"So, is that your final decision?" General Temis nodded, closing his eyes and massaging his lips with his left hand.
The sound of footsteps came from the other side of the door, causing General Temis and the rest of the council to turn towards the door.
A grin emerged from within General Temis's beard. 'He's quick.'
The door opened, and before them stood Raghav, his hands on the doors. "We found a way." King Belreid laughed, standing up.
He slapped Reinhardt in the chest, taking short breaths, chuckling. Queen Anessa placed a hand on his shoulder. King Belreid looked at her, holding her hand and kissing it. "My faith was not misplaced. I am now certain of it."
He turned back towards Raghav, gesturing towards the seat opposite his own. "Please sit."
Raghav sat down, placing the book and compass on the table. Aurelia moved to sit beside her mother, and Mage Olda sat in his seat on Raghav's left.
Raghav looked at General Temis. "How are the war plans going?"
General Temis scrunched, shaking his head. "We concluded on that topic, mere moments before you returned."
"What have you come up with?" General Temis looked at the King. "I march out with fifteen thousand soldiers graduating from the military academy."
Raghav raised his left brow, tilting his head and slowly blinked three times. "I do not mean to question your decision, after all, you are the Master of War, but will the graduates be able to handle a real war?"
General Temis nodded. "No need to fear, I intend to challenge their general to a duel to decide the war. I know the man; he takes pride in his abilities, and refusing will put a question mark on them. He will accept."
Raghav gently smiled. "That would be the best outcome. When will you leave?" "Tomorrow morning. The best time to start something." Raghav nodded. "I second that. Is there anything I can do for you before you embark for the duel?"
General Temis nodded, placing a hand on his chin, stroking his lips. "There is something, I would be glad if you were to address the trainee and boost their morale before the journey begins. As you are aware, the legend of the Hero has been alive and remembered for two thousand years. It would mean something to these young men."
"I will be at the academy at 15:00 hours." General Temis brought his hands together with a loud clap before parting them and holding them apart. "That settles it. Now, what have you brought for us from space?"
Raghav placed his right hand on the book and slid it towards King Belreid, then lifted the compass and tossed it to General Temis.
"That compass will lead us to Crimson. It was in King Istreid's person when he died. It activated when I spoke the name of his book, and we found it, and I accidentally placed it on the book, which triggered a vestige of Istreid to appear, which contained his memory."
King Belreid looked at Raghav with wide eyes. "You conversed with King Istreid." Raghav tilted his head to the right, narrowing his eyes. "In a way, yes, it was his memory, not his soul, he told us about Ancient relics, artefacts/weapons left by deities, supernatural beings and ancient spirits. He went on a quest to find Crimson, where he met his end."
General Temis looked between Raghav and the King, holding the compass in his hand. "Since this morning, I have heard the word Crimson seven times till now, and I am more intrigued than ever after hearing that King Istreid was after it himself."
Raghav looked at King Belreid. "You want to tell them, or should I?"
"Master of War General Temis, Master of Magic Mage Olda, Master of Economics Belfort, Master of Grains Melter, Master of Whispers Kingsli, Master of Law and Justice Adolph. There is something hidden, a secret only the Kings and their chosen few know of."
He looked at them all. "What I tell you now will be a secret kept to yourself. I need you to swear it."
King Belreid extended his hand as the yellowish Mana flowed from his body and approached the men. They placed their hands on the Mana, letting it enter their body.
"We swear that whatever we will be told, will never be spoken to anyone but The One and all those who are with us at this instance." King Belreid smiled, taking his hand back.
'So that is the vow, he must have sworn Vaughn and Reinhardt the same way. I think the Mana inside their bodies will lash out violently if it detects them discussing the topic.'
"Now, the truth, the prophecy we have all known, is not the true prophecy that King Vardenia heard from the skies in Solara Island, but rather a prophecy made by King Istreid and King Vardenia."
"King Vardenia told the people a fake prophecy, hiding the real one for reasons, only he knows. I do not know the fake prophecy spread by him, but I know what it became when King Istreid saw the vision of the future. Many have attempted to steal a glimpse at the future and uncover the mystery of the Sky-spoken prophecy. But they all failed."
"What is a Sky-spoken prophecy?" King Belreid turned towards Raghav.
"In this world, exceptionally talented beings can predict or glimpse into the future; they are correct more often than not, and their words hold value, but then comes the Sky-spoken prophecy. The world itself speaks out a message from The One himself."
"A person's vision and glimpse can be wrong, but a Sky-spoken prophecy can never be wrong. There have been only six Sky-spoken prophecies since life began on Paneria. All of them have happened as spoken, for The One does not lie."
Raghav nodded. "I understand."
General Temis leaned closer. "What was the original prophecy?" King Belreid took a deep breath. "Crimson shall shatter and The King in Hell shall walk among mortals once more. A war between the Divine and the Condemned shall begin till either Fall Heaven or Burn Hell."
