Chapter 22
After Seraphina was dressed, she was led by them to a great building behind in the monastery. The stone made path led to a giant doors, the patterns carved on the doors seemed like some runes written in ancient language. The pillars that stood flanking the large doors were also covered with intricate patterns and dragon symbols. The atmosphere around this temple-like building was more serene and Seraphina felt herself at ease just by standing out here.
Once she reached closer to the doors she saw Demian standing near the door with the four guards behind him. They were all dressed in black and had no expression on their faces, they stood like statues. However, her husband's demeanor and expression even exceeded theirs.
As Seraphina approached with her new companions, Demian looked at her and for mere a second, his brow jolted up by a few millimeters and Seraphina found the heat rushing to her neck at his reaction because the girls preferred her appearance should be more like a warrior especially with her wild red curls braided from above her head so they made her wear their warrior clothing. Deep maroon clothes followed by leather boots and belts. Seraphina was accustomed to wearing these clothes in her guild so she didn't notice the shock Demian portrayed.
"Wha-What are you wearing?" Demian whispered.
"Clothes? Why?" She asked and a grin parted her lips as she remembered it was the first time Demian was seeing her in this type of clothing. Seraphina was more comfortable in warrior clothes than she was in gowns. Sakina said there wouldn't be any problem if she wore these clothes in Hidden Valley.
Demian looked up and down and spun on his heels toward the hall without saying anything. She couldn't find why she felt irritated. Was it because he didn't say anything as he was shocked or was it because he was offended by her wearing clothes other than the royal clothing? Seraphina was never fond of compliments but she expected a bit of something... like a compliment?
As they approached the giant door four men appeared from behind it who had the same clothes as her but they all had scales over their skin and one of them had reptile-like eyes and one dragon had a horn sprouting out of the left side of his skull. Were they all high ranking men? She wanted to ask but thought it would be rude to ask them in the middle of a crowd.
The Hall had a very high ceiling and the windows that let in the beams of sun rays and the fresh air. Seraphina looked up and saw the ceiling was painted with beautiful dragons, they all looked as if they were really up there watching everyone below them. Some had fire coming out of their mouths and some had their bat-like wings spreading wide showing off their glory of dominance and in the middle, there was a white dragon as if it was the superior of them all. It didn't spread its wings nor fire was coming out of its mouth. It was just there looking at them with its serene and tender eyes.
She was so engrossed in them that she almost tripped and ran into Demian's back, he turned over his shoulder and glared at her. Lately, he had been on the edge.
As they entered, she found an old man across them at a far end of the other side, sitting in grey clothes. The same man she had seen when they first came here. His frost white beard laid on his laps and his eyes were closed just like before.
"Hey, he was the one who greeted us at the entrance." Seraphina said and Demian gave her a look.
"He wasn't there. There were other people who welcomed us but clearly you were unconscious."
"No. Before I lost my consciousness, he was there..."
Demian looked at her for a moment, "Haven't the effects worn off yet?"
Seraphina scowled and said, "I'm perfectly fine."
"You aren't, because the old sage can't walk. He stays in here and rests in that chamber," Demian said pointing at the door which was at the far right, "Apart from that he does not travel at all."
A gap formed on her face and she still wasn't certain if she had seen him at the entrance or someone else. Believing she might have mistaken someone in his place, she let the thoughts away.
The men greeted them, "Prince Demian Salamander, we hope the journey was pleasant. Great Sage has been eagerly waiting to meet you and your wife."
"Yes, the old geezer has been very impatient-urgh" The reptile eyed man spoke but couldn't finish as one of them elbowed him in the gut and he groaned.
The man who elbowed, chuckled and said, "Apologies, Your Highness. He is new here and doesn't know how to pay respects to elders," he put pressure in his words and glared at him.
"I know him," Demian said and the reptile eyed man looked at him as if he was trying to remember him, "You are Lord-"
"Just Jerrof, I'm not a Lord anymore, Your Highness." The distasteful voice he cast when saying 'Your Highness' made Seraphina a bit uncomfortable and as his eyes fell on Seraphina, he scoffed, "I thought princesses were supposed to wear something decent."
Demian smirked and as if it wasn't enough to irk Jerrof, he said, "She is wearing the perfect attire which suit her." He took Seraphina's hand with the smirk still playing on his lips and walked ahead to the old sage dragging her along.
It was an understatement that Seraphina was shocked at Demian's words, she was beyond astounded and her heart leaped in her chest cage as if it got wings of its own.
"Who was he?" Seraphina whispered as they walked ahead. Other sages were meditating in lines at every corner of the Hall and few people were either cleaning or praying but they maintained quietness and stillness.
"Lord Hordes's son. He was a future Marquess."
As they neared the old sage smiled with his eyes closed. Two men were behind him swaying two fans and a few women were serving him some soup in bowls.
