Tales from the edge of reality

It was a quiet night, like all others in the Wright mountain range. In one of the many mills, an old man sat by a campfire, surrounded by people of different ages, all listening to the story he was telling. Master Joseph, whose name was well known for being one of the best swordsmen to ever set foot on that land, as well as one of the most learned people in the region, was recounting the tale of his most recent journey through the lands of Desolea. He was a tall, robust man with a thick beige beard. He wore a kind of blue uniform with boots, covered himself with a cloak, wore gloves, and had a hat with teeth around it. People said the teeth on his hat came from his time in the Corruption Jungle. Despite being around 55 years old, he looked like he was 30, moved as swiftly as a young man, and fought in one of the deadliest ways. He had spent much of his life in the inhospitable Corruption Forest, among toxic fungi, plants, and animals adapted to live in that place, so it was hard to surprise him.At around 20 years old, he discovered a book with terrible handwriting, but it contained an alarming prediction. In the span of 100 years, of which 30 remained according to his calculations, the world would begin to disintegrate, as if it had never existed. Everything would start to die, broken down from the atoms. The page he found was incomplete, seemingly torn, so he knew that couldn't be all that the writer had to say. While part of him screamed to ignore that old piece of paper, he made the decision to continue his search. For nearly 28 years, he searched the entire continent but found nothing. About to give up, on this last journey, he found the missing piece of the paper he had discovered in his youth. News spread so quickly that the next thing he knew, when he was telling his story to the children and the local doctor, all the adults rushed in, eager to know the missing piece of the prophecy. Though he wanted to finish telling his story properly, their insistence grew so much that he grew tired and decided to go straight to the prophecy."Alright, alright, everyone quiet down. I'll tell it, but calm down," the master said as he brought a cup of hot chocolate to his beard. After taking a sip and cursing for burning both his lips and tongue, he cleared his throat to announce the prediction."Alright, this is what the inscription said:'After 100 years of darkness, they will come, dressed in rainbows and surrounded by unreal paths, to reunify the dying world that once was.'The master settled back into his chair."I don't know if it's true or not, but what I do know is that, near the Coral Barrier City, at the farthest point from the continent's zero zone, there are parts that are coming apart. They look like gray clouds, and everything that disintegrates loses its properties."The people sat, listening with surprise on their faces. It seemed that, after all, a part of the prophecy was coming true—and it appeared to be the worst part."There's also a new disease. Its origin is unknown, but there are new outbreaks in both Kingsbury and Lumia City," the old man said, taking another sip of his hot chocolate to clear his throat once more."Whatever the case may be, if this prophecy is true, parts of it are being fulfilled. I just hope that if the first part is real, it will also come true soon, because no one knows what's happening, and theoretically, the people mentioned in this prophecy are supposed to save our skins."Murmurs filled the room where the story was being told, until another voice rose above the rest. Another elder, the village doctor, spoke up. Her name was Tina. She had spent much of her life studying in Kingsbury, Lumia City, and the Living Forest. Not only was she a doctor, but she was also a learned person who, despite basing her values on logic, never distrusted mysticism, magic, or prophecies, even though they had become unreliable. If anyone knew something, it was her, so everyone fell silent."Prophecies tend to be fickle; they won't come true just because we say so. Sometimes, the more we try to make them come true, the more they refuse to happen, and vice versa. We shouldn't rush things. Let them unfold naturally, and if they are meant to be fulfilled, they will be. Let's be patient."Everyone breathed out and murmured again until the sound of the master sipping from his cup echoed through the room, drawing everyone's attention back to the traveler."Let's be patient. Whatever is meant to happen will happen," he said.Tina nodded in agreement, then stood up from her chair and walked toward the door."I'm going to inform the king of this. He may be very ill, but that doesn't exempt him from knowing what's happening in these meetings. Besides, he's very sad; he knows he's going to die, and we don't have a successor. Rest well, everyone. Good night."The people murmured once again, bid good night to the king, and returned to their conversations. While this was happening, one of the children in the room stepped outside for some fresh air, tired of the noise from both adults and other children. As he walked toward the largest mill, he stopped to drink some water in front of the village wells. He saw his reflection in the water and dipped a small bowl to bring some water to his mouth. Just as he was lifting it, he saw what looked like a star. He quickly looked up to see a star falling over one of the lakes at the foot of the hill. It skimmed over the water until it disappeared from view, followed by many others.That was the only night across the entire continent where a multicolored meteor shower was seen.