Sophie fell to her knees, sobbing so loudly that the whole forest could hear. Brokenhearted she crawled to the tree and sat against it, bringing her knees to her chest. She cried into her arms throughout the night, longing to see Nathan one last time and to scold him for his foolishness. The birds around her stopped chirping and hopped closer. Sophie looked up with reddened eyes and flushed cheeks. She stared at the birds and slightly smiled. "I guess what Nathan said explains why you all like me so much. But it's so hard to believe that I'm part nymph.... why didn't I know before?" She said, sighing. A small deer trotted up to Sophie and sat down next to her, laying its head on her feet. She smiled and wiped the tears from her face. "Now isn't the time for mourning. There's still a chance I can save him and our families," Sophie said, sniffling, "Do you know where Kasai lives?" The deer cocked its head and stood up. Sophie stood up aswell. The deer started running off into the forest, with Sophie not far behind.
The deer ran through the trees, quick enough to not be caught but slow enough that Sophie could follow. Ahead of her stood a stone tower, weathered by nature. The deer stopped in front of the tower and stared as Sophie caught up. "Thank you. But I'm not sure that this is Kasai's fortress," Sophie said, confused. the deer looked at her and sprinted off, "Wait! Oh no, now what do I do?" Sophie looked up at the tower and sighed. She walked up to the dark wood door and raised her hand to knock. Suddenly the door swung open and a tall spindly man with platinum blonde hair stood there.
"I knew it! I knew today would be the day! I can't believe you're here! The woman of nature has stepped upon my doormat! Come in, come in!" The man said with joy. He rushed her inside and shut the door.
"Um, who are you? How do you know who I am?" Sophie asked, puzzled and extremely confused.
"Oh! I completely forgot! I'm Ange!" he grabbed Sophie's hand and shook it vigorously, "I'm an oracle, one of the five that wrote you and your child's prophecy!"
"Prophecy? What prophecy?" Sophie asked.
"Oh. I should've assumed that you didn't know. Centuries ago, me and four other oracles wrote a prophecy, dictating that a great evil was to be defeated by a 'Child of light'," Ange said.
"Child of light? I've heard that before. Some man said it when Nathan and met him. Could you tell me the prophecy?" Sophie asked.
"I don't think this is the right time. I need to help you harness you powers first, your magic. Nature magic that is. You get it from your father. Follow me upstairs." Sophie followed Ange up the tower stairs and into a room filled with magic tomes and items.
Ange walked to a case by the window and opened it. Inside sat wands of many different woods and a few other magical items. He looked through, every so often picking one up to examine it. "What are you looking for?" Sophie asked him.
"I'm looking for something to allow you to use your magic and be able to control and know how to use it. Ah! I found it!" Ange pulled out a arm cuff with a large green emerald and wrapped with gold. He beckoned Sophie over and she slowly walked near. "I stole this from Kasai years ago while I was trying to get back the scroll with your prophecy. He managed to stop me but not before I was able to grab this. He will stop at nothing to keep his plan in motion. He will kill Nathan if you don't stop him. But a fair warning, what you do to him now to keep him at bay, will not stop him forever. That is up to your daughter to do." Ange slid the arm cuff onto Sophie's arm. The gem glowed bright for a few seconds and went out again. "Here, take this," he handed her a wilted flower, "Concentrate, and it will revive itself and grow. You can control its movements and tell it to do things for you. Try." Sophie stared at the flower in her hand. It started gaining color back again, it's pink petals growing lighter. She thought of it's leaves and they started to move and twist together.
"Wha-" Sophie said, amazed.
"You already have a hang of it. I think it's time you knew the prophecy," Ange started reciting the prophecy, "A woman of nature and a man of night shall give unto this world a child of light. Different from the rest, her family will adore but outsiders will degrade. Her gray feathers shall lead the path to defeat the creature of darkness, the dread that follows. His successor, his son, will find her first and take the friend she loves most. A death in life seals the deal. The boy shall betray his father and help the girl through her journey. In three centuries time this prophecy will become the future."
"That's really about me?" Sophie asked.
"Not entirely, no. It's your daughter's. But it does have to do with you. You and Nathan sire a child, but she isn't a normal human. She isn't mortal either. She is a goddess, the only thing that can beat Kasai. But you must not tell her the prophecy or what she is until the one she is closest to, dies. If you tell her too early, our future is doomed. Now go! Find Kasai's fort! Head to the north. You'll find a village, threatened by Kasai. Tell them your mission and who you are. They will assist you in your remaining journey. Go! Trap Kasai and free your families!" Sophie smiled and ran back down the stairs and out of the tower. She took one last look and waved at Ange through the window. She turned back around and started running to the north.