Shadows Emerge

The Journey Begins Here

[Kinda Edited?]

Fear.

The fact that the elders were afraid was a baleful sign. They never were afraid, but now, more than ever, they were. I wasn't quite sure of what though.

"Tristan, do you understand how important the role is that you've been given in the grand scheme of things?" Alxia asked me.

"N-not really." I admitted. Honestly, I didn't quite grasp what they were talking about. Ancient beast? A warning? What kind of prophecy was that. It barely even rhymed.

"You're job is to find allies, band together, and vanquish the ancient beasts." Netheri spoke. A silence then fell over the room, all nine people listening to only the crackling flames of Kane and Flora that lit the room. "What you decides which way the balance between good and evil shifts. Each year we had prepared ourselves for this, rereading and rethinking what the prophecy means. Each year we did this at the same time. The fact that you learned of this yesterday was no mere coincidence. Yesterday was the start of tempus aequinoctiale, this is a time when night and day are exactly equal for thirty-three days. It is the season of the equinox. Night and day represent all that is good and all the is bad in the world in every culture around the world. This is not without purpose. Additionally Tristan, these cultures all look toward the equinox as a time when the balance between harmony and discord is especially fragile." Netheri explained, my mind boggled from the facts he was spitting out at me.

"But Netheri, I don't even know what my powers are-much less use them!" I countered.

"No one really knows what their powers are or how to use them until they do you soul searching." Gheaja replied.

"Looking inwards is the key to dis coving your latent talent, besides you are already stronger than you might even know." Araura told me. As she said this I could physically feel the atmosphere of this subterranean room become a little bit less morbid.

"Okay, well Agneous, that voice I told you I had heard at the tree said I needed to find the doyen. What does that even mean?!" I asked, or maybe pleaded.

"A doyen is the respected master in a field. I bet you Agneous was speaking of the master of your ability." Cyles said, which earned nods of agreement from the other seven elders.

"I still don't know what my power is though." I dejectedly replied to Cyles.

"All the more imperative is that you meditate and look into your soul; it's easier than it sounds." Flora said.

"Let's return to the pergola. when we get there we will all help you in your meditation." Jugo said.

"Isn't meditation a soul thing though?" I asked, befuddled by the proposition presented before me.

"Not at all, at least not when you have the right people and techniques." Kane smirked. I didn't like where this was all headed.

Everyone climbed stairs in silence but the assent was less tense the decent, it could almost be called positive if the two were compared.

Once we were back at the surface Jugo and Gheaja lowered the earthen walls they'd raised. As with before they raised the arms out parallel to the ground and widened their stances. Then, they pushed down in own swift movement, the four walls following suit. A crowd of people met the nine of us as the walls were lowered. A mixture of sighs was released from each of the gathered villagers mouths.

"Why are you gathered around here?" Alexia spoke us first.

"We thought something bad happened and were worried." A villager shouted from somewhere amongst the crowd.