We had returned to Medelona with the bodies of Sidus and Cento.

They were placed on top of two marble beds where they would rest until their proper burials.

The two beds sat in a large chamber in the royal palace which once served as ball room.

Standing around the beds were Astír, Solas, Zua, Nyota, Zon, Caligo, Luno, the Yilon, Luno and I.

No lights were lit and so we stood in the darkness of the silent chamber.

“We must stop him.” Luno said. His voice painfully clear.

“But… our priority will be to apprehend him. Killing him will only further perpetuate this dark age and so I hope you all understand.”

I glanced at Astír who’s eyes burnt brightly.

They flashed several times, dimming and getting brighter in rapid succession.

They dimmed one final time and she fell to her knees where she began tearlessly weeping. Solas and Zua comforted her while Luno left the room with the Yilon in tow.

I walked up to Caligo who had not spoken since my return.

I reached out to hold his hand and he accepted it while glaring at the two beds.

“Let us return home.” He said while turning to leave.

“What about Astír?” I asked as we walked.

“She… let us allow her a moment.” He said.

We eventually returned to his palace and after making our way into the bedroom, we laid side by side all while heavy rains pelted the palace walls.

Caligo sighed before raising his hand.

I then heard what sounded like a thousand distant thunders as he closed his hand into a fist.

“I… have met the gods.” He said.

“When I achieved hostship, I saw their forms and fell to my knees because I could not comprehend the extent of their might or wisdom. They stood above the bleeding corpse of a woman and I feel as though they were protecting her. Protecting the one from which all was birthed.” He said. His voice low and… pained.

“Thou art familiar with the stream of life that all life magicians can see, yes?” He asked and I nodded.

“I think that it leads to her. I think that all that is leads to her. So… in this sense… Sidus and Cento are headed there. At least, that is what I think.” He said with a voice that trembled. I knew, deep within, that what caused it to shake was not grief, but rage.

I then suddenly remembered something.

“Be sure to rest up. I just remembered that Gondara had something to tell me.” I said as I crawled out of bed.

Caligo nodded before covering his eyes with his hand.

I then made my way to Omri with Solas who had just returned.

I asked him where Astír was and he said that she had not left the hall.

Knowing this, I made my way to Gondara’s home and although it was raining heavily, Solas protected me from the worst of it with a barrier.

I knocked on the door of the rear most house in the village of Omri and Gondara opened the door shortly after.

“Ah- Good afternoon, ma’am.” He said while gesturing that I enter his cozy looking home.

It was a single, circular room which had a bed, kitchen area and a platform for meditation.

However, littering the entire place were sheets of cloth that were had strange depictions but I kept my focus on Gondara who led me to the teleportation platform.

“Tea?” He asked while I sat down on the large, flat slab of dark rock.

“That would be lovely.” I said as I sat.

He nodded before making his way to the kitchen where he three cups of Tea.

He gave two to Solas and I before sitting next to me.

“You have my condolences.” He said while I took a sip of the rather simple and sweet brew.

Solas and I remained silent.

“I am assuming that you want to hear the entire prophecy?” He asked and I nodded.

“Mmm… allow me to start with a question. Why do you think the Old King sent out his two sons Adin and Arixo?” Gondara asked with narrowed eyes.

Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

“I… do not know.”

“He was setting the stage.” Gondara said before grabbing a nearby piece of cloth.

He handed it to me and I saw the map of Lanceberg.

“Medelona, Aurenia and Agna... the location of the Lunar Seat and the lands of the King’s sons, the Golden and Silver princes. Do you think it is a mere coincidence that these lands would go on to be the homes of the Moon King and his armies?”

“Wait, the Lunar Seat had that name before Luno’s ascendance?” I asked and Gondara nodded.

“This, the history of Lanceberg has all been one enormous play and we time magicians believe that the master puppeteers are none other than the Old King and other, more mysterious individuals.”

“Who do you think the other masters are?” I asked with widened eyes but Gondara sighed.

“No one knows for sure. We have speculated that someone guided the Old King and told him to set the stage accordingly. Whether that was the flow of time itself or third party, we cannot say for sure.”

“And the Ritual of Eight?” I asked.

“Well it is not hard to imagine that it will involve the participation of all eight hosts and it is they who will prevent the end.”

My brows furrowed.

“So… Caligo will one day have to take part in this ritual?” I asked but Gondara sighed again.

“That, I cannot say. No one knows when the ritual will take place and we cannot see too far into the future without risking madness- Ah, what am I saying. Madness is a given to any who peer that far into time.” Gondara said.

I nodded and I joined him after in momentary silence.

“Do you… think that the Old King peered into the far future? Maybe that is why he knew what to do.” Solas said.

“I do. But… it is possible that he was the host of time and so maybe that gave him the ability to peer that far without losing his wits-“

“But he did lose his wits, no?” Solas asked.

