The two dropped through the portal into a dark cave and toppled onto the floor. Most conveniently, Calibri fell right into the young Grandmaster's arms. The cave was quite large and the ground was covered in small crystals. The moment Haochen's back hit it, the crystals gave off a bright strange indigo luminescence from the area of impact.
Calibri stayed very still and processed what had transpired, but when he realised exactly who he was being held by, he jumped up as if his body had been singed.
With a small sigh, Haochen got up from the ground. The other man who was looking at him with a flustered expression.
"You were awake?" Calibri asked, his nose turning pink.
Haochen had one of two options: Tell the truth and have Calibri behave even more uncomfortably around him or tell change the subject and let him save face. Taking pity on him, Haochen chose the latter.
"Was that person someone you know personally? He looked like he recognized you."
"Haochen, don't you know where that person came from?"
Haochen paused and looked at Calibri wearily. "He's from Heaven."
Calibri nodded. "Yes. He most definitely in is, and the last time they checked, you and I-" He waved a finger between the two of them, "- are supposed to enemies. But you've teleported me away, right in front of one of them. And now, he'd going to report that to Headquarters, and we're all going to be trouble." He said, groaning and putting his face in his hands.
It was too confusing. Leaving aside that Warrior of Heaven, he was ALSO under the impression that they were enemies. Ever since Haochen summoned the Gatekeeper to pull him back, the man had been nothing but kind to him. But the last expression he'd seen on Haochen's face was one of contempt and hatred when he looked at him. What in the world was he trying to do?
"What were you thinking, Haochen?" Calibri asked.
Haochen watched him for a moment. "I know you don't understand what's happening, which is why I told you that there's a lot I have to say to you."
Calibri lowered his hands and looked at Haochen who stood a meter in front of him.
"You're going to be in a world of trouble because of what you've just done."
Haochen shrugged a little. "I don't care about trouble anyway."
Calibri raised a brow. "You? Not caring about trouble?"
Haochen bent his back a little so that his face was at Calibri's level. "Nope, I'm the Grandmaster now, what can they do to me?"
Calibri blinked a few times trying to wrap his mind around the new attitude.
Haochen grinned. "You must be so confused."
The Verbatian pursed his lips. "Haochen. What is this all about? What are you planning to do? And how can you be this reckless? I don't think you know who you're dealing with. No, I KNOW you have no idea who you're dealing with because you haven't seen them in action. But I HAVE, and believe me when I tell you, you are in so much of trouble." Calibri paced as he spoke.
Calibri's theatrics always amused Haochen, especially since Calibri was not trying to be dramatic at all, and had the most serious and anxious of expressions. The young Grandmaster watched the shorter man pace before answering. "What can they do to me?"
Calibri's brows shot up and he spun to face him. "This is HEAVEN. You just pulled someone they sent to the Underworld out of the Underworld and assisted the escape of that person. And just your luck, that person is ME, someone who shamed their entire realm and broke sacred laws."
"No, I made a contract with the Gatekeeper of the Underworld, and now you're with me. We're not trying to escape anyone. They did their bit and handed you over to the king of the underworld, the Gatekeeper. What happens to you now is between the Gatekeeper and whoever he says can be involved. I made a contract with him, and so this is between the Gatekeeper, you, and me." Haochen said.
Calibri raised a brow. "If we aren't trying to escape, then why did you teleport out of there?"
Haochen frowned. "You don't know?"
Calibri tilted his head slowly. "What was I supposed to know?"
Haochen stayed quiet for a while. "A few minutes ago, you used a simple incantation. It wasn't something difficult. But when you activated it, your powers practically radiated off you.
Half your soul is scattered in the Living realm, but your Soul Flare is still so strong that everyone with a high enough cultivation level in all three realms would have felt that surge of power you let out, let alone everyone who has a piece of your soul.
I suspect that pulse had something to do with not having practiced cultivating for so long. But either way, with so much of your soul missing, your Soul Flare shouldn't allow you to still have a cultivation level this high. It shouldn't be possible.
And to me, it felt like your level didn't decrease at all, if anything it felt higher."
Calibri's eyebrows furrowed as Haochen explained.
"If we stayed there, you'd be taken back to Heaven for analysis. We don't have the time for their interference."
"Why don't we have time?"
"Ah, that's because you and I are on a mission." Haochen said, grabbing Calibri's hand. Calibri's eyes widened and he looked at the hand holding his.
"What are you doing?" He asked, the tips of his hair turning a sunshine yellow. He tried to shake Haochen's hand off, but he wouldn't budge.
"You're going to get lost if I don't hold your hand."
"I can see better than you in the dark." Calibri said.
"Maybe, but you don't know where we are or where we're going."
Calibri looked at Haochen's back, which still had a few crystals stuck in the long, silky hair dangling behind him. Unconsciously, his hands reached out to dust them off, and he wondered if Haochen was hurt in the fall. He snapped out of his daze and dropped his free hand before it touched the other man's hair.
"Wait a moment! You can't take me with you, I've already told you I have somewhere to be." Calibri said as Haochen dragged him along.
Haochen stopped walking and turned to him with a surprised look. "I almost forgot. This is yours."
He pulled out the necklace with the glowing orb. "We still have 15 to go, but this is a start."
Calibri stared at the glass orb filled with a glittery silver and gold substance. He glanced back to Haochen's face. "Why do you have this?"
"It's a long story. But you should take it back."
Calibri looked at it once again. "Have you felt any strange feelings other than emptiness after his Majesty ate that piece of your soul?"
"The Gatekeeper?"
"Yes. What I mean to ask is if you've seen or heard anything out of the ordinary?"
Haochen thought for a moment. Initially he felt quite uncomfortable for a minute after and for some reason, he thought he vaguely heard screaming and growling. But then it disappeared as quickly as he'd heard it.
He shook his head. Calibri nodded to himself. "Right now, what do you hear?"
Haochen looked at him oddly and then glanced around the cave. "I don't hear anything." Calibri nodded again.
"Then keep it, till I get yours back. Don't take it off." Calibri said, and gently pushed Haochen's hands holding out the necklace back towards him.
Haochen frowned. "What are you talking about? I can't keep it; it belongs to you."
Calibri internally scoffed at the words. His metaphorical soul hadn't belonged to him for a long time.
"Please believe me on this, you should hold onto that, at least for a while longer. For now, I need to get back to the Underworld. It's not too late to fix this mistake."
Haochen sighed and held Calibri's shoulders.
"That's what I'm trying to do. I'm trying to fix my mistakes." Haochen said with a strange look on his face.
Calibri sighed in relief. "Alright, now this makes sense. You didn't mean to make that contract with the Gatekeeper. It was accidental, right? So, we're on the same page, and your mission is to get your soul back. Don't worry, I'm sure we can fix it. He must be able to regurgitate your soul somehow."
"No. You're coming up with strange scenarios before gathering all the information again. I wanted to make that contract and bring you back."
Calibri narrowed his eyes at him. "What? Then… What mistake did you make then?"
"I lied to the council that day."
Calibri froze.
"I don't hate you. I had to lie to them. I had no choice."