"You're... You're my Oracle?" I repeated. The words were sour in my mouth. How could the most evil being on the planet be an Oracle? There had to be some sort of mistake. Oracles were attached to angels, so how could a demon be bound to one?
Meredith nodded slowly. I tried to discern a trick or a lie. The idea that my Oracle was a demon was repulsive. But her eyes were human enough to be gentle. "Yes, I saw your future. It's why we are all here and why I have searched you out now."
"What is my destiny?" I asked.
I half expected her to laugh and for her to tell me I was a silly girl for asking. But she shivered like some primal force compelled her to speak. Maybe being an Oracle, even a demon Oracle, had rules of its own. "Your prophecy is one for the ages," she said in a hushed voice.
"Fallen," the goliath grunted, stepping forward. He towered over the pair of us, his massive body full of muscle and his eyes full of hatred. "Don't speak of her prophecy. She might work against us."
Meredith ignored the goliath's words. Instead, she raised her hand and pushed. The goliath rose a foot off the ground and was thrown across the canyon like he was a rag doll. The other demons parted as the goliath skidded along the ground. He shot a glare at Meredith, his eyes red with fire. I braced for him to charge, but the beast just got to his feet and muttered as it rejoined the cloud of corruption. "It makes no difference if you know your prophecy or not," Meredith continued. "You will end up there, anyway."
Meredith took a step towards the fire and snatched at the air. The black smoke that billowed out of the top of the flame spiralled down to her. She whipped around; the smoke mimicking her movement. Smoke engulfed the pair of us. I instinctively gaged, but the smoke didn't make it hard to breathe or sting my eyes like regular smoke. Squinting, I could make out Meredith a few feet in front of me. With a single finger, she touched a plume of smoke. It fractured and contorted until it became shapes. Different colour bloomed from the clouds: red, purple, gold, white. I gasped as an image appeared in front of me.
I stood defiantly, looking a older than I did now. A purple and crimson vortex spun in front of me guarded by twelve crystal swords. In a heartbeat, the swords shattered like glass. A pair of giant, red eyes emerged from the vortex, glaring down at me. I knew what this meant. "In your twenty-first year," Meredith whispered, though her voice echoed around the scene. "At the end of the age of Aurelian, the Divine Swords will shatter at Oblivion's hand, and the Vale will open. Then the Nexus will face the King of Corruption."
The scene faded away like ash on a breeze. My eyes burned as the striking light of the evening sun hit me. I turned away, and that's when I noticed I had tears in my eyes. So that was it? My destiny was to open the Vale and face Koralax. That was impossible. The swords of the first Arknights protected the Vale; how could they shatter? Sir Atticus had said even their weapons couldn't scratch the barrier. But, more importantly, how was I supposed to face the King of Demons.? The creator of evil, forger of corruption, probably the most powerful being second to the Divine. I gazed up at Meredith, who was watching me process all this. "Yes, few have such a place in history," she acknowledged.
"So why stop me becoming an Arknight?" I asked. "Why did you come to my school and stop me from passing the test?"
Meredith cocked her head to the side. She examined me for a moment. "I thought that was obvious. You will be at the opening of the Vale, but there is no certainty what will happen next."
"What? You think a twenty-one-year-old girl can defeat the King of Demons?"
"Stranger things have happened," Meredith said, waggling a finger at me. It was like being in class again. "When the Vale first opened, Koralax thought it impossible to be stopped and was content to stay in his realm letting corruption do his work. Little did he know a Nexus had the power to seal the Vale and trap him there." Meredith paused and chuckled to herself. "Fascinating how a Nexus will end the Vale as well."
"So what's that got to do with me?" I asked, trying to wrap my head around her words. It was like being around the twins when they were having a debate. What she was suggesting was that I had the power to stand up to the demon king? But how was a mortal supposed to do that?
