Chapter 10- The Dragon Caller Prophecy

As the first light of dawn seeped through the window, casting a warm glow, it revealed a serene scene—a young boy in the embrace of peaceful slumber. Tousled raven hair framed his face, and his dark eyes remained closed, masking a fragility that contradicted the potent force harbored within his seemingly delicate frame.

This boy, standing at an impressive height of six feet, possessed a hidden power that rivaled even the grand-master, second only to the king of the realm, known as Paradise in other universes but referred to as Alexandria in this particular kingdom.

Jason: "Rafael, wake up, it’s time”

Rafael stirred, emitting a low grunt as he rubbed the sleep from his ever-exhausted eyes. He rose, acknowledging that the awaited moment had arrived.

Four weeks earlier, an incident unfolded in which Rafael lost control of his powers, inadvertently causing harm to his master, Gorion. Despite Gorion's choice to refrain from reporting the incident to the authorities—a decision that could have resulted in Rafael's swift demise—a noticeable distance had crept into their relationship. Gorion had promised to reveal the answers at the opportune time. Until then, Rafael was instructed to rest and heal, though it seemed Gorion was the one in need of healing. Now, the time for revelations had finally dawned.

Gorion: "Hello, young one, I hope you have rested well?"

Rafael: "Yes, Gorion, are you healed?"

Gorion: "Haha! You are a hundred years too young to be worried about me, young one. An attack of that level will never be enough to kill me”

Rafael: "I am so sorry, Gorion, I don’t know what happened”

Gorion: "Yes, about that. I know exactly what happened, but right now is not the best place to talk about it”

Rafael: "Oh, then what is the right place?"

Jason: "That’s where we are headed”

Rafael turned towards Jason’s voice, leading them to a swirling portal. As Rafael was drawn into the portal, his mind flooded with images of different places and people. Mr. Hood's gigantic head, still covered by his robe, laughed from the sky above as the last of Rafael's being was sucked in.

The portal ejected Rafael and his companions instantly. Initially, he felt nauseous, a common side effect of portal travel. However, he soon noticed an immediate heightening of his senses. Breathing in the pure air, listening to the birds chirping, surrounded by lush green plant life, everything brimmed with life. If life were a living reincarnation, he would want to live here. The scenery, the voice of nature, the purity, and divinity of this place were refreshing and rejuvenating.

Jason: "You are right, you know, Life did live here once”

Rafael: "Huh! Jason, and since when can you read minds?"

Jason: "I am one of the Generals of Alexandria, Rafael. I am capable of much more than you can possibly imagine. Oh, and almost everyone has the same reaction upon their first arrival here”

Rafael: "Huh!"

Jason: "Anyways, young one, this is the best place for you right now"

Rafael: "What is this place, Jason?"

Jason: "Rafael, Gorion, I welcome you to the Jungle of Life,"

Rafael: "Jungle of Life?"

Jason: "This place was created by Life himself”

Rafael: "Life?"

Jason: "Ah yes, that brings us to the point. Sit down, young one”

Rafael: "What’s going on, Gorion?"

Gorion: "Remember the time I told you, there are only 5 elements?"

Rafael: "Yes, Wind, Water, Earth, Fire, and Lightning,"

Gorion: "Exactly, and there are also 12 sub-elements,"

Rafael: "Yes, and you told me we’d talk about them later,"

Gorion: "Well, that later has now come,"

Rafael: "Okay,"

Gorion: "Well, there are 12 sub-elements: Life, Onyx, Ice, Order, Chaos, Dark, Light, Venom, Death, War, Famine, and Pestilence,"

Rafael: "Um… Gorion, what exactly are sub-elements?"

Gorion: "That’s a tricky question. Sub-elements, akin to the elements, are immortal beings. Almost all of them willingly shared their powers and knowledge with humans and other magic-using species across the multiverse."

Rafael: "Okay..."

Gorion: "But these beings are far more powerful than the elements, the primordial forces existing long before the elements. While the elements make up our environment, the sub-elements collectively form the essence of our existence, the essence of everything in the multiverse. They didn’t merely divide their power, Rafael; they fragmented their being into smaller versions residing within us as our conscience, guiding us through the moral and challenging moments in our lives."

Rafael: "Like our subconscious?"

Gorion: "No, not quite like our subconscious, but very much similar. Have you ever asked yourself a question, and the answer surprises even you? Or heard a tiny voice inside your head guiding you toward the right path?"

