Oracles

"Elders of the sect, take note I'll be leaving the sect to deal with some matters at hand and that Alexander will be accompanying me for this. I haven't told him this, but please take good care of Abby while he's away with me." Nightin sent a message to the cards.

"Yes sect master." The elders replied in unison upon receiving the message without putting up any form of questioning, doubt or hesitation.

Isabella then added on, "Don't worry, I'll ensure that everything in the sect runs smoothly while you're away, but you gotta make sure that you're dealing with some sect related official matters."

After this was settled, Nightin then made a trip to the Martial tower which had been revamped, but the historical yet mysterious aura was still being eluded by it, everything on the interior had not changed much except for the increase in scrolls or books and better furniture.

On the first floor alone, there were tens of squarish tables with four leather sofas on each side of it, on each of the tables was a vase with a simple plant contained within that reveals a light yet refreshing smell that helps to calm the mind.

Walking around the exterior where the martial scrolls are stored, he realised that all of the scrolls on the first floor are of the low heaven grade, but they covered a wide variety including the advanced natural elements such as lightning and ice

"Sect master, I'm at the foot of the mountain." After about an hour or so, Alexander finally sent a message to Nightin.

Couldn't he have spent more time with her? Nightin thought to himself, mocking himself for the jealousy arising from the depths of his heart.

"Got it, get ready to depart." Nightin replied through telepathy to Alexander's call before getting onto his sword and made his way to the foot of the mountain.

Seeing Alexander standing on his scroll which was floating in the air, Nightin got him to follow as he continued to fly through the air.

Quickly catching up, Alexander asked Nightin, "Sect master, where are we going right now? Did you manage to decipher those two stanzas?"

"I didn't, which is why I've decided on a location. Our next destination will be the Oracle kingdom, the kingdom renowned for its foresight and number of experts. I'm not sure if the rumors are true, but the amount of information and knowledge they possess definitely ranks at the top." Nightin replied as he turned to the right.

"Sect master, but how are we going to enter the Oracle kingdom a few oceans away from here? If we were to enter as a visitor, it might be difficult for us to gain access to any experts capable of deciphering this poem." Alexander asked and with a flick of his hand, he took out an ornament built like a sword.

"Sect master, I'm not sure if this comes in handy, but you might want to take a look." Passing it over to Nightin through the air while they continued to make their way to the Oracle kingdom.

Taking it over, Nightin realised that there were words carved on the blade.

<Oracles reveal the truth, foolish human heart is>

What does he mean? After knowing the truth from an oracle, are we supposed to believe whatever the clue leads us to no matter how foolish it may sound? That was Nightin's initial thought, but he soon realised that it wasn't as simple as it seems.

Even though the word foolish is there, it was referring to the human heart even though what the oracle pointed out was the truth. I see, maybe it's saying that we should always trust the oracle regardless of whatever he says if we want to locate the Soaring sword sect. Nightin thought to himself, not realising that that friend of Alexander had expected him knowing about it.

At the Oracle kingdom, the streets were barren and not even a single stall could be seen. The pathway was made of cobblestone, but the poor workmanship revealed that the Oracle kingdom didn't pay much heed to their image. To be more exact, only a few people could be seen wandering around in the kingdom, all of them donning a black robe made with a smooth material that covers their entire body. On their faces, all of them could be seen wearing a mask, only their eyes open to view the world.

This was the Oracle kingdom, the kingdom of prophecy with the highest death toll which had once solemnly said that their kingdom will exist alongside with time, never being at the peak but strong enough to defend themselves and reverse negative effects and problems before they even occur.

This wasn't all, they had a low birth rate and even though their kingdom didn't take up much space, not a single living being could be seen making their habitat near them. This resulted in trading where they set up long distance travel portals to other kingdoms to perform trading with them, for food and countless living necessities. Even so, not much was needed as their total population did not even hit ten thousand, always halting around the nine thousand range which they deem a curse.

In one of the abandoned blacksmith stalls, an old man could be seen sitting within, his time worn forging equipment and sets still looking brand new. To his side was a table with a tea set, the tea leaves were dark green in colour and if one recognises it, they'll realise that it's actually seaweed, seaweed that can cost as much as an origin stone per hundred grams.

Picking the cup of tea up, the old man breathed the aromatic fragrance in, the smile on his face way too obvious to conceal as he allowed it to be there.

"Haha haha, you're gonna come for my life in the end young lad. Very well, that's the best I can do before waving my goodbyes to this world." The old man then laughed, standing up to reveal his muscular build. His eyes reveal age, but his frail body was still as strong as it was in the past, his height also reaching a staggering two metres, something which contrasts with the average height of his race around 1.7m.

Picking the hammer up, the old oracle sighed and put it down once again before walking into his room. When he walked out, a piece of metal freezingly cold was placed onto the smithing table as he began the arduous process.

After about half a day of travelling, they finally arrived at the entrance of the Oracle kingdom, only to realise that there weren't any guards or technology based entrance system message. All they saw was the wooden sign with the words 'welcome' being barely visible to them.

Around the perimeter of the Oracle kingdom, they were surprised to see nothing but wasted land. The sky wasn't clear blue, but a light shade of violet. The sun rays were blocked, but light was still visible from the mysterious glittering clouds. The kingdom itself was shrouded by a mysterious fog, but one that's transparent with only the effect of keeping it a secret.

Suddenly, crows appeared from nowhere as they gathered together, the figure of a tall yet slim man forming before their eyes, he was wearing a mask that resembled a crow, his long beak somehow blending in with him.

"You two must be Nightin and Alexander, the two who are supposed to arrive today based on the predictions and prophecies of our grand oracle. Please follow me, I'll lead you to the guest chamber to rest while waiting for the grand oracle.