The Prophecy

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William's perspective

I was overjoyed. Aunt Sifle was alive.

She looked different despite still wearing her brown corset. Her blonde hair was still curly, but this time, it had tresses that flowed down her back. Much to my own surprise, her chemise was very clean despite reaching the ground. I could see no blemishes or grime on her or her clothes.

My heart pounded in my chest with relief as a smile formed on my face. I wanted to run over to Aunt Sifle and hug her. I was about to run over until I felt my father's hand on my shoulder. That's when I took a minute to think.

How did she survive? How is she here? How did she get past the Blight?

My heart squeezed as I started to worry. Markus said he wasn't exactly here for me and everyone else but Aunt Sifle and two others. That's when two individuals appeared out of the shadows.

The one to Aunt Sifle's right was a disturbing visage of a knight, covered head to toe in black armor. They were surprisingly short—possibly even the size of a kid. The armor, however, looked uncanny. As I took a closer look, I noticed a jagged row of teeth along the chest plate stretching from their left shoulder to the right side of their waist. A slimy tongue emerged from the bottom, wrapping itself around the left arm. The same unsettling design was on their other limbs, each piece glistening menacingly like it was grinning as drool dripped down their mouths.

The helmet stood out the most, resembling a gaping maw, as a thick tongue wrapped around the neck like a sinister scarf. Even though it was short, the creature radiated a threatening aura, ready to spring into action at any moment.

On the left was a much taller woman with black silky hair. She wore a simple black battle dress with leather belts and boots. On her belt was a massive blue leather book. Her face appears to have once held beauty but was covered in dirt and fatigue. The eyes, though, were something beyond understanding. They look star-shaped with an ethereal violet color, traced by a green line that gave it its unique star design.

I could tell there was some form of magic behind her. Out of all three figures, she was the one that worried me.

Before I could say anything, I felt a hand on my shoulder. Looking over, Markus was walking past me, pushing me towards my father in a gesture to get out of the way. My father moved in front of me, readying his bow staff.

"Lady Sifle, it's been a while," my father said, his tone sharper than usual.

Aunt Sifle chuckled loudly, eyeing my father. "Mister Hunter, pointing a weapon at a lady is rude."

"No mere lady can take the same path we took," Lord Dimmal said with trepidation. "And I have known you for a good while now."

"That's cute. A Drakelene noble knowing a commoner." The woman on the left spoke up in a sarcastic tone. "You wouldn't know the difference between a commoner and a bag of trash if it stood right in front of you."

"Easy, Liora," Aunt Sifle said with a very prideful voice as she moved her hand to stop the woman, Liora, from approaching. "I understand why you loathe these nobles. But let's not forget why we are here." Aunt Sifle turned her head towards the other individual. "Same to you, no sidetracking." Her voice was very hostile towards the armored knight.

My dad lowered his weapon, "Sifle, please. Let's talk." He was a lot more sympathetic this time. I don't blame him; I didn't know what was happening. But this is Aunt Sifle.

She is our friend.

No, she's not.

"Fine, let's talk." Aunt Sifle raises her hand towards me. "Little Will. I need you to come with us."

The dragons snarled at Aunt Sifle. Razarin's mouth radiated with heat, ready to burn them alive. Azrael's dragon wings were perked up, ready to charge the trio.

I can hear Aurum squealing in Azrael's arm as I would dumbfounded. Why would Aunt Sifle need me? She must have a good reason for wanting me to go with her?

"Why do you want a commoner to go with you?" Thomas said out loud. He sounded unconvinced of Aunt Sifle's words.

Aunt Sifle gave him a loud chuckle. "Oh, don't worry, little noble, I am fully aware of who you are and your little darling princess. However, we weren't sent for the two of you. Unless you want Liora to kill you now. She gets a real thing going for killing nobles, darling."

Her words left me in shock, and my stomach churned in dismay as my eyes widened. Unable to move, sweat poured down my neck as my arms and legs started to tremble slightly. My father readied his bow staff at her.

Something was wrong with Aunt Sifle. I didn't recognize her anymore.

"Mister Hunter, I'm hurt," Aunt Sifle said.

