Word for the Destined

Bruno is having fun.

Their house has all their requests handed out to them. Next Gen video game console with a curved UHD TV? Check. Double door fridge with modified cooling and segregation system? Check.

Insane simulation chamber for playing football and sparring? Double Check.

Layla and Lolita are enjoying the built-in tech lab. All this is because they're living with Alpha, Saber and Johnson for the next few weeks. Yes, A5.

"Jeez, how much tech is present here? Not even Eruditio can hold this stuff!" Lolita exclaimed.

Beta answered, "Time travel to gain new technology. Multi-splicing and vivisection to unlock tech potential. Outcome: Better AIs and Exoskeletons. Good for combat and hostile eradication. Time jump desynchronized. Cannot traverse. Destroy Dreadmare Chest for unlock."

"The Dreadmare Chest is where the original Dark Lord's soul is imprisoned after the first war," Alpha said. "Nasty. Nasty. World on lockdown. No escape."

"But the Chest itself can be destroyed. You said so yourself," Layla pointed out.

"By the use of the Genesys Gem. And we need all the shards. Outside interference prevents easy access. Risk factors increased by 186%," Beta said.

"And the only way is the hard way," Bruno mumbled. "How difficult is it to obtain a shard?"

"We depend on environment and inhabitants," Alpha replied. "Instanalysis processes specific factors faster. 1st shard, very easy! 2nd shard, superb! 3rd shard, bad business. Me not like."

Beta added, "Prophecy unclear. Has double meanings. Hope for the best, prepare for the worst."

"Prophecy?" Bruno asked.

Alpha immediately said, "Not I will tell. Ask Estes."

They heard a knock on the door. Lolita opened it and saw Chou.

"What're you doing here?"

"Roommates aren't there yet," he replied. "It's a bit lonely."

Beta asked, "Request A6 residents' names for verification."

"Me, Fanny, Hayabusa and Zhao."

The drone blipped and floated back to Alpha, who was assessing himself.

"Anyway, we need to talk about the stuff around here," Lolita urged.

"Nah, we need to take a chill pill," Bruno replied. "Sure, this is some serious matter, but we have to take it step by step."

"I recommend the former," Alpha said.

Lolita smirked at Bruno, then proceeded talking.

"Alpha, how many nations have converged in for this event?"

"All."

Chou responded, "So that's accounts for Eruditio, Iga, Onmyouji, this place, Megalith, Nost Gal…"

"Correction. Borderlands unresponsive."

Bruno explained, "He must be referring to the other lands Estes talked about. But seriously, why all of this? If anything, this invasion would be involving like, millions of individuals in play."

"Prophecy." The three friends looked at Alpha.

"There was some prophecy present?" Lolita asked.

Alpha dejectedly shook his head. "Not for me to say."

So they decided to go to the Demon Hunters' camp.

They needn't wake up Alucard. He and Ruby were too restless too sleep. They remained awake, discussing the situation at hand.

But here's how it went down.

"Wait, where's Alucard's tent again?"

Layla replied to Chou, "The second one, right next to the headquarters. He's with Ruby, right?"

Bruno cringed. "The girl with the scythe? I really am not used to seeing those things. Take it from me, who has protected our hometown with bigger threats."

"Relax, mate," Chou said. "She can't be that bad. Right, Alpha?"

Alpha then blurted out, "Argument invalid. Her psychological levels are spiking. Bad past. Try not to bring it up. Don't make it too obvious, though."

"From what I can manage, she's like, 14," Lolita added as they walked up to the camp entrance.

"Another invalid statement. Subject is 18 years old, 2-3 years younger than all of you," Alpha clarified.

Chou's jaw was beginning to drop dead. "Dude. What?"

"Let's not mind that," Bruno urged. "We're here for the prophecy."

They walked up to Alucard's tent, surprisingly alight.

"Yoohoo, are you guys still awake?" Layla asked.

Ruby exited the tent and saw the five friends. "Yeah, we are. You must be Alucard's buddies, right?"

Alpha replied, "Yes. You must be Ruby. We need to have a word with Alucard."

Beta spoke, "Request classified information. Knowledge is power. Ignorance diminishes vigilance."

Ruby's eyes scrunched. "What for?"

"Again, classified," Lolita pressed. Alucard popped out of the tent.

"Oh, hey guys. Why so late at night?"

"We're here to get this 'prophecy of old' from Estes," Layla responded, making quotation marks in the air.

