Horsemen Of Peace

Chapter 2: History

/Our death chosen/
Ekta looked at the two teenagers that stood before them. They were obviously twins, seeing as they had the same dark hair, striking blue eyes, and pale skin with faint freckles. The only real difference in their appearance, besides their clothing, was their height. The girl was much shorter than her brother.

The boy waved slightly, flashing a large smile. "Hi!"

The girl only offered a slight nod their way. Ekta took a note not to judge people by how they looked.

They boy wore dark, ripped clothing with chains and silver jewelry, and had a very intimidating appearance, while the girl wore a dark green sweater, a pleated black skirt, and platformed shoes that made her about two inches taller. But while they looked one way, they acted another. The boy seemed bubbly and hyperactive, while his sister seemed like the sarcastic, borderline mean one.

Aviana waved them over, and they sat beside her on a ledge with cushions. "This is Raven and Nyx. They're our chosen."

Ekta offered a small smile, feeling more than a little awkward. "Hello."

The boy smiled. "We've been waiting our whole lives for you to wake. Still, I didn't think it'd be this soon."

Aviana turned to look at Ekta. "They've only just passed fifteen. I'll admit, most of us imagined you'd wake up after they grew much older and gained more experience, but the prophecy must've wanted to be fulfilled while the chosen are young and able bodied. In any case, you awoke today."

Nyx, the girl, quirked her brow up. "Which means the prophecy will need to be fulfilled soon, or things may get worse."

Ekta looked at the elder. "What do you mean?"

She shrugged. "There was a warning that came with the prophecy."

Ekta waited for her to continue, but she just stared at them. "Which was...?"

"Oh, right. Well, at the end of the prophecy, there was a warning. It stated that there was some unseen force that didn't want the prophecy to be fulfilled. This force can and will try to hinder your mission."

"Hinder it how?"

Raven looked at the elder. "Can I tell them?"

"Yes." Aviana looked at Ekta again, adding, "He's got quite an extensive knowledge of the subject."

He nodded. "I work with spirits that know many things, and they love to talk about things they see and hear. A lot of it has to do with the state of the world, but a few of the older ones know about what may have caused the apocalypse and they tell me things as they remember."

Ekta waved their hand. "Hold up, spirits? Like the ones that delivered the chosen to the clans?"

Nyx shook her head. "Oh, those spirits are those of nature. Our clan works with spirits of the dead."

"Oh." Ekta looked back at Raven. "So what can you tell me?"

He smiled excitedly, then adjusted himself on his seat. "So most of what we know are just things that the spirits can remember. Walking through the veil from life into death can affect memories, mostly in people who've passed adolescence. But they're the easiest to speak with, so they're all we really have to learn from."

Nyx elbowed him. "I'm sure they don't want to hear about how talking with the dead works, Ra."

Ekta shook their head. "No, I don't mind. I need to learn as much as I can about, well... everything."

Raven grinned. "So since we can only talk reliably with older spirits, we only have pieces. Most of the spirits agree on key ideas and terms that we've pierced together throughout talking to them."