"How about you show us who you really are?" Markus suddenly spoke out. His tone was serious as he pressed his hand to my chest, gently pushing me back. "Kingspawn."

Everything went silent from Markus's words. No one said anything. No one moved. I could clearly tell that Aunt Sifle was pissed. Then, a wicked grin formed as she reached for her eye.

My heart sank as I watched her pluck out her eye and toss it to the side. My stomach curled up inside me at the site. What was left was a golden marble lingering in her eye socket. At the center of the marble is a faint golden light.

"The name is Sif. The Goddess of Fertility." She said with a crooked smile as she glared at me. "How did you know what I was?"

She's a goddess? How? When?

"I've fought a Demon King and the Wolf King. I think I would know how to sense a Kingdril," Markus explained. I gazed at him in utter bewilderment. Aunt Sifle has a Kingdril? "And you don't have one, but I sense you are a byproduct of one."

"Well, aren't you clever," Aunt Sifle chortled playfully.

My mind raced as I stared at her new golden eye in disgust. Unsure what to think or feel. I couldn't think straight. But what should I do? Aunt Sifle raised me when my father left to hunt. She isn't a warrior or anything evil.

"Little Will, you have a few choices. Come with us, and we will spare everyone else here."

"Why?" I asked, my face showing uncertainty and perplexity.

Aunt Sifle smirked at me. "Because of the prophecy, my dear."

"What prophecy?" Azrael finally spoke up, stuttering slightly. She was just as confused and worried as I was.

"A child of noble birth said to be bathed in golden light may either bring about the destruction of Kalos or usher in a new era for Drakelene." Aunt Sifle's response didn't seem entirely genuine; it felt like she was telling us only what we wanted to hear. "I see three dragons and five strangers. Gwyn is not known for associating with dragon knights, while the other is a retired Dragon Lord. This narrows it down to the nobles and Will. Most likely, the nobles had dragons for some time. That leaves Will and the baby golden dragon."

"Oh no," my father murmured.

"Come, boy, or we will kill everyone here." said the armored knight.

"You stay right where you are!" Markus yelled.

"And who are you to tell him what to do?" Liora asked, furrowing her brows to make a sneering look.

"Who am I? Who are you? You're a dropout magic student from the Holy Empire," Markus turned to the one in creepy armor, "You're a creepy knight." Finally, he turns to Aunt Sifle. "And you, Sif." He pauses to speak momentarily as if he were to spite Aunt Sifle. "Your just a fucking Kingspawn. Bound to your maker like a slave."

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Everything went silent. No one spoke as if what Markus said was the final straw.

"I believe we chatted enough," Aunt Sifle said in a much darker tone, leaving a sour impression on me. "After all, it's that time of the month."

I didn't understand what she said. Markus did. "That's fucking disgusting."

Tree roots sprouted from the ground, breaking the tension as they lunged at Markus. I jumped back as he summoned a giant greatsword that resembled a katana with multiple interlocking blades. The blades shimmered with a silver hue as he swung at the roots, slicing any apart as they fell to the side.

The massive sword looked heavy, yet Markus wielded it like a one-handed sword, swinging it with unearthly strength. This left me in awe and disbelief as he cut down any tree roots that came at him. Watching him, I noticed his sword curved with each swing, moving fluently like the wind. It was incredible.

"Serisa, now," Aunt Sifle spoke as the armored knight charged at us.

As Markus tried to jump in to block them, Liora shot a massive fireball at him. I watched Markus cry out as he swung his sword at the fireball, deflecting it towards the armored knight, Serisa, sending them tumbling back in smoke.

Looking towards Liora, I saw Thomas's dragon, Razarin, engage her as fire surged. The world appeared to darken from the flames. Raising my arm to shield my eyes from the searing brightness, I felt the intense heat flutter through my hair. Sweat trickled down my back, and I gasped when I saw Liora emerge untouched, a shimmering orange barrier deflecting the dragon's onslaught as her dress wafted in the wind.

My head raced in panic as I scowled in disbelief. That wasn't ordinary fire; that was dragon fire. No one should be able to take a hit from any type of dragon magic and walk away unscathed.

What if she can beat Thomas?

