Ch 12: The prophecy
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3 Choices
Repulsive
Blindness
Incomplete
At that moment I knew this decision would be a very important part of my life, for how would my path be?
Stopping all thoughts, emptying my mind as I enter a meditative state letting EXIRA flow and let it decide. EXIRA flowed over the items as they tried to form links, I felt as the items tries to form bonds yet fails until one of them latched onto my EXIRA entwined itself.
All the other items disappear from the table as the world regains its color. I look around and the items have disappeared and the old man is back to normal for now with all his scraps lying around.
"Haha, you've chosen, my prince," the Pariah chuckled, his laughter filled with a strange warmth. "For the path ahead is yours to walk."
"Remember the path is always one most important aspect if you wish to continue and be truly strong."
I blinked, feeling a chill as the cold metal of the earring pressed against my skin. It had already affixed itself to my right ear.
"That earring will help you even in its current state you would need all the strength you can get for what's to come"
"A word of advice, my prince," Pariah's voice shifted, deepening into something from being the kind old man to far more solemn, weightier, almost sacred. For the first time, I felt an unmistakable authority in his tone, the kind that could command.
"A poem... and a prophecy, passed down through my ancestors. I implore you, listen well, remember every word. Whether you choose to believe it or not – that's your burden to bear."
Without waiting for a response, the pariah rose from his seated position, and in that instant, his wares, once scattered around him like forgotten junk, vanished. The world itself seemed to hold its breath, frozen as the dull grey retook the world, an ancient pressure, like the weight of ages, descended upon me.
"A word of advice, my prince," Pariah's voice shifted, deepening into something from being the kind old man to far more solemn, weightier, almost sacred. For the first time, I felt an unmistakable authority in his tone, the kind that could command.
"A poem... and a prophecy, passed down through my ancestors. I implore you, listen well, remember every word. Whether you choose to believe it or not – that's your burden to bear."
Without waiting for a response, the pariah rose from his seated position, and in that instant, his wares, once scattered around him like forgotten junk, vanished. The world itself seemed to hold its breath, frozen as the dull grey retook the world, an ancient pressure, like the weight of ages, descended upon me.
I straightened reflexively, every fiber of my being responding to the intensity of the moment. EXIRA surged from within, pushing back against the crushing force that now radiated from the old man.
The pariah has stopped holding back his strength.
'Crazy old man... You've definitely got my attention now.'
Thum thum!
The sound of the pariah's heartbeat echoed through the still air, each pulse like a distant drum of war. His deep, resonant voice followed, carrying with it the weight of the prophecy
Hummmmm~
"When the sky is torn asunder,
And shadows stretch with growing thunder,
The Eye of Devour peers below,
Bringing forth eternal woe.
Beware the gaze that sees your soul,
For no mercy will it know.
Its hunger vast, its darkness deep,
In its stare, your end shall creep.
Turn away, do not defy,
For beneath its watch, all must die.
A fate far worse than death awaits,
Where hope is lost and time abates.
When the heavens break and tremble,
And the world begins to crumble,
Seek no answers in the skies-
The Eye devours, and never lies."
The words hung in the air like an omen, each syllable laden with dread, seeping into my bones. The world, still eerily silent, felt as if it had been waiting for that moment - for those words to be spoken.
I stood there, the weight of the prophecy heavy on my shoulders, my mind racing to make sense of it all.
The Eye of Devour... skies torn asunder... What could it mean? Why did it feel like those words were meant for like some twisted, inevitable fate had been set in motion?
A chill ran down my spine as I processed the full gravity of the prophecy.
The pressure that had held the world at a standstill suddenly lifted, and the market around me came back to life with a jolt - sounds of merchants, bartering voices, and clinking coins flooding my ears once more. The chatter and bustle should have been comforting, but it only added to the strange disorientation swirling in my mind.
I blinked, trying to shake the lingering haze. The verses echoed in my head, gnawing at me as if they carried a hidden truth, one I wasn't ready to understand. My hands trembled slightly, and I clenched them into fists, forcing myself to breathe - to focus as EXIRA permeated my whole body, only then I regained my senses.
I looked toward the old man, expecting to see his frail form hunched over once more, back to selling his wares as if nothing extraordinary had just occurred. But when my eyes landed on the spot where he had been, there was nothing.
He was gone, EXIRA found no presence, no existence around.
I scanned the crowded market, eyes darting from one face to another, but there was no sign of him. No trace of the blindfolded beggar who had just delivered a prophecy that shook me to my core. It was as if he had never been there at all.
A hollow feeling crept over me, a sense that something larger was at play, something I couldn't yet grasp.
Mom keeps calling my attempt to EXIRA as a glorified scanner but it seems that too has failed me.
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