According to Prophecy

The time had come...

Sana-Lynn could feel it pressing down upon her. She shrugged uncomfortably, gripping her long white staff for reassurance as she left her room and moved down the narrow hall of the inn. Never before had the white cloak felt so heavy upon her shoulders. Instinctively, she wanted to pull the hood up, to hide from what was to come, but she did not.

At the end of the hall, she walked down a narrow flight of stairs, taking each step hesitantly. She looked over the rail below, realizing she was the last to arrive. It seemed she had been the least resolved of the four, but that was only in her mind, and she would not give it purchase.

For a simple roadside inn, the place was rather large, with two-dozen private rooms, and a huge common below, which sprawled out beneath her. All the small round tables had been pushed back against the walls, to make room for a long rectangular table to be set in the center.

Everyone below looked up at her as she came down the stairs. No one spoke, but there was a definite tension in the air. Gantz gave her a quick glance where he stood off to the side from the others, leaning against the wall, arms folded. He looked down just as quick and frowned at the floor, seemingly preoccupied. He was dressed in dark leather armor, like an archer, or that military scout Sana had once seen. Sure enough, he had two long knives sheathed over his hips. He must be some kind of fighter, and Sana could not deny an air of... quickness that surrounded him, even as he simply stood there.

Robin glared up at her, gripping a strange black stick tightly, standing almost defiantly at the table. She was now almost fully concealed in black robes with a strange peaked hat. She said nothing, but Sana-Lynn felt her own gaze hardening in mutual animosity before she forced herself to stop. Robin was not her enemy, no matter what the other girl thought. Sana knew instinctively that the black mage would not be easy to work with.

Valor gave her a simple nod, as an equal to an equal, though his blue eyes were troubled, despite his otherwise solid presence. He wore plain armor over a red bodysuit, bearing the undeniable air of a trained warrior. The Headmaster stood next to him, smiling up at Sana through his long white beard. The woman Aria stood to the other side of Valor, a regal statuesque woman with stunningly silver hair, though her face was barely lined and quite beautiful. She was Valor's noble mother, and Sana could see the resemblance around the eyes. The woman gave her a reassuring nod, as if to coax her from the stairs, and Sana's face flushed as she realized she had stopped.

She hurried down the rest of the way and came up to stand near the others. She heard bustling in the kitchens behind a bar on the far wall of the common room. Apparently the innkeeper and staff where working hard. Her stomach growled, and she hoped they were making breakfast.

"Good of you to join us, Sana-Lynn," Aria said simply.

"You took your sweet time, lesser mage. A pity I must work with such a coward," Robin growled, and despite herself, Sana's eyes widened in anger.

"Enough of that," Dalton Samar said, looking at the black mage. "Do not deny that you have your own fears, Robin Magus."

"I deny nothing!" she snapped. "I fear that working with such fools will be the death of me before I am ever able to fulfill my destiny."

Dalton smiled sagely. "An evasion, Chosen of Fire. Lying to yourself will only make you weaker in the long run. All of you are uncertain; you are too young to be otherwise, especially with what has been placed upon your shoulders. That is enough to give any veteran pause."

Robin muttered angrily under her breath, but said nothing further.

Aria looked over at Gantz where he leaned against the wall. "Would you also care to join us, young Gantz?"

The boy looked up, his dark eyes wary. "I can hear you just fine from here."

"As you wish," Aria replied.

Dalton gave them all a significant look. "You four are the Light Warriors, there is no doubt about that. This inn is a half a day south of Cornelia, just an hour east of the main road. From here, I can feel the Veil of Darkness coalescing over the White City, trying to choke it. A great evil stirs, an evil only the four of you together can dispel." He stopped, nodding to Valor, who nodded back.

The Chosen of Earth looked to them all. "I am a cousin of King Highland, and it is he that we must go to first. He will put us on the first step of our journey." His mother Aria nodded confirmation at his side.

For some reason, Gantz snorted derisively after he finished and Valor clenched his jaw. It was Dalton who spoke again, however. "After we are finished here, you will have some time to get to know one another better. This is essential if you are to work together. Believe me, no matter what each of you thinks, none of you can do this alone. The four Light Warriors must work as one, or they will fail. It was the same with the legendary Light Warriors so long ago, and it must also be so with you."

Different looks passed between them all at that statement, Sana was no exception. Despite herself, glares passed between her and Robin, and she noticed the same for Gantz and Valor. All in all, the sum total of all those looks was dubious at best.

Dalton continued. "All of you have skills, as well as Blessings of the Crystals. I can sense this much, but please, for edification, I would like each of you to explain what it is you are versed in." He looked to Sana first. "Please, Sister Atha, we shall start with you."

