All For A Reason

The crystals twinkled in the dark cave, they were dim but gave off a soft eerie glow that provided enough light for one to find their way. Berry had been teleported here magically after stepping unto the circle, he was surrounded by all these crystals in this dark cave, they made him feel a bit unsafe.

Where am I?

"Do not be afraid"

Berry flinched and gasped when he heard the voice, he looked ahead as he saw a tall figure come into view. He instinctively stepped back, the figure became clearer the closer it came and then he could see that it was a man…A human? No…he looks a bit different.

This person had smooth and shiny dark skin, adorned with gold symbols running along his entire body, even to his face, almost like they were drawn by an artist, his hair was done into cornrows with gold streaks running through it. His eyes were pure white, filled with nothing, just white, he was very handsome with a pure aura surrounding him and he was unlike anything Berry had imagined.

"Hello child" he said with a soft smile.

"H…Hello" Berry answered softly.

He chuckled at Berry's somewhat timid response, moving closer to him he reached out and touched Berry's pink strands, "Mhm…beautiful" he whispered, his fingers curling around them.

Berry felt a bit flustered at the words of the strange man, he stuttered a thank you and said nothing more, he just observed his appearance, he's so different from what I thought…he's handsome…

To be fair, he thought he would be an old man with gray hair, much like Seer but he was proven wrong.

But he's nothing like Caelum.

Urgh!! Stop that!!

He internally facepalmed and rolled his eyes at his own absurd comment, he pulled his focus back at the man in front of him, who had pulled away and stopped touching his hair.

"So what now?" Berry asked in a small voice.

"Now…you come with me"

The Preacher turned around and started walking deeper into the cave and Berry hesitantly followed.

"You know what's funny…" The Preacher started, "…most Runes don't even remember where they are from after they turn into Runes but they all remember the history of the soul eaters and the dragon saviors."

"I mean I know they are taught about it when they are humans but how come they do not also forget when they lose their memories after becoming Runes?"

It's true…that is strange. Berry also remember the first time he arrived in the facility after becoming a Rune, none of them there had forgotten about the history of that day.

"I wonder…it's almost like the dragons wanted to keep reminding humanity about their good deeds, almost like they want to keep humanity tied to their debts, wanting them to feel subject to them. They etched that memory into their very souls, to use it against them whenever they got the chance".

"Isn't it unfortunate that were are now slaves in our planet, lesser beings…when we were on top of the food chain once"

"Suddenly these beings show up and restructure the entire world…and now were are at the lowest"

Berry could hear the faint stains of resentment in his voice, but he could understand where he was coming from. If he had been around for long, he would have watched the degradation of mankind and the fall from the top to the bottom. It would have been devastating to see.

"But the dragons did save us…even though they did it for bragging rights, they are the reason we are alive" Berry said.

The Preacher laughed and sighed, "How naive child".

They got to another part of the cave, like a room covered in hanging plants that had a pleasant scent. There was a couch and a small table at the corner where he gestured for Berry to sit.

He went back and forth in front of him, speaking up again, "Everything happens for a reason Berry, I want you to know that there are no mishaps, to coincidences. I foretold the coming of the soul eaters because I was aware of the things happening in the shadows, I was aware of the future just because I observed the present"

"So what truly happened?" Berry asked, looking up at him intently.

The Preacher sighed, "I will tell you everything…but before I do…I want you to know that you might not like what I am about to say".

"W…why?"

"I know from my sources that you might have…grown close to one of the dragons in your time in the facility and he might have a bit of a hold on you"

Berry sighed, looking down at his feet, "he doesn't have a hold on me and I am very capable of understanding what you are about to say…no matter what it is…as long as it is the truth" he said, looking back up at him with determination.

And although his mouth and expression were fierce, there was a gentle tug on his heart, and the name of the dragon ringing in his head.

The Preacher sighed and nodded, deciding to take his word for it, "okay…I just needed to know where your heart lies"

"Before the arrival of the Soul Eaters, mankind was not as peaceful, there were wars, pandemics and great evil. Some would like to think that these beasts were formed from the evil that lay within mankind and while that is true, It isn't the whole truth…"

"You see the earth was in peril and nowhere was truly safe, the rich were stealing from the poor and the poor were stealing from one another, the leaders were corrupt and selfish and even those who were not in power were corrupt and selfish, the advancement of the world damaged the earth and it was safe to say that the earth was doomed"

"Some of the world leaders, the ones who still had their conscience intact decided to bring up a solution, to stop the madness going on, but there was so much power they had and there was little they could do"

"Until one of them got a solution when they had an encounter with a dragon"