Chapter 7 : The Lake of Truth

In a distant land, in the middle of the night, two children were walking alone in a forest.

They each carried on their back a leather bag that seemed bigger than them.

They were in their early teens, one was a frail and rather thin boy, he had curly hair that reached his neck, round but half-closed eyes with green pupils, which gave him a sleepy look. This boy had slightly pointy ears, he was wearing torn clothes and his skin was covered in mud.

The other child was a young girl of the same age, who seemed more robust and full of energy. She had short hair slicked to one side of her face, hiding the right side of her visage. The other side of her head was shaved and strange-looking runic symbols were inscribed on the left side of her head.

She also had pointy ears, but they were much longer than those of her friend. She had a sharp look for a kid of her age. When the light of the three moons hovering in the sky illuminated her purple eyes, she looked much more mature than her age. She was also covered in mud, but her clothes were of much better quality than those of her friend.

After walking for a good part of the night, they finally managed to pass the edge of the forest and reach their destination.

They ended up in front of a resplendent lake, of unparalleled beauty. Above the lake were flying small fireflies which emitted a bright bluish light, coupled with the reflection of the stars on the calm water this beautiful scene seemed to come straight out of a dream.

"The Lac of Truth, finally ! Are you sure we need to do it here ?"

"Yes, I heard my father discussing with the elders, they planned to come here to consult the oracle tomorrow morning"

"Then why did you force me to come with you tonight ? We could have waited for the elders to take care of it tomorrow !"

"Don't you want to know if the stories our mothers told us when we were little were true or not ? If the prophecy does come true, then we'll be the first to witness its proof ! "

"But what if nothing happens ? Or if we fail and the oracle doesn't come ?"

"We have nothing to lose. Come on, we've talked long enough, hurry up and get the materials and the parchments out !"

The boy started pouting, then said.

"Pfff... Okay, but don't count on me to defend you if we get caught ! With all those crystals and resources you stole from Uncle Marten, he's going to be crazy when he finds out tomorrow !"

"Yeah, yeah"

While grumbling, the boy began to empty the bag he was carrying on his back onto the ground and the girl pulled out strange parchments and materials of all kinds from her bag.

There were plants, stones, bones and even the skin of what appeared to be a terrifying predator at least 2 meters long.

After checking that nothing was missing, the young girl told her friend.

"Alright, we haven't forgotten anything. Now read me the parchment so I know what to do !"

The boy slowly and carefully took out a parchment that seemed so old that it could crumble to dust with the slightest gust of wind.

"Hm, so first you need to draw a circle and put all the crystals inside, then plant the beast bones all around the circle, then...."

After an hour passed, the two children finally finished their preparation. The ground was littered with various stones, crystals and materials all placed inside of strange symbols written on the ground. Between each of these symbols were animal parts like bones, teeth or claws. Next to it, a bunch of different plants was lying on the skin of the 2m predator.

"I hope for you that the oracle will answer us, I don't know how we are going to explain to your father that we stole all these resources to call the Oracle and make a spell formation in secret !"

"Rhaaa... Stop being scared about everything ! In the worst case, we could say that thieves or bandits came to the village during the night and stole the stuff ! As long as we get back before daybreak and we don't get spotted, everything will be fine !"

"I hope it will be fine… your father and uncle Marten are terrifying when they get angry..."

"It's almost time, now we just have to wait."

The kids put back the parchments inside their leather bag and then started waiting, sitting on the floor next to the clumsy spell formation they made.

"Are you really going to ask about the prophecy ? If the oracle somehow decides to answer our call, shouldn't you use this chance to ask a better question ?"

"If the Oracle wants to answer a request, my mother told me when I was a kid that she will appear a minute after midnight and answer any question in exchange for the materials, at the condition that the question we ask has no malicious intent and answering it does not cause harm.

So yeah, I'll ask about the prophecy. I'm not interested in knowing my future, how to get rich or who I'm gonna marry in the future. These things have to be resolved by yourself, and asking the oracle about it is just an easy shortcut."

"Do...Do you think so ?"

"Please, don't tell me you wanted to ask one of those questions to the oracle"

"N-No I didn't ! It's just… sometimes I want to know what I should do in the future. Both my parents died during the last war, you and your father are the closest people to a family that I have left and I don't want to disappoint the villages and the whole clan. When I grow up I want to be useful for the villages and do my best so nobody will lose their parents like me !"