Now it was Robin that snorted derisively, but Sana ignored her, standing up as straight as she could. "A white mage's magic is that of healing and protection, and I have studied long in the libraries of the White Temple. I can heal wounds in a matter of seconds, cleanse poisons and disease, provide protection from physical blows as well as magic, and my skill will only grow with time. I also have knowledge of history and legends, which may be of some use in our journey."

Robin Magus frowned. "Knowledge of history? A fool joke if I've ever heard one."

Sana found herself growling, but Dalton forestalled her retort. "I have studied far longer than Sana-Lynn, Robin Magus, and I can assure you that the ancient war between us mages was both of our faults."

Sana looked shocked. "No, Headmaster, it cannot be! All black mages are vile." At the same time, Robin snarled: "You are as much a fool as any white mage, and I will not believe you!"

Dalton only shook his head. "The both of you may believe what you will, but I have put the pieces together after much consideration and study. Forget the past, you two, and concentrate on working together now."

Valor was looking thoughtful. "Such a power will be quite useful, Sana, vital even. In fact, I do not see how we could possibly survive without it. I can only believe we will do a great deal of fighting."

Sana-Lynn gave him a grateful look, and he gave her a small smile in return. She also caught what she believed was a thoughtful nod from Gantz.

Dalton nodded. "Very well." He looked to Robin. "And you?"

Though it was hard to tell under all that concealment, Sana was certain the black mage smiled. There was definite pride in her voice. "I wield black magic, nature's wrath at my beck and call. I can summon fire in a variety of forms to burn, can call ice and frozen winds to hold and freeze. I can conjure lightning and fry even the swiftest of creatures..." She paused, glaring at Gantz, who replied with an insolent grin. "My power is inborn and ever-growing," she stopped, suddenly considering. "Also, I have lived in the wilderness my whole life, and have hunted and been hunted by a variety of creatures. I have knowledge of these beasts as well as woodcraft."

Aria nodded. "Very useful, I would say."

Valor nodded in agreement. "Yes, outside of Highland and the Dragon Empire, there are few civilized places known in the world. Your power and knowledge will also be vital, Robin Magus."

The black mage snorted. "Of course it will be, fool, I didn't need you to tell me that."

Valor just sighed.

Dalton grinned, but looked to him. "And you, young Valor. What is it that you specialize in?"

The boy's blue eyes hardened. "I have trained nearly everyday of my life with weaponry; swords, maces, bows and spears. Any weapon you can imagine, I have likely studied. I have recently served in the army and fought goblins, and I know something of military protocol and tactics."

Gantz laughed dismissively from where he leaned against the wall. "So, you're gonna teach us all how to be uptight prigs, is that it? Count me out, Lord Bunghole."

Valor quivered, but as before with Sana, Dalton forestalled him. "Can you not see the benefit of having a master of weapons with you on your journey, Gantz?"

The boy shrugged. "Not really, my knives have never let me down once. Besides, carrying a whole bloody arsenal around with me would only slow me down."

Valor replied curtly: "I do not carry a whole arsenal, you scoundrel, only –"

Again, Dalton cut him short. "Calm yourself, Valor. Anyhow, Gantz, what is it you do?"

A smug smile spread slowly across the boy's face, and Sana-Lynn had to smother a giggle. Gantz just seemed too silly with that mischievous look on his face. "I am a Master Thief. I can steal anything not nailed down, and some stuff that is. I can bypass any lock, can sneak past anything, and I am the fastest man alive."

That was quite a revelation to all of them, and Sana found herself gaping. Valor was too, until his face suddenly went purple and he slammed an armored fist down on the table loudly enough to make them all start. "A blasted thief, I should have known! You had better not be a murderer as well, or so help me..."

He was really angry, but Gantz was angry too. The thief stood from the wall, glaring back at Valor. "I never killed anyone that didn't try to kill me first, you blue blooded fool, so quit glaring at me before your head explodes."

Robin suddenly laughed, as if this were all incredibly amusing.

Valor took hold of himself visibly, still grumbling under his breath. "A bloody thief," he murmured.

Gantz heard him and wiggled an admonishing finger. "Master Thief, blue blood. Emphasis on Master."

Aria nodded thoughtfully. "Well, it seems you all have quite a wide variety of skills and powers. Anyhow, I will leave the rest of the explanation to the Headmaster and see what is taking so long in the kitchens." And off she went, back through a narrow wooden swing door besides the bar.

Valor had watched his mother go, and Sana had watched him, realizing that Valor's mother was a source of strength for him. The young man had to visibly steel himself with her gone. Sana looked down, knowing she would have to do the same when the Headmaster left. He was certainly like a father to her.

