Destiny Awakens

A year had passed.

Time had continued its course.

The seasons had succeeded one another.

The fields had regained their greenery.

The markets were filled with laughter once more.

For the majority of the inhabitants, the tragedy of Nyvaris was nothing more than an old story told around the hearth.

But certain elders still lowered their voices when they pronounced that name.

They said that, on certain nights, a silhouette still walked among the ruins.

A child.

Always alone.

Always silent.

At the center of the continent rose the most powerful kingdom of the five nations.

The Kingdom of Solarys.

It was there that the Grand Sage resided.

For nearly two centuries, he had dedicated his life to protecting the balance of the world.

Every night, he meditated in the Hall of Stars.

An immense circular room whose ceiling represented the celestial vault.

In its center rested an ancient artifact.

The Dial of Destiny.

A relic that only the Grand Sages could use.

It was said that it granted only a single vision to each generation.

That night...

The Grand Sage gently placed his hand upon the Dial.

Nothing

As always.

He closed his eyes.

Silence reigned for several minutes.

Then...

A crack appeared on the floor.

A second one.

A third one.

The torches all went out at the exact same instant.

A silvery light flooded the room.

The Dial began to turn on its own.

Faster and faster.

Thousands of characters from a forgotten language rose into the air.

The Grand Sage abruptly opened his eyes.

Never...

Never had he witnessed such a phenomenon.

Then a voice resonated.

It seemed to come from everywhere at once.

Neither man.

Nor woman.

Nor young.

Nor old.

A voice that seemed to belong to the world itself.

"In nine years..."

The Grand Sage's heart nearly stopped.

"The world will know a new form of suffering."

The ancient characters began to burn.

"The living will envy the dead..."

The ground trembled.

An immense fissure tore through the ceiling.

"When Shadow and Light become as one..."

The Grand Sage fell to his knees.

His body refused to move.

His hands trembled.

Then the final sentence appeared.

The characters were red.

Red as blood.

"The True One will open the path of the Thousand Bodies."

Silence returned.

All the lights vanished.

The Dial ceased to spin.

The Grand Sage remained motionless.

He had known hundreds of prophecies.

But none...

None had ever mentioned...

The True One.

Several hundred kilometers away...

In a forgotten forest.

A doe suddenly raised her head.

The birds ceased to sing.

The wind vanished.

Then...

Something slowly opened its eyes in the depths of the darkness.

Two white pupils.

Motionless.

They observed the world.

As if they had been awaiting this moment for a very long time.

The creature sketched a smile.

Then it whispered in an almost inaudible voice:

"Finally..."

The day after the prophecy, a silver bell rang out across the five kingdoms.

Only once.

Its echo traveled across mountains, oceans, and deserts.

To be continued….

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***