Chapter 23: The Lost Art of Divination

The journey down from the mountains was fraught with tension. Every step brought Elias and his companions closer to their destination: the sanctuary of the Forgotten Prophets. In Elias's pack, the key they had recovered pulsed with a faint light, a constant reminder of the ancient power they now possessed. But the path ahead was anything but clear. The Oracle's forces were drawing nearer, and with each passing hour, the weight of their mission grew heavier.

The key had revealed its purpose, but it was still just a piece of the puzzle. There was something else they needed—something that only the forgotten art of divination could provide. Divination, once used by the Forgotten Prophets to manipulate time and fate, had been lost for centuries. If they were to navigate the final steps to the sanctuary and unlock its secrets, they would need to rediscover the forgotten magic.

As they descended from the mountains, the landscape changed from rocky cliffs to dense forests and rolling hills. The air was crisp, and the wind carried the scent of pine and damp earth. But despite the beauty of the land around them, there was an oppressive sense of urgency that weighed heavily on the group.

Nyra walked beside Elias, her sharp eyes scanning the horizon as they moved through the forest. "We're close," she said, her voice low. "The sanctuary isn't far now."

Elias nodded, but his mind was elsewhere, consumed by thoughts of the Lost Art of Divination. It had been mentioned only briefly by Arista, the scholar who had guided them this far, but the little Elias had learned intrigued him. The Prophets had used divination to bend fate to their will, peering into the future and manipulating the threads of destiny. It was a powerful, dangerous art, and it had been forgotten for good reason.

"Do you think we can actually use it?" Elias asked, his voice quiet. "Divination, I mean. If it's been lost for so long, how do we even begin to learn it?"

Nyra glanced at him, her expression thoughtful. "Divination is more than just seeing the future. It's about understanding the patterns of time, the way fate weaves through every action and choice. It's dangerous because it requires letting go of control—surrendering to the flow of time itself."

Garrick, who was walking ahead of them, let out a grunt. "Sounds like a bad idea. If the Prophets couldn't handle it, what makes us think we can?"

Nyra's lips quirked into a faint smile. "Because we don't have a choice."

Kael, ever the silent observer, spoke up from behind them. "If we're to reach the sanctuary, we'll need every advantage we can get. Divination might be the only way to understand the traps and magic the Prophets left behind."

Elias took a deep breath, his heart pounding with the weight of the unknown. He had already glimpsed fragments of the future through his gift as a Seer, but divination was something far more complex. It wasn't just about seeing what might happen—it was about shaping the very fabric of reality itself. And the more he thought about it, the more he realized how dangerous that power could be.

But they had no choice. The Oracle's forces were closing in, and the sanctuary was the key to stopping her. If they didn't learn how to use divination, they would never survive what lay ahead.

The forest grew denser as they continued, the trees towering above them like ancient sentinels. The sunlight barely filtered through the thick canopy, casting the forest floor in deep shadows. Elias could feel the magic in the air, a subtle hum that resonated with the key in his pack. They were getting closer to something—something old and powerful.

Finally, after hours of travel, they reached a small clearing. At its center stood a stone structure, half-buried beneath moss and vines. The building was ancient, its walls crumbling but still standing strong. Symbols and runes were etched into the stone, their lines worn by centuries of wind and rain.

"This is it," Nyra said, her voice filled with awe. "The Temple of Divination."

Elias's heart raced as he stepped into the clearing. The air here felt different—thicker, heavier, as if time itself was bending around them. He could sense the power that lingered in the temple, the magic of the Prophets still clinging to the stones like an echo from the past.

They approached the temple cautiously, their footsteps silent on the moss-covered ground. As they neared the entrance, Elias could see more of the strange symbols etched into the stone—symbols he recognized from the painting. The runes seemed to pulse with a faint light, as if reacting to their presence.

"This is where the Prophets practiced divination," Nyra explained, her voice hushed. "They used this temple to peer into the future, to shape the threads of fate."

Garrick eyed the crumbling walls warily. "Let's hope they didn't leave any nasty surprises behind."

Kael nodded, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword. "We'll need to be careful. The magic here is old, and it may not take kindly to intruders."

Elias stepped forward, his eyes scanning the entrance to the temple. The door was long gone, the stone archway open to the elements. Inside, the air was cool and still, and the faint glow of the runes illuminated the dark interior.

As they entered the temple, Elias felt a strange pull in his chest, as if something deep within the structure was calling to him. The walls were lined with more runes, each one intricately carved and filled with a soft, pulsing light. The floor was smooth stone, worn from centuries of use, and in the center of the room stood a large, circular pedestal.

