Chapter 17: New Prophecy

The hut was small, but cozy. The whole air around the elder's residence was calm and comfortable. It did not feel like a part of the cold mountain forest at all.

The elderly man sat opposite to the pair with his eyes closed in meditation. His eyes were once again hidden behind his eyebrows. His mouth was only visible when he spoke, within the dense beard which hung down to his chest. All of his hair was white. It is unusual for an old man as such as him to have any hair on his head left at all, but here he had hair which fell to the ground. From the unevenness of the tips, one could tell that he chose not to cut them at all.

After a while, he spoke, "You have found me for a reason. Which is?"

"Indeed I have. I am honoured that you have wished for that to happen," Phileas thanked him.

"Hm? It is her highness whom I willed to see. You might as well have been lost in the forest by now".

Sarah swallowed the giggle that was about to escape her and looked at Phileas. He was both embarrassed and annoyed at the same time.

"Her highness has not found herself yet," the elder looked at Sarah, "you will not find it so easily. You will go through great ordeal".

Sarah felt a little uneasy at his frank future telling. Phileas kept silent.

"There has been a change in your fate," this made the pair surprised and hopeful, "but only slightly. I do not see your death in the hands of the son of Ankur, but I do see your death". Their faces fell again.

"W-why? Where do you see -"

"I see your death in the darkness," he interrupted a stuttering Sarah.

Phileas shifted in his position, "Is there more that you see, dear elder?"

The elder closed his eyes and turned his head up for a long time. When he faced them again he said, "only through death will you live".

This confused the both of them. Only through death will she live? So she has to die to be able to live, but that does not make any sense. Once a person dies and their soul leaves them for the afterlife, there is no coming back. Surely the elder is not insane or harbours shallow humour, yet here he was speaking things that make no sense.

"How can one live if they die?"

"That I do not know, my son. I only speak what I see. I cannot tell the circumstances of that death either, for my vision is surrounded by the darkness".

Phileas clenched his fists, "Is it possible that you are referring to the evil sorcerer? Is the darkness his doing? But dear elder, you said there was no way he would be able to find her without her core. Also he can't return to the palace!"

"My son, I do not know who, where, or how. I only know what. I do not know when, I just know the fate," the elder looked at Phileas through the slits of his eyes.

He smiled at Sarah and patted her hands, "You have great power, your highness. You have the magic of life".

The pair remained silent when they left the elder's hut. They remained silent as they made it back to the palace. They remained silent as they retired to their rooms for the night. But they kept the lights on in the palace for the rest of the night.