"Simple," Meredith said, "there are two outcomes from your prophecy: either Korlax consumes the world, or you destroy Koralax." I shivered at the idea of Koralax's corruption spilling over the world, turning the grass to ash, the sky to fire, and nothing but pain and destruction. The Divine's creation left in ruin. "So, I wanted to give my Master a little help. I wasn't strong enough to kidnap you myself, as I was still weak. Therefore I stopped you becoming an Arknight, so when the time came you would have been far less prepared to take him on when the day arrives."
"But that didn't work, did it," I pointed out. For the first time, I smiled at her. It seemed even the Demon King's servant couldn't get things right.
Meredith nodded her head from side to side. "True, but I hadn't been expecting the Nexus to be so stupid to go beyond the Halo. Those ghasts smelt your essence miles away, and how could they ignore the ultimate feast." I wiggled uncomfortably at that description. Something was unsettling about being described as a feast. "So as a precaution, I told my minions to keep you alive and bring you to me instead. I couldn't have predicted you'd be stupid enough to go beyond the Halo again, let alone attract a demon on purpose." I looked away from Meredith's eyes. It was like being told off by Sir Atticus. The glare, the tone, the superiority of experiences. I could see why those two got along.
"So why not just attack and steal me away yourself?" I asked.
"I did," Meredith said coldly. She then gestured to the horde of demons behind me. "I've been growing this army for ten years to destroy Londinuium and capture you permanently. I let them attack a nearby witches clan to gain strength before sending them into get you." She shook her head dismissively. "You appeared strong enough to hold your own."
"Sorry for being such a problem," I replied. I didn't feel sorry for her; I almost respected her. For months I had wondered what the Fallen would be like. I had just imagined a more powerful demon, not one so tactical, clever, and patient. And that made me think of something. "If you knew I had to be stopped, you must have had my prophecy before that?"
Meredith went and leant against the boulder. She looked up at the night sky like she was wistfully thinking of a past long forgotten. It was scary how much humanity she had left. The other demons were deformed beings with only mild reminders of who they had once been. "It was ten years ago. My teacher, Sir Heath, wanted to discover Koralax's true nature. He wanted to bind a soul to the demon king, and so he needed a sacrifice. However, not any old soul would do. He needed one with enough power to survive the connection. So he needed a conduit to an angel." She then looked down at Marcus, and there was pity in her eyes. "Atticus was the one my master meant to turn. But I begged and said I would take his place." She paused for just a second. "I killed Sir Heath's wife and forged a new conduit." What looked like a tear seemed to appear in her eye. She then glared at me like I had been the real cause of her pain. "You'll never know what it is like to have your soul torn away. To feel it vanish into a void. However, I was lucky. Rather than losing my soul, it was replaced with my connection to Koralax." She spread her arms, revealing her human form. "That is why I remain unchanged. My Master's experiment worked, and even the witches felt the shock waves of the event. The first human powered by a demon. I couldn't stay, though. I left, my master screaming of his success. I flew out of the building and left to consort with my new master."
I stood there, blown away by what I was hearing. My mind was in overdrive, trying to piece all the bits together. This was beyond anything I could have imagined. "That's when you saw my prophecy?" I asked.
Meredith nodded. "The linking to Koralax gave me a new glimpse into the future, like an Oracle with an angel. I saw your destiny and Koralax's in the process."
My mouth went dry. This was all too much. Not only was my prophecy the end of days, but it had come at such a cost. The soul of a young girl no older than me. And Sir Atticus. What would he think of me, knowing my future had come at the cost of one of his closest childhood friends? Then a small realisation came to me. "Wait, if Sir Heath had already changed you, how did you save Sir Atticus' soul?"
Meredith frowned at me. It was strange seeing the eyes of evil look confused. She strolled up to me. "What do you mean?" She said carefully.
"Well, Sir Atticus killed Sir Heath. And I thought you saved him."
Meredith gave a derived snort. "No, I did not save him from his fate. You can thank his angel for that. If it weren't for their little connection breaking instead of his soul, then he would be a demon just like all the others." I looked at Meredith, her words floating in the air. They didn't make sense. Sir Atticus's angel? Meredith's eyes lit up at my confusion. "Oh, my dear. My sweet, sweet dear," she whispered, approaching closer and closer until her lips were by my ear. "He hasn't told you about his prophecy, has he?"
