Chapter 17- The First Written Prophecy

Damien searched everywhere for that prophecy, but to no avail, he ransacked through the rusty pages of the book but still nothing, he still waited patiently for parents' weekend to get the whole truth from his father, walking alone in the wild field of the school, where his dreams draw him closer to, as the moon light casted its glorious rays above the school, he walked down to the statue and stared at it for some while, using the pendant he opened the door and entered inside, walking slowly the fire torches began to turn on one by one, like it felt his presence before the whole place became illuminated, he picked one of fire torch and walked round the place, looking for signs or anything possible to give him a clue or hint, just then his eye stumbled on something that made him smile, he walked slowly toward the black brick wall and there was a writing inscribed on it, it was very tiny, but Damien was able to see it clearly, he read what was on the wall,

Unlock the way with blood

"what the hell does this mean" he said, while repeating the phrase over and over again just to get its full message, "with blood" he finally repeated and got the message, just then he pulls out the pendant which had rusty sharp edges and cuts his palm slightly and drop of blood came out as he placed his palm on the wall, then suddenly the wall began to crack and just then the wall separated and an a small hole was made, he peeped through and a box was there, he pulled it out, and kept it in his bag, then exited the statue basement, and headed to his room.

"I found something" Damien said as he walked into the room and locked the door shut behind him, "what's that?", Damien asked, while standing up from his bed, 'I found it under the statue in a locked wall, I was able to crack the code, and low and behold I saw this", Damien narrated, "okay lets open it then", Brian said, using the same pendant, he place it on top of the box and click, the box opened by itself, slowly and carefully as it revealed a small scroll inside. "This is it, the first written prophecy", Brian said.

 Brian held the scroll in his hand with great care as if it could shatter like glass under a drop. "It looks old… older than any of the other scrolls I've seen," he whispered. Damien nodded. "That's because it is. More than five centuries ago. This might be the one Karen's grandfather told her about, the original and first prophecy. The one written in blood." Brian placed it gently on the table as Damien lit a candle beside it. The glow flickered, casting strange shadows on the wall, as the scroll slowly began to unfurl by itself, like it was alive on its own. Damien swallowed. "Ready?", Brian nodded.

Damien began reading aloud:

'When the moon swallows the sun, it will turn red,

When the witch bore the demon son she made a mistake,

Before the city fell into curse,

One scroll was written, in verse.

When the child of flame meets the heir of night,

And the betrayer bleeds by the red moon's first light,

Then shall the beast return to bone.'

The candle beside them extinguished on its own. The scroll rolled itself back up without anyone touching it. Brian shivered. "Okay… What the hell did we just read?", Damien stared at the place where the scroll had been. "It's a warning.". Brian looked at him. "Wait, 'the child of flame'... that could be you?", "No…" Damien said slowly. "I think it's Diana.", Brian blinked. "What?"

Damien stood, pacing. "When I touched the book last night, something else came to me, I saw a vision immediately. Diana was in flames. Her eyes were red, glowing but not human. That line about the 'betrayer bleeding by the red moon's first light'... Brian, I think that's going to happen very soon.", "You think she's the betrayer?", Damien's voice lowered. "No. I know she is.", Brian took a breath. "Then what does that make you?", Brian asked, Damien paused and said "The one who has to stop her."

"But if the demon was released 17 years ago then where is it now", Brian questioned, "its somewhere no one even knows" Damien answered as if he knew where the demon hided all this while waiting for the main day.

Later That Night...

A bell rang quietly through the halls of Eri-doria. All students were asleep. All was calm, until footsteps echoed softly across the stone corridor.

The sound moved like a shadow; expression unreadable. It held something in her hand. A thin blade, ancient and carved with runes. It stopped outside Damien's room and revealed as Diana.

But before she could knock, her hand froze. Inside, Damien was already standing by the door, wide awake, as if he had been expecting her. "I saw you," he said calmly. "In the flame. You were on fire in my dreams. You're the one who lies within.", Diana didn't flinch. "You don't understand yet, Damien. The scrolls and prophecy make you believe things that aren't real, they lie."

Damien stepped closer. "Do they? Or are you just afraid of what you're becoming?", "I was once a powerful sorceress, before Cassandra took my powers away and banished me into the dark, so I had no choice than to possess the body of my granddaughter, who died in a fatal accident because of this school, I'm just here for the book".

A flicker of fire flashed behind her eyes, but only for a second.

"Goodnight, Damien," she said, voice cold and clipped. "See you... at the red moon's first light to see who bleeds first", Damien wondered how she knew that part of the prophecy. She turned around and vanished into the hallway's darkness, leaving Damien standing there with more questions than answers.

"…the betrayer bleeds by moon's first light…"