Burning Soul

Evan along with Lyra and Jason stepped out leaving all the kids behind.

After all, no one could predicate anything about oracles and what it could hold.

To be honest, no one really knew what Oracles were and where did they originate from, or what caused them to appear. But everyone knew for sure that the words spoken in oracles are utter truth and were undeniable. Although understanding one was a different story.

Theo was looking at the event from one of the window as it happened, he had sneaked out of the hall after his parents stepped out.

He was having a headache for a while, ever since he woke up.

“What is it this time?

I hope it’s about the resources!

We are rather short on them.” Lyra prayed saying so.

The oracle was like some event where a deity from unknown lands would descent to the ground and deliver the divine message, a messenger of someone in simpler terms.

This time a young dragon descended, it looked like a meteorite falling from the skies. Beautiful yet strangely weird, like approaching danger.

After a while, the dragon finally reached the higher grounds of Arboria,

“Mortals,

I who is honoured as guardian of the heavens will now deliver divine oracle as per my master’s will.”

‘So beautiful!’ Theo couldn’t help but admire the majestic appearance of that dragon.

“We are honoured with your presence, if you may please bestow us the oracle.” Evan, as politely as he could reply.

“Arboria, one of the seven founding nations,

A place envied by all who detest Gods, a strong nation,

Glorious with its unwavering military strength shall go through a trial.

A trail of time no one faced ever, and shall never. The greater calamity is approaching, it’ll require greater sacrifices.

In next decade, you’ll undergo a trial of time, royalties shall suffer and sacrifice for the greater good.

Only the one who yields an artifact known to the heavens shall prevail and walk victorious, but the oath will require sacrifices, the trails will seek your appearance, Theodore!”

Saying so the dragon took off and flew back without waiting for anyone to react.

Thud a loud bang echoed and Time seemed to have stopped, Theodore looked around as he was the only one unaffected.

‘Theo!’

‘Master!’

‘Hey kid, you alright?’

Several people were talking but he couldn’t remember where he heard those voices, he looked out of the window again but his eyes were widened.

A gruesome view was unfolding, several bodies were lying,

Rotting! The houses were burning, he looked around and time wasn’t frozen anymore and he could move around freely, he looked around to see if he could find anyone, but to no avail, anyone and everyone he found was already lifeless.

Seeking help he stepped out of the castle with horrorstruck expression, so much death.

He couldn’t find his siblings or parents anywhere, and the area was also a little different than before. It was a little too much different.

‘What’s going on!’ He was rather confused.

He heard some voices in the distance so he followed to the source,

Upon reaching he found a couple hiding under a cart, maybe they were hiding from something but he couldn’t see it so he went in close to ask what was going on.

“Hello,”

Before anything else a huge shadow appeared behind him and slashed the couple right there with a spear, that was stabbed right through him.

“Ugh!”

He couldn’t feel any pain but he collapsed, he began losing all heat in his body as felt a bit dizzy.

He tried moving around but couldn’t,

In fact, he couldn’t even feel his bottom half,

it was not even there.

.

.

…

A bang again and he was sucked in a vortex, it kept getting brighter and brighter till he shut his eyes fully.

“Weakling!”

“He’s the crown prince? You kidding?”

“Why even keep him alive just kill him already!”

Again various unrecognisable voices, he was standing in the middle of nobles and his relatives in the parting ceremony of his mother.

No one was there to soothe him but were blaming him for his existence.

“Move!” One of the nobles pushed him like trash and made his way to the King and acted as if he could under his pain.

‘Stop this!’ Theo was feeling traumatised.

‘I can’t take it!’ He couldn’t even cry, all his tears had dried up.

His father and his siblings looked at him and showed a hint of sadness, “Only if you weren’t born, she’d have lived!”

Hearing this he felt as if he had been pushed back even further, with each person passing by he felt people’s gazes getting even cruel.

In a while, he was surrounded by people and he was standing alone in middle,

“We don’t need you!” Everyone spoke in the chore.

A vortex appeared right below him and he got sucked in.

“Just die!” The voices kept echoing.

.

.

.

This time the vortex kept getting darker and darker until it turned pitch black.

He was feeling like he was falling in a deep pit. He could feel his hands getting numb.

He tried calling for help but his voice was not being heard by anyone and it also vanished in a matter of time. He could only see and think and regret.

There was no end to the pit,

A while later he saw a door opening and a hand was sticking out of the door, it grabbed him firmly and pulled him out of the door.

.

A cold breeze blew by him, the soft chirp of birds was clearly audible in the distance. He was standing on a short wide hill with no trace of line nearby and some trees in the distance.

“Give it another try, I’m sure you’ll overcome it this time!” He heard a very familiar voice, to confirm the identity of the voice he turned around.

His eyes filled with tears as his lips slipped a word, “Mother!”

Before he could continue he was caught up by another vortex,

.

.

..

“Worthless!”

“Why are you even alive?”

He was again standing in the middle of the people at the parting ceremony.

‘That’s right!

This never happened!

I wasn’t even here, to begin with, this has to be fake!

I was taking a trail!

Wait,

I remember it!

This is….’

He looked at them with newly acquired confidence, “you are fake!

My people would never loathe me!”

“Even after you left us all to die,

You piece of junk! Why would we not loathe you?”

One of the nobles replied,

He looked at him and replied, “a king must take action in the interest of the betterment of his people, my father did no wrong and he didn’t abandon anyone, neither did I!”

“Would you say the same when you come back to us only to find us dead?”

Merida walked out of the crowd.

She was beaten up quite badly, one of her arms was missing so was her eye. She was dragging one of her broken legs and was carrying Nicholas on her shoulder, lifeless.

Nicholas.

“No way!” Theo fell to the floor.

“You left us to die!

All of us!

You are selfish and you don’t deserve to live!”

He felt his soul being crushed, he was about to burst in tears.

He looked down at his hands and his hands were covered in blood,

With a shock, he moved back frantically but stumbled as he bumped into someone.

He turned to see who was there but was shocked again as there was Vivian standing with a sword stabbed in her chest.

She stretched her hands to him, “don’t worry, you did no wrong.

I deserved this!”

He looked at the sword and it was the same sword from before,

wooden helm, ocean blues crystal blade, stained with blood.

“You killed her!

Your hands are soaked in our blood!” Aeneas was on his knees and barely could move his hands.

“Don’t worry, I’ll still love you!” A pair of hands appeared from behind.

A lustrous figure was leaning on his back, naked.

“Let me share your guilt, this world will never understand us!”

She kissed his neck softly, he was enchanted for a moment, “you are right!”

“Master!

Are you not forgetting something?” Ember jumped and hugged him,

Just as she touched him her very body shattered in million pieces.

“We don’t need this distraction, my love!”

“Forgetting,

Forgetting

Forgetting” Theo was mumbling

“What are you saying, dear!”

“Yeah!

This is fake!

This is not going to work twice.” Theo turned around and slashed the figure without giving a second thought.

In that instant, the entire scene began disappearing.

A bright light engulfed him again and left him back to where he began the trial.

In the middle of the stage where the sword was still stuck in that rock.