The light that erupted from the temple did not fade quickly. It lingered, searing itself into the minds of all who witnessed it. For a brief, fragile moment, the storm ceased, as though nature itself bowed before the child's declaration.
The princess stared, her breath caught in her chest. The child's voice, so small yet so commanding, echoed in her mind: "I am not your salvation. But I will be your truth."
"What does it mean?" Eldric asked, his voice barely audible over the distant rumble of retreating thunder.
"I don't know," the princess replied, her voice trembling. "But the truth is never kind."
---
At the temple's edge, Queen Selene stood rigid, her expression unreadable. Her forces had halted, their disciplined ranks breaking under the weight of uncertainty.
"What are your orders, my queen?" her general asked.
Selene's lips curled into a cold smile. "We wait," she said. "Let them act first. The truth will strip them bare. Then we'll take what remains."
But even as she spoke, she felt a tremor of unease. The light emanating from the child was no ordinary power. It was ancient, raw, and untethered—something even she, in all her ambition, could not fully comprehend.
---
Inside the temple, the seeker stood by the child, shielding her eyes from the brilliance. She had prepared for this moment for years, yet it felt like standing on the edge of a precipice.
"They've stopped," she murmured, glancing at the armies outside.
"They're afraid," the child replied simply. Their voice was calm, but their glowing eyes betrayed a flicker of doubt.
"Are you?" the seeker asked.
The child hesitated. "I don't know what to do."
The seeker knelt beside them, placing a hand on their shoulder. "The choice isn't yours alone. Fate will guide you—but you must stand firm when the moment comes."
---
He observed.
The light from the child reached even Him, cutting through the barriers of time and space. He felt its touch, faint yet undeniable, like a whisper brushing against the edges of His awareness.
This was new. The countless worlds He had watched, the endless cycles of conflict and resolution—none had unfolded quite like this.
He leaned closer—not physically, for He had no form in this plane, but His attention sharpened, drawn to the child's uncertain resolve.
Fate moved differently here. Its currents twisted and turned in ways that defied the patterns He had come to expect.
This world would not end as others had.
---
As the light began to dim, the storm resumed, its fury redoubled. The armies below stirred, their hesitation giving way to renewed purpose.
The princess tightened her grip on her sword. "We move," she said, her voice cutting through the chaos. "Whatever this truth is, we'll face it together."
On the opposite ridge, Selene raised her hand, her soldiers rallying to her command.
"Let them come," she said, her eyes fixed on the temple. "We'll claim the truth as our own."
And within the temple, the child stood at the center of it all, the weight of the prophecy pressing down upon them. They looked to the seeker, their voice quiet but resolute.
"They're coming," the child said. "All of them."
The seeker nodded, her expression grim. "Then let us meet them."
---
He watched.
The storm, the armies, the child—all converging toward a moment that would define not just this world, but something far greater.
And for the first time, He wondered if watching would be enough.