Chapter forty-one
Lord Apollo’s prophecy
The moon hung low in the sky, its light morphing into a deep, haunting red as it shifted, releasing a thick vapor that curled and twisted like ethereal spirits descending from the heavens.
The air was heavy with an otherworldly presence, as if the very fabric of night was breathing.
The fire wove itself around Datura in a srizing tapestry of flas, its tendrils twisting and curling with a life of their own. Its flas flickered and arched, creating a protective barrier that licked hungrily at the pale moon above.
Each burst of heat sent sparks swirling into the night, igniting the air with an intoxicating warmth.
As the inferno crackled and hissed, it licked at the edges of the night, its heat reaching up to caress the cool air with a fierce warmth. The flas reached skyward, leaving behind a vibrant stain across the vast expanse of the heavens, where the moon hung like a silent witness, now tinted a haunting shade of crimson, as if the fire itself had bled into the sky.
The heat radiated outward, warping the air and creating a twisted mirage that seed to beckon the darkness itself.
Each crackle and pop of the fire reverberated in the stillness of the night, as the bright flas reached up, almost as if trying to caress the moon, leaving trails of smoke that spiraled upwards and painted the sky in dark, swirling patterns.
Was this the beginning of sothing beautiful or the herald of doom?
Thud!
They stepped into the chamber together, with Lady Athena’s flowing veils cascading behind her like liquid silk as she glided deeper into the heart of the space. The only illumination ca from the ethereal glow of Athena's fingertips, casting delicate shadows as the faint radiance from the pendants flickered dimly in contrast.
As they approached the grand platform at the center of the chamber, an awe-inspiring crystal chandelier descended from the ceiling, its multifaceted prisms shimring with an otherworldly brilliance.
"This is the Predictability Chamber," Lady Athena explained, her voice tinged with excitent. "Now, we must await Lord Apollo."
Suddenly, the chandelier burst into life, illuminating the chamber with a dazzling array of lights. Holographic images on the ground began to twist and coil, their vibrant hues weaving intricate patterns that filled the air with shimring iridescence.
Brilliant beams of light stread from the chandelier, dancing across the ornate mosaics that adorned the walls of the circular chamber, casting a kaleidoscope of colors that seed to breathe with a rhythm of their own. A resonant voice filled the air, echoing throughout the chamber, deep and enigmatic, yet curiously indistinct.
“Silence," Lady Athena instructed, her voice a re whisper, laced with urgency.
In an instant, a blinding flash of pure white light surged from the chandelier, engulfing the space in a breathtaking brilliance before plunging it into stillness and shadow once more.
Blue hieroglyphs sprang to life, shimring and swirling as they illuminated the sculptures embedded in the walls. Exquisite patterns erged on the surfaces, revealing a graceful seagull in flight, an elegantly crafted hourglass, and a resplendent opal, each image more magnificent than the last.
"Only you can open it, only true bravery can unseal it," whispered Lady Athena.
Sothing ca twirling back to Elizabeth's mind, Victoria's opal.
If only true bravery can open the chamber, it must be her necklace.
She lowered her head, her heart racing as her trembling fingers brushed against the smooth, iridescent surface of the opal. In that mont, the earth beneath her crumbled like old parchnt, and a powerful gust of wind surged upward, lifting her and the others into the vast, star-studded sky.
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They soared through a blanket of clouds that fluffed around them like cotton candy, and then, without warning, gravity reclaid its hold, sending them plumting back down.
The air rushed past them in a wild torrent, and Elizabeth felt an unsettling coil of anticipation tighten in her stomach. In a heartbeat, they landed with a soft thud at the base of an imposing tower that soared majestically into the night.
Daring to tilt her gaze upward, Elizabeth was srized by the enchanting glow that radiated from above, casting a warm and inviting light that danced like fireflies against the darkened sky.
"Look!" whispered Athena, now staring up toward the inky sky.
The indistinct moon was now glistening with blue lights toward the tower, a perfect ultramarine sphere with a silvery sheen surrounding it.
"A blue moon?" muttered Percy, "What good can that be?"
