "If you would touch it, that should be enough."
Mo Huai hesitantly tapped the boy's hand and felt a part of him trust him entirely, Hou's Causality resonated and let him know he was telling the truth.
"I trust you, should I bring William? Can I bring anyone else?"
Xavier looked at the two miasma soldiers on his sides then back at Mo Huai. He sighed and the miasma soldiers fell apart, the miasma seeping back into the ground.
"How many people?"
Mo Huai looked to Qi Lan, "If you would? I suspect you will be cut off from everyone though so tell your subordinates what to do first."
Qi Lan lowered her guards, "I'll do that. I'll bring Yan and Jin too, is that fine...little boy?"
Xavier tallied io the people, "five, that's a little much but should be fine. How long will it be?"
"Give me a day or so, is everything fine?"
Xavier paused for a moment, "For you? Everything is as fine as it can be right now...I don't know if I should say any more."
***
In Hou's world, he exited the roundtable room.
"Arm!" He opened up the door to the study and held out his arms wide, "It is good being back..."
Arm walked over in a slight rush and gave Hou a hug, the two embraced for a few quiet moments. They separated and sat down in opposing chairs.
Hou held his hands together and looked down, "Hamar...."
Arm winced, "May he rest in peace."
Hou looked up, "How'd you–"
"I've seen enough deaths and I know you..." He stood up and walked over to a cabinet pulling out a glass of hard spirits.
"was it an honourable death?" He poured three drinks, offering one to Hou.
Hou took it but judt held it in his hands, "It was..." A tear splashed into his glass, "But totally unnecessary, if I was just a bit faster in realising, a bit faster in doing everything, if–"
"That's good, real good to hear." Arm raised his glass, "For Hamar!" And he downed it in one gulp.
He placed the glass back down with a loud clink, "I wasn't too close with the man, not like you were...but I understood him. Do you want to know why?"
Hou looked up, "Why?"
Arm flexed his biceps and slapped them, "Because we were both warriors, and he wouldn't want us to be moping!" He took the third glass, "He'd want us to continue living, so live for Hamar..." He held out the glass.
Hou chuckled lightly and tapped his glass with Arm's, downing it in one go at the same time. Hou took a deep inhale, "Thanks...Don't you have any questions? Like how he died, what happened?"
"If course I do, but I know you my boy...you'll tell me what I need to know. Sometimes, I don't need to know everything, and that's fine."
"I...I've become a God. Not a powerful cultivator, a real God. You must've noticed that you can't use aura or cultivation? Somebody must've..."
"A God huh....that's quite the achievement..."
"I've changed this World, try saying in your mind [INITIATE]." Hou was equally surprised as he was not that Arm barely reacted to it all; that's just who he was. Maybe that's why he was the perfect person to care for Hou, he was the opposite in many ways.
"And [BREAK] when done." Hou added as Arm fell limp in his seat. Quickly he came back looking surprised.
"At least I got a reaction out of you." Hou laughed.
"It's something, what is it?"
"Now instead of fighting, you have the ability to fight the mind directly. It'll be a change, but it was nessacary."
...
Later after explanation,
"When is his funeral? Almost all of the guards here, especially those top members knew him...they respected him, this is important to do right."
"As soon as possible. I want something simple but grand. Call everyone in the nation, bring them to the plains North. I'll arrange what needs to be done. There, I'll reveal the new powers. And...my Ascension."
Arm nodded and left Hou alone in his study. While alone he pulled out from nowhere, having control over his world he had no need for real space to hold things, Hou's sword.
He looked at it, 'Hamar's will...what would you want?' there was no answer
Obviously.