After Aria was gone, Dalton nodded. "According to prophecy, the four of you have quite a trial ahead. I and three other friends came together before any of you were born, making preparations. Two years ago, all that preparation came to a head when we were given compelling visions to seek out the elemental Crystals. We called ourselves the Pact and came together as we knew we must. This Pact consisted of four men, myself included. The others were Vinter Loftlan, a knight, and father to young Valor here. There was also a man called James Flamehand, who wore black robes and knew how to summon arcane fire, much like Robin Magus. He was a longtime friend of Vinter's, but only an acquaintance to me. The final individual was a mysterious wanderer known only as Shadow. None of us knew him well and he came and went like the wind. Anyhow, each of us sought out one of the elemental Crystals and was given an orb. It was then our duty to make certain that these orbs were delivered to the Chosen. They have been."

Nobody said anything after that, all contemplative. Sana tapped her chin with a finger. "So, you of the Pact undertook your own journey so that we could undertake ours?"

The old man nodded. "Yes, Sister Atha. The sacrifices the four of us made were vital, though not nearly so hard as yours will be. Even Vinter would agree to that, despite that his life was lost."

Sana looked to Valor with sudden commiseration. So, he had lost his father too. The young man only stared at the table though, blue eyes hard.

Dalton continued. "So now we prepare. The four of you must travel as lightly as you can, and between Sana-Lynn and I, we have created a specialized incantation that will help provide you with sustenance on your journey." He turned to her to explain the rest.

The girl nodded. "White magic has many uses, even beyond healing and protection. Conjuration is a school of magical study that can create objects from a given source of energy. The Holy is the source of white magic, and from it, I can create food and drink. It will be simple fair; bread, cheese and water, though with time and practice I may be able to conjure something more elaborate."

Valor tapped the table thoughtfully. "Yes, that is excellent. Supply trains always slow an armed force on the march. If we do not have to carry loads of foodstuffs, it will lighten our burdens significantly, saving us time and gil."

Robin sounded annoyed, but added: "We can forage as well. I have done plenty of that, and can tell edible forage from that which isn't."

Strange, that was almost helpful, Sana thought, despite the other's tone. As if reading her mind, Robin glared at her, but said nothing.

Gantz nodded as well, leaning back against the wall. "I can steal anything else we need."

Valor shook his head with a growl. "I will not allow theft! There is no reason for it. Ever!"

Gantz tsked, and shook his head. "Never say 'ever', you fool noble. In my experience, I've run across plenty of bloody pricks, which would have caused me endless headaches if I had had to negotiate with them for what I needed. Besides, I don't steal from those who can't afford it – there's no rep doing that – and I doubt everyone we might need something from will just give it to us. Besides, I am not letting some uppity silver spoon tell me what to do!"

Valor gritted his teeth at that, his voice tight. "Fine. If you can justify it, perhaps I will allow you to practice your villainous trade when and if it becomes necessary."

Gantz laughed insolently. Sana admitted he was really quite good at insolence. "Oh, so I need your permission before doing what I've done my whole bloody life. Golly, thank you kindly, my Lord."

The Chosen of Earth ground his teeth, but held his tongue.

Sana looked to Dalton. "Headmaster, how did you know where to find us, or who we would be? I've read many of the legends myself, but none of them specify where or even when we would arise. Most of them are cryptic and incomplete, difficult to understand altogether."

"This is true, Sister Atha. Indeed, beyond the visions summoning us to the Crystals, we had to rely on other divinations granted us by a chance meeting with an oracle."

"An oracle?" Valor asked.

Dalton gave him a nod. "Yes, Valor, a seer, a witch, what-have-you, someone that was wiser than all four of us combined, yet you would never know it from meeting her." He paused to stroke his beard, trying to cover one of those subtle grins of his. "She was the strangest person I had ever met."

Valor cupped his chin, considering. "Perhaps we should see this oracle first?"

Dalton quickly shook his head. "No, not first. You must go to the King first, Valor, that much is certain. Perhaps, afterward you can go to see her. She lives northeast of the Kingdom... in a cave."

"A cave?" Sana said incredulously.

"Never mind that for now," Dalton went on. "First, you four must prepare. You will be left alone in here for several hours before you must go. You will have meals brought to you, but we will not be interrupted beyond that. Come to know each other as much as possible for I fear it is all the time you will have to do so. You must leave just after noon today to arrive in the White City at the appointed time. Destiny itself will take over from there." After that, he turned from the table and went up the stairs.

His absence made Sana-Lynn nervous all over again, and she clutched her ashen staff tighter.

There was silence in the room, everyone looking at each other, no one daring to speak. The same tension as before hung in the air, and Sana took a deep breath before breaking it. "I was born on a small farm in a pocket province on the western frontier..." she began, and when she was finished, she felt a little stronger.

The four Light Warriors had finally come together.