While things were going on over in Azralia, the Oracle was sitting at his desk within the Ivory Tower. It was a large and magnificent desk, clearly intended for someone who was bigger then himself, but also clearly meant to be bigger then anyone to show the prestige and honor of the Oracle. Its a whole big show of course, especially given how far the corruption in the Church has gotten. And especially for this Oracle.

As The Oracle pondered a few things, he thought back to the talk with the prince and his friend. Whatever was going on there, it was obvious they were far more in the know then the Oracle expected. At the very least, they knew about details that they shouldn't have known. At least not yet anyways. ANd the way they spoke...

Is the prince truly as young as he claims? The boy that was with him...he had a Godblade, and perhaps was even a Hidden...I can't confirm that last part of course, but is The Prince a member of the Hidden? I only know of Green myself, but could they be aware of me?

Perhaps the Oracle had grown overly suspicious in the two decades of his perpetual imprisonment and occasional torture, but he knew that there was more to this story that he couldn't see. And coming from him, that was quite the statement. The Church had already made this room to amplify the abilities of the Oracle, and his power was one of the strongest yet. But the Dark Side of the Church had used illegal rituals and depraved magic to amplify it further, all so he could spy on their political enemies and rivals and use it to grow their own power.

And this led him back to his visitors. His so called "guardians" had been in deep discussion. It was well known they had used some sort of extremely rare memory wiping magic on him, and that he had no recollection of what they talked about, so they hadn't even bothered trying to ask him. Instead they were worried about some of the ominous things that were said, such as their apparent knowledge of his situation. It was not the first time someone had kicked this hornet's nest, but it was the first time royalty had. He had to wonder if it would lead to anything different?

Typically, those people were assassinated, and the blame placed on someone they had angered or such, or occasionally a serial killer. But he had to wonder if this time, they might actually do him in? He imagined the cool steel coming to his neck, the pointed blade causing a crimson river to run down his body. Or perhaps they would go with poison? They would want to probably make it look like natural causes, so perhaps Tenabri Trisidia? It was a rather effective poison for such desires, due to the fact it wasn't easy to test for and determine. At least as far as he knew.

The local necromancers were probably in their pocket already, at least any of them with any real reputation or pull and would get invited to the Church. For a building so determined to being a beacon of light and cleanliness, it sure did have its share of dirt and darkness on the inside. Like dark chocolate wrapped inside of milk chocolate, it looks sweet and nice at first glance, but it can be surprisingly bitter on the inside. Only, at least chocolate, especially milk chocolate, was tasty. As far as The Oracle was concerned anyways.

Still, he had plenty of work to keep him busy. He had to rewrite a whole bunch of prophecies thanks to the Starfall, and especially those regarding the Four Cardinal Cataclysms. If he had to order them in terms of danger levels, he would probably say the Eastern Cataclysm was the most dangerous, followed by the Western Cataclysm. In third place was the Northern Cataclysm, and in Fourth Place was the Southern Cataclysm.

The Southern Cataclysm's power at least is limited to a degree by distance and duration spent in her pressence. The Northern one is going to cause a lot of issues for mages, and disrupt various efforts made by the Starfallen, but they should leave the average person alone. But the East and West...both of them are going to ignite as many conflicts, and even wars, as they can, to fullfill their desires. Especially the East...she doesn't seem to care if the entire world burns, at least according to what I have seen. And every time I peak at her, I feel like she looks right back at me. Its concerning. She is without a doubt the most dangerous one of all.

And the prince had been very much focused on these four, as well as others. They were particularly interested in the movements of the Demon King of course, but also they asked a lot about Blank...and The Hidden. Considering that no one ever formally acknowledges The Hidden as existing, in large part because there is no evidence of them existing, that was quite the surprise. And another reason why he thought they might be connected in a way, but it was hard to say. Even with his Sight, the Hidden obscured their movements and identities. They were an abnormally careful lot, taking great pains to ensure no one, not even the Demon King, could ever fully believe they existed. To most, they were just a boogeyman, a rumor that people spread.

So when a prince comes asking about them, that raises alarms. Of course, the only reason he knew this is because before the memory wipe, he made sure to use his magic to preserve his memories, in the same way he does so when the Church's lapdogs come to interrogate him. This wasn't his first time dealing with people who knew how to extract truth and memories, though both magical and mundane ways.