Rafael: "Yes."

Gorion: "That, in most cases, is the voice of your sub-element. You are a bit different."

Rafael: "I can’t believe how the beings called the Horsemen of Apocalypse would willingly share their power with others to help guide them."

Gorion: "Yes, you see, that's where you differ from the rest. The Horsemen are ancient even by sub-elemental standards. They are beings beyond time, existing when time wasn’t even a concept. When the Creator fashioned the earth and created life, he feared the impact their powers would have, so he imprisoned all four of them and divided their powers among the magical wielding population. Despite severe diminishing of their power, they remained conscious, cognizant. Every mage they kill restores a portion of their power. All four of the Horsemen are bad news, but the worst of them is..."

Rafael: "Let me guess, the worst one must be Death."

Gorion: "Yes, out of all the mages who received the power of Death, only 300 survived the ordeal."

Rafael: "And how did those 300 mages conquer Death?"

Gorion: "They elevated their mental prowess to a level where they not only retained their personalities but also harnessed the vast stores of magic that Death possesses. In layman’s terms, they won a tug of war with death."

Rafael: "I am confused."

Gorion: "Okay, imagine your mind this way for understanding. Your consciousness, personality, your entire mind is made of two rooms. The first room is where you stay or live, called the room of consciousness. The second room, or the back room, is where the sub-element lives. In case your sub-element goes rogue, as in the case of the Horsemen, it attempts to change the rooms for control of the body—part of what happened in the training room the other day. Death briefly gained control over your body."

Rafael: "Oh, so he really is my skeletal roommate."

Gorion: "What?"

Rafael: "When I thought of his visits less like a premonition and more like a dream, I started calling him Mr. Hood, my skeletal roommate."

Gorion: "You did what now!?"

Jason: "Rafael! Did you really name the most dangerous being in the multiverse, Mr. Hood, your roommate?"

Rafael: "Yes! Seemed like a funny name for my nightmare."

Gorion: "Haha! This one may yet survive. Jason, he might make it through after all."

Rafael: "Gorion, one more thing."

Gorion: "Yes?"

Rafael: "What about the dragon that showed up during the training?"

Gorion: "Dragons are primitive creatures made entirely of magic. An average dragon holds energy roughly 10,000 times more than an average mage. The dragon kings, or rather, the elemental dragon kings carry nearly infinite energy. So, during the split, the dragons were far more affected than the human race. Fortunately, the dragons were all united, and they left somewhere after the split. No one knew where, but when Dragons persisted, a very special group of people used to live in deep harmony with the dragons. We used to call them Dragon Callers or Tamers. Once the dragons disappeared, no one has seen them or the Dragon Callers since."

Rafael: "Do you think I am one of them?"

Gorion: "I honestly don’t know what to think about this, young one. In the world of magic, anything is possible, but this seems like too much. Dragons have become myths to many, and this feels like more than a coincidence. One thing is for sure: a lot of things are stirring up, and I have a feeling that somehow you are going to be at the center of it all."

Rafael: "Great."

Gorion: "Another thing, there is a prophecy that the Dragon Callers left behind, as if they had foreseen the great split. Thinking that you may be the one to fulfill that prophecy might be a little too far-fetched, but you never know."

Rafael: “Do you know it, Gorion?”                                      

Gorion: “Of course, the prophecy is as follows:

The king of the dragons finally awakes again,

And the history repeats again,

The end of the world is nigh,

No matter how much you deny,

The dragon king and the king of dragons’ fight,

To test their might,

One has a dragon’s skull as his crown,

And on his face is a dragon’s frown,

From his mouth he breathes fire,

Only to make the situation dire,

And the other lives amongst the dragons,

And they willingly pull his wagon,

His blood is warm like their,

But his eyes glow as their heir,

His strength is the trust of his friend,

Of which there is no end,

The crown of the dragon king,

Was someday his father’s ring,

The fight will prove their might,

It will separate black from white,

Everyone will see who is right,

A white armored knight,

Or the one having dragon’s might”

Rafael: “I see, any ideas what it means?”

Gorion: “No, do you?”

Rafael: “No, Gorion, I have no idea at all”

Gorion: “Well, anyways. We will spend the rest of the time of your training here and even after that”

Rafael: “Till when?”

Gorion: “Until we can find a way for you to control death”