Epilogue: It's time to start the true story

Marcus was sitting in his study, filling out an abnormal amount of paperwork. From the bags under his eyes it was clear that the king mustn't have slept the previous night, but after all such inconveniences were part of the life of a king.

There had been much to do after the attack on the capital. Several guards were dead, and several of them were high strength. To replace them Marcus had had to recall some soldiers from the army stationed in the Baudonia City Alliance. He had also had to pay the necessary funds to compensate the families for their loss and repair the damage that the city had suffered (which fortunately were not too serious). He had also faced some debate from the most influential (obviously noble) parents of the students of the Academy of Magic, who had complained about the school's poor security measures, even though technically no one could have security measures in place for them. such an attack; after all, it was rare for Attackers to be so prepared that they held not one, but two Legendary tiers at once.

The only positive side of that event was that no innocents had been involved. All those killed had been guards and armed soldiers, plus a few adventurers and a couple of teachers from the Academy of Magic; the attackers had refrained from targeting citizens, students or employees of the royal palace. And since the order to evacuate the palace had been given almost immediately, and there were few influential people present during the hour of the attack, no ministers or important government officials had been injured or killed, so the framework on which the whole kingdom was based was safe. And since even the royal family was away at the time, they too were saved.

Despite the enormous fright that that attack had caused, it hadn't actually left too deep scars. Within a few weeks probably almost everyone would have forgotten the event and in a month at the most the damaged structures would have been repaired. The citizens had gotten away with only a little fear, and humans were good at forgetting bad events. Marcus would have lost some of the royal treasury to pay expenses, but it would have been an infinitesimal part and would have not even affected his economic plans for the future. The only damage that the Jurao Kingdom would have suffered would have been purely to its image, but Marcus could have handled it easily; after all terrorist attacks in cities of victorious nation after a war was normal. While some, like the ruler of the Prettania Kingdom, might have tried to use the occasion to undermine his political power and wrest control of the alliance of nations from him, Marcus was sure he could easily counter their machinations. Therefore, he wasn't much concerned on that front.

In short, ultimately, Marcus had lost nothing except a few nights of sleep. In a short time things would calm down. The only real gripe he had was that Thornag would probably become even more paranoid after that event and follow him like a shadow. However, there was one problem in particular that was really bugging him at the moment.

It was about the escape that took place at the arena. Over a hundred criminals detained for various crimes had escaped and were now who knows where, and this could be a big problem for the population. It was probable that he would end up forming a dangerous gang and raiding villages and caravans. But the biggest loss, for sure, had been the one gladiator he really cared about: Haku. The dragon had escaped with all the others, taking all his secrets with him.

Marcus almost laughed thinking about it. In the end, Haku kept his word: he didn't reveal his knowledge to him, no matter how much he tried to find out. All the secrets of the runes and items he possessed were now lost, and the dragon was somewhere and nearly impossible to track. He wasn't stupid after all, and even if he were still in the kingdom he would have kept a low profile. Marcus thought that perhaps he should have tried to use more efficient means to make him reveal his knowledge while he still had the opportunity, but then he remembered why he had preferred to not antagonize Haku too much: that strange and cryptic prophecy concerning him .

Speaking of prophecy...

A soft knock on the door jolted him from his thoughts. "Your Majesty, she is here" a page told him as he entered and made a short bow.

Marcus nodded. "Let her in"

The page turned and said something. A moment later, a richly dressed elf entered the room and closed the door behind her. He moved with extreme grace even though his eyes were completely closed. Marcus was sure he would never get used to the prophetess' strange behavior. "Forgive me for calling you" he said, bending down slightly. "I wanted to thank you for advising me to send my wife and children to my father-in-law on the day of the attack"

"While they were unlikely to be involved, there was a small chance that they would" the elf said. "I preferred to protect myself to prevent enmity from arising between you and Haku"

Marcus sighed. A few days earlier the prophetess had sent a handmaid to him suggesting him to send his family away from the palace. Obviously, the king had not hesitated to obey: the prophecies of the priests of the God of Knowledge always came true, so if the prophetess had advised him this there must have been a reason. His wife hadn't been very happy, but she had agreed to spend a few days away from the building on the pretext of meeting their children with their grandparents. The next day the attack had taken place, and all the while the Queen, Prince and Princess had remained safe at the duke's house. This had meant not only that they were well, but also that they were constantly protected and that they didn't suffer too severe frights. Basically, everything had gone well thanks to that suggestion.