My numb body was all the response that was needed. My mind went blank as this simple statement ran through me. Sir Atticus was a Prophet just like me? Of course, it made too much sense: his legendary training, knowledge of the Order, his hatred of prophecies. He had tried to protect me from mine as he had gone through the same thing. I could see him as a Squire working through the prophecy section of the Matrix, trying to understand himself. But why hide it? Why hide the most prestigious attribute a human could have? And why had he always worked against prophecies? "You were also his Oracle?" I said, my words now small whispers of breath.
"Yes, yes I was," Meredith replied. She stepped back and surveyed me. "We met when we were young. Our fathers were friends, and we practiced together to become Squires. But, the night before the trials, I predicted his future. A future we swore never to speak of."
"Why?" I asked. "What was his prophecy?"
A wicked grin grew on Meredith's face. "That's his burden to bear," she hissed. In a flash, she zipped up to me and grabbed me by the throat. I gasped as the strength of her fingers crushed my windpipe. I struggled to get free and broke through the vines, which turned to ash. Too late did I realise Meredith had done this. She turned and threw me across the canyon. I slammed into the stone and collapsed to the floor, winded. As I choked on air, I gazed up at Meredith. She stood beside me and snapped her fingers. Roots from the earth sprung up like whips and strapped me down. "We have a few hours till midnight. You'll need to rest for tonight's entertainment. You'll be my honoured guest." The roots squeezed tighter, and one wrapped around my throat, making it impossible to breathe. I looked over at the unconscious Marcus, held down by similar roots. He looked so peaceful and vulnerable like this. I couldn't help think if he knew the truth about Sir Atticus. As my vision faded, all I wanted was to have Sir Atticus save Marcus.
The next thing I knew was the sensation of some liquid running down my throat. It was horrifically bitter that stung every sense in my body. I spluttered to life and rolled about until I came to my senses. I lay on the rough rock of the canyon floor, looking up at the night sky. The sky was pitch black now, with not a star in sight. Alice and I had often spent sleepover gazing at the stars. It was wrong not to have them as nighttime companions. "It's odd, isn't it?" Meredith said. She was standing over me. She, too, was gazing up at the night sky. "In all the things I have experienced since my fall, not seeing stars has been one of the hardest to get used to." I didn't reply. I could barely move. My muscles ached from where the roots had cut into me. How long had I been out-cold for? Meredith came over to me and clamped my hands together. A vine materialised out of thin air and wrapped around them like handcuffs. In defiance, I straightened up and glared at her. Meredith seemed unphased by my actions. "I presume you'd like to speak to Marcus before his end?" I nodded.
She took me over to where Marcus lay. As she approached, the roots that held him down recoiled and scurried back into the ground. Meredith seemed to have an unnatural power over nature. It was warped, but it was still power. I had seen no reference to those kinds of abilities in my lexicon. Meredith pulled a small bottle out from her robe and poured a few drops down Marcus's throat. He convulsed and shivered. His eyes opened and blinked at the dark scene in front of him. He jolted and rolled backwards from Meredith, obviously expecting a fight. Then he spotted me. "No," he gasped, his horse voice.
"She came for you," Meredith said, a smirk appearing on her face. "You led her straight to me." She then snatched my vines and threw me at Marcus. "Enjoy your little chitchat." She didn't move. I cursed her in my mind. She had been Sir Atticus's equal, and he wouldn't have let two demons have privacy to formulate a plan. The difference was there was no plan.
"What are you doing here?" Marcus hissed, looking down at the bonds on my wrists.
I didn't try to hide them; there was no point hiding my future. "Marcus, there's no time for that. They are going to execute you."
Marcus eyed Meredith. "How original," he muttered. Meredith just shrugged and kept watching us. "You need to get out of here, your too important-"
"No, you need to get out of here," I interrupted. I had until I was twenty-one; he might not. But I was determined to make sure he made it. I glanced around to see if there was an easy exit. Being in a canyon meant there was little hope of escape. It was pitch black too, with only the corrupted fire to produce any light. In the shadows, though, silhouettes moved, and corruption swirled in the air like storm clouds. We were in the centre of a demon hive; there was no easy exit. I turned back to Marcus. "Do you think you could beat a goliath?" I said.
