I own nothing, not the characters, the space where this story exists, or even the eyes that you are using to read it. This is for entertainment purposes only, no money involved.
Feel free to skip this chapter. It has not plot relevance and goes against WITCH canon.
The world of order, Kandrakar, it pure pearly white palace flouting in within a forever golden sky. It was the centerpiece of the universe, charged with guarding the balance of all worlds. Lead by the immortal spirits of only the most pure beings, the Counsel.
It was within this divine fortress that the Oracle spent his existence, watching as the events of Fate unfolded before him, but never working against it. The Oracle's appearance was odd, but had a very simple feel to it. He was bold with a few stubbles of white hair on his chin and the symbol of Kardrakar tattooed on either side of his head, just behind his ears. Despite his age he looked as if he was only in his mid to late twenties. He sat cross legged, flouting in front of the five Aurameres, the sources of the Guardians' powers, as he tried to unravel the mysteries of Fate as it was being presented to him.
The job was a very heavy one, forcing him to watch as disasters accrued and being focused to just let them happen. It was not the Oracle's job to interfere with fate. But recently Fate had done something that the Oracle hadn't seen in nearly ten thousand years; it had changed. At first he had believe he had just miss read the signs, but there was definitely a change and the future was becoming harder and harder to see, as if a powerful force was blocking his vision.
He smiled as the door creaked open and Yan Lin entered the room. "It is unusual for you to expend the energy to come all the way to Kardrakar. You must truly be troubled." The Oracle said, not in the least bit surprised to see the tired old woman stepping into the room.
"You know that I was going to come. Would it have killed you to open the fold yourself? I'm to old to be doing this and I'm not hooked up into and Auramere anymore." Yan Lin said rubbing her shoulders. "But I just had to come. A new Ghost King has appeared in front of the girls." Yan Lin said trying to keep the worry out of her voice.
"Yes, I know." The Oracle said calmly looking away.
"With all due respect Oracle, the girls are not ready for this. That disaster with the ghost twenty years ago was almost more than Halinor, Kadma, and I could handle with our years of experience. The girls have only had their powers for a few weeks, and there was no Ghost King last time." Yan Lin said seriously. "If our Veil around the Tartarus breaks then..."
"Our Veil was completely destroyed just over a year ago." The Oracle said. Yan Lin's eyes widened. The Oracle turned to the past guardian with an almost apologetic look. "With Halinor and Kadma gone there was nothing that could be done. We didn't have time to find and train new Guardians. And so it was left to fate."
Yan Lin sighed heavily. "I understand that you didn't want me involved, but some warning would be nice. I don't believe the girls will be ready to fight off an army of ghosts."
"We can only hope that they will never need to." The Oracle said, knowing full well that his vision of the future was clouded. "What is it that you sought when you came here, Yan Lin? You know that any knowledge you obtain can not be shared with the girls until they are ready. We cannot change their fate."
Yan Lin looked up at the Oracle with tired eyes. "I've already said it, I'm too old for this not knowing. My heart can't help but to fear the worst. And even it is to be the worst, I think that knowing would be better for my health." She said before smiling. "Or do you want be to have a heart attack? I suppose you could use the company up here? Unless all those windbags in the counsel have suddenly become good company since I was last here?"
The Oracle smiled at his old friend. Her appearance my have changed the the years since she had first become a guardian herself, but that free spirit which characterized a Guardian of Air had not changed in the slightest. "I will tell you this much. The new Ghost King, is not a true ghost."
Yan Lin looked confused for a moment before she understood. "Like Achilles... he's a Halfa." Yan Lin said as she connected the dots.
The Oracle nodded. "A human bathed in Styx, the nature of death. Changed into a creature who possess both types of Aether within them." The Oracle said looking off into the distance. "The child gained of the Heart of Tartarus through battle with its previous owner by depleting his own life force for the power that he needed. As you know, life is the most powerful form of mystics. Water, Fire, Earth, and Air, all bound together by Quintessence to form a living being. The destruction of this bond is simular to splitting an atom and releases incredible power, but if can only be done to is utmost potential within the body of a Halfa."
Yan Lin nodded. "That would explain how a child ended up holding such a dangerous artifact, and why he doesn't attack the girls."
"Though many in the counsel would deem his existence to be taboo, I should not think that he will actively try to harm us without provocation." The Oracle said calmly. "He is just a human child. Though I suppose those words probably sound hollow to you, how know the strength of human children as well as I do."
"You got that right." Yan Lin laughed, but then her face turned a bit more serious. "This means I turned the girls against him for nothing." She said with a look of shame.
