Prophecy Of The Future

I looked through the clothes Mareii put on my bed. In the end, I settled on brown trousers, a gray long sleeved shirt, and a pair of leather adventure boots Mareii put on the side of my bed.

I took a look at a nearby mirror. Surprisingly, my face didn't look as dirty or bruised as I'd expected it to have been. On the other hand, I looked much skinnier than I remember. Looks like not eating for a while has taken its toll on me…

Nevermind that. I walked out of the room, Mareii standing right next to the door.

"Looks like you took your time in there," Mareii said, a mischievous look on her face.

I nodded, dismaying her mischievous look. The hallways were padded with a vibrant red carpet, and the walls built of rich dark wood. Expensive furniture and decorations filled the hallway, and paintings on the wall worth a fortune.

"Mister, is there something wrong?"

"N-no, It's just… everything's so expensive and fancy."

"Hah! Mister, if you think that's fancy, just wait till you see where we're going… the Library!"

"The Library… what for?"

"Mmm, I'll explain it to you while we walk, Mister," Mareii said, leading the way. I followed her down the hallway, admiring the decorations along the way. Multiple paintings of famous war heroes, fairy-tale type monsters, and previous battles for Vrusta Kingdom.

For some reason, my mind lingered to my hometown. All I wondered… mother, father. Are they okay?

We took a sharp turn to the left. By the looks of it, it seems like It'd be a short while till we made it to the library. Maybe It'd be polite to say a few words to each other…

Besides, I did have a question I've been meaning to ask.

"Mareii, I have a question," I began as we walked down the corridors.

"What is it, Mister?"

"Um… You like calling me Mister a lot."

"Yes, what about it?"

"No, nothing, I was just wondering… how come?"

"Well, It's not like you told me your name, Mister,"

Ah, that's right. Come to think about it, I haven't really introduced myself.

"Well… That's true," I thought about it some more. To be fair, I couldn't exactly introduce myself at the trial. Or rather, I wasn't even given a chance to talk!

"Yup! So what's your name, Mister?"

My name… It's been so long since I've said my name. But it's-

"Vanguard. Right, it's Vanguard," A grin was plastered on my face as I looked at Mareii. It felt good to say my name, after so long.

"Woah, Mister Vanguard. That sounds… like a heroic name," Mareii replied with a smile.

"Does it, now?"

"Mmm, yes," she was lost in thought for a moment before her eyes sparkled, "Oh right! About the library…"

"Go on…"

"Mister, I don't think I can explain it well eno-"

"JEEZ! Are you that bad at explaining stuff?!" I chuckled. I wasn't seriously mad, but it was ridiculous how Mareii didn't even attempt to explain. Then again, her explanation at the infirmary only left me more confused than I had before.

"M-Mister Vanguard! Please do not raise your voice at the Library entrance!" Mareii pointed a finger to a double style wooden door with strange engravings and gold-plated handles.

Looks like we had reached our destination much faster than I expected.

"Whatever, Mareii, I'll guess It'll just be easier if you show me instead," I rolled my eyes, somewhat sarcastically.

"Mhm! That's a good idea, Mister," she didn't understand an ounce of sarcasm.

Mareii opened the door to the library. Instantly, the atmosphere felt completely different from earlier. As soon as I stepped in it felt like a single noise I made would've been disruptive. Although there weren't many people in the library, in fact there were barely any at all, the atmosphere gave off a distinct crowded sensation that made me blend into the scenario. Dusty bookshelves, wooden desks and chairs, burning candles serving as the only source of light in this dark library.

I was almost lost in thought, if it weren't for Mareii tugging on my arm.

"Hey Mister… Cmon- let's go-" Mareii disregarded the silent atmosphere and pulled me along past the bookshelves.

Reluctantly, I followed along Mareii, admiring the books about spells, attacks, strategy, tactics, even some about psychological warfare. Man, this stuff was intense.

Mareii held a lit candle in her right hand. I was too busy admiring the books to even realize when she got the candle, or where she got it from.

Another section passed by, and another. It was hard to tell what sections we passed by because of the dark, dim atmosphere, but I managed to catch a few out of the corner of my eye. Cooking, art, music, to clothing, building, all types of stuff.

Suddenly, Mareii stopped. The section was unnamed, and so were all the books under it. She pulled out a large dusty book from the bookshelf and placed it on a wooden table, putting the candle beside it. She flipped page over page, looking for a specific passage.

The candlelight flickered and I stared at Mareii. Her blue hair almost looked as if it was teal. Her face had a look of focus and concentration plastered all over, her eyes quickly examining each page of the book. Until she stopped. Her fingertips directly under the words "Vrusta Prophecy of the Future."

"Mister… It's better to show you. I know you'll have many questions, so once you're done… please don't be afraid to ask," Mareii whispered, giving me the sincerest look I had seen in a while. That look made me nervous for what I was about to read.

I glanced over to the page where Mareii's fingers pointed at. Underneath, a large amount of text was just waiting to be read by me. So, I started reading.

"The 14th Generation of the Vrusta bloodline will spew the blood of the Demon King, once sealed by the 1st Generation. This be the end of the Vrusta bloodline. No more shall Vrusta rule the kingdom it calls its own. But this does not mean the Kingdom is lost. Hope arises from a different Kingdom, from the outskirts of the land. From a rural farmer, brown hair, brown eyes. Accused with the Mark of the Ring Serpent. Held for trial. He will break free the curse and save the 14th Generation. But at the cost of a price. A warning from the past to the future. This prophecy will not be discovered until he has arrived. The chapter of Vanguard, the Captain hero."

"As foretold by Vrusta, 1st King of Vrusta Kingdom."

I glanced over the last sentence.

My eyes reread the sentence with my name on it. Again. And again. My name. Vanguard.

"Mister… Have you finished?"

This can't be real. Nope, it can't. Because… all of this doesn't make sense. I understand if it's magic, I understand that powers exist in this world. But… me? I don't… I don't. I can't believe it. Just when I started to think everything was making sense.

I had turned to denial again.

"M-Mister!"

I fell unconscious. I don't even think it was because of the information overload. I think my body was just weak. Too weak to even stand.