Still, there was a benefit for him too. He met the heroes, and was able to tell them about certain locations to search to help gather equipment and information they would need. Additionally, they should get involved in certain events that would help out the world overall, as well as someone to meet to help them out. Things should go well, he didn't see much deviation chance when they get set on this path, but as someone who has seen so many futures, he knew all too well the future was not set in stone, and it is very much malleable. The past was too, for that matter.

But there was one last thing they asked about which caught him off guard.

"Do you know of any leads regarding the Truth of the Ancient Elves".

He had not seen that happen in any potential timeline. This meeting had blindsided him sure, but that question specifically was one he kept watch for. The entire period of the Ancient Elves was something no Oracle had yet to be able to view successfully. Or if they did, none of them had any memories of it. Oracles typically dealt with the future, but the past wasn't totally inaccessible.

But when anyone tried to look into the Ancient Elves, the Ancient Dwarves, or the Ancient Beastkin, all one hit was blanks. Sometimes time would even pass by, with no memory of what happened in that time. Occasionally notes in a language different from any of the ancient languages would be near them as well, and to this day not a single one had been deciphered. Some think it might just be gibberish, something the body produced as it was going mad from looking at these things. Others think it might be some ancient curse that was blighted upon those entire time periods. And others think the very moments of time itself were destroyed by one of the Great Demon Kings. If so, did that mean when another Great Demon King appeared, would it destroy the Ancient Human civilization timelines? What would happen if all were destroyed?

It was chilling to think about, and he had to consider all the possibilities. Including the ones that were rather grim for the world.

But right now, he had his own issue to think about. Mainly, what the Dark Side of the Church would do about him after all this. Needless to say they were upset about someone just galavanting into the room, and confirming that the Oracle was not stuck in bed all day from his condition. He doubted they would execute him yet, they would want someone to take his place first. But considering his actions, along with this, they might decide to take the risk. Of course, he would be happy with being free from this imprisonment, but he had to admit, he would have liked the option to live. But if he wanted to escape, he likely had months, or perhaps even weeks left. That seemed unlikely, which meant he might just be doomed.

Then again, with what he forsaw recently, he might be doomed either way.

"This new prophecy is...concerning..."

He looked upon the pages he had written, the illustrations he had made. He had entered a trance like state as his brain calculated the sheer number of possibilities, and what he saw when he returned to his senses was...concerning.

The Ivory tower, blackened and in flames.

The city being crushed and destroyed.

The vision did not say what happened to him, but he doubted it was a coincidence. Perhaps they wanted to stop him from spreading a prophecy. Perhaps they wanted to capture him for himself. If he was lucky though, they would just flat out kill him. But he didn't like relying on luck.

Thankfully, this was a prophecy he didn't have to worry about sealing away in his mind, and could reveal it freely. Even the Dark Side of the Church wouldn't want to suppress the fact their headquarters and golden goose were under threat. They would have to support the Church proper and take action against this, and in doing so, hopefully avoid any future where The Oracle suffers. If they could save everyone in the city, that would be an even greater achievement.

"It looks like you are doing quite well, Oracle".

A familiar voice went into his ears, and he turned around to see an Elven woman who looked as beautiful as she did wise.

"Granny. Its pleasant to see you".

"Sorry I got so delayed. There was all this fuss about a prince coming to see you?"

"Ah, yes. The fourth prince of the kingdom. Cheeky kid, but dont underestimate him. He was able to see through everything it felt like".

"Interesting. It seems you have foreseen quite a tragic place for this residence. Perhaps you should consider moving".

"Would if I could. I don't suppose you have any good news for me".

"The Dark Side of the Church keeps growing in power, no matter how much I prune away. it is unnatural. They have a powerful advisor. If I had to guess, a Devil, an Evil Starfallen, or something worse. Can't even get near their core members without having a dozen knives pointed at your throat, even if they are well hidden ones".

"As I thought. Well, at least you are trying. Though I wish you could teach me how to suppress the Speech Suppressant".

The moment she appeared, it was as if the restrictions upon his tongue were loosened, and he was able to speak more freely. He didn't understand why or how, but it was something similar to how it was when he was in the presence of that dragon. Perhaps it was just a natural aspect of those who were inherently powerful? No, it felt like it was something special with those two.

"I did however manage to find and escort a rather important Starfallen. I believe you already met him though".

