Old Prophet

It was a miracle, one of the greatest miracles in his life if not the greatest of them all.

A measly blind boy managed to harmonize with the spirit of a divine relic. As the boy drew closer to the place where the box containing DreadCurse rested, anticipation built in his old heart. While might be excited, he still maintained his hiding place within the shadows of the basement. With an experienced ease, he awakened his hermit aptitude and fixed his eyes at the boy.

A pale gray hue seemed to envelope the boy's body. The boy's spirit was synchronized to the rhythm of the white hue that enveloped DreadCurse. The gray hue seemed to carry a flicker of a color the old man could not describe.

The old man's instinct screamed out as he was about to deeply examine the flickering color.

Curiosity kills the cat they say.

Sweat poured on his face as he retracted his gaze from the flickering color and shifted it back to the gray hue.

The boy is unhealthy but that is a given considering his appearance.

Just as the old man was about to further study the boy's gray aura, the boy did something he did not expect.

The boy actually had the nerves to lay his filthy hand around an ancient relic, a divine relic, the DreadCurse.

The old man silently gritted his teeth.

You dirty scumbag that is a millennia old relic and not a dirty toy you can find in whichever dumpster you crawled out of.

As the old man was about to reprimand the boy in regards to his actions, he noticed that there was a change in the boy's gray aura. The flickering color was becoming more apparent, more frightening and more prominent.

A chill ran down his spine as his instincts whispered of a danger, a danger he could not fantom.

In hurry, the old man suspended his Hermit Aptitude. But he was slightly late for he caught a glimpse, a glimpse of a hue no mortal should see.

Is that indigo?

That was the only thought he managed as oblivion swallowed his mind and thus sparing him of the pain that he would have suffered for catching a glimpse of something he should not have.

Was it hours? May be it was minutes.

He would not have been surprised if he was out of it for days after all it happened to him once. As the old man got to his feet, red liquid flowed out of his nose.

How long has it been since I had a nosebleed?

Honestly, he did not know. But one thing he was sure of, it had been a long time since he experienced any of them.

The old man used his arm to wipe away the blood flowing out of his nose. This caused the part of the white linen shirt covering his arm to be blooded.There goes my favorite shirt.

The old man shook his head and shifted his gaze towards the last place he saw the boy. The boy was still standing on the same spot but his whole presence seemed different or inhuman.

That is interesting. He managed to conduct the ritual.

The old man was almost certain that whatever that flickering color was, it was responsible for the boy's unusual awakening.

The gray hue that had been enveloping the boy earlier had turned black in color with an eerie feeling surrounding it. The black hue had a somewhat similar pale shade that was present on the gray hue. The only difference between the two shades was that the one on the black color seemed slightly deeper than the one possessed by the gray color.It was then that he noticed the presence of the two black orbs, the presence of DreadCurse in the place where the boy's eyes were supposed to be.

The old man shuddered when he laid his eyes on them.

Too creepy even for my standards.

But that was to be expected for a relic that granted its Asterborn of a power over fear.A sound of footsteps put a hold on the old man's thoughts. The owner of the footsteps seemed to be heading towards the entrance of the basement. The old man turned his head to study the owner of the footsteps.

That was when his eyes fell on a tall woman with lean muscles. An expression of worry was written all over her face. Just as she stepped on the first stair, the first broken stair leading into the basement, it gave away under the weight of her body. With a yelp, the woman fell unceremoniously to the basement's floor.

The old man shook his head with amusement written all over his face.

What an unlucky lass.

"Damn stairs." The woman cursed in anger as she rose to her feet.

That was when he heard the boy call out. "Bella."

The old man tilted his head.

Bella?

The woman inquired. "Is that you Danny?"

Danny?

Neither the boy's name nor the woman's name sounded familiar to him.

Probably another bunch of thieves that seek rob my beautiful mansion.

The boy, Danny retorted. "Do you anyone who knows your name in this forsaken house?"

How dare you call my house of greatness a forsaken place.

Anger built in the old man's heart as he continued to listen silently at the exchange between the boy called Danny and the woman called Bella.

The woman replied. "Good point."

She walked towards the boy in hurried footsteps with worry plain on her face. "Are you alrig-?"

Before she could finish the sentence, the woman's gaze settled onto the boy's eyes or what replaced them. The woman screamed in fear as she retreated from the boy."Are you oka-?"

For an unknown reason the boy failed to finish his question.

It was in that time that his Hermit Aptitude noticed a change in the boy's spirit. The boy's spirit which was already eerie seemed to grow more ghostly. The old man gulped down as he watched the boy with wary visible in his eyes.

I should probably be careful around that one.And as the woman calmed down the ghostly feeling became replaced by an eerie feeling as the boy's spirit seemed to return to its normal state.

Interesting.

The woman asked the boy. "Where are your eyes?"

The boy blinked in confusion or at least he appeared to be blinking in confusion. "What eyes?"

"Damn lunatic. Did you not notice that you had black orbs instead of eyes?"

The old man could not take it anymore and thus corrected the woman

"DreadCurse."

The woman grumbled. "I did not ask for their stupid na-"

The woman froze in realization. With measured steps, she retreated towards the boy. The boy adapted the same caution.

The old man tried to diffuse the situation as he walked towards them. "You don't have to be so wary."

The boy and the woman turned their heads towards his direction.

With a calm voice he continued. "While I may not dislike guests in my lovely mansion, I must still ask for your identities."

The woman then said something that the old man never expected. " We were just cleaning the basement, now if you will excuse us."

With that said the woman turned around and started walking towards the entrance of the basement, dragging the boy along with her.

The old man had to blink a couple of times in incredulity.

Did she think that just because I am old I will fail to remember that I live alone in this house?

Laughter left the old man's lips. Using the enhanced physique he possessed as a Hermit Asterborn, he dashed to intercept the two."Not so fast little ones."

The old man fixed his eyes on the pair. "My name is Robert Prophet but people call me Old Prophet, at least they used to."