Songs of War Book 1: The Prophecy

Chapter 5: Troubles at Home

Senn finds himself confined within a stone brick cell, furnished with only a bench propped up against the wall and a cell bar that barely allows any light to enter from the outside.

As a clanless, Senn is accustomed to imagining the worst-case scenarios for himself for various reasons. However, being imprisoned without just cause was never one of his apprehensions. While some people may view him with disgust or being denied certain privileges that other Ardoni are entitled to, being treated as a criminal is a new experience for him.

Seated on the bench in his cell, Senn is lost in thought, contemplating the events that led to his current situation. As he watches the sun moves across the sky through the faint light filtering into his cell, he realizes it is already midday, and Thalleous would have expected him at the shop by now. Senn wonders if Thalleous is currently searching for him, and with Naevius having warned them, perhaps Osivian could help resolve the situation.

Suddenly, a voice speaks up in Senn's mind, "Cowards! Not our champion; he is!"

Senn scans his surroundings, trying to pinpoint the source of the voice.

Another voice then speaks up, sounding calm and composed, "Another chance he should have."

To calm his mind, Senn closes his eyes and begins to meditate. He manages to find inner peace until he opens his eyes and is startled by three figures standing before him. The person on the left holds a stone sickle and has glowing white eyes, while the one on the right carries a stone spear and wears a black cloak similar to the first figure but with no white eyes visible under the hood. Senn recognizes the individual standing in the center, wearing no cloak and carrying a Stone Sword on his back, between the sickle and the spear. The other two figures' swords and weapons appear quite old yet powerful in their hands.

The person in the middle wears a light blue shirt, blue pants, and grey shoes with iron armor covering his body, with color matching what he wears underneath. He has soft brown skin, brown hair, and a beard, giving him the appearance of a human to those who do not observe him closely. However, Senn realizes that the individual's eyes are glowing white, a characteristic unique to one person.

"Herobrine..." Senn whispers in awe, but before he can say anything more, a loud thunderous sound rumbles in from the outside.

"Not a warrior, he is. Fight the injustice against him; he should have." the figure holding the sickle interjects.

"Closed-minded, you are. More chances, we must give him; if we defeat the Entity, we are to do." replies the figure holding the spear.

"Naive, you are, to think enough time we have to defeat both Null and the Entity!" retorts the figure with the sickle.

"Enough!" Herobrine's commanding voice cuts through the argument, causing Senn to snap out of the conversation. He finds himself back in his cell, facing Marcus, who stands opposite him, having just slapped him across the face.

Senn let out a pained yell, "What's that for?!"

Marcus let out a sigh as he produced a knife from his belt. "You'll answer every question I ask. And if I don't like your answers..." Marcus trailed off, but the threat was apparent as he gestured toward the knife.

Senn had decided earlier that he would not cooperate with Marcus. He knew that Marcus worked for Valerian Nestoris, one of the Councilors in Ataraxia and the father of Hubris Nestoris, who Senn despised the most in Ataraxia. Valerian had been attempting to get rid of Thalleous and Senn since they arrived in the city with Osivian's protection. However, all of Valerian's efforts had failed, as Osivian was an ally of theirs, and thus, they were protected under the Councilors of Ataraxia. Moreover, many agreed that Thalleous was a valuable ally in case of any trouble with the Nether Army.