"Ah yes, Akano. I used him to weaken and break a few curses. I am monitoring that group closely, as well as Kuroki, Reiji and Juno, Chihiro, Zushi, Zak, Maybell, and some others. All these Starfallen do have me concerned, but I am also interested. The future has gotten so exciting".

"I suppose given you are prevented in enjoying the present, the escapades of the future is your version of escapism".

"...I feel like you phrased that in a bit of a rude way at the end there, but yes. Unless you are here to tell me you are here to break me out?"

"Please. The moment I got near the city, they doubled the guard. Hell, the Black Dog right now has about twenty assassins ready to join in with your guard, and proclaim I am trying to kidnap you. We wouldn't even make it twenty feet. No, whoever is to come and rescue you, it will need to be someone who sneaks in, without being detected, yet is able to get you both away in the shadows while also being flashy. Thats kind of a tall order for an old woman like me".

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

"I suppose so...by the way, there is something else I should probably tell you. Someone came around recently, asking about the Hidden...and the Ancient Elves".

This caught "Granny's" attention almost immediately.

"What did you just say?"

"Thought that would be interesting. Before I go and erase my own memories again, since the Black Dog will absolutely drag me in for a little chat after all this, shall I let you know about these recently developments?"

"Yes, please do" Granny said, as the two began to talk about various matters.

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At the same time, Kuroki and Riku were just heading home. Ryuu had gone back to the Knight Brigade, and Kaede back to Ellie's, so it was just the two of them now. THe sun was only just starting to set, and yet the two were on high alert.

"How many exactly, Kuroki?"

"At least about two dozen. Maybe three dozen".

"I guess we kinda pissed them off huh?"

It was obvious this was whatever criminal organization had been hired to try and kidnap them. They didn't know exactly what happened, but no attack came while they were camping, when it would have been easier for them to get away with it, so it seemed that this might have been their backup plan. Needless to say, this was a very serious situation they found themselves in, but they thought they would at least wait till nightfall. They planned to be back home by then, but these guys were apparently planning to come after them while it was daylight out. The numbers were also an issue, and they had not seen any city guard for awhile. And this was a nice area with some stores too.

"This...isn't looking good, is it?"

"No, it isn't. Frankly speaking, we are absolutely going to get attacked aren't we Kuroki?"

"I mean, their bloodlust is already palpable. Even without my Echomap, I could sense them".

It was a situation in where it was clear what was going to happen. Even with the sun being out, they were going to have people come after them.

"If we stay near people, that might help right?"

Kuroki shook his head. "No good. Some of them are hiding within the crowds. I am sure they have cloths drenched in sleep chemicals ready for us".

"Yikes. Criminal organizations are scary!"

"Indeed. So I think our best bet would be to rush home while launching off powerful magic".

"Not lead them into an isolated area to avoid civilian casualties?"

Kuroki bit his lip. As good natured as he was, he had to refuse that idea.

"No. We need to prioritize ourselves here. I am sure Ryuu would refuse this, but we aren't heroes. Thankfully they only came after us after we split. If we make it very flashy, it will raise questions and pressure on who ordered the guards away. This will make it really awkward for Valiance, who I am sure is behind it. Especially if kids are attacked in broad daylight. It will really give them hell".

"Alright then, so when do we start running then?"

"Right abou...shit".

Riku looked concerned as well. "More guys blocking the street up ahead? Seriously?"

"Now we have to take the back alleys".

"They really thought this through. They are getting their people into position all over. Its either we walk right into them, or we walk into an isolated area for them to ambush us easier".

"And we can't make the first move, or they can pretend to be guards and come and arrest us, is my guess".

This organization was clearly on alert, but Kuroki and Riku had no way of knowing this was because they lost three whole teams in the span of a single night. One was repelled by Zak and currently missing, one had their corpses found by their scouts already after they tried to go after Reiji and Juno, and one team just vanished inside of a city. Their scouts lost sight of them when they entered an alley, and nothing came out afterwards. At least nothing they could see. It had them all really freaked out.

That was why they were going overkill in terms of force to go after their targets. Even using hired thugs to bolster their ranks, and they were not being subtle either. This wasn't just about profit anymore. They were under the impression that they were being targeted, and embarrassed. They had concerns some rival was trying to move in, and they needed to confirm capture so they could sell the "goods" to stock up on the coin they would need to fight off such an invasion. Though perhaps, they were already being influenced by the Demon King as well. That was well within the realm of possibilities.

