NOVEL WEB Chapter 5: The prohecies.
"That is what I saw after the training," said Lumin, seated on the bed while Shirley was in the opposite chair.
Her brows were raised; everything she had heard up to that point sounded like something straight out of some kind of made-up story.
"You're saying you saw a screen?"
"Yes," Lumin replied.
"And it told you about your pathway?" Every time she asked a question, her brows raised even higher.
"Yes, it did."
Shirley pushed herself forward a bit. "What was the name of this pathway?"
"The Pathway of Vitae."
'What? Vitae? I have never heard of that pathway before, 'Shirley thought to herself. "Are you sure that was what you saw?"
Lumin nodded.
Shirley suddenly stood to her feet.
"Stay here; I will be right back."
Lumin turned his gaze toward her, watching as Shirley hurriedly walked out of the room.
As she made her way out, she quickly moved toward her library—a small space in the living room where she kept her research books.
"I knew it since the first time I laid my eyes on him," she said out loud, picking a single book from her shelf before sitting on the chair.
During her journey up the mountains for her research, she had never intended to take the route that led to where she found Lumin.
Honestly, it was as though the universe wanted her to find him.
Every route she tried to take either got destroyed by some natural disaster, or she became unaware of the journey ahead.
If that wasn't enough, after she found Lumin, her sigil resonated, almost as though it wanted to transfer itself to the young man.
'True, I wanted to help him; I couldn't let the poor guy die out there, but my reasons still leaned toward research. He is an interesting character; so far, he hasn't disappointed me.'
She kept reading, flipping pages after pages, until finally, she found what she was looking for.
"Here it is, the prophecy of the gods."
Her eyes moved from left to right, scanning every word.
Lips curled, her fingers gripped the pages even tighter.
And then she let out:
"I may have bitten off more than I can chew."
Pa!
She closed the book.
Quickly standing to her feet, Shirley made her way back to the room.
As expected, Lumin was still there, waiting patiently for her to come back.
Shirley walked in and closed the door, before then taking small steps to sit on the bed, very close to Lumin.
"Did you go do more research?" asked Lumin, fairly sure she went to do just that.
Shirley sighed in response.
"Yes, I did. And to be honest, if it's even remotely true, then I may have just gotten my hands on a rare treasure… or a specimen. Either way, it's an issue."
An idea suddenly popped into Lumin's head.
"Ah, I'm not mentally ill, am I?" he asked, his face close to Shirley.
"If that were the case, I would have gone for the milk a long time ago."
"Milk?"
"A joke. Anyway, it's still a theory, so I'm not entirely sure it's true. Still, if there's anything I've learned, it's to never dismiss an observation."
Shirley looked at him. "I haven't told you this; I planned to tell you after you had mastered your essence manipulation. Sigh, but here goes. I shall explain something about this world to you."
She began, and her explanation went like this:
In this world, there are seven powerful individuals called the Architects, people who were chosen to rule the world after the disappearance of the primordial gods hundreds of years ago.
These people were said to be the leftover seeds of these gods, often called their reincarnations.
It was through the Architects that the Pillars of Path could function in each nation; without them, no one would be able to inherit the powers of the gods.
That said, for years, the Architects have warned of the return of an individual, an individual who was said to bring the world out of balance.
They each claimed to have received prophecies from the primordial gods.
Three notable facts could be hinted at in their prophecies:
The arrival of this individual would cause the Fecits to flood out of hiding, looking for ways to bring this individual to their side.
They would be just as powerful as the gods themselves, having multiple Architects of their own.
When they arrive, the balance of power in the world will shift drastically, causing the world to bow at their presence.
…
As she explained, Lumin listened.
"For years, the Architects have waited for the arrival of this person. Hell, many people have gone as far as to worship them, stating they could be the next god."
Shirley crossed her legs. "I, for one, did my research as well. Nothing of this individual is in the history books, so it sounds bizarre to me that the reincarnations of the primordial gods would reveal prophecies like this."
"You think they're lying?"
"Lying? They have no reason to do that. We're talking about the seven most powerful people in the world. Lying about something like this is illogical. Are they scared of this individual? That would make more sense."
She continued,
"Though my research didn't go to waste, at least not by a long shot. Lumin, what I'm trying to say is, if this individual is real, you fit the bill."
"You think I'm the individual in the prophecies? That…"
"Is it unlikely? Of course, I still think it is. Bear in mind, you were on Yonshi Mountain, drained of essence, and didn't die. Essence energy clings to you like prostitutes. You have weird clothes that are not even artifacts, and you don't remember a thing from your past, not even your own name. True, totally coincidental."
Lumin placed one hand on his jaw. "I'm sorry, but I still find it hard to believe. Perhaps it's because I don't know much about this world."
"Need I add, you said you got a pathway that doesn't exist? And a floating screen? Gee, I'm very sure people randomly have that."
Lumin glanced at her. "If you think I'm this individual, then why are you so calm? You said there are people who worship him."
"Of course, haaha. If you ended up being the individual in the prophecies, I don't think my heart could take it. My poor Lumin, wanted by the Architects, ahh~ ahhh~"
"Stop that."
...
Later that night, Shirley sat at the table, reading a letter she had just received.
All she had was a single lantern on her desk and a cup of coffee to keep her awake.
Lumin was asleep in the order room, so she didn't need to worry about him barging in.
After a while of reading, she carefully set the paper on the deck, her eyes now gazing outside the window.
'Seems they are running out of patience with me. Sigh, can't be helped.'
She stood up from where she was seated and headed to bed.