"Okay, but what does all this metaphor mean for me? I don't have time to waste…"
Dinis's voice sounded firm, but his impatience was evident. Every fiber of his body exuded an almost palpable urgency. The oracle had told him a story full of mysteries, but none of them seemed to lead him to what truly mattered: finding those who had been taken from him.
Before him, the two figures remained silent for a moment. It was as if the very air had stopped moving, waiting for a response from beings that transcended time and human understanding. When they finally spoke, their voices echoed, intertwined, creating an almost hypnotic melody, laden with knowledge that seemed not to belong to this world.
"Child… not all stories end as we would like. But within your journey, you must strive to live as close as possible to what you desire. The answers you seek are not in straight lines; if your desire is to reclaim what was taken, start where those who are guilty reside..."
"Guilty?" Dinis whispered to himself, trying to decipher the ambiguity of those words.
The dark figure continued, its voice heavy with an indescribable weight, as if words were emanating from an endless abyss. "There are places where shadows older than the Earth itself reside. Those who take what does not belong to them do not leave easy trails. But there is an energy that persists through time, and it can respond if you are able to confront it."
The figure of light, shining intensely, added in an enigmatic tone: "And as for those you seek... a presence can last forever, but it is not always where you expect. Your path is your guide, and only by getting lost will you find what you desire. Do not trust blind hope, but let it lead you to where your eyes have yet to reach."
Dinis frowned, trying to process the message. He felt that the oracle was leaving a clue, a slight indication that perhaps his parents still existed somewhere… or that perhaps only their traces remained, intangible and unreachable, yet still present. The feeling of doubt washed over him, leaving a mix of anxiety and frustration.
"If they… are still alive…" Dinis began to question, but before he could finish, the light and darkness of the two figures began to dissipate, fading into the air like smoke. The two beings, so imposing and absolute, seemed to vanish into a mist, returning to blend with the environment.
"Wait, I'm not finished yet! You can't disappear like that!" Dinis shouted, his voice echoing through the cave. He took a step forward, arms outstretched, but his pleas were lost in the impenetrable darkness that now occupied the space where the figures had been. A cold, immutable silence fell over the cave, and Dinis felt a weight in his chest, as if everything he had heard was unraveling in his mind, leaving only fragments of an enigma.
He sighed, resigned to the fact that the oracle would not manifest again. The path he should follow was still uncertain, but the words about "the guilty" reverberated in his mind. He knew there was a place, distant and isolated, where ancient and malevolent creatures hid—a place humans avoided speaking about, where destiny itself was challenged. If he were to find answers, he knew his destiny would lead him to the unexplored depths of the continent, where secrets lurked in the densest shadows.
With renewed determination and a still-confused mind, Dinis began to descend the mountain. His heart was filled with a mixture of hope and fear, but his mission was clear: he would continue, regardless of the dangers or shadows that stood in his way.
In a place far away from there, where light and darkness coexisted in a way unknown to men, two beings watched the young Sentinel, their ethereal presences connected by the enigma they had just planted.
"Did he understand the message?" the figure of light murmured, its voice hovering like a gentle breeze, yet laden with doubt.
"Perhaps... but the path is his to unravel," replied the figure of shadows, in a mysterious and somber tone. "What he seeks is much more than answers. It is the strength to face what surrounds him. And deep down, he will need that strength to endure what awaits him."
The figure of light remained silent for a moment, as if pondering the implications of what had been said. "But will that be enough to prevent the cycle of pain from repeating? The darkness he faces cannot be dispelled merely with the blade."
The figure of shadows leaned slightly, and a small spark of something resembling a smile blossomed on its face. "That depends on how far he is willing to go... how much he is capable of sacrificing. After all... this little warrior is still his son, isn't he?"
The last word was spoken in an enigmatic tone, reverberating in the empty space around them, leaving an air of mystery. The figure of light remained silent, as if contemplating the implications of the words. Both knew that Dinis possessed a destiny intertwined with forces far beyond his understanding, and that the answers he sought were only a fraction of the path he still had to traverse.