As a result, Kuroki and Riku were being targeted by all these people right now. They had no intention of letting themselves be captured, that was for sure.

"So, the plan?"

"Step ring Santa, wire burst, blast through charge, plate run".

Kuroki knew they were listening in, so he avoided using words they would really understand. Step ring santa meant he would use ice in a wide area, and then wire burst was meant to be electric burst, or rather, lightning burst. Then Riku would blast through using Brilliant Flare, including through some walls if necessary, as they made for home. Plate and run were both meant to symbolize that. Homeplate, home run. Baseball terms. It was a bit tricky at times, but it was the only way they could communicate their plans without being overheard, so they practiced it a few times now.

The moment they made it into an alley, the thugs all attacked them. Some of them sprung out from side alleys, others jumped down from rooftops, and some came at them from behind. There was no warning or words given, and these guys had cloths and knives out. Not only that but they coordinated their rush, which caused the two boys to feel a bit overwhelmed. Kuroki immediately unleashed the large scale ice attack he had been building up, as the entire world became surrounded in a huge ice. However, he had been chanting that spell for the entire walk over. This let him add quite a few verses to it.

Ice spikes began to branch out of the frozen areas, skewering some of them and smashing others into walls. A few of them went flying into the air before landing in the ground, and some just got frozen solid. But many others managed to avoid the direct attacks or having their feet frozen to the ground, which vexed Kuroki. Still, this was when he unleashed his second part of the plan. Water conducted electricity, and while it was only effective thanks to magic, ice was just frozen water. This let him send out electrical snakes throughout the ice. They spread and spread, hunting down their prey and delivering to them enouch voltage to render them unconscious. Not enough to kill, but it certainly wasn't a pleasant experience by any means.

ANd yet that still did not deter them, despite seeing their allies foam at the mouth and collapse along with all the ones trapped by ice. This caused Riku to get worried, as he utilized his magic. He used Brilliant Flare to cut through several of them while breaking through a wall, leading them into a warehouse. Kuroki ran after him, and then Riku did another to break out through hte other side, all while swinging his sword upward and creating a huge pillar of flame into the air. With this done, it was a huge beacon for everyone nearby. The guards couldn't risk ignoring that, especially given it could possibly cause arson.

In their modern world, arson was a serious crime. But in medieval Europe, which was sort of what this time was like, it was considered even worse. Kuroki and Riku didn't know this, as Riku would have refused to use any fire attack inside of a city to avoid even the risk of an arson charge, but generally speaking arsonists got executed. It wasn't like they had fire engines or the like, and all buildings tended to be closer together for safety. As such, fires could be devestating. And so someone who purposefully set fires, who committed arson? They were a threat to a great many people, and caused massive amounts of harm. As such, they got executed.

As such, a fire pillar appearing inside the city? And not by the Mage's Guild or training grounds? That would result in an automatic guard investigation, and that is if the giant ice tower Kuroki made beforehand didn't do the trick. That wasn't some child's prank or playing with magic, those were massive and serious. And they would get a reaction, one way or another. Kuroki just hoped they wouldn't get in trouble for any of it.

And yet the moment they broke out of the warehouse, they found giant nets cast in their direction. Kuroki immediately created a field of ice from his feet and had ice spikes shoot upwards to intercept them, while Riku cut through another. Somehow, there were already goons there to intercept.

Impossible! How did they know?!

Riku cut through several more nets, using a technique to spin around in a circle with a blade, meant to be used against multiple attackers from all directions. Kuroki meanwhile summoned floating crystal arrows and had them launch out in all directions, piercing several of them and knocking them into various things. He wasn't really able to aim to well, because of the flurry of attacks that came their way, but he was focused on at least making it so they couldn't follow or chase them. This was way different then a few drunk and high adventurers in a guild. This was a coordinated force, and while they were holding their own, they were outnumbered forty to two. It was not good odds for them, which meant they had to keep moving closer to Amyris' place. The security there was top notch. The moment they made it inside, they would be safe.

