25. Doomsday Clock: This Prophecy Stuff Really Works!

"So, shall I chisel it?"

"Go ahead."

"I'm really going to do it now!"

"...Just chisel it, it's fine."

"Actually... why don't you do it? You're young, full of vigor, and protected from all evil. An old man like me is getting a bit nervous."

"Fine, I'll do it!"

This absurd conversation was taking place right next to Dick. The Brigadier General rolled his eyes, unable to muster a retort, as he watched Governor Haddon and his adopted son, Jaid, "politely deferring" the chisel to each other.

It was a tool of the trade for stonemasons and jewelers, meant to extract raw gemstones from rock faces with its sharp edge.

Governor Haddon was not only a formidable legendary Shaman, a high-ranking regional governor, and a fatherly figure to the orphans of the plains, but like many Eredar who had lived through long ages, he was "multi-talented." He was also a skilled jeweler—a trait that came naturally to the Eredar.

However, faced with the massive Sacred Stone before them, the Governor hesitated to strike the first blow. Even though Dick had explained the preliminary plan and the purpose for which these stones were needed, Haddon's respect for ancient Shamanic traditions and history made it difficult to justify destroying an ancient Eredar relic with his own hands.

After all, the four oldest elemental forces of Argus were watching. Should he strike and offend them, a Shaman like him would face dire consequences.

The cunning old man intended to pass this "honor" to his promising adopted son. Jaid, the bold Chief Cavalry Captain, snorted, took the chisel from his father, and took a deep breath, preparing to strike.

Alas, he couldn't bring himself to finish it either.

He was afraid, too.

And it wasn't just fear.

The most skilled rider on the Krokuun plains sighed and reached out to touch the Sacred Stone, which had formed naturally through the evolution of ancient elements. Its smooth surface was like the finest crystal; its silky texture alone invited tenderness.

Jaid could not communicate with the World Soul through touch, but he could feel the grandeur of the power connected to this stone. The World Soul was what had made the birth of the Eredar possible; in a sense, this stone was the "ancestor" of all Eredar.

"If this gets ruined, we’ll probably be cursed by the heavens."

The pure-hearted lad of the plains sighed and returned the chisel to Governor Haddon. The two stood there, staring blankly at each other. The others nearby watched, but no one stepped in to help—not even the courageous "Five Little Strong" were willing to participate at this moment.

Clearly, the psychological pressure of destroying a Sacred Stone was too great. Even the mere thought felt like sacrilege.

Eventually, Dick couldn't watch any longer.

Time was too precious to waste on their psychological conditioning. He stood up, grabbed his gemstone warhammer, and silently swung it, striking the Sacred Stone with a loud *clack*. Though precious, the stone was not particularly durable; under the force of Dick’s bovine strength, crystal-like fragments immediately flew in every direction.

"Quick! Pick them up! Don't miss even the smallest shard!"

Governor Haddon shouted with the excitement of a fan. He bent down to pick up several irregular fragments, carefully blowing off the dust. The others followed suit, scrambling to find and return the scattered pieces.

Dick picked up the smallest fragment to inspect it, then snapped it in two until the pieces were the size of a fingernail. He held it up before Governor Haddon and asked:

"Father Governor, if we use this standard to make pendants, how many ornaments could we produce from this Sacred Stone?"

"Tens of thousands, certainly. If every fragment is used properly, perhaps even over a hundred thousand," Haddon replied, comparing the two with a jeweler's precision. He added, "But Krokuun doesn't have that many jewelers. Even counting the apprentices, working non-stop, it would take years, perhaps over a decade, to craft that many pendants and rings."

"What if we skip the elaborate decorations? Just use the simplest methods to combine them with crude jewelry frames," Dick pressed. "Omit all unnecessary refinement, just ensure they don't break during wear or combat."

"That would significantly increase production speed, but these are artifacts after all. Making them too crude would make our Eredar craftsmanship look embarrassing..." Haddon seemed conflicted, but ultimately sighed. "I understand your intent, Diakum. I will strive to create a prototype, but you must send word of this back to the Seat of the Triumvirate as soon as possible."

"Whether it’s the discovery of the Sacred Stone, the confirmation of the World Soul's existence, or the premonition of danger granted by the star-soul that you mentioned—these are not matters that a Brigadier General and a Governor can decide in private. If this concerns the future of all Eredar, the two Triumvirs must know immediately."

"Captain Nari is already on it," Dick said. "While we wait for Velen and Kil'jaeden to arrive, we have our own tasks to complete."

