Chapter 5

The Sage of Shadows

Dawn broke in a blood-red hue as Gareth and Elena finally spotted the silver-watered lake Archmage Eldon had mentioned. The calm surface of the water reflected the morning sky like a cracked mirror, and by its edge, a simple bamboo shack stood almost imperceptible amidst the thin mist.

Yet, they were no longer the same people they had been a week ago. Gareth walked with a dragging stride, his eyes sunken and his beard unkempt. Elena was even worse—she hadn't uttered a single word for the last three hours, her gaze blank like someone who had lost their soul.

Carsel was still alive in Gareth's arms, but the infant appeared thinner and paler. His cries were no longer as loud as before, more like faint whimpers indicating he, too, was struggling for survival.

"That's it," Gareth whispered hoarsely. "The shack Eldon spoke of."

Elena didn't respond. She merely kept walking like an automaton, her steps mechanical and without clear purpose.

As they approached the shack, the bamboo door opened by itself. A man of about forty emerged from within—tall, thin, with long black hair beginning to grey in places. Most striking were his eyes: pitch black like the night's darkness, yet gleaming within them was deep wisdom and immeasurable sadness.

"You're late," he said, his voice calm yet containing an undeniable power. "I've been expecting you for three days, Gareth of Stellaris."

Gareth flinched. "How do you know my name?"

The man—who was undoubtedly the Sage of Shadows—smiled bitterly. "I saw everything. Arthur's last stand. The sacrifice in the cave. The tragedy in the burning village. And... what happened to Thomas and Roderick last night."

Elena finally lifted her head, her vacant eyes staring at the Sage with a mixture of anger and despair. "If you saw everything, why didn't you help them?"

"Because some lessons can only be learned through pain," the Sage replied calmly. "And because I wanted to see how far you both were willing to go to protect that child."

"Lessons?" Elena laughed hysterically. "You call Thomas and Roderick's deaths a lesson? They were good people! They didn't deserve to die like that!"

The Sage of Shadows looked at her with eyes full of sympathy but remained unyielding in his decision. "No, they didn't deserve it. Just as Arthur didn't deserve to die alone on the battlefield. Just as thousands of innocent villagers didn't deserve to be slaughtered out of the fear of four kingdoms. But that is the reality of this world."

Gareth, with what little strength he had left, stepped forward. "Archmage Eldon said you owe King Arthur a debt. He saved you five years ago when you lost control."

"True." The Sage nodded. "And that debt I shall repay by caring for his child. But first, you both must understand what you have truly brought to me."

He stepped closer, his eyes gazing intently at baby Carsel, who was weakly asleep in Gareth's arms. As his fingers almost touched the infant's forehead, a faint black light flowed from his hand.

"This..." the Sage's eyes widened in surprise. "This is no ordinary child of Arthur. He is..."

"What?" Gareth asked urgently. "What do you see?"

The Sage of Shadows quickly withdrew his hand, his expression changing to a mixture of awe and terror. "He is the child of prophecy. The child who will either save the world or destroy it, depending on the one he loves."

Elena, who had seemed apathetic until now, suddenly looked sharply at the Sage. "How can you know about that prophecy?"

"Because I was the first to hear it, five hundred years ago." The Sage walked towards the lake, turning his back to them. "I am not merely a Sage, children. I am one of the last three living Oracles."

This revelation stunned Gareth and Elena. Oracles were beings who could see the future, creatures superior to ordinary Sages. If he said that Carsel was the child of prophecy...

"Five hundred years ago," the Sage continued without turning, "I saw a vision of the future. A great war between light and darkness. Humanity almost extinct. And a child born of royal blood, with the power of darkness in his soul, who would determine the fate of all living beings."

He turned, his eyes now blazing with prophetic fire. "But I also saw two possible endings. In one vision, the child becomes the saviour who defeats evil and unites all races in peace. In the other vision..."

"What?" Gareth whispered.

"In the other vision, he becomes a destroyer more terrifying than the Demon King himself. He kills all he once loved, lays waste to this broken world, and builds an eternal kingdom of darkness upon the ruins of civilisation."

Elena took a step back, her eyes staring at Carsel with renewed horror. "And you're saying the determining factor is... the one he loves?"

"Yes. Love is the most powerful force in this world, capable of healing or destruction. If this child loves someone who teaches him about compassion, sacrifice, and hope, he will become the saviour. But if he loves someone who teaches him about hate, revenge, and despair..."

The Sage didn't need to finish his sentence. The implication was clear enough.

"So," Gareth said, his voice trembling, "everyone who died to protect him... Thomas, Roderick, General Marcus, Archmage Eldon, even King Arthur himself... they all died for something that might destroy the world?"

"Or save it," the Sage corrected. "That is why this prophecy is both a blessing and a curse. Hope and nightmare in the same package."

Elena suddenly laughed—a high-pitched, borderline insane sound. "So we haven't just brought a fallen prince. We've brought a potential Antichrist!"

"Elena!" Gareth snapped, though he felt the same chill himself.

The Sage of Shadows walked closer to them again, his eyes gazing with soul-piercing intensity. "This is why I must ask you both: now that you know this truth, will you still protect him? Will you risk everything to ensure that he grows to be the saviour, not the destroyer?"

Gareth looked at Carsel's innocent face, then at Elena, who was still laughing hysterically, then back at the Sage. All the sacrifices that had been made, all the blood that had been spilt, all the pain they had endured—everything led to this moment of choice.

"I..." Gareth began to speak, but his voice caught in his throat.

"I don't care," Elena cut in suddenly, her voice now steady but cold as steel. "Thomas and Roderick are dead. The kingdom is shattered. My life is destroyed. If this child is going to destroy the world, at least I'll see the world that killed those I loved burn with him."

The Sage of Shadows looked at her with profound sadness. "That is exactly the kind of mindset that will create a destroyer instead of a saviour."

"Then perhaps this world deserves to be destroyed," Elena replied with a terrifying finality.

Thunder rumbled in the clear sky, as if the universe itself were listening to a conversation that would determine the fate of all creation.