"I assumed the dragon was involved in your choice to warn me" Marcus said. Since he was the king, and even when his father had been the king, the prophetess had never intervened in the affairs of the kingdom unless she was directly consulted. It wasn't until after Haku's arrival that she became interested. "Years ago you forbade me to release him. Why did you let him escape this time?"

"Because now he understood. There was no longer any reason to keep him segregated" replied the prophetess. "The prologue of his story is officially over. It's time for him to start creating the path that will lead him to the extraordinary future that awaits him"

Marcus shook his head. The prophetess always spoke in cryptic words. However, I notice something unusual: whereas she usually said 'follow the path', this time she said 'create the path'. Maybe there was some important meaning behind… no, there sure was, her words were never casual. "If there's no longer any reason to keep him locked up, am I now allowed to know what he was supposed to understand?"

The elf began pacing the room as if thinking dreamily. "He understood many things. He understood how important the family is. He understood how important teamwork is. He understood that being attached is not a weakness. He understood that he cannot continue to follow his old path". A smile was painted on her face. "But above all, he understood that we must be better"

"We must be better?" Marcus repeated in an inquisitive voice. "Who are these 'we'?"

"He, me, you… every creature in all of Ramat who is endowed with the ability to understand the world around them" the prophetess answered. "All of us, to have a bright future, must be better"

Those words were intriguing Marcus more and more. So now the matter had spread to the whole world? He knew Haku would do great things in the future, but he didn't expect that his actions were bound to affect every single person of every race and civilization on Ramat. When was that dragon's fate extraordinary? "What does it mean to 'be better'? Better than who?"

The prophetess shrugged. "I have no idea. I wasn't allowed to see it" she replied simply. Marcus let out a small snout, knowing he wasn't going to get any further explanations on that matter.

The king rubbed his temples and glanced at his desk covered by documents. "So what should I do now?"

"Nothing" the elf answered. "You just have to wait. Very soon, Haku will start helping you improve your nation, even if he will do it in a way that is quite unexpected and that even you, with your high intelligence, couldn't foresee. You will work together and at the same time separate, and piece by piece you will lay the foundation for something new. Something incredible and fantastic, that few minds could have dreamed of". The prophetess was silent for a moment, then she said: "First a new community, then a new nation, then a new alliance, then a new empire, then a new world... and finally, a new us"

Marcus hadn't understood many of those words, but he thought he understood enough. "So that dragon is destined to rebuild the whole world, mh?" he murmured. "It's strange… I should be scared, worried, anxious about such a prospect… yet I don't mind at all. .. and personally, I can't wait to see them. Although, considering what you told me in the past, I'll probably die long before I've seen even half of these things" he added remembering that some time ago the elf had told him that Haku would have helped not only him but also his son, so almost certainly the most extraordinary events would have happened long after his death. After all, for the long life of dragons, fifty or sixty years was nothing, so it was likely that Haku would be working with plans that would last decades, if not centuries.

"It is in the nature of mortals to desire to see what they won't be able to see. That is why you always call me to know your destiny" the prophetess replied. "My advice is don't think about it. Only my god really knows all that was, is and will be, and trying to understand it without his assent is only a representation of the pathetic arrogance of mortals. So, return to your tasks as ruler of this nation, and let your instincts and judgment guide you as Haku will begin to forge his path"

Marcus must have been in total agreement with the prophetess for once. People often wanted to know and see things that were too far beyond their reach, even though they knew it was a vain search and wait. Only the gods could truly understand all the mysteries of the world, and among them only one, the God of Knowledge, also understood those of time. Perhaps the best thing really was to avoid worrying about the future and concentrate on his duties as king, which certainly wouldn't have diminished even if the whole world had been destroyed and rebuilt from scratch. "I will follow your advice" he told the prophetess.

"I know" the elf replied as always. "Since you have no further business to address to me, I take my leave"

Marcus nodded. As usual, the prophetess already knew when the conversation could be considered ended. He greeted her respectively and watched her walk towards the door again and go out, closing it behind her with a dull thud.

Marcus walked over to his desk and sat down. Then he crossed his fingers and smiled broadly. "Even if I won't live long enough to see all your magnificence, Haku, I hope at least you give me a chance to see some sparkle of that. So please do your best. I look forward to seeing what you are capable of doing"