Prologue: Discussions in the Dark

Location: Unknown 

It was dark. Fast-moving clouds raced each other across the sky, covering the moon as it tried in vain to shed its light to the building which rose on top of a high hill. It was an impressive sight: made entirely of dark wood, the building had a very nostalgic, even gloomy feeling. Torches were lit along the walls, but they were only able to create a small circle of light around the building. Beyond the circle, one would not have seen their own hand in front of them.

The building was just as impressive on the inside as it was on the outside. It was made of a single room, with two fireplaces built on opposite sides. Several chairs were placed around the fires; each of them was occupied a person. They seemed to be in the middle of an important discussion.

“…But are the children ready?”

The speaker was sitting far away from the fire so his face couldn’t be seen. However, the way his hands clenched into fists in his lap betrayed his tenseness.

“They will be”, another replied, a woman this time. “I have faith in them.”

“But are you sure?” the first one asked, leaning forward. “Because if you aren’t… I still remember the last time.”

“We all do!” snapped a third person. “Now could you please stop reminding me of it!”

“Just because you got killed the last time…”

“Yes! And by you! So excuse me if I don’t have the desire to repeat the incident!”

“It was your own fault. Don’t blame me. I simply took the most natural action.”

“Do you wish me to take natural action? Because if you don’t shut up right now I will…”

“Reminiscing the past will not solve the problems of the future.”

The bickering men fell immediately silent when the second woman spoke up. She regarded all those present with an even stare, which seemed to linger a while longer on the first woman, before speaking up again.

“Each and every one of us is acutely aware of the mistakes we made in the past. Now we must learn from them, starting by putting our differences aside and working together.”

The two men glanced at each other briefly before looking the opposite ways. Their mutual animosity hung thickly in the air.

<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family: "TimesNewRoman","serif";mso-ansi-language:EN-US">“We were not united before”, the woman continued, pretending not to notice what was going on in front of her, “and that led to our downfall. We were too proud, and too conceited, to admit we needed help. All that is in the past now, however. Now, we must stand together and have faith in those children so they may find the lost one.”

<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family: "TimesNewRoman","serif";mso-ansi-language:EN-US">“They are still very young, and inexperienced”, someone in the back said. “Can we really trust them to find something we ourselves could not?”

<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family: "TimesNewRoman","serif";mso-ansi-language:EN-US">“The prophecy was clear”, the woman answered mildly. “The lost one may only be found by children who have been born of those who travel with the heart.”

<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family: "TimesNewRoman","serif";mso-ansi-language:EN-US">The third man snorted. “It’s hopeless, then. They are even more divided than we are!”

<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family: "TimesNewRoman","serif";mso-ansi-language:EN-US">“Perhaps”, the woman admitted. “But prophecies are infallible…”

<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family: "TimesNewRoman","serif";mso-ansi-language:EN-US">“Don’t remind me”, he muttered and leaned back in his chair.

<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family: "TimesNewRoman","serif";mso-ansi-language:EN-US">“…therefore”, she continued as if he had said nothing, “to ensure their cooperation, we must take action.”

<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family: "TimesNewRoman","serif";mso-ansi-language:EN-US">A silence followed. Then everyone started talking at once.

<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family: "TimesNewRoman","serif";mso-ansi-language:EN-US">“Take action?” someone shouted. “As in interfere? We haven’t done that in centuries!”

<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family: "TimesNewRoman","serif";mso-ansi-language:EN-US">“Besides, will they even allow it?” another wondered.

<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family: "TimesNewRoman","serif";mso-ansi-language:EN-US">“They must”, the woman said and reluctantly everyone shut up. “What they are facing is even worse than the End, and if they wish to avoid it, they have to allow our interference.”

<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family: "TimesNewRoman","serif";mso-ansi-language:EN-US">Having said that, she closed her eyes and thus signaled the end of the meeting. The others left silently, each to their own direction, as thick fog covered everything like a sheet.

<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family: "TimesNewRoman","serif";mso-ansi-language:EN-US">