General Temis blinked at King Belreid, slowly nodding. "I see, and Crimson is what exactly?" Raghav leaned forward. "One of the Ancient Relics. It needs to be broken to let out the King of hell, who is the evil spoken of in Istreid's prophecy."
He leaned back in his seat as Mage Olda pointed at the compass. "This will lead us to the Ancient Relics." General Temis rubbed his thumb over the compass, holding it up.
"Let me guess, you wish to go on a quest of your own to find crimson." "I do."
"Honestly, I think we should not look for it." King Belreid frowned at Raghav's words. "Help me understand why you think that way, when you want to go on this quest."
"In my world, there is a saying, 'A man often meets his destiny on the path he takes to avoid it.' I believe if we look for Crimson, we might end up breaking it ourselves or causing it to fall into the wrong hands."
"Then why do you want to go?" Raghav turned back to General Temis. "I believe even if we end up causing Crimson to shatter, at least we will be able to know when it happens and be prepared to follow up."
General Temis looked at Raghav, sliding him the compass. "When will you leave?"
Raghav looked at Temis. "A week, most likely, I need to get some things sorted out, gather items and form a party."
"A party?" King Belreid tilted his head in confusion. Raghav nodded, turning his attention towards him. "I will not be travelling as a representative of Istreid but rather as an adventurer from the guild, which will allow me to pass between kingdoms with much more freedom and if my companions are also adventurers, even if I get in trouble, Istreid will not suffer the consequences of my action."
"I understand. Is there anything we can do to help?" Raghav nodded, leaning forward. "There is, I would appreciate it if you could give me some coins for the journey."
King Belreid looked at Belfort. Who signed. "You will receive a constant supply of coins throughout your journey. Anything else?" Raghav nodded. "I will take Gati."
Belfort frowned, shaking his head. "What is Gati?" "The white horse in the stable. I would like to have her, please."
"She's yours, what else?"
"I would like to commission Martel to make something for me. If you could summon him this evening, I would appreciate it. I would also like to keep the sword I used when facing Asfan"
"All your demands will be fulfilled. Are you certain that you want to do this?" Raghav locked eyes with King Belreid. "I am doing this."
He then looked at everyone before placing his hand on the table, picking up the compass and gesturing toward the book, which King Belreid slid towards him. Raghav picked it up and looked at everyone.
"It is 12:45, so I will now take my leave and have lunch before heading to the academy. If anyone needs me, I will be in my room for now. May The One be with you."
He then turned around and left the council room. General Temis turned towards Aurelia. "Your Highness, do you think he will wait for me to return if I ask nicely?"
Aurelia shook her head. "He would not stay unless you put forward an actual reason for him to stay other than that you simply wish to join him."
"Very well, I will go to the academy and attend the graduation ceremony."
"I will send out someone to get Martel." He then turned towards General Temis. "I, along with the entire royal family, will join you for the ceremony."
He turned forward. "All the matters have been finalised and I hereby announce that session number 6439 of the King's Council has reached its concluded."
.
.
.
.
Raghav sat in his room, eating rice, bread, and mashed potatoes. He had earphones plugged in his ears and was humming while eating a spoonful of rice. He leaned back, closed his eyes and took deep breaths before he sang for no one but himself.
"I once dreamed of leaving my world behind,
Searching far and wide for but a glimpse of you.
Never knowing dreams could come true,
Until I stood face to face with you—
The one I had always dreamed of."
He smiled, leaning forward, continuing with his lunch. He looked at his watch and saw that the time was 14:04.
"I guess I should be prepared to leave." He placed down the empty utensils on the table and stood up, stretching and moving over to the cupboard beside his bed. He opened it and bent down, pulling out the black military boots and sat on the edge of the bed, changing into them from his brown shoes.
He then placed his brown shoes in the lower part of the cupboard, and stood up, taking a bottle of perfume from it and spraying it at his armpit and waist under his jacket.
He took off his belt and hung it in the cupboard, grabbed the sword and scabbard belt, securing it around his waist.
He closed the cupboard and walked over to the bathroom, standing at the sink, eying his reflection. He grabbed a brush, brushing his hair up and to the side, guiding it away from his forehead and to the left side of his face.
He then leaned forward, turning the faucet on and splashing some water on his face. Before grabbing the towel by his side and wiping his hands and face.
He hung the towel back and walked back towards the table, picking up his phone and placing it in his right pocket, and patted the oil tank of his bike, heading towards the balcony door.
Standing on the edge of the balcony, he sat on the railing and jumped down. The white glow surrounded his very being. He lands on the ground, cracking the marble beneath his feet slightly. The white glow sank into the marble, repairing it.
The white glow disappeared as Raghav stood there for a few seconds before stepping forward, his hands freely swinging with each step.
Raghav entered the stable and found Gati exiting her shelter, running over to him.