"I see, but we are still young you know ? You have the time to grow at your own pace, don't let external factors decide your own life ! Do you remember when we were kids ? When our moms were reading us the prophecy, we always wanted to play a role in it ! We dreamed so much about it, we played and even fought to know who will be the Chosen One.

That is why I'll ask about it tonight !"

Eavesdropping since the beginning, the oracle showed herself at the very same moment the girl stopped talking.

Those little humans called her an oracle, but if Jun was there he would have recognized this being at the first glance.

An etheric being, having a body composed of both light and shadow intertwined between each other, a strange smoky figure that seems neither dead nor alive. A heavy atmosphere and an oppressive aura.

A Scylla.

For the kids, the Oracle was a divine being their clan worshiped. During the previous war, if not for her intervention to save them, the whole area would have been destroyed without anything left behind.

Even the beast and monsters lurking in the forest avoided the lake, none of them even the most dangerous ones would try their luck by fighting this seemingly divine being.

This Oracle was the protector of this small piece of land, and by supposed charity decided to protect the small number of intelligent beings living there. No one knows why the Oracle never left the Lake of Truth, but nobody wanted this supernatural being to roam the continent either.

A thick and dense forest home of many dangerous beasts, monsters and even unknown beings, surrounding a mountain big and tall enough to touch the sky and hide its peek behind the clouds and the most beautiful and calm Lake in the middle ; their clan was calling the region protected by the Oracle The Hydra Mountain.

"Speak, my children."

The kids were seeing the oracle for the first time in their life, and even if they learned about it from the elders and the girl's dad who was the chief of one of their clan's villages, they still couldn't hide their surprise.

They lowered their heads and knelt on the ground almost instantly once they came back to their senses.

The kids were petrified at the idea of talking to this being who seemed so superior to them, although they had done everything to contact the oracle, deep in their hearts they did not expect the oracle to answer and even less for the oracle to responds so quickly.

Just the pressure the oracle exerted around them and the whole lake made them speechless.

After a few seconds, the girl mustered up her courage and started speaking.

"Honorable Oracle, we prepared this spell formation with all those gifts, hoping that you would answer one of our questions"

The Scylla paid attention to the pile of resources scattered on the ground and the clumsy spell formation made by those two tiny humans, before asking them.

"You shall know that I'm bound to respect equivalent exchange, and so I'm also bound to only give answers worth of the offering I receive."

"We know, honorable Oracle."

After having the confirmation from the kids, the Oracle emitted a bright light and in a second everything on the floor disappeared.

The kids were shocked to see this kind of nonsensical magic, it was beyond everything they imagined. They previously talked about what to expect from the oracle magic while walking in the forest, but seeing it in reality greatly impressed them.

"I already know what your question is, my child. Unfortunately, I cannot answer you. Even if the price of the offering was higher, this is something I can not reveal to anyone."

"But..."

Before the girl start speaking, the oracle interrupted her and added.

"How what I can tell you is what I previously told to your elders. Your prophecy isn't wrong, nor it is true. A prophecy isn't an absolute truth, it is just a possible outcome, a glimpse into a probable future.

Even if you look into the more probable future, the smallest detail always can change everything. That is why I can not reveal to you anything about the prophecy you and your people expect for so many years."

After hearing the explanation, even if the girl was still a kid she was already smart enough to understand the meaning of those words. It made sense for her.

After thinking for a moment and looking at her friend next to her, still shivering in fear of the oracle, she decided to ask another question.

"If you can't tell us anything about the prophecy, if it happens during our lifetime, and I say 'If', how would I be able to meet the Chosen One ?"

"My child, the one you call the Chosen One is everything but a chosen one. In fact, he would never play the role of a so called Hero or Chosen One.

Because you are naive and still pure, I'll tell you something else. The prophecy your ancestors made after they saw a glimpse of the future is already erroneous and inaccurate. The Chosen One your ancestor expected has already died. The one who, without knowing nor wanting it, took his place is not a Hero and is far from being a Savior either."

After those words, the girl had a sad look for a second but then she felt a surge of emotions she never felt before.