Marcus turned pale at my words. I tried to ignore the fear in his eyes. He seemed to push those fears away and force a smile. "I'm always up for a challenge."
"Well, stay alive as long as possible," I said. I don't know what it would do, but at least it would give me time to think or do something. Fextar had gone to get Sir Atticus so they should be on their way now. However, was there enough time to get here. Also, you couldn't just attack a demon horde unprepared. He would need soldiers and resources. This would take time. Time we didn't have therefore we needed to give them as much time as possible. I gazed up at the trees where I had seen Fextar's light. There was nothing.
Meredith coughed, making us both look up at her. "Dates over," she said. She made her way towards us, but we both got to our feet before she could reach us. She surveyed our defiant faces. "You really are Atticus's Squires, aren't you?" She mused. Meredith beckoned us to follow. There was no point in resisting. They would kill Marcus on sight, and Meredith could beat me in a blessing battle. So, we marched behind, holding our heads high.
We walked to the other end of the canyon. It seemed all the demons were already waiting there, as there were none in the caves. As we got closer, the haze of mist from the demon's presence made it harder and harder to see. I looked up at the edge of the canyon. Trees lined the rim, providing perfect cover from Arknight's eyes from a distance. You'd have to be at the very edge to see all this. There was a small flash from the tree line, though. My heart skipped a beat with hope. But it was a flash, not a glow. It couldn't be a witch's demonheart. I thought it must have been the eyes of a deer. Even the wildlife had come to watch the slaughter.
The canyon rounded out into an oval shape at the end, providing a perfect stadium. Stands were formed from rocks jutting out from different layers of the cliff. Demons sat watching in near silence as we approach the arena. A thousand burning eyes stared down at us. On the other side, almost at ground level, was a throne and a small stool made of stone. As we reached the centre of the stadium, Meredith stopped Marcus. "Time to face your destiny, Marcus," she said. She wasn't smiling, nor was there a glint of triumph in her eyes. "I hope you meet your family in the Divine's being." Both Marcus and I stared at her. How did she know Marcus was an orphan?
But there was no time for that. I knew I had little time. With no clever or fancy words coming to mind, I just made my best attempt at a hug. "Stay alive, please," I whispered in his ear.
Marcus just gave me a wink. "The beret looks good on you," he said.
Meredith and I strolled to the other side of the arena. I ambled behind, hoping to provide more time for something to happen. Meredith took her throne, and I sat down next to her, feeling like a well-groomed pet. Meredith snapped her fingers. The crowd of demons parted, and the goliath demon emerged. Even from so far away, it looked enormous. How Marcus didn't just faint at the sight of it was beyond me. However, when you were raised in the shadow of Sir Atticus, you get an ego like none other. He stared down at the monster as it approached. Neither had any weapons. The goliath didn't need it. It had muscles that were almost as thick as Marcus, and its claws were like swords. Marcus looked small and puny next to such a beast. I didn't want to take my eyes off Marcus. I wanted to be strong for him. Something flashed in the corner of my eye. I shook my head and focused back on Marcus.
"Let the fight begin!" Meredith roared, her voice distorted in the cursed air. The goliath charged Marcus. Its speed was unnatural for its size, but it was clear its power came from its corruption. It twisted around the demon like it was strapped to the beast. Marcus leapt out of the way at the last second. The goliath skidded to a halt and glared at Marcus. Marcus just glared back, baring his teeth like a wolf. He wasn't going down without a fight.