Lady Athena didn't answer. She snapped her fingers again. Instantly, a silver-white carriage appeared out of thin air in front of them. Its shafts were curved with gold, and fine silver shimred from its whiffletree, as if radiating a calm wave throughout the carriage. The front and rear axles tolled on the ground in cracks as the wheels reflected the ultramarine glow over the silver.
Four white horses were stamping their feet on the ground nearby, bending down, burying their faces in the ground, and chewing down mouthfuls of grass.
The step fell to the ground in a clutter, glittering with silvery lights, and the handrails glided down from the gold-frad door and settled above the steps.
The door clicked and swung open.
Emily and Veronica stood eagerly by, their faces lighting up with exuberant smiles that seed to radiate warmth and joy. With animated gestures, they beckoned the others to approach.
Nestled within the plush embrace of the carriage, the white sofas enveloped them in a tender softness that felt like sinking into a cloud.
Overhead, ethereal wisps of clouds danced gracefully in the star-strewn night sky, while the interior revealed an opulence that far surpassed its exterior facade, and a petite restroom nestled in the corner.
The curtains billowed aside, unveiling a kaleidoscope of breathtaking patterns and intricate scroll embroidery that adorned the fine silk, drawing their gaze like a magnet.
Moonbeams, more radiant than ever, cascaded down upon them, wrapping them in a shimring, magical net. Silvery threads of light wove themselves throughout the interior, tracing pristine lines that illuminated every structure.
"Lady Artemis lent her carriage, isn't it wonderful?" said Lady Athena in a quivering voice.
When they reached the top of the tower, the carriage halted in midair high above.
Athena pushed open the silvery door and jumped down; Elizabeth and the rest followed bravely. It felt like floating in the air, except she was descending toward the tower with the wind.
The silvery moonbeam billowed across the platform, mingling and enveloping the sa precise location—the identical spot.
Athena rummaged through her pocket and took out a silvery compass. She bent down to draw a hexagram with its shape edges on the ground and put it at the exact spot where the moonbeam had shone most brightly, where all the moonlight t, right in the center of the hexagram.
Out of a sudden, splendid lights shone from every direction of the compass, and the oracle ca into view:
"Three shall reach deep to a friend in chain,
One shall leave forever but not in vain,
The other shall mourn the lant in scarlet pain,
The last shall vanquish the dark with hatred and wrath,
Or else leave the scattered world reduced into ash,
One shall betray his kind and leave,
Whilst his departure weaved another's grief."
Then the prediction burst into twinging stars and lted in the air.
"Well, that's inexplicable, a friend in chains? How baffling!" exclaid Emily, pacing around the tower.
"So, mourn the lant in scarlet pain? I an, what the heck could a scarlet pain be? That is cryptical," laughed Percy, rubbing his forehead.
"Just wait and see, Lord Apollo had never yet made a wrong prophecy," stated Lady Athena proudly, "But yes indeed, his prophecy is never easy to understand."
"I wish you could accomplish your task with joy; you've already done a very impressive job." Whispered Lady Athena as she vanished in a flash of light.
"Anyway, how are we able to get down there?" said Percy. He had not yet recovered from the shock of the prophecy.
"I don't know, but there must be a way," said Elizabeth crisply.
Then, she stared at the compass Athena had left behind. She headed toward the platform and touched the compass.
A shot of light soared out of the compass and encountered them. With a flash of dazzling light, their surroundings had lted and changed, twisting and zigzagging.
In a split second, Elizabeth found herself staring at the ceiling of their own house in the Soulblender Institute.
"Prepare for the ball tomorrow." A voice rang in front of Elizabeth. Her head snapped up at once, and she saw Veronica reading a newspaper on the sofa.
"What ball?"
"The ball after the Election Campaign, rember? That's the ball to celebrate the winners; all the people in Alfheim must attend." Veronica answered, her eyes still glued to the newspaper.
"Elizabeth, prepare yourself, there's a reason why Athena chose to tell you the prophecy today, and you'd better prepare if sothing out of control happens tomorrow."
Elizabeth stared at Veronica, stunned. But de Angelo’s lips weren’t even twitching.
Who had just spoken to Elizabeth?
And what was gonna happen tomorrow that the mysterious voice didn't tell?
But Elizabeth got a feeling that sothing gonna happen directly to her.
And it could be nothing good.
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