The ground of the forest was an intricate weave of suffering. With every step, swing, and collision, a new wave of torment coursed through Vanta's body. He was indeed a fighter, but this was a different battle. It was a ceaseless, unyielding onslaught, pushing him to his utmost limits. He sensed the creature's energy, its darkness, hatred, and malevolence pulsating in the air around him—a distorted mirror of his own power.
He had been engaged in this conflict for what felt like weeks. Time blurred into a month, with the sun and moon cycling endlessly between light and dark, a constant reminder of the grueling struggle. His breastplate, once a shining emblem of his strength, now lay in tatters among the fallen leaves. His sword, his loyal ally, had been wrenched from his grip, its pieces shattered across the battlefield.
At first, Vanta was able to kill this foul beast a few times, but it kept adapting, reviving, and with time, he was unable to kill it. The exam kept him from dying, healing him just enough to barely move. It was an endless cycle of pain and torture.
He was at the brink of losing it, at the brink of insanity, then something snapped… No, it wasn't his bones or sanity, it was his perception. He could see everything in a new light. He noticed the subtle and tiniest of details he wouldn't before.
He felt his mind reforming, his thinking changing… He had achieved it… The Xue sense.
The monster sensed something different in him, as if reacting to his achieved sense. It stopped its attack immediately and soon disappeared into thin air.
"You did it," Ash said, rushing to him. She had been observing all through his battle.
"That weird sensation, that was the Xue sense?" Ash nodded in confirmation.
[Your senses have been heightened. Xue sense achieved.
Here's your prophecy.
"In twilight's hush, where shadows play,
A silent observer weaves the fray.
A thread of fate, a whispered name,
Echoes through eternity, a hidden claim.
Beneath the surface, secrets sleep,
And ancient powers in darkness creep.
A keystone waits, a hidden part,
To unlock the mysteries of the heart.
Seek the truth, in silence and in night,
And beware the whispers, that take flight.
Beyond the veil, where darkness reigns,
A forgotten path, with secrets remains.
The wind whispers truths, to those who hear,
But echoes of the past, bring only fear.
A door ajar, with shadows cast,
Invites the brave, to forever last.
Yet, beware the guardians, of the unknown gate,
For they will test, the heart's deepest state.
Your name acknowledged by your senses is…"]
'What the hell is this about?'
Vanta tried to stand up but was struck by a terrible headache, soon followed by the pain accumulated during his battle. What had been keeping him alive was now gone. He fell to the ground and passed out from exhaustion.
Ash carried him into the cave and laid him down on a bed she made from fallen leaves. The cave had changed. During the past month, Ash had cleaned off all the bones and spider webs, made two beds of leaves. She chopped down some trees, using vines to bind them together, and created an outer barrier and a door, covering the mouth of the cave.
With the help of Ash's elixir, it took Vanta two whole weeks to recover. When he opened his eyes, he was shocked at what he saw. It was night; he saw Ash sitting by a burning fire she created, roasting some meat. The aroma filled the cave.
"You're finally awake. I thought you had died," she said nonchalantly.
"Well, I couldn't even if I wanted to," he said, sitting up.
"How do you feel?" she asked.
"Well, different that's for sure, but I can't really place the feeling,"
"Oh?"
"Hey Ash, when you got your Xue sense, did you hear any weird voice?? Any prophecy?? Did it talk?"
Ash stared at the flickering flames, her expression troubled. "It's like a prophecy," she said, her voice a low murmur. "A twisted, cryptic prophecy." She closed her eyes, as if trying to recall a forgotten dream. "I remember… a voice. A voice that spoke of darkness and light, of a chosen few, destined to fight against a rising tide of evil." She opened her eyes, her gaze distant and unfocused. "The prophecy spoke of a time when the world would be plunged into chaos, when the lines between good and evil would blur, and when the fate of humanity would hang in the balance." She shuddered, a flicker of fear passing through her eyes. "It spoke of a chosen few, the Elite Two, who would rise to meet the challenge, to stand against the darkness, to save the world." She shook her head, her expression pained. "That's all I remember. It's like a whisper on the wind, a fragment of a dream."
"A prophecy," Vanta repeated, his mind racing. "But what does it mean? What are we supposed to do?"
Ash shrugged, her expression helpless. "I don't know," she admitted. "That's all I remember. But it feels important. Like it holds the key to everything."
"Also, I watched you fight, it was poor. We'll talk about it in the morning. Here." She passed him some meat, and they ate in silence.
'The Xue sense, prophecies. What do they all mean? What are they really?' Vanta thought to himself as he ate.