Maybe because the prophecy was the last thing she heard from her mother, she did not want to accept the truth of it never being realized, she still kept faith in the Chosen One.

"Even though he is not the Chosen One my ancestors saw in their vision, honorable Oracle please tell me, how do I meet him ?

If the prophecy is wrong we wouldn't be able to keep living here forever. We will have to leave the Hydra Mountain and live in the kingdom as pariah and renegade, we might be forced into slavery or just be killed in an arena for the fun of the perverted aristocracy.

The Chosen One, no matter his identity, is the last hope of my clan and my people !"

After taking her breath, she added.

"The prophecy said that the Chosen One has been kidnapped to his home with his people to live as a slave for his new masters the Fanatic Ones, he saw his people die day by day and after many tribulations he finally found a way to escape and ended up descending in our world, at the place of the Lake of Truth.

Our ancestors saw him save our clan and many other outcast people like us, in their vision he made us regain our land and brought peace despite fighting alone for his value !"

The boy couldn't see his childhood friend in this state anymore, he took her hand, hugged her and then gently said.

"Don't worry, I am sure that even without the Chosen One, the Oracle will protect us. As long as we keep living in the Hydra Mountain, the kingdom or any other country wouldn't try to attack us."

The girl had a bitter smile after seeing her friend trying to comfort her.

"My children, only your courage and your bravery will save your clan. The Chosen One your people long for already died and those that you call the Fanatic Ones are just the tip of the iceberg. They are mere pawns following the current of the River of Fate, like all of you ; like I am, myself, not more than just a pawn with better sight.

No matter how far my sight can reach, I can not tell you how to meet a dead person, as nobody can revive the dead."

Once again, the girl started to look devastated, she had tearful eyes and before a tear rolled down her cheek she heard the next Oracle's words.

"However, if you still seek to meet the one who, against his will, became the new recipient of your prophecy, I can tell you what to do.

If this child of Terra can be a chosen one, it is probably for his innate ability to fail even when there is only a chance in a million. On the other hand, he could also be the one who win at a time when all the odds will be against him.

Calling him the Lucky One would probably fit him better.

But, trust me, he is far from the previous Chosen One your people awaited for so long. He is neither virtuous nor pitiful and unless he sees a direct benefit he won't commit himself and start a losing fight to defend some values."

The Scylla passed by the two children and went back to the center of the lake.

The Scylla, who these humans called the Oracle, suddenly started to emit a strong and oppressive aura, this characteristic atmosphere of the Scyllas.

If the Scylla from Jun dimension had a perfidious and ruthless aura, this one was radiating an immobile sense of balance and justice.

This Scylla who was similar to the Fanatic Ones was, in reality, closer to being their opposite.

If they decided to live for their Revered Mother and they were ready to commit any kind of sacrifices to keep the Great Singularity and their Revered Mother safe, this Scylla who was born on the other side of the Great Singularity decided to live and respect all the being for what they are, she decided to be fair and equal for all of them.

All life had the same value for her, from the smallest ant to the most gigantic and majestic dragon, it was all the same ; just a living being like any other.

Her body started growing more and more until covering the sky ; until the whole lake was covered in her shadow.

She exclaimed a strange incantation in a melange of sounds and light, and before the children were able to understand what is happening the Scylla exclaimed loudly.

"My Children, to find him, you'll first have to find yourselves.

You, brave child, explore the Hydra mountain, you should do.

At his peak a being reside, in your quest he will help you.

Learn from him you have to, but your name you should not tell him.

Only to your people your name should be known, until the day the child of Terra you meet.

As for you, little boy, your own path you need to find.

In the dense forest, a unique plant is living.

The Leaf of Reciprocity, it has always been called.

Before the Third moon crosses the Second, find it you will have to.

Once you grabbed the plant, an exchange will be needed.

A companion, you will find.

And your new path, will be written."

After those last words, the Oracle body became more and more transparent and started to slowly fade away, before completely disappearing.

Piercing the darkness of the night and leaving behind an array of blue rays.

After a few moments, the kids still shocked and confused from what they have seen, hurriedly left the lake even forgetting their bags behind.

"I hope for you to be as lucky as the one you seek, my children."

The Scylla words resonated.

And destiny resumed its course.