He turned to the Five Little Strong and said, "Pick up the chisels and tools. Help the Governor cut the Sacred Stone into appropriately sized shards. Jewelry crafting is a talent carved into the blood and bones of the Eredar; you can all do this. Jaid, my brother, make a trip to Nathraxas Citadel. Bring the craftsmen and tools back with all possible speed."

"Understood!"

Jaid, holding his exquisite riding crop, acknowledged the order, though he added with a hint of helplessness, "But you know, Dick, ordinary people cannot cross this mountain ridge. The elements protect this place."

"Not anymore, Jaid," Dick said, glancing at the damaged Sacred Stone behind him. "The star-soul has granted us the power and honor to resist. The ancient elements will become our companions and allies. They will no longer block any warrior with the will to fight; they will even generously share their power with us. If you intend to follow our father and become a Shaman serving the elements, now is the best time. Just pray, and the elements shall respond! Both they and we know that there is little time left to prepare for this war."

——————

In the distant Mac'Aree, as evening fell over the Seat of the Triumvirate, Velen, having finished his official duties, accompanied his son to a gathering held spontaneously by believers in the Naaru Temple. The High Triumvir, who used magic to disguise himself as an ordinary citizen, enjoyed being among his people and sharing in their faith; his son enjoyed it as well.

The child had inherited the innate wisdom of the High Triumvir, and having learned martial arts from his "adoptive father," Commander Kil'jaeden, he was spirited and physically robust.

He was a sensible child. He knew his father was busy every day, so he cherished the leisure time they spent together. Although he was not particularly interested in the doctrines of the Light at his young age, seeing his father share his insights with fellow believers so earnestly, the boy pretended to listen with great interest.

However, compared to these dry and profound doctrinal exchanges, he actually preferred listening to his father's followers share stories of the Champions of the Light.

For instance, the currently popular story scripts about "Champions of the Light sweeping away cultists and demons."

The protagonists were Brigadier General Mal'dran and Brigadier General Diakum. To facilitate propaganda, the priests had "slightly" popularized and modified the stories.

If Dick were to hear these stories, he would likely ask how old these colleagues were, who were so brave they faced demons like the Light incarnate, what their titles were, and where they were stationed—perhaps they had even worked together before?

Velen's son listened to the stories with glowing eyes. He clenched his fists, completely immersed in the thrilling tales of demon-slaying, his mind already fantasizing about the glorious years ahead when he would follow in the footsteps of his adoptive father, Commander Kil'jaeden, to become an outstanding Vindicator.

Velen, once an outstanding Arcanist, certainly noticed his son's behavior, but he didn't think there was anything wrong with letting his child receive heroic education. After all, those stories were adaptations based on facts; they were part of social propaganda.

Patriotic education was essential and could never be relaxed!

The Eredar officials, who had experienced the chaotic times of the early Second Triumvirate, clearly understood this truth.

However, just as Velen intended to take his son to visit the Naaru in the temple, a series of indistinct visions flashed before his eyes.

The visions were so intense that Velen nearly lost control of his body for a moment. He sat down on a chair, gasping for air, which immediately alarmed his son.

As the son of a Prophet, he had known since childhood that his father possessed the ability to foresee the future. Seeing his father with his eyes tightly shut, the little one immediately waved to the guards nearby, signaling them to escort his father to a quiet place.

This was a common habit among all Prophets.

They could predict the future through various means, but those visions represented only what might happen—they were "possibilities," not facts themselves. The difference between an outstanding Prophet and a third-rate charlatan lay in the Prophet's ability to filter through the true and false images, decide on the most likely outcome, and organize it into a prophecy that others could interpret.

If one were to accept every possibility as truth without discrimination, their career as a "Prophet" would effectively be over.

The guards escorted the High Triumvir away from the gathering area without alerting the others, and Lady Ishara, the High Priestess of the Naaru Temple, hurried over to take the High Triumvir to his meditation chamber.

But Velen stopped them.

Still troubled by the fragmented visions, he whispered, "This prophecy is different. I must complete it before the Ata'mal Crystal! I can feel that something important and dangerous is about to happen. Call my brother! He must be the first to know this prophecy."

"At once!"

The loyal guards immediately split into two groups. One group escorted the Prophet back to the secret chamber in the Seat of the Triumvirate, where the ancient Eredar relic, the Ata'mal Crystal, was kept. The other group departed on flying rays to find Commander Kil'jaeden and notify him of the news.

The Commander should be at the training grounds honing his martial arts.

