The Sage Taurus

The once blue sky was painted with dark clouds. It slowly started raining, foreshadowing the incoming storm.

A blonde-haired nun with stunning blue eyes was sitting on an armchair, which seemed to be in some kind of an orphanage room. The room had four bunk beds, and on each were lying two children under cozy blankets.

The nun closed a book that she was reading to the children. "Okay!" She smiled softly, her smile was truly heartwarming. "That's enough stories for today, it's already getting very late!"

A five-year-old boy with grey hair and eyes groaned and leaned over the bed's frame so much that he was barely on the bed.

"One more, please, Almyra!" He pleaded, a cheeky smile on his face.

A black haired girl with black eyes pulled him onto the bed. "Don't lean over the frame so much or you will fall, you idiot!" She said, her voice cold.

A brown haired girl with yellow eyes who was on the lower part of the bunk bed looked at the nun. "Orion's right! We want more! We won't fall asleep because of the storm anyway!" She pouted.

The black haired girl pulled the boy's hair, smiling maliciously.

He also pulled her hair, trying to get her to let go at the same time.

The nun sighed softly, walking up to the bus bed and separating the kids. "Awhh..." She sighed softly. "I swear you two are always fighting over nothing."

"She was the one who started it! I didn't do anything bad!" The boy pouted.

The girl scowled, her eyes as cruel as always. "I hate him! He's always been annoying! I want to sleep with someone else!" She demanded coldly.

"You are annoying!" The boy yelled.

The nun giggled softly. "Oh? You want a change?" She looked around the room at all the kids. "Who wants to swap beds with Orion, kids?" She asked, holding a finger against her lips.

All the other kids either looked away or pretended that they were asleep.

The nun looked at the girl. "I guess no one wants to sleep with you, Layla~" She reached over to pat her head softly. "Too bad~" She teased.

A blonde-haired boy with green eyes peeked his head from under his blanket. "B-But we still want the story, Sister Almyra..." He said shyly.

"Torin is right! Don't change the subject, big sister!" Orion pouted again.

The nun rolled her eyes and sat down on the armchair. "Fine," She sighed softly. "But it's the last one tonight!" She said, reaching towards the books.

Her eyes flicked between the books and the kids, wondering what she should read.

"Big Sister... can you read the tales of The Sage Taurus?" A pink-haired girl with pink eyes asked with uncertainty.

"No!" Layla yelled in frustration. "I want the book about The Great War! About the bloodshed and genocide!" She huffed, smiling with excitement.

Orion smacked her head softly. "Rosa is right! We want the one about the Great Sage!" He smiled widely.

Layla reddened in fury and jumped at him, starting another fight.

The nun sighed, rolling her eyes softly. "Do you want to hear this story?" She asked the other kids.

"Yes!" The kids said in unison.

She opened a book and started reading slowly, making sure everyone could hear. "A long time ago, lived a man named Taurus. There were no prophecies or even the slightest mention of him in the whole world, just like if he just appeared out of nowhere!"

Layla and Orion stopped fighting and both listened to the story.

The nun continued. "Many people whom he came across claimed that he's very weird, but at the same time, he was the wisest person they've ever met." She flipped a page. The kids listened as if their life depended on it, but three of them were already asleep.

"Taurus was ahead of the time he lived in, he knew things so complicated and unreal that the oldest philosophers weren't able to comprehend."

"But knowledge wasn't the only thing that defined his greatness," She paused for a moment, building up tension. "It was also his unbelievable strength and influence on the world!"

Rosa's eyes glistened with joy and curiosity. "Big Sister? Where is the Sage now?!"

The nun looked up from the book. Her voice turned into a soft whisper. "The Sage Taurus..." she paused. "...met his end in the final battle against the Queen of Monsters."

"The Queen of Monsters?" Layla asked curiously.

The nun nodded. "Yes... The Queen of Monsters... She was a beast unlike any other... she had power, an army, a voice that could drive men mad, and darkness swirling around her all the time. She devoured entire nations, turned skies black, and left only silence and despair where laughter once lived."

"But Taurus..." The nun continued. "He faced her alone. No army, no advantages, no prophecy guiding him. Only his will, strength, and knowledge. It's said that they fought for seven days and seven nights. And when the eighth day came, neither of them was found, only the ashes."

She paused for a moment, making sure that the kids were alright after listening to the story.

"Some still fear what the future may look like without the sage... But there's one thing we know for sure..." Her voice grew softer, a hint of relief in it. "...And it's that in the end, he took her with him. He didn't let the monster escape. He gave everything he had in order to protect us."

"So... the Sage was never buried?" Torin asked in a sad whisper.

"Yes," The nun nodded. "And when everyone searched for his tomb, there was none to be found. No grave. No statue. Nothing at all."

Rosa hugged her blanket, tearing up a little out of pity. "But... that's not fair... He saved the world... Shouldn't there be something left?"

The nun smiled softly, walking up to Rosa and patting her on the head. "There is actually something left. Before he vanished, the Sage left behind five books. Not just any books... his books. Containing everything he ever learned, every secret, every truth he dared to write."

Orion's eyes widened with excitement. "Where are they?!" He asked loudly.

"No one knows," The nun paused, looking at the window. "He scattered them across the whole world... hid them so they wouldn't fall into the wrong hands. And he never told a soul what they were called. Some say the names are cursed. Others believe the books can awaken powers."

The children were silent, caught in the depths of the story, and each of them was either excited or scared.

"But listen closely, kids..." She whispered, putting a finger on her lips. "...there are rumors. That someone, somewhere, has found one of the books. That it's not just a legend after all."

Rosa gasped. Layla sat up straighter. Even Torin's sleepy eyes were wide open now.

"Big Sister..." Orion whispered, his voice full of excitement, "...do you think we could find them?"

The nun laughed gently. "Who knows? Maybe one of you will."

And with that, she closed the book, putting it back in its place.

"Okay... that's enough stories for tonight!" She said as she kissed Rosa on the forehead.

"Now everyone gets goodnight kisses!" She smirked. "No exceptions~!"

The nun kissed all the kids' foreheads and extinguished the candle that lit the room.

She looked at them for the last time. "Goodnight!" She said kindly, leaving the room afterwards.