Marcus didn't have any natural defence or weapons. I thought back to our previous battle on my birthday. During that fight, I had produced the shield to protect him. I twisted my hand in the vines as the goliath charged at Marcus again. This time it was prepared. Though it missed with a great swipe of its claw, it was so close Marcus couldn't jump very far. To distract him, Marcus picked up a rock and threw it at the beast's head. The goliath didn't even notice it ricocheting off its hairless, grey face. I wriggled my hands until my hands were loose enough. Meredith seemed not bothered with my squirming. The goliath took two giant steps and was upon Marcus. It lifted its claw to deliver the killing blow. In the act of desperation, I pushed out both my hands. A shield shone into existences as the goliath brought its claws down. I cut of my power and watched the shield shatter on impact. But it was enough. The goliath staggered back, dazed by what had happened. It gave Marcus the seconds he needed to make some distance. The demon crowd howled and roar at such an outcome.
"If you're going to use blessings, defend him a little better," Meredith said, not taking her eyes off the action. Rage flared within me, and I had half a mind to attack her. It would be no use, but it would have felt good. The goliath was stalking around the edge of the canyon. Marcus was staying as far away as possible from the beast. I knew his Arknight mind was racing for any information that would help. But without a weapon, he was outmatched. The closest weapons were my spears, but I needed to be free for that.
Something flashed in my eyes again. I wished whatever was in the trees would stop that. I squinted and looked down at my hands. The vines were still there, cutting into my wrists. If I was going to save Marcus, I was going to need to fight with him. There was only one thing for it. I unleashed my soul's power, letting it flow through my arms and into my hands. However, I didn't let it go. Instead, it sat there building up. My hands started to glow. Was this what Sir Petra had said when I glowed last time? Before I could think about it anymore, the vine withered. Instinctively, I stopped my flow of power. I snapped the vines off and rose to my feet. "Took you long enough," Meredith said. Ignoring her, I leapt into the arena.
Both Marcus and the goliath looked up as a new opponent entered the fight. I positioned myself at an angle from Marcus. Sir Atticus had taught us this tactic, and I had seen this work in practice. We split the goliaths attack. Its scornful eyes stared from one of us to the other. It had to make a decision. It stupidly charged at me, giving out a mighty roar. As I readied myself, an idea popped into my head. It swung its claws at me as I produced a shield but stayed connected. The force was immense as the demon collided with it. My legs shudder under the force, but I stayed up. Next to the demon, I created a second shield and slammed them together. The goliath cried out as the light squashed him. The crowd hissed, and I heard Meredith clap. I just wished Alice could be here to see her plan work.
While the demon had attacked me, Marcus had picked up a fallen branch and charged at the goliath. As the monster grappled with my shields, Marcus slammed the stem into the goliath's face. It screamed as twigs penetrated its eyes. Marcus backed off as the goliath tore the branch out of its eyes. It didn't seem to have done any damage.
It ripped itself out of the shields and charged at Marcus again, claws held aloft. I concentrated for a minute. Quickly, I drew out a golden spear and threw it at the goliath just as it reached Marcus. Another monstrous scream ripped through the air as the javelin pierced the Goliath's shoulder. Marcus made his way over to me. "Nice throw," he panted like we were just doing some basic exercises. I didn't have much time to think. If I started thinking, I would realise what situation I was in and freeze up. I needed to keep using my instinct.
The goliath slowly walked towards us now, like a lion tired of the hunt. There was a deep gash in its arm where the javelin had found its mark. It was nice to know I could wound even the biggest of demons. The goliath bellowed and swung at us. We dodge each way. A yell cut through the silent night air. I turned from my roll to see Marcus holding his arm, a deep cut going along it. The demon had expected our dodge and sliced Marcus as he rolled. Now it turned to face him. "No!" I shouted and sprinted over to Marcus, making a shield before him. The goliath hesitated enough for me to reach him. Marcus was already on his feet again and backing away from the demon. I face it, staring into the fierce eyes of the beast. I maintained the connection to the shield, bracing myself for the goliath's worst. The goliath slammed its claws into my shield. It almost forced the air from my lungs. I staggered backwards. The goliath swiped again and again. Each blow was connecting with my shield. And each time he did, I got weaker and weaker. My body yearned for this beating to end. I was shaking from the strikes, and I could barely breathe.