He lived a life of extreme austerity, avoiding women and indulgence, so much so that many of his personal guards believed that Commander Kil'jaeden's only joy was spending time with his brother Velen, and all his remaining passion was selflessly given to the people he loved.

Soon, Velen was brought into the artifact chamber.

Rubbing his forehead, he endured the mental strain of the still-flickering visions and leaned on his staff as he walked to the strange seven-colored crystal placed at the very center of the hall.

The object's design was primitive, like an unpolished raw mineral. Seven crystal clusters of different colors grew together, exhibiting a beautiful golden ratio and symmetry. The different colored clusters did not look cheap or exaggerated; instead, under the light, they refracted different spectra from every angle.

Kil'jaeden had once remarked that it looked like a crown...

But the story of the Ata'mal Crystal remained obscure in the current era. For instance, the ancestor mage Ougurei had found it in the mountains of Mac'Aree and used it to tame the elemental powers of the ancient era, but apart from Ougurei, later Arcanists had no idea how to use it.

Every method had been tried, but the Ata'mal Crystal remained unmoved.

Until one day, a thousand years ago, Velen accidentally activated the crystal under the guidance of a prophecy. A brilliant beam of light shot into the sky for seven days and nights. When its light dissipated, two Naaru had arrived in the world of Argus, shining with the Holy Light, and remained there to teach the Eredar the enlightenment of the Light.

According to the Naaru, the Ata'mal Crystal was related to their kind. But they could not confirm if the crystal originated from those ancient and powerful Prime Naaru. The only certainty was that the potential of the Ata'mal Crystal had not been fully released; the crystal could achieve even greater things.

Velen had come to the artifact crystal to complete the prophecy because it possessed the peculiar ability to amplify prophecies.

Near the crystal, the chaotic visions in Velen's mind were quickly sorted, helping him organize and interpret them. For the metaphysical profession of a Prophet, the Ata'mal Crystal was an incredibly rare aid.

When Kil'jaeden arrived in his ceremonial armor, Velen's prophecy in the artifact hall had already been ongoing for an hour, with no sign of ending.

This made Kil'jaeden, who had spent thousands of years with Velen, realize that today's prophecy was extraordinary. As the most outstanding Prophet in Eredar history, while Velen spent a long time interpreting prophecies, the initial perception phase rarely took this long.

Perhaps, like the plague that swept the world thousands of years ago, this was a "Grand Prophecy" that would affect the future of Eredar civilization.

This made Kil'jaeden feel unsettled.

He reached out to touch the forehead of Velen's son, who was equally worried, then pushed open the doors to the artifact hall, signaling the others to wait outside while he went in to check on Velen.

The scene inside the hall exceeded Kil'jaeden's expectations.

Velen sat before the Ata'mal Crystal, touching the relic. The strange radiance projected what he saw and heard as visions, like a poorly edited, chaotic movie. Kil'jaeden looked up, watching the visions that were tormenting his brother.

He saw endless demons marching on a world corrupted into a dark green magma hell.

He saw burning giants striding across the star-sea.

He saw the surface of Argus ignited, and countless Eredar perishing in despair.

Finally, he saw himself...

A version of him, like a red monster, sat upon a gloomy skull throne. His body, covered in fel-sores and scars, had transformed into a true demonic form. The wings behind his back were folded like hideous bat wings, and his monster-like claws tapped lightly on the scorching throne.

And before him, countless kin who had become the fallen Man'ari were fanatically calling his name.

"The Deceiver!"

They shouted in unison, like a demonic sound formed by thousands of voices piercing his ears.

"No..."

The sight struck Kil'jaeden to his core.

He was a steadfast warrior, but after seeing a certain possibility of his future, he felt a sense of absurdity and anger. The monster dominating destruction could not be him!

"Ah!"

Velen screamed at that moment, and Kil'jaeden immediately stepped forward to support his brother, whose eyes were bleeding.

Before he could ask, the two saw the visions above the Ata'mal Crystal converge. A dark, massive figure, like a god of destruction, suddenly appeared, as if it had swallowed all light in that moment. It stood before them, casting a grim shadow upon them.

Against the backdrop of the blazing fel-fire, they couldn't even see the face or body of that terrifying existence; they could only see a pair of eyes filled with tyranny and destruction, yet unshakeably firm.

They had seen Him through the prophecy, and naturally, He had seen them too.

"Argus..."

A low voice echoed from the vision.

The moment that voice reverberated, Kil'jaeden and Velen felt as if they had been thrown into a lava-filled hell. Endless, star-like heat surged toward them like the flames of a vision.

Kil'jaeden's first reaction was to shield his brother with his body.

