Chapter 4: The Prophecy

Grey awoke inside an old run down temple. As he slowly stood up, he clasped his head wincing in pain. "What's going on?" he thought. As he opened his eyes and looked around, he saw beautiful tapestries all along the wall of the temple. "Grandpa?" He began to shout. "Grandpa!" He said a little louder. Grey's voice began to crack and croak as he called out to his missing family. Tears began to fall from his cheeks, and his eyes grew puffy. "What's going on?" He whimpered. As Grey stood sobbing in the temple a word of advice his father had given him came flooding into his brain, 'Nightshades are brave warriors. We thrive in the unknown." Grey calmed himself and swallowed the lump in his throat and began to look for an exit.

The temple he found himself in had to have been centuries old. Cracked and rotted marble columns were lying all across the floor, and mossy vines were everywhere in the place. The only thing that seemed like history hadn't touched were the immaculate tapestries lining the walls. Grey stopped by one in particular and was amazed at its intricate design. A human boy with shaggy blonde hair stood back to back with another strapping young man, who Grey thought kind of resembled his father.

Grey pressed on crawling over the rubble of the building. Surprisingly it wasn't that dark either. Moonlight was able to illuminate much of the inner parts of the building due to holes in the ceiling. Strangely though, the moonlight seemed to perfectly rest upon the portraits and tapestries. Grey continued to trudge through the rubble mustering every ounce of determination to continue onward. He continued to crawl past silk sheets of different pictures. Some were of a crimson landscape with a crystal blue river flowing through it, and others were the exact same image but in flames and desolate.

Grey smiled as he found the exit to the temple. He came out into the darkness of the night with many shining stars looking down upon him. He let out a big sigh, and with it came a stream of tears. He felt confused yet relieved. He didn't understand everything that had just happened. He thought back to what had been happening before, how he was sitting in the living room reading a book, drinking milk while his mother and grandfather were talking in the kitchen. And then he woke up in the middle of the street with fire and bodies all around him. Grey put his head in his hands, 'That can't be right' he said to himself. He raised his head, a sudden burst of determination flowing through him, bubbling from a place inside of him he didn't know existed.

He trudged forward out of the temple and into the woods surrounding the temple, walking with trembling but steady feet. Grey turned around and looked back at the temple he had magically been transported to and saw a symbol resting under the archway of the entrance. Grey squinted his eyes trying to get a better look. As he peered at the strange symbol he swore to himself he had seen it somewhere before, but before he could remember, he heard a light clicking sound coming from his left behind the temple. Grey's eyes widened. He thought it must be the people who attacked his village. He dropped his weight and readied his stance prepared to fight, but to Grey's amusement, an older gentleman walking with a cane was moving towards the entrance.

Before Grey could say anything the old man had stopped moving, and turned his body towards Grey. Grey's eyes widened. He knew the man was older, but the man certainly didn't seem old. Grey sensed power radiating from him, the same way it radiated from his father. The older man was dressed in a scarlet red coat with long fiery coat tails that split into two ends in the back. He also wore large black leather boots that came up to his knees. His chest was pristinely decorated with many different medals and colors. In one hand he held a very immaculately designed wooden cane, and in the other he held a pristine golden pocket watch. Upon his hip was a sword in its hilt. His body wasn't old and wrinkly, it was young and stout like that of a young man, but his silver eyes and wrinkly face made you think otherwise.

Grey went to open his mouth but was cut off by the older man. "Why, I had no idea there was another who still visited this temple." He said as he removed his large black top hat that sat on his head. "It is a pleasure to meet you young man." He said as he bent over in a bow. "My name is Verion. Lord Verion."

"Uh-" Grey stammered. "I'm Grey." He squeaked out.

Lord Verion laughed. "What's a young strapping boy like you doing out here this late at night? Where are your parents? Are you from the village?" Verion said as he walked closer to Grey.

