"The blood of all female babies born in Norden, Barasan Desert, Nagula Plains, and Terra Costa Seaport should be spilled in the next seven days." Emperor Zurin repeated and clarified his decree.
The throne room was shrouded in an unsettling stillness, and a palpable aura of dread descended upon all those present. However, this was not an unfamiliar scenario, as the emperor had a history of commanding mass executions. When he seized the Astralis throne, he orchestrated the slaughter of King Toren's faithful supporters, leaving the once-righteous and well-loved ruler without any heirs.
With trembling hands, the scribe took a brush and a scroll that a slave had passed to him. He placed the scroll on the small table another slave had laid before him.
The scribe shivered as he sensed the emperor's penetrating stare fixed upon him. He swiftly inscribed the words onto the parchment with a sense of urgency. After presenting the document to the emperor for approval, the scribe carefully sealed the decree with the emperor's seal.
The decree was handed to the defense minister, who was tasked to carry it out.
Emperor Zurin rose from his ornate throne and made his way out of the grand throne room. He had not managed to sleep at all the night before, leaving him in a foul mood. He needed to get some rest to contemplate the prophecy with a clear and focused mind.
As soon as the emperor left the grand throne room, his sons and the ministers followed suit. Only the magi remained.
A wise and elderly magus with striking silver hair made his way over to the leader of their group.
"Mehu, you are the wisest among us. Why did you not counsel the emperor? Shedding the blood of innocent babies to counter the prophecy would only serve to further anger the gods of heaven. Is the emperor taunting the will of heaven?" he asked, his wrinkled face looking even weary.
Mehu gazed at the magus standing before him, a mix of curiosity and skepticism in his eyes. "If you possessed such confidence, why did you choose to remain silent and withhold your argument until now?"
The older magus with silver hair: "..."
The youthful magus who had spoken earlier, revealing the location of the baby's birth, now made his way to the head of the magi and humbly knelt before him. "Forgive me, father. I should not have spoken out of turn. If I hadn't disclosed to the emperor that the baby would be born in the North, then perhaps those..." The young magus, with his curly locks cascading past his shoulders, fell silent, unable to further voice his thoughts.
"You did well, Son of Mehu. If you did not speak earlier, then the babies all throughout Astralis would die. I have to thank you. My granddaughter was just born last night in the Southern region of Adhara." The scribe spoke; the sound of his voice was a mixture of fear and gratefulness. No one knew how much his heart fluttered when the emperor said those words to kill the female babies who were just born.
The magi left one by one. Mehu and his son, Gamihor, were the last to depart. Emperor Zurin's Durga (castle) was located on the Patharan Plateau. When he succeeded Toren as king of Astralis, he transferred the capital from the Plains of Nagula to Adhar, which was strategically located at the center of Astralis. He built his magnificent castle on top of the plateau, where he could view the four regions of Adhara, Estehara, Westehara, Nortehara, and Surhara.
The father and son magi chose not to return to their home in Estehara. Instead, they embarked on a journey to the ancient temple of Mandira, located North of Adhara. This temple held great significance as it was the place where the revered priestess, Delpan, delivered her final oracle on her deathbed.
From the durga's main entrance, the duo guided their horses along the twisting, cobbled trail until they emerged onto the bustling main road of Adhara, where the cobblestones stretched out before them. It was nighttime when they reached the temple.
The enormous wooden door with intricate carvings opened even before Mehu touched the iron ring in the middle of the door to knock.
"Welcome to the temple of the Mandira, great Magi from the East. The priestess is waiting for your arrival." An elderly man wearing a green robe clasped his hands and bowed to the two new arrivals.
Gamihor gazed at his father, his brow furrowed with puzzlement. How could they anticipate their arrival? Was there a hidden sentry posted along the narrow path they had just traversed, before reaching the temple gate?
Gamihor was no stranger to the temple; in fact, his first memorable visit occurred when he was just seven years old. During a routine pilgrimage, his father inadvertently left him behind, and it was three days before he was reunited with his family. It was during this unexpected stay that he first encountered the mysterious oracle of Delpan and heard about the prophecy of a destined child who would free Astralis from oppressive rule. This experience sparked Gamihor's curiosity and set him on a path of intrigue and discovery.
"Elder Mehu, it has been a long time."
Gamihor's contemplations were suddenly halted by the enchanting sound of a woman in her early forties. Her gaze fixed on Gamihor with a hint of curiosity.
"You have grown into a fine young magus, Gamihor," she said gently, ruffling the young man's hair as if he were still a little boy.
Gamihor's face flushed. He took a step back to escape the woman's hand. He hated it when people touched his hair.
"How old are you now, young man?"
"Priestess, I turned sixteen last night. My father told me that I was born at the exact hour when the moon Mayuri left the sky to rest." Gamihor replied respectfully.
The priestess looked at the elder magus. "Mehu, do you think it is a coincidence that Gamihor turned sixteen on the night of the blood moon?"
Mehu's gaze lingered on his son. He looked nothing like him except for his thick and straight eyebrows above his deep-set eyes.
Last evening, he was abruptly awakened by a disturbance in the tranquil atmosphere. It felt as though a stone was thrown, generating ripples across the serene lake. This was followed by the sudden appearance of a large boulder, resulting in a dramatic splashing of water. Witnessing Mayuri's reddened complexion, he realized that he had no alternative but to send his son towards the east.
"Maybe, it is not a coincidence."