The sun shone brightly over the city of Goltan. Children scurried around and played games like hide and seek in between the houses made of pale-red stone. In contrast, the adults were engaged in trade at their street stalls or waiting for customers in their shops.
Under Quincy's feet, the warm sand spread as he walked through Goltan's unpaved streets. He did not wear shoes because his family was poor and he could not afford it. Fortunately, this luxury was not necessary for him as the sand was relatively clean, except for occasional shards or discarded bones, cores, metals or stones near the houses and street stands, and had a pleasant temperature at least during the day. It was very rare that he got hurt because under his circumstances, the formation of protective calluses on his feet was not unlikely.
As he wandered around, taking bites of his Bapful (a fruit that looks like a cross between a papaya and a melon in the size of a kiwi - the taste is earthy-sweet and slightly spicy in the aftertaste) from time to time, he noticed a gathering of Suhnshis (the people he belonged to - human-like beings with lion-like features) outside the market. 'What is going on?' he thought to himself as the number of Suhnshis rapidly decreased and before he knew it, it was almost empty around him. The few remaining ones who showed no interest in the event went about their daily routine.
Among them was an old man with a beard dressed in a white robe with the emblem of a foreign land engraved.
"Do you know what's going on?" Quincy asked the old man and stepped closer to him. The old man first pretended not to notice Quincy, maybe because of his tattered clothing that was almost unrecognizable except for his short pants.
"Please, sir, can you tell me what's going on over there? Why is everyone gathering?" Quincy asked in a more assertive tone. The old man sighed again and answered, "The Oracle will announce its prophecy. Probably, it's again about a better harvest and all the superstitious nonsense."
Quincy stared with an open mouth. Usually, the Oracle only stayed in the temple in the midst of the city's oasis, and it could only be visited by the high-ranking members of society. So, the fact that the Oracle was in the middle of the city and that he now had the opportunity to see it was astonishing to him.
"Why are you staring with your mouth open? Do you want the flying creatures to decide to serve as a food source for you? Get out of here and go there, then at least you won't disturb my peace with your presence," the old man scolded him dryly and nodded his head towards the gathering masses. Quincy didn't need to be told twice, even though he didn't like the tone.
Upon arrival at the scene, Quincy observed the patrolling guards who, in turn, noticed him as well. Two of them approached him with determination.
"Halt! Beggars are not welcome here. The Oracle is currently announcing the prophecy." The guards firmly stopped Quincy and held tightly onto the handle of their swords, which were tucked into their scabbards.
"But..." Quincy was about to reply when suddenly the sky turned purple and everyone's attention was focused on the center of the mass towards the Oracle.
The Oracle then announced the prophecy. And she opened her mouth, started to speak and...
Quincy suddenly found himself in a ruined city. Everything was burned down or destroyed. The bodies of children were piled up and the few surviving adults were feasting on them.
Full of horror, he wanted to turn away from this sight, but there was no escape from this view.
"This is the future that awaits us all, Quincy. Remember it well. You are the only one who can prevent it, but in the end, it is inevitable. So, give up now and leave, so that this fate doesn't happen to you," a powerful voice, sounding like the Oracle but with a higher authority, boomed.
Quincy's heart was shaking and his eyes were flickering. Shaking all over, he could not move and collapsed. But from about 20 meters away, he saw an adult who was perched on a pile of bones and was breaking the neck of a child and then started to eat the child's face. The monster, which was this adult, looked like himself - no, that was... him.
He screamed in terror, covering his mouth with his hands to stop the scream.
But this Quincy raised his head. Stared at him. Opened his jaw impossibly wide and within 4 seconds, the monster was upon him and bit into...
He woke up. "... therefore, the harvest will also be blessed this year." The Oracle ended her prophecy. Thunderous applause and joy filled the lively city.
"What was that?" Quincy was confused about how he was supposed to feel. The disturbing images were probably burned into his memory forever. And his body ached as if he had been devoured by a monster, but there were no injuries on his body.
"Hey, are you okay?" Concerned voices turned to him, who had again fallen to the ground trembling with a nervous breakdown. But he did not respond.
And so he passed out.