Somewhere far away from where the people of Zlatav lived,
A silver-haired man appeared to enter a brightly lit room as sunlight streamed into it. Inside, about twenty meters away, was a statue of a woman with three bodies, a face, and three pairs of legs and arms. When he was five meters away, he suddenly smelled a strong fragrance of incense, and the air became very cold, which caused him to get goosebumps without any cause, so the man spontaneously prostrated himself with his face to the floor.
“Welcome, O Goddess Magia. Is there anything I can do for you?” The man said solemnly, as if already aware of the presence of an immortal goddess there.
“My loyal servant.” A mystical voice sounded there, so the man did not dare to lift his face at all.
“Yes, Goddess Magia. I am here.” The robed man replied politely. He did not dare to say more unless the other person started first.
“The Chosen One is twelve years old. Soon, she will come to you. You will not die until everything is fulfilled. I will grant you long life and health. One interesting thing may be beyond expectations because my messenger may not come here alone. But it is tentative.” The Queen of Witchcraft began to give information to the Hugh Priest, so the man became interested but did not dare to ask the immortal goddess directly.
“I can’t let that boy stay in the orphanage because half his blood is a witch. I will never abandon my own people.” The Crossroads Lady again explained Alexa’s friend who both lived in the orphanage. The information even intrigued the man who had been prostrating himself. However, he only listened, as he needed more clues about the boy Goddess Magia had mentioned.
“I will consider whether or not he should go with the Chosen One. A great war must occur, for I want Emperor Aufdzek’s blood to be shed in Zlatav on the full moon.” Goddess Magia had already considered Aiden’s joining the witches and how the reigning emperor would die.
“Are there any questions, Brazam?”
The golden opportunity to ask finally came. The owner of the name tried to lift his face and succeeded in doing so, so that he could see the appearance of the goddess the witches had long worshipped. “Thank you, Goddess Magia. May I know the boy’s name if the Goddess is pleased to answer? So we will not be mistaken in recognizing him,” Brazam asked, curious.
“His name is Aiden. He has witch blood from his mother and was born in the same year as the Chosen One,” Goddess Magia replied with a flat expression.
“Thank you for the answer, o Goddess.” Brazam did not dare to ask more, as the aura of great authority on the interlocutor had made her that way.
“Starting today, I will allow you to enter the mortal world, Zlatav, so that you can keep an eye on what happens there. Do not forget to transform into an animal, be it a dog, cat, snake, owl, or wolf. Witches who can perform shape-shifting can do so freely, but remember to stay safe. Do not act rashly, let alone attract human attention.”
“Yes, Goddess. Is there a limit to how many times we can go to the mortal world? I mean, in one week, can we visit four or five times? Please give me instructions so I can easily convey it to the residents.” Brazam was determined not to make a mistake in providing information, especially about the new order that that immortal goddess had just given. The man had deliberately asked the Queen of Witches this question, for it had a good purpose.
“You can go out anytime, but not after midnight. You must return here before midnight and it is obligatory. In one day, only ten people are allowed to go to Zlatav, male or female, and no more than that, unless it is time for Emperor Aufdzek to die. When the ancient prophecy is fulfilled, all witches who can fight, are adults, and are physically fit must go there.”
“If you have an emergency or a matter of great importance in the future, then only those witches who have obtained special permission may go past midnight in Zlatav. If any witch dares to disobey my orders, then I will let her die at the hands of the enemy or be attacked by wild animals.” Goddess Magia gave a detailed answer, and Brazam was relieved and pleased.
“You have to make an announcement to all my people about what I tell you. One more thing. If any of them want to see the Chosen One, I allow it, but do not let that girl know. Stay alert wherever you are because the existence of my messenger is starting to be known by the emperor’s side, but they do not know where she is yet, so they want to send a messenger so they can find her. I will not let it happen to her.” The immortal goddess’s expressionless face now turned slightly angry, which made Brazam look down for fear of being exposed to her anger.
The atmosphere in the room was even more tense due to the creepy aura the Goddess of Witchcraft gave off. The old but still healthy man did not dare to raise his face. He chose to remain silent while waiting for the goddess’ anger to subside on its own. Time passed very slowly for the path-robed man, as there was no sign that Goddess Magia would say anything to him.
“Do not forget all my messages, Brazam.” The mystical voice came back, and the name’s owner nodded obediently. That silver-haired man bowed again with a grateful heart, for the goddess was no longer angry.
“I will properly carry out all of Goddess Magia’s orders.”
There was no reply from that immortal goddess. Brazam was still in the same position as if waiting for something. In less than a minute, the atmosphere in the room changed back to normal. A man who was the leader of the witches waited for a while, and when he felt that everything was normal, he raised his face, and the immortal goddess disappeared from there.
“The Goddess is gone. I need to make an announcement soon so the people know what to do,” he muttered.
The tall man quickly rose from that position, then shook off the dust that had settled on his palms and the robe he was wearing. Having finished with such actions, the loyal servant of Goddess Magia immediately turned around then walked towards the door with a feeling of uneasiness mixed with happiness.
I never would have guessed that Goddess Magia would finally allow us to go to Zlatav, although the time was limited to before midnight. That news is already a sign that the Chosen One’s arrival here is getting closer, although I do not know when exactly. I am glad that I will see the Chosen One, and our goddess has already granted me a long life. I can’t wait to meet that girl! Thought the High Priest optimistically.
***
Three hours and fifteen minutes later
Outside a temple, there were so many people. They seemed to be waiting for someone. None of them spoke, although many of them were very curious about what was going to happen. Soon, a one-hundred-and-sixty-three-year-old man came out of the temple door. He did not come alone, for several men and women were with him.
When the High Priest was at the front, the curious gazes of the people were drawn to him. Brazam realized this and said to them, “Good afternoon, Goddess Magia’s people. I am about to deliver an order from our beloved goddess that you must obey.”
Everyone there was both tense and excited as if the news was new and important to them. “You must know that the child promised in the ancient prophecy, the Chosen One, has been born into the world. She survived, but that does not mean it is over.”
Brazam stopped talking for a while and then began to observe the faces of the adults there. He had almost forgotten an important part, so she could only pause her words for a while. “I have two pieces of news from our Goddess: good and bad. Choose the one you want to hear first, and I will tell you about it soon.”
Everyone there looked at each other except for the High Priest and his assistants. They were talking in whispers and Brazam had not taken any action yet, waiting for the final decision of the witches. After a few minutes of deliberation, one man finally raised his hand, and the crowd’s attention was drawn to him.
“High Priest, we want to hear the bad news first.”
“Okay then. The bad news was that Goddess Magia told me that the Chosen One’s safety was at risk because a seer leaked about her and reported to the emperor. That situation is very serious, as it could threaten the fulfilment of the ancient prophecy.”
Brazam’s words made the witches there very surprised. They did not expect anyone to dare to act like that. The High Priest looked at the audience, and the same man raised his hand again. “What is the good news, High Priest?”
“The good news was that we have been allowed by Goddess Magia to-”
***