Magic and Destiny: Fate

Chapter 25

Chapter 25

The crowd looked up at the stage, and waited in silence for the Oracle of Centauri to come out onto the stage. Almost the entire village was out and about, all of the villages children were in the front of the crowd, waiting to either be chosen, or told that they would be growing up in the village, not being chosen for greatness. Angel, Zephyr and Sylph stood side by side, heads held high, waiting.

It wasn't for another fifteen minutes until Miranda came out into the openness of the stage. She spread her arms wide as she walked out into the center of the stage. "Welcome to all of those who have come to bear witness to this Culling. The Culling has not taken place in over two-hundred years. During the two-hundred years of peace that we have all enjoyed, our enemies have gathered their strength. Things have started to move, and we will be seeing in our future, like with the attacks on your farms, more destruction.

"This Culling is not going to be easy for me, nor any for those who have children. The children that are chosen will not have an easy life. Their training could somewhat be considered as cruel. But it is necessary. Not to teach them the harshness that is life, but to teach them how to survive. Dominic, the leader of this villages wood-cutters, and the one who has strengthened this village through trust, and effort, he did not have an easy life. You see, I forced him into a life of training to survive, for I did not see any special gifts within him. I turned him into a weapon so that I would not lose him like I lost his father."

The crowd was silent, but Dominic understood now, why his mother constantly pushed him. She had never told him how his real father had died. She didn't want to let him know. He always had the feeling that his 'father' was not his actual father. All things are revealed through time, a voice in his head whispered. It was a voice he had heard before. In the cavern! The voice from the Altar!

Dominic's attention was now rapt. He was hanging onto the words flowing over the crowd, also hoping to hear more from the voice. "In times leading to war, sometimes the Culling is necessary. Not to find soldiers, but to find hope. Hope in the fact that those who are chosen, will not only be leaders when their training is finished, but that after the training is completed, they will be trusted, and looked upon to lead us into the future.

"Through the many years I have been the Oracle, I have seen three wars. Countless casualties. I know of the one who is at the forefront of this most current war effort that is opposing us. It is not an easy thing for me to say this, but we should have destroyed the soul of the person long ago. I and the sages of the crystal mountains, along with the authority of the great leaders of the eight nations had agreed that a fitting punishment, more fitting than death, would be to trap the soul within a Gem Necklace, causing the soul to go through countless centuries as punishment.

"In hindsight, this was not the best solution, and as such having had happened, there is nothing we can do now, other than to destroy those who would destroy us instead. My Son has faced this evil firsthand, the day he left my village. It was a girl who appeared to look about the age of thirteen or so. It has been many years since that incident. The child has grown, and no doubt the one whom is controlling her, thinks her will to be dead.

"I did not gather you here today to hear a history lesson. I have gathered you here to inform you as to why The Culling is necessary. The mistakes of the past haunt our future, and that is what we are here to change. The first step in that change is The Culling of those who are to be great in the eyes of the people. And just because you are chosen, does not mean you have no choice. Each of you will be given the opportunity to back out. Chosen , doesn't mean you don't have a choice."