Bakunawa

As Bran hurried out of the room, his mind raced, piecing together fragments of lore and prophecy that had long been part of Eldoria's heritage but had never felt as immediate or as urgent. His feet knew the way without thought, carrying him swiftly towards the heart of the village, where the ancient library stood—a repository of knowledge, history, and the prophetic scrolls that had guided Eldoria through generations.

The library, a structure as old as Eldoria itself, was made of stone and wood, its interior filled with the scent of aged paper and the whispered secrets of a thousand years. Bran moved with purpose, bypassing shelves lined with botanical tomes and historical accounts, his focus on a small, intricately carved chest that held the village's most sacred texts.

With reverent hands, Bran lifted the lid, revealing the scroll he sought. It was a prophecy, written in an age when the lines between the mystical and the mundane were blurred, a time when Eldoria's seers had foreseen the coming of a swordsman—a warrior fated to play a pivotal role in a battle against encroaching darkness.

Unrolling the scroll, Bran's eyes quickly scanned the ancient script, his heart pounding as he found the passage that had haunted his thoughts since he had first laid eyes on Lucius. The prophecy spoke of a "warrior touched by the light, wielding the darkness at bay," a figure whose arrival would herald a time of trial and transformation for Eldoria. The prophecy was vague, as such texts often were, but one line stood out with unsettling clarity: "He who walks the path of the sword, yet not of our world, shall find his destiny entwined with Eldoria's fate."

Bran had always imagined this warrior to be a figure of noble bearing, perhaps a knight or a hero of legend, not a sellsword like Lucius. The realization that Lucius could be the one foretold by the prophecy sent a shiver down his spine. The implications were profound, not just for Lucius but for Eldoria itself.

With the scroll in hand, Bran rushed to the gathering place of the village elders, his sense of urgency growing with each step. The elders, wise in the ways of lore and attuned to the rhythms of the natural and the supernatural, were assembled beneath the open sky, their council a blend of deliberation and ritual.

Bran approached, breathless, the prophecy scroll clutched tightly. "Elders," he called out, his voice carrying a weight of discovery and concern. "I have found something within our scrolls that speaks of our current circumstance. It involves the stranger, Lucius, and a destiny we may not have foreseen."

The elders turned their attention to Bran, their expressions shifting from curiosity to solemnity as they recognized the scroll in his hands. This was no ordinary meeting, no simple discussion. What Bran brought before them was a matter of prophecy, a subject that commanded their utmost attention and respect.

As Bran unrolled the scroll and began to recount the prophecy and his conviction that Lucius was the swordsman it spoke of, a hush fell over the gathering. The revelation that a sellsword might be the key to a destiny long foretold was startling, challenging their perceptions of what fate had in store for their secluded sanctuary.

The discussion that followed was intense, the elders weighing every word of the prophecy against the events that had led Lucius to Eldoria's doorstep. They debated the meaning of the text, the nature of destiny, and the role their village might play in the unfolding saga that the prophecy foretold.

Bran watched, his initial conviction giving way to a broader understanding of the complexity and the responsibility that came with interpreting such ancient predictions. The council with the elders was not just about confirming a prophecy; it was about steering the course of their village in the face of uncertain and potentially transformative times ahead.

The council of elders, with Bran among them, delved into a discussion fraught with concern and a palpable sense of dread. The prophecy, long held within the annals of Eldoria's sacred scrolls, had always been a thing of distant contemplation, never as immediate or as terrifying as it now seemed. The mention of the full moon in the ancient text brought to mind a celestial event feared by all within Eldoria and beyond—the rising of the Bakunawa.

The Bakunawa, according to Philippine mythology, is a colossal, serpentine dragon associated with the lunar eclipses. It is said to dwell in the deep sea, emerging from the depths during a full moon to consume the moon itself, plunging the world into darkness. This mythical creature, often depicted as a dragon with a mouth the size of a lake, a body that spans the oceans, and a hunger that is never satisfied, is a symbol of destruction and natural calamities. The legends speak of the Bakunawa's power to bend the seas and skies to its will, causing tremors, storms, and eclipses that terrify the mortal realm.

The prophecy's reference to the Bakunawa's rise was a dire portent, suggesting not just a physical eclipse but a period of great turmoil and darkness that could engulf the world if left unchecked. The elders, well-versed in the lore of their land, understood the gravity of this threat. The ancient texts hinted at one who could prevent this catastrophe, a man with a sword, now believed to be Lucius, whose destiny was to confront the Bakunawa under the light of the full moon.

The realization that Lucius was central to thwarting the Bakunawa's rise was met with a mixture of awe and fear. The elders, while respecting the prophecy, were wary of the implications. The notion that a sellsword, a foreigner to their peaceful existence, was the key to saving not just Eldoria but potentially the world from darkness, was overwhelming.

"Elders," Bran spoke up, his voice steady despite the anxiety that gripped him. "We stand at a crossroads, not just for Eldoria but for all. The prophecy is clear—Lucius is the one foretold to face the Bakunawa. We must do everything in our power to prepare him, to support him in this battle against the darkness."

The council nodded, a silent consensus forming among them. The threat of the Bakunawa's rise was too great to ignore, and if Lucius was their best chance at preventing it, then they would set aside their fears and doubts. The decision was made; Lucius would be told of his role in the prophecy, of the Bakunawa, and of the destiny that awaited him under the full moon.

As the meeting adjourned, the weight of their decision hung heavily in the air. Eldoria, a village that had long cherished its seclusion and peace, was now at the heart of a cosmic struggle, its fate intertwined with that of a sellsword named Lucius. The coming days would be filled with preparation and apprehension, as they awaited the full moon and the arrival of the Bakunawa, hoping that they had chosen the right path to protect their world from being consumed by darkness.