"We were about to discuss that," Alucard said. "I'll join you."

"Me too," Ruby added.

The group nodded as they trudged towards the citadel.

As they went for the palace doors, they were unlucky to find it locked.

"Ah, great. Now what?" Chou grumbled.

"What are you doing here?" a voice called out.

The group got startled and looked behind them. The voice came from the Valkyrie they saw back at the underground chamber.

"Wait, you're the Valkyrie from before," Alucard noted.

She held out her hand. "I forgot to introduce myself. Freya, lead Valkyrie of Nost Gal. What seems to be the case?"

Bruno replied, "We just want to find out where the Sacred Library is. Of course, we wouldn't want to trudge in without permission."

Freya faintly smiled. "Don't worry. Our Kingship rarely prohibits access. I am the one rounding the patrol here. I'll help you."

Throughout the walk, she was their guide to reaching the library by traversing a maze of rooms and corridors.

"What brings you to the Land of the Dawn?" Ruby asked.

Freya said, "Nost Gal was once a peaceful nation. I and the Viking leader, Franco, assisted each other to preserve order. But there came a time where a demon wave was imposed on Nost Gal. They were so many, we thought we couldn't hold them off. Luckily, there was some unexpected aid."

(At this point, Alucard's mind picked up a slight signal of uneasiness from the Valkyrie's thoughts. He decides to nudge in about this for a later time.)

"And by the time we thought things couldn't get any worse, Bane resurrected from Davy Jones' Locker."

"Yeah, Estes told us," Bruno added. "Was he on the hunt for the Vikings?"

"Not really," Freya replied. "Bane is Franco's archenemy, but judging from his activity, he seems to be rushing for help. He's building alliances and truces to increase his power. Only a few of his foolish lackeys dared fight us."

"We only took note of this worldwide phenomenon a few months ago. Franco put more than a half of his troops here while he and a few select officers of his help in patrols and finding the Shards."

"Why would Bane be on the run for his own help?" Alpha asked. "As Lord of the Seas, something must've crapped his pants."

Layla snickered. "Maybe he has something to do with all this."

"That's what we hoped for," Freya continued. "One of our original plans was for the Vikings and Pirates to form a truce. Unfortunately, we had no chance to carry it out due to the successive activity present."

"There's also the issue with one of the elemental guardians, Aurora. For now, we don't know whose side she is on. And judging from the fact we have approximately 3 and a half weeks left, we're actually lagging behind."

"The Queen of the North?" Alucard asked. "Heard that she lost an arm of hers during a battle."

Freya grimaced. "She lost it as she was trying to prevent chaos among the Vikings and Pirates. She responded by generating a blizzard with insane frostbite. Neither side has recuperated easily. She now sits in solitude, we, unaware of her actions."

They now reached the Sacred Library. "What were you getting again?"

"The Prophetic Parchment," a voice said. Out of the shadows popped Hayabusa from one of the library's tables. He was still in his combat uniform.

Chou's eyes widened. "How did he get here?"

"I was watching your every move. I guard the halls with these shadows."

"Hayabusa is the newly appointed Shadow of Iga," Freya continued. "He has mastered the use of light's absence and used it not only for his own benefit."

He disappeared, and after a few seconds, came back with a scroll in hand. It looked very old, and it had two golden rollers on either end.

"I assume this is what you've been looking for." He plopped it to a nearby desk and unfurled it.

The group peered in for a better look. On it were words from an ancient language too old for them to decipher. On it were black and white images, portraying unclear events.

"You could've asked it from me," Freya said, rolling her eyes. "But the whole package will suffice."

Beta spoke, "Data banks cannot identify language. Scanners unreliable for information processing. Request assistance."

Alpha replied, "All I know is that this was written in the Sacred Text invented by our ancestors."

"Let me read it for you," Freya suggested. She began to recite the text.

There will come a time of catastrophe

Which will spread chaos and infamy

The fallen evil will resurface

And will attempt to disassemble the carapace

"Disassemble the carapace?" Ruby wondered.

"There were different writers of this text. One was assigned to write this stanza," Alpha assured. "He once believed the world lay on a huge turtle's shell. Without the shell, the globe is doomed. Hence, disassemble the carapace. Destroy order."

Freya continued,

There will arise specters and nightmares

All coming from a chest named Dreadmare

The Sorceress and the wicked Seductress

Will inevitably break the Holy Harness

"A chest named Dreadmare?" Bruno exclaimed. "Alpha, you were talking about it a few hours ago. You said WE could destroy it."

