The Oracle

Prologue

It all overcame me in just one moment.

The life of peace and joy was stripped from me and I found myself in overwhelming agony, as if it were to consume my existence in the matter of seconds.

I missed my family. I missed my home. I missed all the scents of the flowers and the warm embrace of my mothers hugs. As I was overcomed by what seemed to me, my dying moment, I couldn't think of anything more but the fondness of my family and the smiles on their faces.

I didn't want to leave them. I couldn't leave them. There were many more things I wanted to do with them. I wanted to go to the amusement park just one more time. I wanted to try my dads cooking again. I don't want to die! I'm so scared to die!

Every part of me wanted to cry out for help but the pain took away any voice I had left.

I didn't want to do this. I didn't chose this. Who would ever chose to suffer such pain on their own free will? I felt so helpless. I had no idea what the cause of the agonizing pain was. I couldn't remember the moments that lead up to this pain, no matter how hard I tried to concentrate.

But I couldn't back out of it. Even as I began to smell the scent of my own blood, even as a darkness surrounded me to where I could no longer see a thing, even as I felt my chest scream and my body grow weak, I couldn't leave. And that was the most agonizing part.

"Take the Oracle and bathe them. We need them to look presentable to the public this evening for the Welcoming." A deep voice said loudly.

I began to hear movement around me, the sounds bringing me to a state of panic. My fear of the unknown only grew stronger when suddenly I was grabbed by both sides by my arms.

Don't touch me!

With my whole body still throbbing at every inch, the touch of these unknown hands felt agonizing. It was as if knives were piercing the very spot they touched.

I needed to be able to see. I couldn't escape this pain without knowing where I was. I shut my eyes tightly, begging over and over again to be able to see. And as if by a miracle, I felt the painful stabs in my eyes subdue slowly. I opened my eyes, and was able to slowly gain recognition of my surroundings. The pain still lingering in my eyes, but much more bearable. I was able to slow my breath down a bit, bringing my mind to a calmer state so I could think clearly over my situation. Everything was still a blur, but I was able to make out figures and the basic surroundings of where I was.

"Get away," I snapped my arm away from the strange man to the left of me. He looked at me with rage but as he tried to grab a hold of me once again, I slipped out of the other mans hands to my right and stepped away from their reaches right in time.

"Calm down," one of the men said sternly. "We're only trying to help you."

The blurry and confusing scenery slowly started to settle down around me, and not only were my eyes able to focus on just the men, but I was able to see everything surrounding me at that moment. There were those two men, wearing full suits and hair slicked back, but then there was another person in the room who I has never seen before. He was sitting on a throne-like chair, glaring at me. Dresses in red, gold and white, with pepper colored hair and stern brows, his eyes locked right on me, never even blinking.

I looked down at my own hands and noticed there was blood covering every inch of my skin. I touched my clothes and realized they were soaked with blood as well. It was as if I bled from every single pore. Luckily, it seemed as if the bleeding stopped and with it, the pain started to slow down.

Without much more thinking I quickly turned away from them and ran as fast as I could, my lungs burning within seconds, but what could I do? I needed to keep running. Running til it killed me, or could escape wherever I was.

I heard the men chasing after me, but even through all the pain still residing in me, I was quicker and stronger than I ever remember being. It was easy to keep my distance with this much strength in me.

"Haha! You'll never catch up!" I stopped and turned around to the men chasing me, laughing at them, no worries in my mind at the time. I had such an indescribable amount of strength that I didn't even know how to feel. It was a miracle I could even stand after all the agony I just felt merely minutes ago.

The building was still unfamiliar no matter how far I ran, but I kept running until I could find any sort of door that looked like an exit. From the quick view I got of my surroundings, it looked as if I was in some sort of castle. There were expensive looking painting hung everywhere, and the high ceilings had humongous chandeliers hanging from it. Everything was in the theme of red, gold and white. No other colors even in sight. Even the flowers in the vases were red.

My heart jumped when I finally saw a door that looked like my way out, light shining through the cracks. I ran even faster than before, a smile growing on my face as I got closer and closer.

I could get away. I could see mom and dad again. I could go to the park again!

As I reached out for the handle, another hand suddenly put their hand on mine, stopping me from pulling the door handle.

"This is your life now, my apprentice," a mans voice said. I felt shivers run down my spine and tears uncontrollably starting to flow from the realization all the hope I had, was stripped away in one hand touch.

I looked up and saw it was the same man that was sitting on the throne earlier. But instead of a stern cruel gaze, his gentle blue eyes looked at me with sadness and he smiled weakly at me.

"I'm sorry dear. But your life is no longer yours." He pulled me in and hugged me tightly. "But don't worry. I know what you're going through."