Just before the bullet from Adrian's gun shattered his head, Xander felt himself lifting from his body. A sudden force was pulling his soul away from his body. He watched himself materialize out of his own corpse on the floor as an invisible bluish glow, that neither Clara nor Adrian could see. They kissed passionately, celebrating his demise.
It was extremely painful for Xander to watch, seeing the two people he loved and trusted responsible for his death. A sudden force pulled him away instantly. It transported him to an endless void of whiteness. A hard voice boomed from somewhere. No! Everywhere, Xander realized.
"You have the potential to be a great warrior, human, and because of that, you have been chosen to be the next Eternal Cultivator. The only one capable of studying all the cultivation techniques possible and defeating the Eternal Sovereign, an entity who threatens to bring darkness to the whole universe if he isn't stopped. Only when you reach the peak of your cultivation can you right all wrongs done to you, and be able to reshape your future and past to your will. You will be taken to the greatest realm to train and grow among the greatest cultivators and the most powerful sects in the universe. You will be aided in your journey by your brides, who are not just your soulmates, but also your teachers. But be careful, human, as they can be not just your bride, but also your downfall. A woman's heart is the abode for love, as it is for hate and greed." The voice said.
Xander had patiently waited through the voice's lengthy monologue, waiting for a chance to speak, and ask the questions coursing through his mind. But the instant the voice stopped, he was pulled swiftly from that realm again, and he found himself lying in a dark, stuffy and enclosed space. He moved his fingers, and felt them move. Then were his arms and legs. They hearkened to his call to action. He jammed his hands into the darkness above him, and then, there was a reverberating noise as rocks shattered around him.
He stepped out of the ruins of a large stone grave and mausoleum. He threw an arm up to shield his eyes from the stinging golden rays of the sun. He looked around cautiously, getting his eyes accustomed gradually to the sun. Only pieces of pebbles and rocks gave testament to the existence of a stone grave and mausoleum around him. He was responsible for the damage. He felt sudden violent surges inside himself, a strange force was coursing through his veins, a strange power filling his body.
He walked away from the ruins and rubble of the mausoleum, which seemed part of an extremely large temple. Xander not only felt it, he could also see it. In each and every feature of the surrounding structures, was engraved the idea that he was in another realm. In a higher realm, and far away from Nevarra. Xander should be happy that he was alive and had transcended to a higher realm, but he was sad. His parents were going to die in some hours in Nevarra, and he could do nothing about it. He had to reach the peak of his cultivation in this realm, as the voice had told him earlier, before he could be able to save his parents. He'd heard the greatest cultivators had the ability to travel far into the past and some even had the ability to resurrect the dead.
He left the Temple-like structures and moved deeper into the realm, staring at the tall, large and pyramidal-shaped houses, the wide winding streets paved with metal, running in all directions. The people were dressed in form-fitting robes, most embroidered with silver patterns.
He continued to walk down the streets, soft hums lingered in the air as people flew around on some board-like device, like a kind of air skateboard. Xander was aware of the whispers, the hushed conversations as every eyes around fell on him, watching him strangely, keen on every move of his legs, every turn of his head. What started with the people on the air skateboard and a few using the streets soon bloosomed into a city-wide affair, with windows steadily being pushed open from everywhere, people leaning out of their houses to stare at him. Some had even run down to the street to get a better view. The whispers were louder now, everyone was whispering something to the person nearest them. Xander could piece out one or two of their conversations as he continued undisturbed down the metal streets.
"Is he Grand Master Luffin Tank" one man whispered.
"He cannot be, Grand Master Luffin Tank died more than five hundred years ago. This is a fake, an imposter", another replied.
"But he looks like Grand Master Luffin Tank, he even has on his royal robes, and his royal sword. It is the law and norm in all of Celestaris, not only in our sect alone, for no one to wear Grand Master Luffin Tank's royal robe and sword, especially when both have been buried with him.", another man whispered.
"The man must be a fake, and he is probably from another realm. He might not know of the law in Celestaris, but anyway, he is putting himself in great trouble. The junior disciples and forgemasters will soon come for his head, and since impersonating Grand Master Luffin Tank is a great offense, an Elder of Temperance might even lead the march for his head." another man added.
Xander looked himself over hurriedly. Indeed, he was in a form-fitting dark robe, with silver patterns embroidered onto it, just like that of the people staring at him, but unlike theirs, his was embroidered on a material that looked to be many times finer and softer than silk. The embroidery was done with such fine detail, unlike the others. He was also wearing a harness that carried a dangerously long sword on his back.
His eyes caught the reflection of himself on a transparent surface around him. He ran closer to it, and the crowd parted fast to let him through. He stared at the reflection that was nothing like himself. This person was older, in his late twenties or early thirties. His face was battle-hardened and blatantly showed his great strength of character, and yet, he still managed a great older-manly handsomeness. His eyes were cold and jade-green, and his jaw was aggressive and tough. The man was some inches taller than him, but was muscular and strong. His arms were full of power and strength.
Loud and hard voices tore through the whispers, and Xander pivoted immediately. A small group of men armed with high-tech swords, and dressed in military-styled robes of the same pattern as those of the people around pushed through the crowd. They studied him curiously, then one of them yelled out loud, one with a bit finer robe, "Catch that impostor. How dare anyone impersonate Grand Master Luffin Tank". Instantly, the soldiers came at him with their swords.
Instinct warned Xander that the best thing to do right now was to run. Quickly, he took a deadly sprint back down the street, pushing through the crowd, the soldiers chasing madly after him. As he ran, he incessantly turned to check his assailants, watching them grow more and more in number.