But it was only a vision.

Their bodies suffered no harm, but the brief contact on a mental level through the prophecy was enough to sear them. The Eredar High Triumvirs looked up amid the roaring flames that seemed ready to incinerate the world. The god of destruction before them was dissipating, but He had already delivered His final "prophecy."

"Thirty sunrises hence, I shall arrive; thirty sunsets later, only obedience shall remain."

*BOOM*

The scorching visions of destruction dissipated at that moment.

The light and shadow that seemed to incinerate all things vanished, leaving only a shaken Kil'jaeden and a bleeding-eyed Velen in the quiet artifact hall.

The two brothers remained silent, but they could hear each other's hearts pounding with fear and anger.

"Is... is this real?" Kil'jaeden asked, helping Velen up. "Is this also just one possibility of the future?"

"No, my brother," Velen wiped the blood from his cheeks, his voice hoarse. "This is not a prophecy; this is a proclamation! A proclamation from the end of days. He is the 'Benefactor' the Enlightened spoke of, and the Dark Titan who commands the world-ending demon army that Diakum spoke of. He has given us His final warning. He and His army of destruction have already set out."

"Thirty days... It's not that they couldn't be faster. They have simply given us their final time for surrender and called it 'mercy'."

"But why would He appear in your prophecy?" Kil'jaeden asked. "This has never happened before; I've never heard of such a thing."

"Because the prophecy involved Him, Kil'jaeden. He is the Lord of Destruction who transcends all things, a true god walking the stars. Even destiny cannot constrain Him. He sensed that information about Him would appear in this prophecy, so He 'came in person' for a moment," Velen sighed. "Diakum's warning was correct. You and I both underestimated the forces behind the Cult of the Awakened. I don't think such an existence would cast a thirty-day doomsday warning just as a threat. My brother, I don't know how long it will take for us to be ready, but He has given us a negligible thirty days."

"I absolutely will not..." Kil'jaeden roared through gritted teeth, "I absolutely will not hand over my world and my people to a god of destruction! And I will absolutely not allow myself to fall into that pathetic, humble state!"

"What did you see?" Velen asked, looking at his brother in surprise. Kil'jaeden did not hide it. He trusted Velen as he trusted himself, telling him of the "Deceiver vision" he had seen. Velen gripped Kil'jaeden's hand and said in a deep voice:

"Do not believe it! Do not doubt yourself because of it! And do not let fear or rage take root, my brother. That is merely the trick of the dark god; He wants to crush your mind in this way."

"Of course, I will not let Him have His way," Kil'jaeden nodded. He was about to ask Velen for more details when he heard Talgas's anxious call from outside:

"High Triumvirs, the eyes of the Assassin's Court have returned with news! Governor Haddon and Brigadier General Diakum have found the legendary Sacred Stone in the depths of the Petrified Forest. Brigadier General Diakum has had an audience with the star-soul, and he says the star-soul has issued a warning to him. A destructive evil god named the 'Dark Titan' and his endless demonic spawn are approaching Argus!"

"What?" Kil'jaeden was struck with horror.

He strode out of the artifact hall to hear Talgas's report. Velen, whose eyes were bloodshot, lagged a few steps behind his brother, but the look he gave Kil'jaeden was filled with unspeakable sorrow.

He had seen other scenes in the prophecy.

In every description and outline of the future, there was himself, but beside him, there was no longer his most trusted brother.

Not in a single one!

Combined with the vision Kil'jaeden had just seen, this perhaps meant...

No!

Velen gripped his staff. He made a silent decision in his heart. Even though, as a Prophet, he had long learned to follow destiny, this time he would not allow the dark future to capture and take away his brother.

He would fight it!

He would fight this heavy, heavy future with all his might.

Velen leaned on the Staff of the Naaru and left the hall. Outside, Talgas was describing the message sent back by Captain Nari. Every detail was sufficient, even including feedback on things like the "blessing of the World's Will."

Kil'jaeden and Velen grew more serious as they listened. The terrifying things they had just seen were enough to make them draw strange connections to these events.

"Captain Nari says that Brigadier General Diakum told her that the Dark Titan's target is our World Soul!" Talgas said gravely. "Therefore, if the Eredar do not intend to bow their heads to the demons and offer up their world, the only choice left to us is a war in which we participate as defenders."

"This is a grave matter. We must go ourselves," Kil'jaeden clenched his fists and said to Talgas, "Immediately arrange for the Teleportation Court to prepare. High Triumvir Velen and I will go to investigate in person."

"As you command!"