With Hugh quietly sitting in front of me and Kai pacing around the hall, I slouched back on the sofa.
Biting my lower lip softly, I would turn the pages of the red Book in my hand ever so often, my eyes only focusing on its contents.
The Book Of Prophecy was exactly as Kai and Hugh had described to me.
It had a lot of instructions written in it and solutions to different kinds of problems that may arise.
19# Do not attempt to alter the destinies of any of the companions accompanying the Hero.
23# The Heroes must face and overcome challenges to grow stronger and save the world from the malevolent entity threatening the universe's existence.
32# The Heroes, except for the Spear Hero, must not be informed about this Book or their future under any circumstances at all. Allow them to discover it on their own.
Failure to prevent this will only hasten the world's destruction.
42# Head to the Global Military Academy to find the three Heroes, but remember instruction number 32# at all costs.
75# Establish a covert order to operate in the shadows and adhere to the instructions.
86# If you believe you have saved the world– If you believe the Heroes have saved the world, think again.
93# Do everything necessary to assist the Heroes, for they are the chosen Champions of the Cosmic Womb—the conscious mind of the universe with knowledge of the past, present, and future.
101# The final instruction in this book is: if, by some stroke of luck, you manage to find the Spearman, disregard all other instructions and follow them.
They are the Last Hope Of Heaven.
Cosmic Womb? I should look into it.
Taking a mental note, I finally flipped the last two pages after glancing at the instructions.
On the last two pages, a bunch of prophecies were cursively written with red ink.
I tried reading them, but most of them were so vague and cryptic that I couldn't understand a thing.
Frowning in confusion, I was about to close the book when I saw something that caught my eye.
"T-This," I muttered in a whispering tone that barely reached my own ears let alone the others present near me.
The thing that I was looking at was a prophecy just like the others. But this one… this one was different.
Why? Well, because I have heard something similar somewhere!
``From the den of wolves will rise a Phoenix carrying the brilliance of heavenly fire.
From the house that carries the will of the Sun will rise a Prince that'll make the dawn sire.
Inspiring his people, he will shoulder their burdens, lifting them to greater heights.
Unbeknownst to anyone, he will sacrifice his lives in circumstances o' so dire with no respite.
By breaking the shackles of time, he shall write his own destiny.
Weaving the red threads of fate, he shall vanquish his enemy.
In the end, forging a ladder with blood, tears, and fire's ire,
The Phoenix will make his ascend and reach the heights none can tire.
With nowhere left to run and no life left to spare in the end, the Prince will take the LastStandatThe World's End.``
The frown on my face deepened as my lips quivered. That last line… I've heard it before!
But where…
It was then I remembered that when I was fighting Reina before she killed herself, she said something to me.
She mentioned something about The Prince who will take the Last Stand At The World's End.
…Hugh did say that Vampires have their own version of prophecies. So this could be one of them?
"Arghh," I grunted, closing the red Book and frantically scratching my head.
Confusing! It's all so confusing!
"Lucas," Kai's voice reached my ears as he called my name. I raised my head and looked at him.
He stood at the corner of the hall, arms crossed over his chest, giving me a knowing look. "I know it's a lot to take in."
Well, 'a lot to take in' would be an understatement.
I don't even know where to begin.
Prophecies, instructions, Heroes, Champions… This world had much more than what that bastard Joe described.
For a second, my breathing quickened, and my heart pounded hard against my chest.
Gritting my teeth, I forced myself to calm down by taking several long, deep breaths.
Finally, I shook my head, dispersing the thoughts plaguing my mind.
It doesn't matter – I thought to myself.
Right, all this doesn't change my plan.
Whether Lucas was actually supposed to be some kind of prophetic hero or not, my goal remains the same – survival.
"Fuu," I let out a soft sigh, turning to Kai. I needed to make this fact clear to him too.
Locking eyes with him, I said, "As I told you earlier, I don't care about these prophecies. The only thing I actually care about is surviving the world's destruction. Saving it–"
"Is only the byproduct of you reaching your goal," Kai nodded. "Yeah, I know. But I also don't care about your goal. I believe wholeheartedly that you are one of the three Heroes. So as long as you can save the world, you can do whatever you want for all I care."
"Okay," I nodded, satisfied with his answer. "So is it safe to assume you will work with me?"
"Sure," Kai assured. "As long as whatever you're doing helps save the world, I'll have your back."
"Good," I remarked. "So our first task will be to prevent the Vampire Attack from happening tomorrow."
"But it's already too late for that!" Hugh pointed out. "The Vampires must have already dispatched their platoon to attack the academy by now!"
"You're right," I acknowledged, turning to face Hugh. "But we can still limit the casualties."
"That's a tall order, you know?" Kai commented.
"I'll make it happen," I said, leaning forward slightly. "But when all this is over, I need you to hand over some paw–people to me."
"Some people?" Kai raised an eyebrow at my request and gave me a questioning look. "Who?"
"Quinn and Grace," I replied, a smirk playing on my lips. "I can put them to much better use than you."