We reached the centre of the arena, and the goliath put its whole force into its last blow. I couldn't hold it. The demon's fist froze on impact, but the shield shattered into faint particles of light. I wanted to collapse to my knees. I was so weak from the beating I could barely stand. My limbs shook uncontrollably, but it was a mix of pain and fear now. I glanced at Marcus. He was cradling his arm and was going white as blood dripped down to the floor. There was only one hope now. I stood in-between Marcus and the goliath. The goliath just howled with laughter. "You think destiny can save you, little girl?" it mocked.
A burning sense of pride filled me. "That's the Nexus to you," I spat. Another flash from behind the goliath caught my eye again. What in the angels was doing that? It was distracting.
The goliath lifted its claw high into the air. "Look upon it, Nexus, for it is your doom," the goliath announced triumphantly.
Just behind his claw, the stars shone through the tree line as though to signal the end. However, instead of enjoying the last moments of my life, my brain faulted. Stars? There were no stars in the demon sky. More importantly, they wouldn't be so low that they were shine through the trees...
I spun around and tackled Marcus to the ground. The goliath chuckled. "Die on the ground then."
Bang!
The night was illuminated with explosions. The demon crowd shrieked as they were attacked from all sides. I rolled over and looked at the scene. Sliding down the canyon walls were silhouettes with shining silver daggers. Witches pounced into the demon Horde, their cries piercing the night. From the ridges stood Arknights, firing down into the mist of corruption. I kept my head low as bullets of light pinged all over the canyon. The goliath roared at the air and turned to face the attack instead.
A plume of smoke appeared beside me. Meredith towered over us, nose flared and her eyes alight with fury. "Time to go," she said, bending down to pick me up. Meredith grabbed my wrist, but I knew she couldn't take me. I let the divine power flow through me. My body screamed from the ache of the battle and the pain of the energy tearing through my arm. But it worked. Meredith gave out a brief yelp and let go of me. I fell to the ground and extinguished my power immediately. I lay on the floor, looking up at Meredith. Her hand seemed singed, but the corruption wrapped around it, healing her. "Nice trick," she muttered as she turned to face me. I didn't have the energy to run away, let alone fight back. I was at her mercy.
A roar broke our standoff, and we both looked to the side. The goliath toppled over, smashing into the ground, making it shake. As the goliath fade into a corrupted mist, a figure stepped forward. "Hello, Meredith," Sir Atticus said, reloading his rifle.
Meredith froze. She eyed Sir Atticus with worry. The Fallen might have just met her match. "Atticus, it doesn't need to be like this," she hissed. But we all knew it had to be.
Sir Atticus raised his rifle. "PETRA," he yelled.
I paused, wondering why he shouted that. Then there was a jerk behind me as someone began dragging me away. Looking up, I could see Sir Petra tugging on both Marcus and I. We both scrambled to our feet, and she guided us behind a nearby boulder. "Be quiet as I need to concentrate," she commanded, grabbing both our hands and closing her eyes. I couldn't imagine what it was like to concentrate in this chaos. Howls and screams filled the air, mixed in with explosions and gunfire. Marcus and I didn't care what Sir Petra was doing, though. We weren't even worried about the situation we were in. We were too busy watching Sir Atticus and Meredith.
To say it was fighting would be an insult to its beauty. It was more like a dance they had practised a thousand times. Every step they took, the perfect dodge. Every attack they struck was accurately countered. The light from Sir Atticus's bullets and the dark purples of Meredith's obsidian shield just added to the scene. It dawned on me what these two must have been like when they were Squires. The best of the best. Their only equals were each other. No wonder they were so close.
A warm breeze ran over me from simply nowhere. Suddenly, Sir Petra was pulling on me again. I fell through the world, but my gaze never left Sir Atticus and Meredith. At the last second, I swore both turned to watch me vanish through Sir Petra's portal. I landed on green grass and lay there feeling the warm, healthy touch of the earth. Staring at the sky, I could see the stars again. The sharp points of light filled me with hope. I was safe again. I closed my eyes and let my tiredness carry me into oblivion.