He needed help; that's all I needed to know, even if we didn't like each other. As I took a step forward, a crackling roar erupted from Liora, tearing the air with violent force. The force came at me suddenly, like a powerful gust of wind, and I crashed into the ground, feeling my head spinning.

My ears ringed as I sensed Aurum's emotions flowing into me, telling me she was okay. Shaking my head as the ringing ceased, I saw Liora standing before me.

My heart dropped. "Will!" my father yelled out.

I reached for my sword, but that's when a voice rang out. "William, move!"

I saw Azrael on her dragon, diving down from the sky at us. Liora looked up with annoyance, giving me the chance to jump back away from her as the dragon released an ice breath, hitting Liora directly. My eyes shifted back towards Liora to see her encased in ice.

Thomas and Azrael begin to fly away, heading to safety.

"Will, let's go," my father yells at me, bringing my attention back to him as he shakes my shoulders.

Behind him was Lord Dimmal. "We must not linger here, William. We have to…" Lord Dimmal's words stopped as we all looked back at Markus.

Markus stood before Aunt Sifle as a massive tree root plunged through his body. Blood splattered across the ground, each drop of life rushing out of him. I watched in horror as Aunt Sifle, the woman who once cared for me, committed such brutality.

I remembered her saying she hated violence. So why?

Seeing this reminded me of Hearthglen. The screaming, the blood. It all rushed into my head.

My eyes widened, hair standing on end as I grimaced in disgust and abhorrence when I saw Markus staggered forward, intestines trailing grotesquely with each step. When his sword arced through the air at the root, it burst into flames, sizzling into nothingness as the scent of burnt wood filled the air.

I stood in disbelief as Markus's gaping wound began to heal, steam rising from the flesh as his organs renewed, muscles knitted seamlessly under fresh skin. How could anyone survive this? (how is this?)

It looked painful.

"Stop gawking and start running!" Markus yelled out at us.

I stood frozen in shock, unsure what to do or think. But I shook my head as I pushed my haunted memories away, taking a moment to think.

Going back is too dangerous now. Going to Asgard now is better, especially with these people here.

But wait. Aunt Sifle… There's so much that I don't understand. She is a friend. She's family even.

Run

My father pulled me as we started to run. My heart pounded in my chest as I rapidly exhaled. Our legs pounded into the ground as we fled, Lord Dimmal behind us. "Did you see that?" my father asked in shock.

Lord Dimmal ran with us as I saw the dragons fly past us. "I wouldn't have believed it if I didn't see it." Lord Dimmal's answer was nerve-wracking. "I now know why he is called the Immortal God of War."

I couldn't believe what I saw, either. He healed from a wound that wasn't survivable. Is he truly immortal, as I heard and saw?

I tried to collect my breath, but my mind was in shambles. I didn't know what to believe. It felt like something was gnawing at my chest, and no matter how much I pressed my hand against or scratched it, it remained.

Lord Dimmal and I followed my father as he led us toward the nearest town. We could hear the battle rattle the ground. Shockwaves rattled the trees, making us far over every once in a while. We ran farther and farther north until we saw buildings through the tree line.

My father yelled at us, "We are almost there." I cracked a smile, relieved that we were almost safe. Sprinting past the trees, I could hear Lord Dimmal getting tired. "Come on, Dimmal, we are so close." That was the first time I didn't call him Lord.

As we approached the tree line, Lord Dimmal yanked my collar, pulling me towards him. My chest tightened up at the sudden act. A red blur flew down in front of me. A red blade narrowly missed me as the person called Serisa landed in front of me, this time with a massive, monstrous, teeth-like shield. Their red blade was connected to their wrist.

They rushed at us without stopping, swinging their red blade in quick succession that rivaled Azrael's tenacity. My heart thumped hard as we jumped back to avoid getting hit when Lord Dimmal engaged Serisa first. I watched in amazement as their swords clashed, trying to grasp how they fought.

Lord Dimmal was quick with each swing. With each swift spin he did, his sword rushed with power, making each blow strike harder than each one. Transitioning from his left and immediately to his right in a quick spin, Serisa was forced to defend. It looked like he was dancing with his sword.

Serisa was forced on the defensive, unable to block or parry with their blade. Getting a better look, I can see their blade forming out of a mouth.

