NB: The Search (BoyxBoy)

Preview 2: Of Death and Destiny

***I wrote it a very long time ago (when I was 14 years old).  Would you be interested in having me fix it up and release it as my new serial series?***

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André

“A dark shadow is to descend upon your people,” prophesized a rapidly approaching figure, whom, at the moment, could only be distinguished from her surroundings as feminine figure veiled in a cloak.

“You,” the figure, now close enough for André to be sure it was a woman, continued, “Shall stop it.”  During this dire proclamation the woman’s voice remained clear, composed, and perfectly calm despite the severity of what she was saying.  Generally André would never have so much as considered the woman’s words the least bit believable but somehow she projected something André had never heard in a voice, truth, though people had spoken words that were not lies no one had ever had so much conviction, or so little doubt that what they spoke was nothing but pure undiluted truth, at least no one had ever talked like that to André. 

“André,” she went on. “Your fate is set, your destiny charted, a path lies before you, and the time has come for you to walk it.”  The woman seemed to think her clichés would help comfort André, sadly, she was right. 

“Remember,” the woman went on, “Your destiny is dependent on one person.”

The woman now removed the hood of her cloak to reveal her face.  André was stunned momentarily the figure he believed to be a woman was simply a girl, one André believed to be of a similar age to himself.  Within moments André noticed features that betrayed the youthful façade that had fooled him, most prominent of these were the being’s (being, the only word that André could think of to fit her) eyes, pure blue eyes that seemed to project a certain type of wisdom, a wisdom that only comes with age and experience.  The eyes, containing inexplicable warmth, seemed locked on André as if waiting for a response, but what?  Then it hit him.

“Me?” André answered looking at his own reflection in the beings eyes.  André’s eyes were a brown that he felt resembled the ground more then they did the beings eyes, and his hair too was an earth brown.

The being seemed to be examining André, in his peasant’s garb.  “Not now,” an awkward emphasis on the word now, “but in time I am certain of it”

André could feel his insides turning, a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach he had to ask, he knew it was obvious but he had to know, “How?”

The being seemed to be caught off guard, not by what he had asked but by the fact that he had asked a question at all, “What?” she blurt out in a tone unlike any she had used before in the conversation.

A shiver ran up André’s spine as he tried to clarify the question while fighting off a new found stutter. “A, I wa-was wond-de-dering um…”

 The being intervened, “How you are supposed to stop the shadow?” she proposed.

“Well,” André not quite sure how she knew what he wanted to ask, “yes.”

“I am sorry my answer will have to be so unsatisfactory,” she paused, “but you will have to find your path on your own.”

Seeming to know she would be further probed she appeared to change her mind, quickly she began, “All I can tell you is…”

Suddenly another figure entered André’s line of sight and he quickly found himself unconscious.

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“Answer me Oracle!” a voice echoed in André’s head.

Of course! André thought to himself, She’s an Oracle

It made sense that was how she could see the future André had heard about Oracles from his mentor Kailem.  Kailem was the one training André in the arts involved with being a warrior.

With Kailem’s name fresh in his head André quickly identified the voice.

“What will happen if we meet again?” Kailem demanded

“If I am right, there will be no if concerning whether or not you will meet again, however, I fear only one of you will survive your next encounter.”

André opened his eyes to see Kailem pull his hands to cover his face and turn away, both from the Oracle and from André, so that all that André could see was Kailem’s hair, hair that had always reminded André of a flaming inferno.

 “He” the Oracle announced, “is awake.”

Kailem turned around to reveal his face.  André felt a shudder travel through his whole body as it seemed a darkness was suddenly gathering within Kailem.  Kailem’s eyes, like André’s, were brown, but they had always been darker, André had on occasion had difficulty differentiating between Kailem’s pupil and the rest of his eye, but at the moment André was confident there was no difference.

“André, it’s time to see how much you’ve learned.”  Kailem reached his arm out to grab the boy who had been his pupil for so long, and as he did so André could feel the definite change in Kailem, but it was too late.

A malicious smile crossed Kailem’s face as, with his other hand, he reached into his back pocket, “You should really watch your predictions Oracle.”  Kailem mocked as he laughed a laugh that seemed to last an eternity, an eternity filled with pure evil.  Time proceeded to move at a snail’s pace as Kailem withdrew a dagger from his back pocket. 

At the sight of the blade André tried to pull back, but Kailem held tight to André’s hand as the blade made its way toward its helpless victim.  André continued to struggle, though for naught, as the dagger pierced his body right under the ribs.  Kailem released André’s hand and let the dieing body descend to the ground.

“Looks like you were wrong Oracle.  We’ll never meet again.”  Kailem mused.  Kailem then turned, his dagger still red with André’s blood, he then went on, “A seer who cannot see the future is of no use to me.”

The Oracle’s youthful façade withered away as she prepared to fight.  Her eyes, though still containing wisdom, lost their tranquility, as if a fire was gathering within her.

André clung to the last threads of life as he watched Kailem end the fight with a simple slash to the oracles throat.

“It’s over,” Kailem said.

“We,” the Oracle forced out with what seemed to be her last breath,” Shall,” she paused gathering what André believed to be all her energy, “See,” simultaneous to the last word the Oracle hit André with a beam of light that made him disappear into thin air.