"This is where it happened," Nyra said, her voice barely a whisper. "This is where the Prophets practiced divination."

Elias approached the pedestal, his heart pounding. He could feel the magic in the air, the same magic that had been used by the Prophets to manipulate time and fate. The power here was palpable, and it filled him with both awe and dread.

"What now?" Garrick asked, his voice tense.

Nyra stepped forward, her eyes fixed on the pedestal. "We need to activate the magic—unlock the power of divination. But it won't be easy. The Prophets used artifacts, like the key Elias carries, to focus their magic. We'll need to use the key to unlock the temple's power."

Elias reached into his pack and pulled out the key. It pulsed with a faint light, as if responding to the magic in the air. He approached the pedestal and placed the key in a small indentation at its center. The moment the key touched the stone, the runes on the walls flared to life, filling the room with a brilliant, pulsing light.

The air around them shimmered, and Elias felt a strange sensation wash over him, as if the very fabric of time was shifting. The runes on the walls began to move, swirling and shifting like living things, and the room seemed to stretch and bend in impossible ways.

"We're in the flow of time," Nyra whispered, her eyes wide. "This is divination."

Elias's heart raced as he looked around the room. The walls were shifting, the runes moving in patterns that made no sense, but there was a strange beauty to it all. He could feel the threads of fate moving around him, pulling him in different directions, showing him glimpses of what could be.

"What do we do now?" Elias asked, his voice barely audible.

Nyra closed her eyes, her hands moving in slow, deliberate patterns. "We need to focus on the future—on the sanctuary. The Prophets would have left clues, fragments of the future that we can use to find the sanctuary's location."

Elias closed his eyes and tried to focus, but the swirling magic was overwhelming. His thoughts were pulled in a thousand different directions, each one showing him a different path, a different possibility. He saw the Oracle's forces marching on Arithria, the city burning in the distance. He saw his companions fighting in the midst of chaos, their faces twisted with fear and determination.

But then, through the haze of visions, he saw something else—something clearer. A pathway, hidden deep within the mountains, leading to a vast, ancient structure. The sanctuary.

"I see it," Elias whispered, his voice trembling. "The sanctuary—it's hidden in the mountains, past the Avidra Peaks. There's a narrow pass, guarded by an ancient ward. That's where we need to go."

The room seemed to shudder as Elias spoke, the runes flaring even brighter. Nyra's eyes snapped open, her face pale but determined. "That's it. We have the location."

But before they could act, the room suddenly grew cold. The swirling magic around them froze, the light of the runes dimming to a faint glow. Elias felt a chill run down his spine, and a dark presence filled the air.

"She's here," Kael said, his voice low and dangerous.

Elias's heart sank. The Oracle.

The shadows at the edges of the room began to coalesce, forming into twisted shapes—creatures born of the Oracle's power. Their red eyes glowed in the darkness, and their low, guttural growls echoed through the temple.

"We need to get out of here," Garrick growled, drawing his sword.

Nyra nodded, her hands already weaving a defensive spell. "The magic of the temple will only hold them off for so long."

Elias grabbed the key from the pedestal, and as soon as it left the stone, the runes on the walls dimmed further, the room returning to its normal state. But the shadow creatures were closing in, their twisted forms moving with unnatural speed.

"Move!" Kael shouted, raising his sword as the first of the creatures lunged at him.

The group bolted for the entrance, the creatures hot on their heels. Nyra threw a blast of magic behind them, sending one of the creatures sprawling, but more emerged from the shadows, their red eyes glowing with malice.

Elias's heart pounded as they sprinted through the temple, the dark presence of the Oracle pressing down on them like a suffocating weight. They burst through the stone archway and into the forest, but the creatures followed, their snarls growing louder as they gave chase.

"We have to keep moving!" Garrick shouted, slashing at one of the creatures as it lunged at him.

Elias could feel the key pulsing in his hand, its magic guiding them as they fled through the dense forest. The sanctuary was close, but they needed to reach it before the Oracle's forces overwhelmed them.

As they ran, the forest seemed to close in around them, the shadows growing deeper with every step. The creatures pursued them relentlessly, their twisted forms darting between the trees like dark wraiths.

But through the chaos, Elias felt a strange sense of calm. The visions he had seen in the temple, the glimpse of the sanctuary, gave him hope. They had the key, and they knew where to go. The future wasn't set in stone—not yet.

They just had to survive long enough to reach the sanctuary.

As they pushed deeper into the forest, the dark presence of the Oracle loomed behind them, but Elias knew they couldn't stop. The Lost Art of Divination had shown them the path forward, and now it was up to them to follow it.

The fate of the future hung in the balance, and there was no turning back.