Chp.12: The prophetess

Haku grit his teeth. Not only had this woman managed to get close to him without being noticed, not only she didn't emit the normal life signals of living beings, but she also knew his mother's name. And the other one...

"That's your father's name. I know you've never had the chance to know him, so I'm happy to tell you" the woman said.

Haku narrowed his eyes and his body tensed even more. "Can you read my mind?"

"That's not my power" the woman replied. "I just knew what you were going to ask me"

Haku didn't understand what the woman meant. He looked at her better, searching for some clue as to her identity. The more he stared at her, the more he noticed discrepancies with normal living beings, which probably would have escaped the limited perception of newcomers: her heartbeat was too slow, her breathing was almost imperceptible, her footsteps made almost no sound. She had little body heat and emitted very little electric charge. The more he looked at her, the more it seemed to him that that woman was halfway between the real world and the one reflected in a mirror. "Who are you?"

"My name doesn't matter in the grand scheme of fate. Even I have forgotten it for several centuries now" the woman replied. "I am only a humble priestess of the great God of Knowledge, and I stand here today as his messenger"

Haku was quite restless from those words. From his point of view, it was impossible for anyone to forget his name. It had to be said, however, that he hadn't lived that long and didn't have the experiences of that woman. However, her statement that she'd lived for centuries confirmed at least one suspicion: she was an elf, and he'd figured it out because he could see her long, pointed ears protruding from her hair. The elves, as far as he knew, had a very long life.

In any case, that wasn't what really interested him at the moment. "Are you the messenger of a god?" he growled.

For Haku, dealing with gods was absolutely not good. He had confirmed that they existed and that they were powerful, so it was best to avoid them. After all, he doubted that a god would ever be friendly to a dragon: not only in stories and tales of the newcomers their chosen heroes often slayed dragons, but Haku also suspected that the gods were newcomers themselves. After all, the gods were never heard of during the golden age of dragons, so much so that even today's dragons barely knew they existed. Haku knew this because if his mother had known about the gods she would have warned him, or at least she wouldn't have tried to completely destroy the fairy people and bring their wrath upon herself. Which meant that the gods must have arrived after the catastrophe of the second sun. Even if they didn't, however, they were clearly closed to the newcomers, and this automatically made them hostile to dragons. Not to mention that, from what Haku had seen, dragons were the only ones in the whole world who could survive their powers, therefore they were also the only ones who could challenge their authority; Haku doubted that they would be content to relate to those who might one day threaten their dominance.

However, Haku still had too little information about the gods. Their behavior and powers were still largely incomprehensible to him. Unlike the other races of newcomers, about whom he could learn much simply by asking to the people that he captured, the gods were beings beyond the comprehension of ordinary mortals, to the point that they worshiped them. The best choice therefore for Haku was to avoid attracting their attention until he found out more about them... but it seemed that some of them had already spotted him.

The elf didn't seem to notice her tension, and said: "I'm just a simple servant, and I do what my god commands me to do... and today, finally, he allowed me to speak with you. You don't know how long I've waited for this moment, ever since i first saw you"

"Have you seen me yet?" Haku asked, not remembering ever meeting that woman in his life.

The elf nodded. "Twice. The first time several years ago… and the second time a year ago, right after your capture"

Haku was somewhat confused. "You must mistake me with someone else. Several years ago I wasn't born yet"

"I know. But my god has granted me the gift of seeing things that haven't happened yet" the woman replied, brushing her closed eyelids with a finger. "These eyes may see little of what is happening now... but they see much of what has happened... and some of what will happen"

It took Haku a moment to figure out what the elf meant, and when he did, his eyes widened in surprise. "You… can you see the future?"

"I see what my god allows me to see. Only he knows the past, the present and the future, and only he decides what I can or cannot see" the woman replied. "And several years ago, the God of Knowledge allowed me to see you, Haku. I watched a baby dragon emerge from an egg in a cave in a remote corner of the world, and watched him defy the cruel rules of his kind to protect his siblings. I could admire what you were... and what you will become. And for this I can't help but explode with joy to be able to speak to you now, when your story has just begun"

Haku was starting to get annoyed. He was understanding it less and less and this irritated him a lot. "You're talking in riddles! Speak clearly, what did you see?"

