The Raven Flame [The Crown Saga III] (First Draft)

Estranged Visions

One face that may not be who I think them to be and another that may be the key to our salvation.

What was I supposed to take from that? Trust no one. Put my faith in everyone but be wary of the consequences. Lean back and do nothing.

I squatted hopelessly in front of the crystal lake, submerging my fingers in the clear waters.

It was a miracle that I'd even found this place again after the Grand Elder had ended our session. No one had been there to greet me outside the Crystal Chamber, and the Grand Elder hadn't told me where to go before he'd shut the door behind me. So I'd been walking heedlessly around in this maze for half an hour before hearing the sound of water lapping against the rounded shore.

The water was cold but not like the icy waters of the river in our forest during winter. It was fresh and felt good against my skin.

My eyes widened when I saw a shadow move effortlessly through the water.

I hadn't noticed it back when the sand had dropped me in the lake, too desperate to find solid land, but the waters were full of life, unlike anything I'd seen before.

Streamlined, finned creatures, whose scales glowed like the crystals surrounding us, calmly soared through the still water. Their eyes sparkled as the smaller creatures played with the strangely shaped plants that swayed in the stream the fins left behind.

A few of the curious ones dared themselves closer to my warm fingers. I didn't move, allowing them the time they needed to assess the potential danger I could've posed.

I chuckled when the first creature swam through my fingers, its soft scales teasing my skin. Its siblings quickly followed when I proved to be harmless, savoring the warmth my body released.

"The crystal fish seem to like you."

A surge of adrenaline shot through my body, driving me to rip my hand out of the water and fall back as if I'd done something horribly wrong.

Kelda chuckled behind me. "Sorry," she said, stepping closer to help me up. "I didn't mean to scare you, but your friends are waiting for you in the dining chamber. Dad doesn't trust them, so he sent me to get you instead."

I accepted her hand and let her pull me to my feet. "Thanks," I said, dusting off my pants. "Were they okay when you found them?"

Kelda shrugged. "For human standards, I guess. One had a swollen eye, but your healer quickly took care of that. I didn't know humans could do that. There were five of them, right?"

I nodded, followed by a deep sigh. They were alright.

"What did Grandpa tell you?" Kelda suddenly asked as she guided me through a new tunnel where the crystals glowed with a tint of orange instead of blue.

"Um," I said, unsure how to answer that. "It wasn't all that useful. He told me that a decision I would make in the future would define the destiny of the world. He essentially called me a child of prophecy."

Kelda snorted and leaned her head back to laugh. "Don't worry too much about it. Grandpa tends to exaggerate his prophecies and make them sound world-threatening, which they rarely are — especially when he sees a future as unreliable as yours. Besides, we're all children of prophecy once we appear in a vision."

"So, you don't think that a world-changing decision lies ahead of me?" I asked, rubbing my palm, nervously.

"No, there will be," she said as if it was the most logical response in the world. "But whether that decision will affect your world or the general world is not very clear when the sand whispers to him."