Freya said, "Take note. Prophecies may have double meanings. Alpha here can only speak the truth. It's a violation for him to lie without any appropriate reason."

Layla asked in a worried tone, "So we cannot stop the breaking of the bonds?"

Chou told her, "Unfortunately, it seems so. But we can still destroy the chest. How?"

"Wait," Alucard halted them. "It says here that these two women, most likely Vexana and Alice, will free the chest. But the Dark Lord's soul resides there."

Hayabusa stepped in. "We may not prevent the chest from being free, but we can destroy the chest by vanquishing the Dark Lord. Only in that time where in the ethereal evil will scatter and fade into the stars."

"Time to continue," Freya reminded. She began reciting the text.

But fear not, for the light remains

Act with haste, and it will be retained

Through the warriors of old and new

The shards of an artifact, they will pursue

"That's us. The Land of the Dawn is the light of this planet," Alucard said. "We're to find the shards to reassemble the Genesys Gem, but we need to act fast."

"Nice analysis," Hayabusa complimented. "Estes has fulfilled a piece of this prophecy. I am glad he took note of all it harbors."

"Warriors of old and new," Freya muttered. "Many of us here are so unique, yet are forced to act as one."

Lolita was trying to reel in all the information. "The poem is not done?"

Freya replied, "It's lengthy. What did you expect?"

Everyone laughed. A bit inappropriate, but well needed.

"Okay, okay," said Layla. "Freya, what's next?"

She continued,

Be wary of the werewolf with a cause

Accompanied by a girl of red, of blood and awe

An unknown gunslinger, a hybrid Protector

And a miniature elf outfitted with tough ardor

"A girl of red, that's me," Ruby clarified. "Clint is the gunslinger, Bruno is the hybrid Protector, due to his enhancements…"

"While I am the one with passion," Lolita added. "The prophecy is technically stating everyone."

"A guide for Estes to know who to immediately recruit!" Alpha said.

The archer with arrows of light

Pierces the sky with a Dragon Knight

The three carbon soldiers tread in the field

Showing not a single sign that they will yield

"Pierces the sky?" Chou made a confused face. "Well, we know that Miya and Yun Zhao are the ones being mentioned here…,"

Alpha then stated that the three soldiers were him, Saber and Johnson.

The Hovering Blade dances through the trees

The Yellow master's potential will be set free

The Doppelganger gathers, the Orcs will cleave

Along with Megalith, salvation shall they receive

"Me and Fanny," Chou replied.

"Balmond and Hilda are in play, and the Prophecy confirms that they will live on to the end," Alucard says. "But who is the Doppelganger? That cannot be Hayabusa."

"I cannot confirm," Hayabusa pronounces. "If anything, our roster remains incomplete."

The Magicians blue, their powers they will sew

To gather the energy that makes life anew

They will sacrifice the essence of life

To flourish a world without conflict and strife

Freya immediately replied, "All of the magicians are included here, except Nana and Harley. Their powers don't match along with the others."

Bruno and Layla were thinking hard. "Sew their powers? That means combine!"

Lolita orated, "Gather the energy that makes life anew. Was it referring to the Gem?"

"That, we will never know until the end," Alucard assures dejectedly. "But I fear they will die after the battle ceases."

"No time for pity. Let's get going," Freya commands.

A young mage and her furry friend

Find the Shadow who searches his fiend

Forbidden to touch, forgotten to love

Taught once more by an angel from above

Alucard sensed Hayabusa shuddering. "Yo, what's wrong?"

He hesitated to speak, but then said, "Nothing, I'm fine. I'll explain later."

Alpha asked, "That's you, right? The Shadow." Hayabusa nodded.

"Why 'forbidden to touch, forgotten to love'? Is this literal?" Chou didn't speak further, for he felt something dark in the Shadow of Iga. He wasn't sure what it was, but it seemed to pain him.

"Let's not delve into that," Alucard replied. "Who is the furry friend and angel?"

Again, no one knew. If Hayabusa did know, he didn't seem to be too open for it.

The Gunner of Blue lags behind

For fear and shame plagues her mind

But she will not cease to exist

For family is her weapon, peace is her wish

Layla seems to deny what the Prophecy stated for her. "I don't want to be in the back. I want to help you all."

Alucard decided to comfort her. "Hey, it's okay. You're valuable. And besides, your weapon is us. If anything, you're the peacekeeper."

