Ch. 173: Prophet
The aftermath of battle left the air thick with tension, the traces of my attackers still evident on the ground. These weren't ordinary enemies— they knew who I truly was. That knowledge alone set off alarm bells ringing in my head. Soone, sowhere, was orchestrating this, and I had more to contend with than I initially thought.
I had barely escaped with my life, not because of my own power, but because of my daughter, Jess. She'd arrived when I was at my weakest, miles away from where she should have been, carrying sothing that shouldn't exist in this world: arcane fluid. Its presence raised more questions than answers.
It was strange that fate always seed to deal this card more than usual, the questions I was always faced with never seed to end.
And then there was Junghkook. An innocent civilian I'd unwittingly dragged into this chaos. My first priority was to dismiss him. He didn't belong in this world of gods and shadows. Yet, as if sensing my intention, he stepped forward, his eyes shifting from lost confusion to a dark, determined resolve.
"You were researching Greek mythology," he said, his voice trembling but steady. "Why?"
The silence that followed was enough of an answer for him. Jess stood quietly, observing, while I looked at him briefly. He was trying to get more involved and I could not allow that. Before I could dismiss him, he pressed on.
"I know I'm overstepping my boundaries, but you need my help," he said, his tone unwavering. "I've read nearly every book in the library. I've studied myths, stories, and symbols most people dismiss as fiction. I might see things you've overlooked."
Was he for real right now? Up against a scholar he dared to make such a bold claim. In retrospect I was not getting full of myself, he was the one being too confident in his abilities.
"Junghkook," I said, sighing as I placed a hand on his shoulder, "I appreciate your intentions, but you're out of your depth. This isn't just myth or legend— it's a reality that could destroy you."
His eyes burned with defiance. "You might think I'm in over my head, but I know I can help. This... this is bigger than you think."
My gaze hardened, daring him to cross the line. Jess, still silent, watched us both, her expression unreadable.
"How so?" I asked.
He faltered for a mont, his determination wavering as my words sank in. But then he straightened, his voice trembling as he spoke. "My blog— it's about strange occurrences around the world, well the ones I couod get my hands on. Beings cloaked in shadows, silhouettes in the dark, whispers of ghosts. Most of the reports were baseless, just rumors... but a pattern started forming. The sightings— they weren't random. They were following soone. Or sothing."
I raised an eyebrow. "And what made you believe they were real in the first place?"
Junghkook hesitated, glancing at Jess then back at . "I can't explain it but it's this feeling..."
Before he could answer, Jess stepped forward, cutting him off. "A vision, he had a vision," she said, her voice low but firm.
I froze, the word echoing in my mind. Vision? Like a revelation? My gaze snapped to Junghkook, whose silence confird it. But how did Jess know? I turned to her, demanding an explanation.
"Dad," she began, her tone heavy with emotion, "those figures that attacked you— they're known as the disciples of the Order of Chaos. And they're searching for the gateway to Olympus."
"Gateway?" I repeated, gripping my walking stick tighter. The weight of her words pressed down on like a storm cloud.
"The gateway between our world can only be found in the blood of a true god— you," she said, her eyes locking onto mine. "Dad, you're the key."
Her words hit like a tidal wave. I clenched my fist around the walking stick, trying to ground myself. Jess's voice trembled as she continued, her weariness now painfully clear.
"Since I was born, I've been having dreams, visions of you— of this day. On the day you fell I dreamt that too. But there was one that haunted more than any other. In it, you died. You looked different— your hair was blue, and your eyes were filled with... sothing I can't explain."
Her voice broke, and for the first ti, I saw the weight she carried. It wasn't just her tears or her exhaustion— it was years of tornt.
"After Mom took away, the visions got worse. By the ti I was twenty, I couldn't sleep without pills. And even then, I'd wake up screaming, speaking words I didn't understand. Words that didn't belong to ."
The room fell silent as I processed her confession. "Was this mont one of your visions?" I asked.
She nodded. "And the arcane fluid?"
Her gaze darkened. "In a vision, it was handed to . When I woke up, it was in my hand. And in the vision, they called the Prophet."
Junghkook stepped back, visibly shaken. "A Prophet? Like a divine interdiary? That's... massive. If your father is a god and you're a prophet, you could be the key to restoring his full power."
"Don't get ahead of yourself," I warned, cutting him off. Turning back to Jess, I asked, "What's his role in this?"
Jess studied Junghkook for a long mont before speaking. "He's an anchor. He knows where the altar is— the key to recovering your true mories."
Junghkook shook his head vehently. "No. I'm not so anchor. This was all coincidence—"
"Was it?" Jess interrupted, her voice sharp. "Have you ever questioned why you were drawn here? Why you've been docunting sightings that others dismiss? You have a connection to this place, Junghkook."
The tension in the room was palpable as her words hung in the air. Slowly, I stepped closer to Jess. "My mories?" I asked, my voice low. "What does that an?"
Her eyes t mine, heavy with emotion. "In my vision, she told to say this: 'The mory of the king is encased in the ti of the altar. Unlock them, and free the king from his prison.'"
A chill ran down my spine. "She?" I demanded, my voice rising.
Jess hesitated before answering. "Hecate."
Her na sent a shiver through . The room seed to darken, the air growing colder as if her presence lingered just beyond the veil. My grip tightened on the walking stick, my mind racing. Hecate— goddess of soecery and ghosts. Why was she involved? Did she set this up to bring back?
Junghkook's voice broke the silence, trembling with both fear and awe. "If she's guiding you, then this is bigger than any of us. But... if you're the key, you need to decide whether to trust her."
Enjoy new tales from empire
I stared at Jess, her revelation sinking in. Trust? Hecate had always been by my side. If she was involved then I would trust her to the ends of the earth.
"Jess," I said, my voice firm. "We're going to the altar. It's ti to uncover the truth."
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