Is that sword a tongue?

My father came in from behind, sweeping at Serisa's leg with his bow staff. They countered my father with their sword and then pivoted so their shield blocked Lord Dimmal. Despite their lack of height, they were holding their own against the two.

I rushed in as my father shot arrows at the ground beneath them, jerking them away from Lord Dimmal as they tried to attack. As they stumbled forward, Lord Dimmal seized the opportunity, infusing his sword with magic and swinging it upward in a powerful slash.

The sword collided, sending Serisa flying back, but that didn't stop them as they hurled her shield to the side. It sailed through the air and slammed between two trees, its monstrous mouth opening wide to release a grotesque tongue, which shot toward my father.

"What the fuck," my father yelled out as he tried to slash at the tongue, but it wrapped itself around his bow staff, then his neck.

With a visceral yank, it pulled my father closer to the open maw where its teeth were waiting. He struggled in vain, gasping for air, his situation evident in every strained breath.

Without a single thought, I lunged forward, fear and adrenaline propelling me to my father's aid. It was either death by choking or death by being eaten.

I wasn't going to let either happen.

Serisa advanced at me, but Lord Dimmal stood in their way, giving me precious time. I gripped the vile tongue, ignoring its slimy texture. As I pulled, heaving and sweating, the shield pulled harder.

My heart raced as sweat poured down my face. Looking up at the shield and taking a good look down its gullet, I was scared of what would happen if I didn't free my father. The image of my father being devoured and swallowed whole entered my mind.

My sword in hand, adrenaline rushing through me as the fear of losing my father flooded my mind; I attempted to cut the tongue off, but with one violent tug, my father and I fell onto the ground. I didn't let go as we were dragged towards the shield.

My father tilted his bow staff so it was pressed up the same trees the shield was against. I flipped my body over so I could push off the tree with my legs in a desperate attempt to pull some slack. It barely helped, as my father was pressed against his bow staff as his neck inched closer and closer.

Rushing to my feet, I desperately pulled as my heart pounded harder with each beat as if my chest was going to explode. I gave up on pulling as I raised my sword up. Yelling in fear, I slammed my sword at the tongue, slicing it off and severing it from my father's neck as he collapsed onto the ground, gasping, free at last.

The shield flew away from us, and I saw it return to Serisa, using the momentum to bash Lord Dimmal back. I helped my father up as we immediately moved to Lord Dimmal's side, surrounding Serisa.

Serisa started to step back as we approached them. They were able to hold off Lord Dimmal and almost kill my father. This was an opponent that we needed to team up on.

We pushed Serisa back. They didn't dare to engage. I figured they knew they couldn't take us all at once.

The next thing we knew, the sound of a crow alerted us. The sound was out of place as all the noise from battle faded away. We looked at Serisa as they started to chuckle, sounding like a girl.

She stood tall, seeming relaxed. The monster-like teeth on her chest plate opened up as she tucked her shield inside. "Seems like I am needed elsewhere. It was fun playing with you all." She sounded incredibly confident. I couldn't believe she sounded so relaxed. "I'll see you around, Will."

Her helmet's mouth opened up and proceeded to swallow her whole. I looked in disgust as a crow swooped down to grab it. As much as I wanted to stop it, my father caught me. "Let's go," he said.

Grunting as I ran north, following my father. I couldn't think right. So much is happening that I couldn't keep up. Lord Dimmal followed behind as we cleared the tree line. We saw the town gates ahead of us as we ran. My heart still pounded, and my chest felt tight. Hell, I felt like I was going to vomit.

I didn't care about the town's appearance as we ran for it. There were guards there waiting, but the moment we got there, my body went stiff. I couldn't move. Forcing myself to take a step forward with no luck, I realized I was frozen in place.

"What's going on?" I asked.

My father spoke up from behind, "We are stuck." I realized we all were stuck in place.

"Is it magic?" Lord Dimmal asked.

"Don't resist; it will only hurt," said a woman. It was Liora.

Gritting my teeth, I used all my strength to move, trying to push back away from her as she approached me. My heart slammed harder and harder with each step she took. She grinned at me as I started to heave. I watched as if everything slowed down as Liora raised her hand to my face.