"Fear and shame?" Alpha asked.

Ruby said, "She hides secrets. She will open up in the right time." Layla's eyes widened, which led to Ruby saying this in a panic, "Calm down, Layla. I don't even know what you're hiding."

Silence charges through the night

Regretting the decision that changed his life

He who betrays will ask forgiveness

So that he may perish with the mark of gladness

"This is a full stanza that we weren't able to decipher," Freya said. "Then again, we never opened the prophecy to anyone who wasn't willing or worthy enough."

"Silence is figurative. A person being mentioned. Lacking information. Cannot exact," Beta answered.

"Are two people being referred to here?" Alucard interrogated. "Or is it just one?"

"I can only assume that only one is being mentioned here," Lolita replied.

A Knight of Gold and his deceptive friend

Hath uncovered the start of this quest

The beast inside is something to fear

Along with the Golem with a tower he holds dear

"Let me guess," Bruno said, raising his hand. "Tigreal and Natalia?"

Layla's eyebrows scrunched. "Why would Natalia be deceptive?"

"Natalia was an Elite Assassin from the Church of Assassins, somewhere in the far end of this place," Hayabusa assured. "During one of her missions, she failed. Luckily, Tigreal came to her aid. Now, she resides here to leave the dark past that scarred her."

"She's really good in doing things you won't expect," Freya added. "And try not to fall for her."

"Fall for her?" Chou was confused. Hayabusa gave him a wink. Chou then was alarmed, because he now knew what Freya meant.

"There were some parts of the Prophecy erased by demons," Alpha said.

"Wait, demons tried to take this?" Alucard exclaimed. "Why?"

"Even if the Dark Lord was defeated, his influence was still strong. The demons decided that destroying the last remnant of the world's fate will prevent anyone from expecting this cataclysm," Freya replied.

"Only a Holy Angel will be able to recover this," Hayabusa said. "Don't worry, there's still more."

Vikings and Pirates will form a truce

The Heart of Ice shall make them refuse

The watery fleet and the tribe of green

Must act in haste to keep the peace

"Franco knows of this prophecy," Hayabusa says. "He trusts what it proclaims. What he fears…"

"Is Aurora," Freya finalizes. "Like said, she has never changed."

"New allies confirmed," Beta spoke. "Opt to make alliances."

"Korea and Makadan are the most likely to engage in the war with us," Hayabusa continues. "However, judging from what is written, they can only introduce themselves in the right time… presumably, the calling of the truce."

Two female assassins with similar names

Pure damage, they harness, all the same

Two Blond Lovers in the place called Swan

Are destined to die, before the Rising Sun

"Estes probably didn't introduce us with these two assassins," Bruno popped. "But… with similar names?"

"Karina and Karrie, of the Night Elves and of the Alaghat Empire," Freya explains. "They are on recon duty. You may see them at some point in time."

Alucard thought deeply. "Who are the lovers?"

"We cannot determine," Alpha said. "Says on the Ocular Sun that there is some part of the globe interfering its sense. Magical barriers clouding the place. We are to locate it on foot next week."

"We think it's the Swan Castle," Hayabusa replies. "Somewhere in the South of the Moniyan Regions. We could only get so much data, but this is the end of the scroll."

"Wait, what?" Ruby was taken aback. "Then, it's incomplete?"

"No. Estes took the 2nd part and imprinted it on his Codex. Only he could access it and view it to you."

"Then we settle this tomorrow," Chou says. "Estes says we have to practice our combat skills, so we have to prepare."

"And get the sleep you'll need. I'll be in touch." As he said this, Hayabusa disappeared within the blink of an eye, casting no shadow.

"Hm, subtle," whispers Layla.

Freya motions the group back home after they return the scroll. "Don't let the prophecy envelop too much. You need to focus."

The others bade goodbye, except Alucard, who decided to privately talk to Freya.

He started, "I can read minds, Freya. I knew you felt off when we were chatting in the halls. I chose not to intrude your mind, for you would know and probably destroy the trust you have for us."

"I understand," she replies. "If only it was the time to tell you, then you would comprehend what lies in your life, especially the past."

"What about my past?" he questions, feeling confused. "I don't remember anything about it."

"All of what happens, happens for a proper reason, Demon Hunter," Freya finishes. "One day, you will know the truth, and you will know why you are here. Up until next time, Alucard." She unfurled the golden ethereal wings on her back and flew to the dark sky, fleeting off to the peaceful wood.