But the woman shook her head. "I'm sorry, but I cannot reveal to you. The God of Knowledge allows me to reveal only a part of what I see, and there is much that you still do not need to know. Limit yourself to this: your future is much greater and more extraordinary than you can imagine, than anyone in this world can imagine"

That answer lacked valid information and was very vague. Haku hated that kind of answers: he wanted something clear, something specific! And in any case, he didn't like how the woman talked about her future as if it were a certain event. "I am the one who decide my future!" he said, repeating the words he had said to Darbi long ago, when he had tried to convince him that it was the fate of dragons to remain alone and apart.

A small shadow passed over the elf's face. "Yes, that's right. You will choose your future. That's why I'm here: because soon, you will have to make a long series of decisions that will mark your destiny" she said. "Even before you reach adulthood you will have to make many choices, and even more you will make when you will be an adult. Many of them could lead you down a dark and evil path, and change you so much that even you will one day be afraid of what you have become. But if you make the right choices, then you can become someone extraordinary, someone who will mark his name in the History of this world and who will change its destiny in a way that nothing and no one could ever imagine"

Haku felt uncomfortable hearing that statement. Partly he was flattered by it, but mostly he was frightened by it. How could he not be? An elf who could see the future was practically telling him that if he made the wrong choice he could become a monster. "I don't want to be extraordinary, and I don't want to put my name in the History of the world. I just want..."

"…live in peace with your brothers and sisters. I know, I've seen it" the woman finished the sentence for him. "But one day you will discover that it won't be enough. Neither the desert nor the great ocean will be able to protect your family forever. One day you will have to make a very important choice, and I hope it will be the right one"

Haku's eyes narrowed even more, until they looked like two slits. Not only did the elf know who she was, she knew what she planned to do. The situation was worrying him more and more. "So why did your god send you here to talk to me now? Does he want you to tell me what the right choice will be?"

But the elf shook her head. "Oh, no. The God of Knowledge has complete trust in you. He knows you don't need his help". She smiled. "Besides, very soon you will be helped by someone else. There is no reason for my god to tell you what to do. I am only here to deliver a message to you"

Haku was somewhat surprised. What did she mean? Would he have been helped by someone? He didn't understand. "What's the message?"

"There are actually three messages. The first is: don't forget who is worthy of your trust" the woman replied. "The second is: when you really need help, look for the goddess with one eye. And the third is: when all will seem lost and you won't know who else to turn to, go to where it all began and open the Silver Gate"

Haku was speechless for a second, and he was pretty sure he had a goofy face at that moment. "What? And what does it mean?"

"I have no idea" was the elf's simple reply.

The dragon felt anger well up inside him. "Are you kidding me!? You show up here, you make my brain go crazy, you tell me these things and you don't even know their meaning!? You better talk before I lose my temper, or this cage won't stop m... "

"I know that cage can't lock you in, and that you can kill me if you want. You can also attack me if you want, but you won't get anything else from me" the elf said without any emotion in her voice. "I'm not lying. I really have no idea what the Silver Gate is or who the goddess with one eye is. I can't help you any more than I already have"

Haku wanted to be enraged, but he knew it would get him nowhere. Something inside him told him that even if he came out of the cage and ripped out the elf's tongue, she really wouldn't be able to tell him anything else. He had to stay calm. "There is more?" he asked.

The elf seemed to think about it for a moment, then said, "A little suggestion from me, not my god: don't be angry with these people for your imprisonment. Everything happens for a reason, and you are here for a very specific reason. You have to understand, and this captivity is what will allow you to do it"

"Understand? Understand what?" Haku asked, even though he already guessed the answer.

And indeed the elf said to him: "I'm sorry, but I can't tell you. I'm not allowed to interfere more than I should with the events. I've already said more than I should have"

Haku sighed deeply. "If there's nothing else you can tell me, then leave me alone. You've given me enough headaches already"

"As you wish" the elf replied with a smile, before starting to walk away. "It was an honor for me to talk to you, Haku. I will always remember this moment as I watch your path and admire your rise"

Haku preferred not to answer her. He was sure he couldn't be polite enough. He watched the elf walk away and disappear into the crowd, and found himself alone again mulling over what he had just been told.

Meanwhile, the elf came out of the room and walked into the garden; before leaving, she turned one last time and smiled, and she whispered in a voice so unnaturally low that even a dragon couldn't hear it: "Good luck... Haku, king of all dragons"