He placed a hand on her forehead as she brushed her head against his torso. "Are you ready?" Gati moved her head in enthusiasm and stepped beside Raghav, beckoning him to climb on.
An invitation he did not turn down, as he climbed on her and held the hair on her neck with his left hand. "Forward."
Gati reared and bolted forward, hooves striking the ground with force as they exited the castle and veered right. She weaved effortlessly through the stream of horses, wagons, and carriages, her pace unrelenting.
Before long, they reached the north-west edge of the city, and the towering gates of the academy came into view. Gati slowed to a halt just before them as a guard stepped forward.
Raghav turned his gaze toward the approaching figure. The moment the guard recognised his face, he froze, before raising his hand and, with a swift gesture, signalling for the gates to open.
"Welcome to the academy, Hero."
"Thank you, is the royal family here?" The guard nodded. "They are, the ceremony is taking place in the east field."
"Thank you. May you have a great day." Raghav tapped Gati on the neck with his right hand as she moved forward.
Raghav travelled through the gravel path looking at the training fields filled with trenches, rocks, boulders and small hills on either side of the road.
At the end was a building that reminded Raghav of Rundāle Palace, only bigger. 'Surely they cannot house fifteen thousand soldiers in this academy.'
He placed his thoughts aside and entered the inner yard of the academy, recognising the royal carriage stationed in the right corner. He moved Gati beside it and dismounted her, looking at the front of the carriage at the driver with his back resting on the carriage.
"Hello there, Mr Moreti." The driver turned towards Raghav. "Afternoon, Hero. What can I do for you?" "Can you look after Gati?"
Moreti looked at Gati and nodded. "I can, it will be my pleasure to be of assistance to the Hero."
Raghav nodded and patted Gati. "Stay with Mr Moreti." Gati closed her eyes and sat down as Raghav moved past the carriage and exited the inner yard, heading through the passage out on the eastern field.
Before him was a gathering of newly graduated soldiers, all wearing black uniforms with gold buttons and black caps. They were sitting in white chairs facing east towards the stage erected at the far end of the field.
Raghav sighed, moving forward, walking upon the red carpet that granted him a passage through the graduates towards the stage.
As he strolled past, the graduates noticed him and gestured to the person beside them to look.
Soon, whispers became loud as the graduates spoke in unison, and General Temis stood up, walking to the podium placed on the stage.
He took one deep breath and spoke aloud, enhancing his voice with Mana. "Silence!"
Raghav, unbothered, kept walking forward, reaching the stage and climbing the stairs, looking at the vast faculty and the royal family sitting in their chairs.
'There are at least sixty faculty members.' He then stood beside General Temis.
"Raghav Suryanshi, who the world knows as The Hero of Prophecy, has come down to part with you some inspiration. I hope you will not interrupt him and listen to each word he speaks, with great care."
General Temis turned towards him, and they shook hands. Then General Temis moved out of the way and stood beside the podium, letting Raghav take the centre.
He placed a hand on Raghav's back. "Let me enhance your voice to address them all."
"Thank you."
He then turned towards the graduates. "Future of this Great Kingdom, you have persevered through the rigorous training and faced imposing trials and have pushed through them. I would have been honoured to ride in battle by your side. It is unfortunate, but we have our separate ways."
He raised his hand forward, his palm pointing at the sky. "I, as well as every citizen in this Kingdom, believe in you to keep the innocent safe."
"I expect that you will never behave indecently with any woman or use your power over them for your pleasure. You are not just men, but gentlemen. I also expect you to treat all civilians with kindness and respect, even if they are from another Kingdom. We will not be like the tyrants who abuse their power to trample on the weak and helpless."
"For it is the duty of the strong to protect those who cannot protect themselves. Even if it means giving your own life."
"I ask this of you, do not abandon your post, do not run away from the battle to save your life, retreat if it gives you a chance to fight again and protect others."
Raghav gripped the podium, standing straighter.
"Abandon only the fear of death, for it will come for you, even if you save your life by abandoning the battle and running with your tail tucked in your legs, YOU WILL STILL DIE, AS A COWARD, A DESERTER, A TRAITOR."
"Death only comes once. I want you all to look it in the eye and go forth. You will die with honour and your soul will find heaven, that I can promise."
"Lose your life, before losing your honour and morality. Do not fight because I or anyone commands you, do not fight believing yourself to fight for right or wrong. Fight because it is your duty as warriors. Fulfil your duty, follow your dharm and leave everything else to The One."
General Temis was looking at Raghav, surprised by the words he spoke. King Belreid let out a small chuckle, looking at Raghav's back. Aurelia and Vonreid had their jaws slightly open.
Raghav scanned the graduates sitting in front of him and took a deep breath through his nose. "Now, show me what the best of you can do."
He then turned towards General Temis. "I would like to fight the top hundred soldiers in this academy at once."
The right side of General Temis's lips curled upward as he turned towards the graduates. "YOU HEARD THE MAN, GET PREPARED FOR BATTLE."