====== Prophecy ====== > //Mythologies of Mydreign: Prophecy// - An parallel story where the Prophecy never came true, and the Hero never arrived... what happened to the world of Mydreign? What will happen when another great calamity threatens the life of everyone? > Disclaimer - Mythologies of Mydreign: Prophecy is a fan work developed by Alisha Flag. Mythologies of Mydreign is not affiliated with this project. ---- > ''//Mythologies of Mydreign: Prophecy// is loading.'' > ''//Mythologies of Mydreign: Prophecy// is loading..'' > ''//Mythologies of Mydreign: Prophecy// is loading.​..'' ---- The Protagonist walked into the next room in the Temple. It took far too long to get here, and they were already short on time... no matter. With that damned old lady behind them now, they could finally get a move on. Find the Orb of Despair, break it, lift the curse over the town, and done. That's all they needed to do now, and with their path finally ope- 'Hey, young'un! Glad to see y'again!' //Oh, you've got to be fucking kidding.// Like a herald of the apocalypse, there she was again, this time dangling upside-down with her ankle caught in a web. Her weathered coat was hanging off of her shoulders, almost obscuring her face, but the Protagonist could still catch a glimpse of that infuriating, unbreakable smile. 'Boy howdy, you sure showed up in the nick of time! I kept lookin' 'round these old ruins after we last met, but I seem to have gotten tangled up in trouble again! Y'wouldn't mind helping an old lady out again, would'ya?' Sigh. This old lady. Big robe-like coat, with sleeves long enough to hide her hands. Tall fur hat. Eyepatch over her right eye. The Protagonist had run into her again and again throughout their expedition in the Temple, and always she was caught up in some sort of trouble. Trouble the Protagonist had to get her out of, at the cost of more and more time. Well, this was just a web, they thought, as they raised their bladed boomerang, threw it and- PING! It... bounced right off. 'Oh yeah, this web's a real piece o' work. I think it's only vulnerable where it's attached to the wall, or somethin'.' //Of course it wouldn't be that easy,// The Protagonist grumbled in their own head as they slid on their climbing gear and made their way up the wall. Sure enough, the steely sheen of the web gave way to a paler, more organic white as they approached the attachment point on the ceiling. Raising their bladed boomerang again, they aimed and threw it. This time, the action was greeted with a satisfying sound of tearing fibres as a thump was heard from below them. 'Thank you! Boy, I really owe ya one, or several, kyaha~!' The old lady's voice drifted up the stone walls of the Temple. The Protagonist could barely keep from rolling their eyes as- wait. There was a hole, right next to where the webs were attached. The Protagonist carefully made their way over to the opening, reaching their hand in... huh. From the hole, out came a satchel, along with a few bones from old prey, assumedly. But inside the satchel was a number of valuables: rings, necklaces, and a potion! The Protagonist turned back towards the floor- But the old lady was already gone. ---- Some few hours of exploring later, the Protagonist, weary and tired, found themselves in a large, yawning hall. Presumably, this is where the dark priests held their congregations. Despite that, it was... overly large, the Protagonist thought. They stumbled. Gods... those spiders had taken a lot out of them. Good thing they already knew how to cut through the webs, thanks to the old lady. //You know, I wonder how she's doing...// ... 'Heya, young'un. You look mighty weary.' The Protagonist didn't have to wonder for long. There she was, sitting by a small fire in a nook created by the massive pillars, the firelight dancing over her eyepatch and her long, blue hair. Even without it, the small pinpricks of light coming from what looked like freckles softly lit the area. The Protagonist went to open their mouth, but- 'Aw, c'mon. Don't gimme whatever you're going to say about 'not havin' time' or 'needing to finish your mission'. Take a break from playin' hero for everyone out there... and do somethin' for yourself, too.' The Protagonist closed their mouth, unable to retort. They sat down, the warmth of the fire washing over them. It was... nice. The old lady passed them a mug. The warm, dark liquid inside smelled rich, steam rising from the surface. The Protagonist took a sip. It was quite sweet... but not too much. 'Haven't had the chance to talk properly, what with all the chaos in here. I metcha in this here temple, but whatcha been up to before that?' The Protagonist opened their mouth, words flowing from their lips. Tales of their past quests, their time at the Jawline Confederation, the curse of the Sea of Shadow. The old lady listened to it all, a gentle, knowing smile on her face. 'Y'know, I do quite admire all you've been doing. It ain't easy to take up such a task, helping so many people. I can see your heart's in it. But, you gotta remember... try as you might, you are just a person. Mind you, that's not a bad thing. Just, it'll take much more than one so-called hero to fix this world's ills. But, who knows. Maybe your actions'll inspire some other folk, too. And maybe together, you'll break the spell over our haunted lands.' The lady looks over the Protagonist once more, before sighing and smiling. 'Well, thanks for giving an old lady the time of day. You best be getting back to whatever you gotta do, hm? In any case, if you need a friendly face again, I'll be here.' The Protagonist stood back up, thanking the old lady as well. The tea still sat in their stomach, continuing to warm them from inside. ---- Finally. After several convoluted locks spread all around the temple were all, in one way or another, broken, that mysterious door at the side of the the Temple finally lay open before the Protagonist. This part of the Temple was made of a much darker stone than the rest, so blue it was almost black. Past the door, a long hallway stretched out, leading to a dimly-lit chamber surrounded by murals depicting shadowy figures and dark snakes. At the centre of the chamber lay a pedestal, upon which stood what looked like a glaive made of some dark crystal. The Protagonist stepped forward, reaching out for the glaive, and- 'There it is!' From behind them came the all-too familiar clomping of well-worn road boots belonging to the old lady. //What the hell is she doing here?// 'Ah, suspected this was here. Been trying to open this door for ages, but I guess in you came to help me out again, kyaha!' The old lady looked back at the Protagonist, her eye passing over their expression. '...you want it too, hm? Well... I suppose I could be convinced to part with it... if you beat me.' //Beat her?// The old lady stepped towards the glaive, standing between it and the Protagonist. Her expression was unlike anything the Protagonist has seen from her before: mischievous and wry. 'Tell you what. If you can hit me, once, it's yours.' //Just once? Oh, this'll be easy.// The Protagonist nodded, smiling themselves as they flicked out their boomerang and tossed it at the old lady. ...but she moved even before the throw happened, the boomerang sailing just past her head. The Protagonist tried, again and again, the old lady sidestepping attack after attack she almost seemed to know was coming. After one final throw, the lady disappeared. So did the glaive behind her. 'Tell me, young'un. You really think you can help this world? You really hope you can make a change?' The old lady's voice seemed to be coming from all around. //No, wait. Above.// The Protagonist stepped to the side just in time to avoid the glaive planting itself into the ground beside them. When they turned, it's gone, and when they turned back, there stood the old lady, in a set of shining silver armour. Blue energy shined out from the eye formerly covered by her eyepatch, and from the ornate silver gauntlets fitted to her hands. She twirled the glaive in her hands, smiling at the Protagonist as she opened her arms wide. 'If you really hope, with all your heart... come and prove it!' //-- Written by Alyssa A.//