But right now, getting there felt like it was a tall order. A swarm of arrows came after them. Kuroki's cloak sprang into action, deflecting them as they came. It had already entered full power, but in the end it was just a cloak. It had a lot of features, but it couldn't just one sidedly secure their safety. Not to mention, a few of the arrows still got through. Most missed, but one hit Kuroki in the leg. He used magic to remove it and seal the wounds so he could keep running, but it hurt with every step. Riku was just barely able to dodge at their swords and daggers came at them, and cuts were appearing across his body from almost near misses. Kuroki put up wall after wall of ice behind them, to slow them down as his cloak grabbed one guy and threw him into another. It then split in two, with half of it going on ahead while the other went in front of them, swallowing them.

They were spat out at the other end, several dozen meters further along. They were only just entering a residential area now. People were shouting and screaming, others were closing their doors out of fear. It was a large force after all. This was blatently being too forceful in public. Kuroki was surprised they had not run away or scattered, but then again, he did not know of their current circumstances and mindsets. If he had, he would not be as surprised, but he still would be surprised none the less. After all, this was a rather big and flashy battle. Criminal organizations liked to stick to the shadows, so law enforcement couldn't go after them. This was absurd, the way this was happening now.

It was almost as if the one driving this whole situation was off their rocker, and yet at the same time, one couldn't ignore the fact that none of the guards were around. Which meant they had clearly planned ahead and set things up ahead of time. And that was dangerous for them in their own right, since it implied whoever was responsible really knew what they were doing.

And then, just as they were rounding a corner, vines swirled around their legs and tripped them, before dragging them into a different side alley. Kuroki quickly froze them, but more came from the ground and proceeded to bind them. Riku tried to burn them all out, but the vines quickly held blades to their necks.

Kuroki however froze them all instantly, as they both got up and jumped into the air. Riku used Flare Enchant on his feet to give him a boost, while Kuroki was using wind magic on his feet to increase his ability. Kuroki then utilized Frozen World on this area, freezing the ground and everything else in the area, purposefully trying to prevent any of those vines from breaking out of the ground using hardened compressed ice. He even triple layered the compression, folding it in on itself using magic to create ice that was as strong as steel at least.

And yet the vines were able to break through all the same, coming after them with an increased fury. Riku was up next.

"Incendia Slash!"

Using a new move he created, he swung his blade as he unleashed a slash of fire. This fire slash however was not so simple as it appeared. The moment it caught onto something, it traveled down the vines, burning each and every one of them in its path. With this, all of the vines should be eliminated. And yet, immediately afterwards, more broke through the ice again.

"Kuroki, this vines are not just being controlled by magic!"

"Yeah, they are being created by it!"

They landed on a rooftop, as the atmosphere felt like it got a bit...red. It wasn't from the setting sun, but it felt like something shifted. If Kuroki had to guess, they just got isolated into a separate space. In other words, they had been totally cut off.

"Not good".

"They really are not pulling any punches here!"

Kuroki was already chanting a spell, as more vines came after them. Kuroki spun around, using his Water Puppetry technique to finish them off as he finished chanting his spell.

"Frostfall!"

A huge blue magic circle appeared above them all, as a giant glacier came falling down along with several ice spikes. The thugs that had followed them into this isolated space had to dodge, while the mage who had been controlling the vines directed the vines to attack the gracier. At this point, Kuroki was able to trace the mana back to its source, and locate the mage that had been hiding from them and attacking them remotely.

"Found them! Inside that building there!"

The two immediately rushed towards the mage. They couldn't keep doing an endless battle where they were the only ones being targeted. And it was likely this mage set up the isolated space, so they hoped defeating them would bring it down. Riku smashed through the ceiling, as Kuroki unleashed his Frozen World spell upon the building. Everything became encased in ice, and Riku immediately went to defeat the mage.

"Now now, little boys...resistance is futile, you know?"

Those were the words they heard when suddenly huge vines sprang from the ground, totally restraining them. Unlike the previous ones, they seemed far more impervious to fire and ice, and restrained them completely instantly.

"As expected, I let you follow the trail, and you came charging in right into my trap".

That entire trick had been her wanting them to try and charge in, just so she could trap them like so. It seemed she had thought this out ahead, reading their moves before they had even made them.

Perhaps, she was the most terrifying opponent they had ever faced yet. And she had captured them completely.

"Now then, lets get you ready for transport and selling. Ah, those clothes and weapons looks like they will make us quite the pretty penny too! How exciting!" she said, a tinge of excitement in her voice as they were choked out and their consciousnesses faded away.