Chapter 4

Piercing darkness. Gloomy air. There was no moon. Only a dense silence, broken by distant voices.

James walked with slow steps, as if each tread were a dull blow to his soul. He felt an icy cold. Suddenly, he heard the metallic clash of swords—a sound he knew far too well.

Confused, he followed the source of the noise.

He found something lying on the ground: black hair, closed eyes, abdomen pierced by two dark swords. He had found him.James woke up with a start. His face bathed in sweat. His skin prickling.It was the same nightmare. Seeing his mother, Lina, in the worst possible way. He tried to shake it off, breathing deeply."Friend, are you okay?" Chard had woken up.

James caught his breath.

"Yeah," he answered. "It was just a nightmare."

Chard sat up, serene.

"I know. It's a very painful feeling, truly."James shrugged. "It's my first night away from home," he thought. He felt alone, lost, anguished.

"I think my body still doesn't understand that everything is different now."

"Maybe," Chard commented. "You just need more time to get used to it."

The boy nodded. He felt broken, but Chard's words, his calmness, gave him a sliver of hope.

His moment of introspection was broken by a shout. Chard smiled upon recognizing it.

"What are you guys goofing off for!"

 Amelia yelled, kicking the door with her thigh as if it were a ball.

"As you can see, we're already awake,"

 Chard replied playfully. "And thanks for wrecking our bedroom door."

Amelia took a step back, horrified. She had been so focused on scolding them that she didn't realize she had hit it with too much force. James had to cover his mouth to hold back laughter.

"Destroying property in Refuge City... that has to be worse than The Door of Dominion," James thought.Amelia tried to feign calm.

"Galen will surely fix that little door with his magic. By the way, he called for us. Haven't you heard?"

Chard shook his head.

"We haven't heard anything. Are you sure about that?"

Amelia narrowed her eyes, giving Chard a deep look.

"Are you implying that I'm a liar?"

The atmosphere grew tense. James thought: "Chard is going to get a good hit for running his mouth."

"What's going on here, Amelia?"

A figure made an appearance. His voice was latent and soft, but with a clear note of anger. Galen was right behind Amelia.Amelia closed her eyes and swallowed hard.

"It's these idiots, Galen. They were taking too long. Everyone else is already down there."

Chard, with genuine embarrassment, apologized and signaled for James to do the same.

"Alright. Don't worry about that, kids. By the way..." Galen turned his attention to the remnants of the door.

Amelia caught the hint instantly.

"We better go outside. It's getting late. We'll continue this later."

Amelia walked out first, stealthily letting out squeaks of victory: she had escaped the reprimand.

While walking down fossil-stone stairs, James asked Chard a question.

"Chard, do you also have nightmares at night?"

Chard sighed.

"Truthfully, yes. Everyone who was here at the beginning has had that bitter experience. What we lived through was very hard."

Chard placed the palm of his hand over his chest.

"But you can't be afraid of that. Over time, you overcome it and you'll know one single thing: They will always be in your heart, supporting and protecting you."

James understood. The rage dissipated. Now he felt free of those bitter memories. Lina's soul was in his heart. Peace.

Once the seven youths were gathered in the central hall, Galen stepped forward, accompanied by Kael, the green-haired swordsman in the blue kimono.

James noticed that Kael was watching him above all others. 

"This guy gives me a really bad vibe. Why does he have that look?"

"I understand that you still have doubts about those marks," Galen said. "Today they will be cleared up."

"Everything is very confusing. These marks won't go away even if you take a bath," commented Chelsy, Amelia's best friend, a sweet girl with yellow hair."

"But to continue, we must first go to a certain place."

"What? More tourism?" Amelia blurted out, dissatisfied. "Did you gather us just for that?"

"Let me finish talking." Galen cleared his voice. "We are heading to the city temple. The Oracle, that famous artifact of legends, is located there."

Axel was surprised.

"The Oracle? Do you mean the one from the legends? Is it here, in this city?"

Incredulity took over the room. They had heard stories as children, but were they real?

"I've never heard of it. What is it about?" asked James, scratching his head.

Galen understood: in Asmalia no one talked about magical legends. Axel turned toward James.

"It's strange that you don't know it. The Oracle is a very important magical artifact. According to legend, it has the power to dictate prophecies that always come true. It's amazing."

"That's right, Axel. And today you will meet it for the first time."

Galen led the teenagers to the temple. Along the way, James could see that Refuge City had taverns, shops, and plazas; an improved version of Wisteria.

They arrived at the sacred temple: a huge building with a pointy red roof. At the entrance, two roaring lion statues flanked a large lightning-bolt-shaped insignia.

"How cool they look!" said Peter. "It looks as if they were truly roaring."

"Why do they have that lightning insignia? It's similar to James's mark," observed Chard.

Kael spat to the side, annoyed. Galen chuckled.

"It is the representation of the existence of the Erion, the most powerful heroes on earth. It was the Oracle who predicted their existence."

Chard marveled at the statues, feeling a connection to those ancient heroes.

The interior of the temple was even more impressive. At the far end of the hall, two figures with spears stood guard. They were two girls who looked about nine years old, dressed in elegant noble attire.Peter was quick to make a remark:

"What are two little girls doing here? Are they lost? Where are their parents?"The girls didn't flinch.

"I ask you, brat, to watch your tone and how you speak," said one of them, with a strangely ancient voice. "You have no idea who you're dealing with."

Peter growled.

"Who do they think they are to talk to me like that?"

Galen, in the blink of an eye, grabbed Peter's arm.

"Calm down, kid." He looked back. "You too, Kael. Behave yourselves."

Indeed, Kael was about to draw his sword, his face a map of fury. James and Chard were astonished by Galen's speed.

"These girls are not what you think. Even though you see them as children, the truth is they are over two hundred years old."

"What did you say?" Peter was completely confused.

"They are fae. A very little-known race in this realm. They have guarded this temple for centuries."

"They've been guarding the temple for two whole centuries?" concluded Peter, astounded.

"Exactly."

Amelia put her hands to her head.

"Everything gets more confusing by the minute!"

Galen approached the fae, who kept their spears firm.

"Pardon the inconvenience, fae. We need to see the Oracle. It's possible these kids are the heirs of the ancient Erion heroes, and we want to find out."

There was a silence. The fae moved their spears in unison.

"Pass!" they said.

Galen motioned to the youths. They entered. There was a small flash and they found themselves before the Oracle, the famous prophecy artifact.

Everyone was left speechless, not only by Galen's shocking words, but by the Oracle itself.

It was something they had never seen in all their lives.