By McKenna LaBelle

Bare Feet hit the cobblestone streets as a man ran through the night shrouded city. In his hand he held a lamp, which lit his path as he raced through the darkened streets. He pulled his shall around his shoulders tighter trying to fight out the bite of the cold midnight air. Racing towards the palace gates, he lost one of his shoes but continued running. He soon arrived at the palace gates that sparkled in the moonlight, casting a golden hugh onto the guards who blocked the entrance as if they were a mountain, unmovable and strong. 

“You must let me pass!” the man cried. The guards spared him barely a glance. The man huffed and tried to push through the two guards, “I must see the king! This is an urgent matter.” The man exclaimed. One guard shoved him back before speaking in a low ragged voice,

“The King has no time for foolish antics of a lunatic.” The two guards laughed at the old man. The man sighed and pulled off his shall to reveal his priestly robes. His robes of pure white with silver threading, the phases of the moon embroidered on his sleeves an upside down crescent moon on a silver chain hung around his neck glimmered in the moonlight. The priest’s expression painted with rage. The pale light of the moon clashed against the golden hugh the gates cast upon him, making his appearance ominus and godsent.

“Then by the order of the high priest step. Aside.” The angered priest growled through clenched teeth. The guards quickly moved aside and opened the gates for the man of the Gods.

The man raced through the palace, trying to remember his path from the many times he had visited. He raced to the throne room the guards opening the grand wooden doors in advance so the priest could just run through. 

“What is the meaning of this priest.?” The king growled sitting up, his golden crown placed upon his head. His fiery blue eyes bore into the priest bowing before him. Dark circles under the king’s eyes. “I hope you have brought me what I asked of you. Did you not? The meaning for the night evil that I have seen behind closed eyes?” The King asked waving his hand about playing with a small flame that danced in his hand. 

“I come with something different your highness..” The priest began to explain before the King cut him off yelling in a thunderous voice. 

“If you have not what I asked of you, why do you dare return?!” 

“Forgive me your highness, but the Gods have blessed me with a prophecy!” The Priest explained jumping up and throwing his arms out n a grand jesture his eyes sparkling with the light from the fire. The king only laughed before standing.

“Why should a king concern himself with these so called ‘Gods’? For the people of my kingdom see me as their God! For I could say fire is rain and it would be as I say!” The king approached the priest his hand flaming. “For God’s use fear to control the people. I can easily do that. I can burn down their entire lives with one simple flick of my wrist.” The king sneereared, venom dripping from his words.

“My king-” 

“Silence!” The king yelled throwing a flame at the priest’s feet who quickly backed away.

“My king! Please, you must listen! For what the Gods have given me speaks of the future of this kingdom!-” The priest begged the king to listen but the king turned to him fire dancing in his eyes.

“I am the future!” The king yelled the flames in the throne room flared, and within a blink of an eye a blinding light filled the room and the king was struck dead where he stood.

The priest looked at where the priest stood in horror, the king’s body laid on the ground eyes empty, yet no blood anywhere. A women with gray skin and long white hair, stood over the now dead king. She turned to the priest and her gaze softened.

“My wonderful messenger, I’m proud, you have made the God’s proud.” She smiled her voice soft and sweet, yet also sounded Disembodied. Angelic was the only way you could explain how she sounded.

“Lunam… my goddess..” The Priest immediately fell to his knees tears in his eyes. “Please allow me to live and keep spreading the word of the Gods.” The priest pleaded the white haired goddess. She simply smiled, 

“I wound dream of it my messenger.” she spoke, “but sadly, there’s something I must take back.” She said a bit of sorrow in her voice, she placed her hands on the priest’s face, her thin fingers ran over his eyes, she brought her hands back. She stepped away from the priest, who was now trying to find his bearings. Lunam held his sight in her hands. She walked over to the throne and stepped behind it. She placed one of her palms on the marble wall that stood tall behind the throne. The marble glowed a strange ominous blue hugh, as Lunam pulled her hand back, her body morphed into light and once again a blinding light filled the room, when the light faded guards flooded into the room to find the priest leaning against a marble column. Their gases soon fell upon the lifeless body of the king. 

“Wheres my father?” a young boy asked one of the guards as he tried to make his way into the throne room. A maid who was swept into the throne room with the guards made her way over to the young prince.

“My prince, what are you doing up at this late hour. We must get you to bed.” The maid spoke in a soft yet shaky voice.

“Where is my father? Please let me see him” the young boy pleaded, tugging on the maid’s skirt with one of his hands. The maid turned her head to the side and bit her lip holding back tears, she didn’t want the boy to see his father lying lifeless on the floor. When she looked back to where the young prince stood. But the young prince had slipped past her and was weaving his way through the guards. 

“Hotaru!” The maid cried trying to make her way to the boy before he got through the line of guards. But sadly the young boy was to quick for the maid.

“Father…” the young boy said softly as he approached the corpse of his father. He kneeled down next to his father and gently shook his arm. “Father, you must wake up.. F-father this isn’t humorous..” The boy choked out, tears in his eyes, his shaking became more rough and frantic, “Father! Father please!” The boy cried. The maid ran up to the young prince and picked him up. The young prince screamed and struggled to get out of the maid’s arms. The Maid carried him out of the throne room and set him down.

“Please stay here my prince..” She said closing the throne room doors. The boy stood in front of the door tears racing like chariots down his face. 

They buried the king next to his wife, leaving the young boy to rule the kingdom. Yet the kingdom mourned for the loss of their monarch, ignoring the fact of how much a tyrant he really was. The blind priest pleaded with people to listen to the warning of the gods. 

For the marble wall strong and tall loomed above the throne, now etched by the finger of the Gods a prophecy that would plague the land for years to come.

Although this world has peace

A dark force shall soon arise. Fear, but pray to the skies.

For you may be the next to die,

Fret not, we have heard your cries,

Soon we shall send a madin with magenta eyes.

Yet be warned.

Before the maiden with magenta eyes will be sent,

Blood will be drawn, Yet wait till dawn, 

When the sun doesn’t rise,

And the moon stays in the sky. That’s when you know,

The maiden with the magenta eyes has arrived.

For the Gods have heard your cries.

We know you will continue to die,

Until the maiden with magenta eyes shall arise.