The Pendant of Prophecy🔊

Once there was a peaceful kingdom named Aether, nestled in the extensive valleys guarded by towering mountains and flowing rivers. It was ruled by a wise, benevolent king named William who held a special artefact in his possession, a pendant of prophecy.

This pendant passed from generation to generation, guarded by the royal lineage, said to have been gifted by the goddess Niare herself. The pendant had a peculiar feature - every fifty years, it shone with radiant luminescence and deciphered a prophecy. This prophecy was usually a vital warning or guiding advice to the kingdom's welfare.

During King William's reign, the fifty-year cycle arrived. But the prophecy was vague this time, 'When the sky bleeds red, the shadows will rise. Only the heart pure can turn the tide.' The prophecy caused a wave of panic and confusion across Aether.

Time passed, and one starlit night, the serene calm of Aether was pierced by a blood-red glare covering the sky. Simultaneously, a horde of dark creatures, shadow ghouls, emerged from underground, enveloping Aether in terror. Farmlands were destroyed, homes were burnt, and happiness was now a lost memory. The prophecy was unfolding.

King William, shook to his core. Recalling the prophecy, he understood their survival rested on a person with a pure heart. However, determining the purity of heart was a significant challenge. While drowning in the sea of thought, William remembered his faithful minister, Thomas. Thomas had been by his side, serving loyally since childhood and had always cared for Aether’s welfare. Convinced that Thomas was the person the prophecy spoke of, William handed him the pendant. Thomas accepted the pendant, but instead of stopping the ghouls, the pendant's shine waned away.

In the baffling moment, a lowly servant boy named Liam stepped forward with trembling legs. He was a commoner, a child abandoned at birth and raised in the castle. He had witnessed Aether’s joy and now its devastation.

His heart ached as he whispered, 'I would like to try, my king.' Despite the reservations, a desperate William gave him the pendant, and miraculous happened. The pendant lit up like never before.

Liam felt an overwhelming surge of power as the pendant's brilliance grew. The pendant unveiled a hidden path in the castle that led to Niare's temple, the goddess's divine weapon stored. With wavering courage, Liam went there, and in the lit sanctuary, he discovered a gleaming sword.

As the sword was unsheathed, it banished away the darkness in the sky and the ghouls disappeared, leaving behind the kingdom intact as it was before the calamity. Liam returned as a Saviour of Aether. The royal court, including Thomas, accepted their oversight in judging the worth by status, not by heart. The incident marked a significant shift in Aether, where every inhabitant, regardless of their social standing, was valued for their character and heart.

Liam's tale began to echo throughout the kingdom, reminding everyone that every heart had the power to change the world. And thus, our story ends with Aether returning its peace, though now it was a peace enriched with newfound wisdom. The prophecy had led them through darkness, but was a prophecy fulfilled by a pure heart who became the hero of the Aether.