The old sage stretched his shaking hands toward them and Demian walked ahead and took it in his palms. He bent forward to touch it with his forehead, he tilted up his head but didn't let go of his hands.
"Hmm..." He hummed, "Hot blooded, intelligent, sharp senses and extremely stubborn."
Seraphina resisted her laugh as not too long ago she told him he was stubborn but he refused to accept it. However, Demian didn't show his emotions instead his deep blue eyes moved towards her as if daring her to laugh here.
She bit her lower lip and then coughed to hide her slipping laughter.
The old sage released his hands and Demian beckoned Seraphina to come over.
Seraphina went ahead and took the old dragon's hands in her and the old sage's smile grew wider, she could see he had no teeth. He must be really old. That's when she remembered Celia had told her the dragon sages were more than a thousand years and he seemed to be the oldest of the other sages present there.
The sage nodded with excitement as the subjects around him stopped their movement and looked at her and the Great Sage with curious gazes. Even Seraphina was curious of what he would say.
"Very stubborn." He said and Seraphina could sense the smug face Demian bore beside her. She glared at him and saw a corner of Demian's lip twitching.
"Fearless, courageous..." The sage said and opened his eyes which made everyone around them in the Hall stop everything they were doing. The other sages who were in the middle of their meditation opened their eyes and now every eye in the Hall was on them. No one blinked, there was absolute silence as if along with the people in the Hall even the nature had held its breath.
The sage had no pupils, his eyes were as white as his hair from one corner to another. He was blind but she could not stop wondering what made all of them so curious.
"Your soul, it burns bright blue. Very powerful, so beautiful." He spoke in a dreamy voice. He released one of his hands and stretched it to Demian which he took immediately.
The sage then looked at him with his white eyes and closed as tilted his head. Something happened as if a short wave of lightning came out of him and touched their skin like needles but it wasn't painful. The sage concentrated as his greying skin got more wrinkles and finally, opened his eyes still looking up to the ceiling.
Slowly he tilted down his head and looked straight while saying,
"Sands, oceans and rivers of fire,
wilt witness the great awakening;
for Ragnarok shall be beginning,
ghosts in slumber wilt rise.
Chaos, deaths, graves,
will be in thy path,
cursed wilt be earth,
with the rise of the Great Dragon." He went quiet for a second as he shivered,
"The heavenly flames shall bring hope,
the touch of love and the breath of life,
the heaven's flames shall end the Ragnarok,
and in its light the new world shall thrive."
There was a beautiful smile on the old sage's face it was as if he was watching a dream which would make him smile like he'd found peace.
Seraphina looked at Demian who was looking at the sage intensely. She could not understand a thing he said. The Great Sage's stiffened up body slowly relaxed and the smile disappeared along with his pupil-less eyes.
Before letting go of their hands, he whispered, "Ragnarok..."
As the word left, Seraphina felt Demian getting a little restless. Worry carved on his still face and muscles twitched in his jaw.
What did that word mean? She wondered, the Great Sage had also used it earlier.
"On the day of your maturity, Ragnarok or Miracle would be ensued."
****
After the meeting with the old sage, Demian seemed to be often wandering away in his thoughts as he hadn't touched his food.
It was another matter that the food the Hidden valley's cooks liked to cook consisted only of water, vegetables and herbs. Before them, they presented two bowls with boiled vegetables and soup that was clear in colour and some baked potatoes on a plate to finish their lunch. Seraphina never liked vegetables. Her father and Merlene often wondered about how mysteriously her veggies reached either Asilax's platter or one of her companion's plates. She remembered how Merlene used to give her long lectures on the benefits of eating vegetables. She chuckled and her smile fell when everyone's face flashed before her eyes.
"Human Princess, do you not like our food?" Sakina asked getting her attention from the memories of her guild. "Both of you haven't even touched anything."
"No! That's not it. I just remembered how my father used to scold me when I didn't eat my meals."
Sakina sat beside her and Demian started to eat silently.
"How was the meeting with our Great Sage?" She asked, "I heard he opened his eyes."
"What do you mean by opened his eyes?" Seraphina asked.
"He had closed his eyes before the battle between the races. It was a hundred years ago and after that he opened them today." Demian said as he chewed a carrot. It seemed he had no problem having boiled food.
Seraphina looked between them as it was hard to believe and Sakina nodded.
"Yes. That was the last time I had seen his eyes. They were so beautiful. Deep green, just like the colour of wild leaves..." Sakina swayed in her thoughts and left Seraphina in astonishment.
"You- you are a hundred years old!" Seraphina just realised she couldn't contain her shock and almost shouted the words. Other than the four guards, the rest of the people present there turned to look at her and gave her weird looks.
Sakina chuckled with amusement and Demian seemed he would like to tell people that he didn't know her.
"You are amusing, human Princess... No wonder the old geezer was excited."