The King's Beloved

[Music Recommendation: "The Fire Within" by Hiroshi Mizuta (Final Fantasy XV OST) - available in Spotify or Youtube]

After the long and exhausting fight, Clavis' team decided to rest inside the shrine. All the monsters were cleaned up both inside and outside the shrine, so Ducis extended his Absolute Barrier to the surrounding area. He also strengthened the current barrier the shrine had while Illuminaire took Rania's clone from a magical space she created with her holy energy. Once outside, Rania's clone went to the fissures and cast her magic on it, slowly fixing the cracks.

Illuminaire couldn't help herself and unconsciously stared at Rania's clone. She was reminded of her vision long ago about the "moon and the sun".

An image of a big and bright moon, gleaming in white light, crossed her mind. The night of the universe surrounded it. Then, bright red blood splattered on it, and the moon was cut into two. The first half fell to a loamy brown soil that looked very healthy, while the other fell on dry, sandy soil. After falling down the ground, time passed, and the moon fragments were buried underground.

"This part of the vision," Illuminaire thought, "has already happened. The moon signified Guardian Amare's spiritual core, for it was white and pure and bright. The red blood was the evil brought by the death of the royal family, cutting her conscience into two—Vindicta and Amare. The half-moon that fell on brown soil was Guardian Lunaflora, for she was a Guardian, and the one on dry soil was Selena, for she was a human who didn't have any spiritual energy before. Time passing by and them being buried underground, was because nobody knew of their existence until the day they were revealed."

When the moon was broken in half, a cloud of darkness emerged from the former place of the moon and shrouded a certain planet. Time passed by, but the darkness didn't stop. It kept surrounding the planet, embracing it tightly. Next was an image of the sun, rising from its deep slumber. As the sun began to rise, the darkness of the skies lightened. When its light peeked against the earth, the skies blushed in the dawn.

"And this part was regarding King Elliot. Before, we thought the Guardians had abandoned us, and we were unsure what had happened to him. For twenty years, we thought we didn't have much hope except for the Supreme."

It was then followed by the image of the sun having trouble rising because a barrier blocked its path. Yes, the sun was sheltered in a barrier made of glass. Then a maiden in white appeared and broke the glass. Finally, the sun slowly rose from its slumber. As it rose, it brightened the whole world until the darkness in the sky was no more. 

"This part has happened, too, and still happening. The maiden, Rania, helped the king complete the Rite of Passage. Yes, I am aware of it, for I am the Oracle. I have been gifted by the Supreme to know things that are not widely known. He has granted me permission to see and understand the wisdom that is not of this world. The barrier made of glass didn't pertain to the actual barrier that kept the king safe for twenty years in the Forbidden Chamber—it was the shell of his old self—a self that did not understand the fullness of love and will of the Supreme. But now, he understood it and passed all the trials. Now, he is fulfilling his calling of saving the world and its people."

Lastly was the image of the maiden smiling as her body was engulfed in the light.

A gentle prick pained Illuminaire's heart. A deep sigh left her small lips.

"This part… still hasn't happened, but I know it will surely pass. I simply hope it will not be how I think it might be. Chosen Maiden, will you leave us once you have fulfilled your purpose? Will you not let us celebrate the triumph together? Will you hurt the heart of our king by leaving him alone? And yet, it is never up to her but the Supreme's will. My Lord, I beseech you, let nothing grave happen to your obedient maiden who's very much willing to sacrifice for people not her own. Bless her and protect her. I fear that we might be saved at the cost of her life, and that will break us, especially your Anointed King. Please… let it not be so."

Tears formed at the corners of her eyes as she turned silent in deep prayer. Though her lips didn't utter a word, her heart pleaded desperately to the Most High.

Rania's clone, who was also a part of herself and was connected to her consciousness, turned to Illuminaire, noticing her worried expression. For some reason, she seemed to know the contents of Illuminaire's worries, for she told her:

"Illuminaire," she said in a soft and sweet tone while smiling at her, "Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. For the Supreme has promised:

"Behold! The Vessel whom I uphold,

The Maiden in whom my soul delights.

I will put my Spirit on her,

And out of her brokenness,

She will purge the planet of its scourge.

When night meets day,

When dusk meets dawn,

In the beauty of the twilight, 

Perfection will come.

And out of the three,

The greatest will rise.

When the king sits on his throne,

The maiden shall be no more.

The king will have his queen,

With his righteous right hand,

He will rule the kingdom forevermore."

Illuminaire's eyes widened, and her mouth gasped upon hearing those words.

"Then, does that mean—" she asked Rania in haste, but then, a subtle glow left her body, as if the Spirit that consumed her was no more, returning her to a normal clone. "I see… it was a Messenger."

"Illuminaire," Clavis called her from afar. "The food is ready. Come here and let us eat and rest."

"Ah, yes. I'm coming."

While Clavis' team just began resting, Elliot's team was already done with theirs and continued towards the next shrine—the Shrine of Saburra. On their way, Vindicta's words from their last battle repeated on Elliot's mind.

"I will destroy anyone who tries to stop me."

But this time, Elliot was no longer afraid nor in doubt, thanks to Rania's encouragement.

"You can try to destroy us, but we won't stop. We will save this world and its people no matter what."

The fire in his heart was lit.

And there's no turning back.