"You were working on your own experiences from the disaster twenty years ago. You cannot blame yourself for only doing what you believed was right." The Oracle said to comfort his old friend.
"Thank you, Himerish." Yan Lin said gratefully, using the Oracle's true name.
"It was good to see you again, Yan Lin." The Oracle said waving his ringed hand and causing a small rip to appear in space which Yan Lin walked through.
After Yan Lin left the Oracle's brow creased a little. "The boy might not be a threat to Kandrakar, but... he was meant to have died." The Oracle mumbled to himself as he got up and went to return to his chambers.
He entered the massive space underneath his room to were he kept his memories of the distant past. He was far to old to keep all of his memories with him, hundreds of thousands of years was a lot to remember, so most of the details were kept in this subroom.
The lighting was fairly dull as was the surroundings. The only light in the room came from a massive glass crystal within the center of the room, the store place of his memories. He walked up to the crystal and called up a memory from long ago.
The light within the glass bent, forming colors and then shapes. Within the crystal was the room he had just left, only the Aurameres had yet to be divid and remained as a single rainbow orb in the center of the room.
The doors crashed open and a bold man win a white cloak stamped into the room. The man looked much like the Oracle did now, and he should, since he was the pervious Oracle. This Oracle had been Himerish's teacher and walked with much more propose with the Staff of Kandrakar in hand. "Outrageous!" The man shouted. "Those old fool would just sit around and talk as Pariah lays waste to Earth!"
"Oracle, please calm yourself, this is a place of peace." A younger Oracle said as he walking in behind his master. This Oracle still had a full head of white hair and looked rather worried as the old Oracle stamped about. "You now that it is not Oracle's place to interfere with fate."
"I cannot except that, Himerish. Something must be done. Order be damned." The old Oracle said as he walked up to the Heart of Kandrakar, staff in hand. "If they refuse to see reason and help the humans, then I will just have to take matters into my own hands!"
The Oracle raised the staff and struck the Heart of Kandrakar. All of Kandrakar shook as the Heart glowed before splitting into the five Aruameres, the small pink crystal which would one day be called the Heart of Kandrakar was flouting in the middle of them.
The old Oracle grabbed the crystal. "Go now, find those how had the will to fight. Find the Guardians." The man said and the crystal glowed before shooting up and disappearing.
"Oracle... what have you done?" Himerish asked in horror.
"I have divided the Heart of Kandrakar, and bond its power so that it may only be used by the humans." The Oracle said looking off into the distance. "They will help guard the worlds where we have failed."
"Oracle, you cannot believe that even you will get away with this?" Himerish said backing away.
"I won't. They will strip me of my title and I will be damned for all of eternity." The Oracle said looking over to his apprentice. "I suppose that mean you are the Oracle now." The Old Oracle laughed. "I've had this job for some long that I can't even remember my real name. But, time moves forward, and so will I." He looked at Himerish with a playful smile. "Never forget that the future is not written in stone. Every second could bring new surprises." The doors shoot upon again and guards poured in to take the man away.
The surface of the crystal shimmered at it was the day of the trail. "You have betrayed Kandrakar, and for that you will receive the ultimate punishment." The judge said as the previous Oracle kneed before the stands, his arms tied to a large post that lay on his back, blood dripping down the side of his face from a cut that ran over his left eye. "But my right, I sentence you to Tartarus!"
Shouts of approval filled the hall as the Old Oracle looked about them with a pleased expression on his face. His eyes settling on Himerish. "Good luck." He said as he was pulled away by three guards. That was the last that Himerish had ever seen of his master.
The Oracle was not sure why it was this event that was calling to him after all this time. But he could not help but to wonder what his master would do in his shoes.
But in the end, the Oracle's job is only to observe.
Unless you are one of the people in my 'math for business students' class, I guessing you all know who that previous Oracle was.
That's right it's Clockwork, and bits of this chapter were inspired by the stories of Prometheus who was damned for giving fire to mankind. So Clockwork is Prometheus.
Yes I now this goes against the Canon story in WITCH about the Empires Dragons and the Nymph and what not, but I don't really care.
This chapter has zero relevance and was just something I thought would be cool. Though I guess it gives a bit of explanation about the mechanics of a Halfa in the context of this story.
Why am I the only one that ever says that Danny is the Reincarnation of Achilles? It seems really fitting in some stories. (Someone that is not me could make a Percy Jackson story on that) I started a crossover with the Tapestry on that premise, but the story died due to lack of readers and me losing the book I was using as a base.