Grey looked down at the ground remembering his family, and then back up at Verion, his eyes full of hope. "Yes! Yes I do! I'm from the Crimson Valley. My village lies along the Mystic Rhine. Do you know how I can get back there?"

Verion, who initially walked hunched over stood up straight extending his back out. He gently placed his top hat back upon his head, and he let out a cough, clearing his throat. "Grey was it? I hate to break it to you, but the village by the rhine hasn't existed for over 400 years, and the only ones who remember it are those who were there or those who caused it's destruction. And looking at you, I can tell that you didn't kill those beasts. So let me ask you Grey, who are you?"

Grey's body tensed in fear. Every sensor in his body was telling him danger. He knew he had to think of something to say or else things could get ugly. "Well I uh." Grey caught himself, and thought back to what Verion had just said, "Wait. Did you just say 400 years?" Grey said, his voice cracking a little bit.

Verion lifted his cane off the ground and began to swing it in circles. Looking at his cane he answered Grey. "I don't know what your business is here at the temple of the priestess, but it can't be good." He looked back towards Grey. "I'm going to give you one chance to answer me, and answer me truthfully now, who are you?"

"I- I'm Grey."

Verion shook his head and took a step towards Grey. "Not good enough."

Grey's eyes widened and he took a step back. "Uh- I'm Grey of the mystic rhine!" Verion took another step closer, "My favorite color is orange!" Verion got even closer. "I'm half human!" Verion got about two inches from Grey's face. "I'm the grandson of the Ravaging Demon!" Verion stopped, his body completely still.

"What did you say?" Verion said, sounding exasperated

Grey's eyes were filled with fear, and he could smell Verion's breath, (surprisingly it was very fresh). "The Ravaging Demon is my grandfather."

"LIES" Verion shouted, bringing his cane up across his body and swinging it back towards Grey. Grey ducked, and immediately threw a counter strike landing a clean uppercut into Verion's midsection. Verion let out a slight grunt. But almost without hesitation Verion's knee came flying towards Grey's face. Without a moment to lose Grey backed away, resettling himself a few feet from Verion. "The Ravaging Demon never had any children, so he could never have had grandchildren." Verion said, looking towards the ground.

Grey turned his head to the side, his tense body relaxing, "What? What do you mean? He had a son! The Harbinger of Death! That's my dad!" Grey looked back towards Verion, "Stupid old man! How can you not know the strongest leader in the world!" Grey spat, his frustration fuming through his body.

Verion was taken aback. "Hey now laddy, I know I might've gotten a little rough with you for a moment there but those are some harsh words." Verion shook his head, "I deviate from the topic at hand. Only nobles are allowed to visit this temple, or rather only nobles know about this temple. So how are you, a common boy here at this temple? You clearly aren't from my jurisdiction. I would never allow such ill mannered children like you to roam in my domain."

Grey's jaw dropped and his eyes slanted a little. "Ill mannered? Aren't you the perverted adult who randomly attacked an innocent child" Grey shot back.

"Minute detail young one." Verion's face queered up, "perverted?" Verion shook his head, "Why are you here?" Verion's voice got serious again.

Grey composed all of the emotions, and looked Verion in the face. "My name is Grey. I am the son of the Harbinger of Death, grandson of the Ravaging Demon. The last thing I remember I was in the middle of my village which sat on the Mystic Rhine at the edge of the Crimson Valley. Everything was burning, lots of people were dead." Grey's eyes glossed over in sadness, and Verion could tell. "My father was badly injured, I don't know what happened to him. My mother she-" Grey began to choke up. "She was killed." Grey looked at the ground, tears falling from his eyes. Verion went to move forward to stop the boy, but he continued. "Then, all of a sudden my grandfather grabbed me and to- told me that I had a new name and th- that one day I would understand." Grey finished, bringing his arms up to his eyes to wipe the water away.

Verion bent down on one knee to match Grey's height. "What is the name he gave you?"

Grey looked Verion right in the eyes, "The Remnant of the Ashes."