“Ah… you are right, but it was only for a few days. When a time magician goes mad, their mind is torn to an irreparable degree. It is something that not even the greatest of life magicians could heal. What he experienced, what I think he experienced, was that which all Time Magicians experience. A glimpse of the end or the Ritual of Eight. Or, in my case, both.” Gondara said.

“I see.” I droned and by this time, my tea had grown cold.

Regardless, I drank it all.

“So what now? How do we prepare for the Ritual?” I asked and again, Gondara sighed.

“I do not know. No one knows when it will happen and who the hosts will be at that time.”

“I see. Do Caligo and Luno know?” I asked.

“Yes.”

I nodded.

“Well, thank you for telling me all this.”

“Bah! You were lovely company. Most people who hear our ramblings often think us crazed old men, haha!” Gondara laughed.

“I would love to learn more about the flow of time. Do you have more tea?” I asked with a smile and with a speed that defied his old bones, Gondara jumped onto his feet and rushed to the kitchen where he made us more tea.

Solas sat next to me and dropped his lance before joining me in accepting our next serving of tea.

“Ah… where to begin? Oh- one thing I forgot to clarify is that no time magician has ever seen the beginning of time. After all, looking back thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of years would be… overwhelming, to say the least. The furthest any of us have ever seen was one hundred years backwards. I witnessed the aftermath of the Moonless War and how it affected the kingdom. Fortunately for my forefathers, were under the protection of the Black Guard.”

“Wait… how old are you again?” I asked with narrowed eyes.

“Mmm? A modest sixty years.” Gondara said with a raised nose.

“I guess you already know my age?” I asked with a raised brow but Gondara scratched his cheek while laughing weakly.

“I have not looked that far into your past. But from the looks of it, you are… twenty five?”

“Twenty Nine.” I chuckled.

“Hoh! Well, my guess was close enough.” Gondara scoffed.

“Oh- how much do you know about a Legion called The Second of Ten?” Gondara asked with widened eyes.

“Not much, I fear.”

“Well, long ago, after the war with the Haneem ended, the King sent out a Legion of ten golden knights into the western ocean in search of places where the Haneem could be hiding. What puzzles me and many others is that they never returned. It is entirely possible that they are on the far western continent of Quitania but Summus knows whether they are still alive and whether they encountered any Haneem.”

Gondara, Solas and I spend the next hour together but the time for me to leave eventually came and he saw us off.

We eventually returned to Caligo’s palace where we made our way to the courtyard where the boys could be seen training in the rain.

Leading them was Lham and he watched them keenly as they did various exercises.

Adia shot me a tearful glance almost as if begging me to help him but I simply smiled while walking up to Lham’s side.

“How are they doing?”

“Are you sure Adia is your son?” Lham groaned with crossed arms.

As usual, he was half dressed, wearing only a pair of brown loose fitting pants.

The rest of his body was covered in rain.

“Yes. I am indeed his mother, why?”

“He lacks the burning fire I saw in your eyes during your initiation. All he and his friends do is whine and cry.” Lham groaned.

“Ah… maybe that is because he is a child.” I said with a weak smile but Lham scoffed in response.

I then watched as the boys trained some more before accompanying their tired selves to the bathroom where I helped Adia undress.

“Uncle Lham… I didn’t know he could be so mean.” He sniffled as I tossed his clothes aside.

“Do not worry too much. Everything he does is for the betterment of your minds and bodies.” I said but Adia did not seem interested in my words and so ruffled his hair, gave him a kiss and allowed him to bath with his friends.

I then returned to the bedroom to find that Caligo was not there.

I assumed he was in his study and so I sat by my desk and read through reports that had piled up.

It was my duty to sift through them and see what the kingdom needed.

I would then write a letter and deliver it to the High Lords who would assess those needs and draft laws and policies that would be given to Luno who would be the ultimate deciding factor in whether any changes were made.

I used the quill of my pen to stroke my chin while thinking of what I gift the boys with.

The following months would be hard for them and I thought they deserved something for their work.

I gasped as a rather dastardly idea surfaced in my mind.

The boys all thought that the Helma were legendary but I wondered how they would react if they saw a Platinum Knight.

I shook my head since such a idea was ludicrous.

But still…

I shelved the thought and returned to work.

I worked all while desperately shooing away the sadness that loomed above my heart.

Caligo eventually returned and, since I had been up for so long, so much so that the sun was starting to rise, he offered me his hand.

I accepted it with a yawn and followed him to bed.

“What does it mean to be the host of light?” I asked sleepily.

“It means that I have the highest degree of control over the aspect.”

“Would it not be better if it meant that you represent all good things?” I asked but at this point I was barely awake.

“I… I could work towards that.” Caligo said. His deep voice lulled me further into sleep.

“Then please do so.”