Book of the Seven Celestials: The Third Prophecy

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The dishes finally arrived, bringing with them an irresistible, mouthwatering aroma that left El dazed from how enticingly good the smell was.

'Is this heaven?' 

Looking at the white plate, El felt as if he were on a rollercoaster of emotions. He recalled a memory of collecting a plate in his village, although it had been in pieces. He once tried to glue it together with sap from a tree that grew nearby, but his efforts had proven unsuccessful. The plate in front of him, however, was whole, intact, and exquisitely white.

On the plate lay a dish with a generous portion of meat, from which hot steam was still rising.

Meat was something he had tried only once when a group of mercenaries visited the village and stayed in the accommodations provided by the villagers. They had promised to take him and another small child, the only two kids left in the village, with them after completing their job. Three days later, only the decapitated head of one of the group members was returned, found by a villager searching for food in the forest. The others were probably dead.

"Is this meat? Can I really eat this?" El inquired hesitantly. He didn't want anyone to suffer or die simply because of it, and he certainly didn't have any money to pay for this. 'Stealing? Well, the meat looks hot, though. I wonder how I could hide it. The jacket seems to be new, too.'

"Yes, of course. You may eat it. Other dishes will come shortly. Eat your fill…" the man said, placing his mask inside his jacket pocket.

"Okay... thank you."

"Why haven't you eaten it yet?"

"Uh… I once read in a book that people in the city eat with spoons, um, forks, and knives, right? The elders in the village said it would be rude if I used my hands in the city."

"Then use them! If you don't know how to use them, I'll demonstrate. Here, like this. And like this. You lift it like this. And done. Easy, right?"

The man demonstrated how to use the utensils while still chewing on his food.

"But I am a villager. I'm not someone born in the city. I'm not supposed to use what people in the city use in front of them. Can we maybe… take it home? I heard that was possible," El replied awkwardly, feeling embarrassed.

"Where did you even hear that?" the man frowned at El's weird explanation.

"Uh, one of the elders in the village."

"Nonsense. There is no difference between people in the city and the village."

Gaping in surprise, El responded, "Really? But why is our life in the village so hard compared to the people who live in the city?" he asked, his tone filled with perplexity and pure innocence.

The man froze in his seat, the spoon still in his mouth. He pulled it away, chewing slowly before swallowing hard. "It's because... life, I guess."

"Life?" El tilted his head, his eyes reflecting genuine curiosity. There was no malice or resentment in his tone.

Almost choking on his food, the man continued, "Life is unpredictable. Sometimes it's low, sometimes it's high. No one can get a clear grasp on it. Everyone is different—who they are, when they were born, how they grew up—circumstances surround them. It's filled with… Unfairness."

The more he spoke, the more composed he became, until all that remained were his deep blue eyes locking gaze with El's emerald ones.

Knitting his eyebrows in thought, El eventually scratched the side of his head. "I'm sorry, I didn't understand."

"It's fine. You will understand one day. Perhaps soon. Just grow up a bit more, kid."

"Okay. So, I will use this then," he said, having already observed how the people at the other tables used their utensils while waiting. As a quick learner, El managed to use the fork and knife on his first try. 'It's easy.'

Upon tasting the food, El's eyes lit up with pleasure. It felt as though his taste buds had finally reached an oasis after being stranded on a dry dune for so long. Like a drought welcoming the rainy days, his thirst was finally quenched. His body shivered from the intense stimulation, and he resisted the urge to use his hands to grab and gobble the food.

"This is the best food I've ever had… It's really good," he exclaimed, his cheeks bulging from stuffing his mouth as quickly and as much as possible. He still managed to pause and ask the man a question. "What is the name of this food, sir?"

"That dish is called hanger steak with their special herb sauce. It's one of the many signature dishes of this small, yet most famous restaurant in Mirthwater."

*Cough*

Noticing someone coughing and approaching their table under the shade of the parasol, El turned in the direction of the sound.

It was an old man with white hair, a few shiny bald spots on top of his head, a hunched back, and hands resting on his back. The most noteworthy feature was his mean face.

"It's been so long since the last time you visited…" the old man stated in a shaky, breathy voice. But soon, his words were cut off by the man.

"Cough… old man… cough, cough…"

The man eyed the old man, who was called Tigo, giving a secret signal with only his eyes.

Quickly catching on to what the man was trying to convey, old Tigo nodded his head. "I see. They are on your tail, huh? How about the kid?" he asked, turning to El and staring at him intensely.

Feeling the gaze, El slowed down his eating and nodded shyly, stealing a glance at the old man from the corner of his eye.

"We'll talk later, Tigo. Don't want the kid to hear about it," the man said casually, with a tone that suggested they had known each other for years.

"Alright," Tigo replied. With difficulty, his eyes peeled away from El.

Truthfully, El felt uncomfortable under the old man's scrutinizing gaze. He wondered why, yet there was a tingling sensation in his gut—traveling mystifyingly up and down his spine—telling him that not only was the old man dangerous, but he was also looking at him with curiosity and... evil intent.

'They seem to be close. Should I warn him about it?'

Hesitating, El leaned closer to the table and, in almost a whisper, asked the man, "That old man. Who is he, sir?"

"Ah, don't mind him. Just an old acquaintance," the man replied. Noticing El's raised eyebrows that expressed puzzlement, he continued, "I mean, he was an acquaintance of my late father. But I treat him like a friend now."

"Oh, I see."

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