Chapter 219 - Change in the Winds of Prazia

"Madame Bisset? Where did she hear it?"

"I think she's close to someone that King Odhran trusts."

"What did they steal in the palace?"

Zenia shrugged her shoulders, "I don't know, but I think it was something very important to the King of Prazia."

"I… I did not know that something like that happened in the palace. Young Madam, do you think they will still be looking for us?"

"Hmm, not for now. We did not steal anything from the secret base. But, they might get suspicious later and start to look for us. Right now the incident in the palace let us off the hook."

'Thank you, whoever you guys are. Your bold actions divert their attention to you.'

In a nearby inn, a shadowed figure finally returned to make a report.

"General, the soldiers are already looking for us. We have successfully diverted their attention to us. Junior Commander should be safe for now."

"Good! Continue to provide assistance to the Junior Commander in secret. Commander Zander explicitly ordered us not to let the Junior Commander discover us."

"Yes, General!"

There was foreboding evil in the winds of Prazia, and the General could feel it. He could sense the sudden change in the atmosphere surrounding Prazia. He feared that they might face a powerful dark force soon. He could not tell if they would be able to survive the inevitable encounter. One thing was certain – they must get Zenia and Vaughn out of Prazia alive.

The old man and Jorick were on their way to find the golden flame that Jorick dreamt. Suddenly, Jorick changed his mind and told the old man that they should head to Prazia

"Jorick, why do we need to go to Prazia now? I thought we still need to find the golden flame that you saw in your dream?"

"I can't explain it grandfather, but something is urging me to go to Prazia immediately."

"What about the golden flame that looked like strands?"

"I think it's something that belongs to the future. We may never find it in Venetia at present."

"But, you said…"

"I could be wrong. I must've misinterpreted my dream. Now that I'm clear-headed, I am sure that the one I saw should happen in the future."

"Do we need to go there now?"

"Yes… ahhh!"

Jorick held his head, which was throbbing in pain. It was the first time that it happened to him. Something kept urging him to go to Prazia, and the pain would intensify each time he stopped moving to the direction of Prazia.

"Lad, what's happening to you now? You're making me nervous."

"Please, grandpa, let's get going to the direction of Prazia."

The old man did not ask anything further and just followed Jorick's lead as he moved his feet to the direction that the unknown entity was leading him. Jorick noticed that the pain began to subside when he followed the path that he was told to tread. The old man accompanied Jorick even though he was uncertain where it may lead them.

At the end of the road, they found an empty carriage with two horses but no coachman. Jorick boarded the carriage. The old man was confused at the young man's action. 

'Am I the designated coachman?'

The old man looked around and saw that there was indeed no coachman anywhere. He scratched his head and sat on the coachman's spot. Jorick was waiting for the old man to board the carriage when he heard the sound of the whip.

"Grandpa, what are you doing there?"

"There's no coachman. I will drive this carriage, but the horses don't budge."

"Just get inside the carriage and let the horses pull the carriage."

"How can we get to our destination then?"

"The horses know what to do."

The old man was not convinced, but he really had no plan to act as the coachman. He got off from the coachman's seat and went inside the carriage.

"Whoa!" The old man exclaimed when he saw the interior of the carriage and the provided refreshments.

From the outside, the carriage looked small and unappealing. Even the thieves wouldn't risk their lives in robbing that kind of carriage. But, the inside was luxurious. Everything that they would need for a comfortable journey was in the carriage.

Jorick could tell that the carriage and the things that had been provided for them were created by magic. It must be the  good work  of the entity that was summoning him to go to Prazia. His headache was completely gone as if it did not occur in the first place.

The carriage began to move on its own. The old man noticed that someone was managing the horses. He could swear that there was no one there when he sat on the coachman's seat.

"It's a holographic coachman, grandpa. You don't need to worry about anything." Jorick informed the old man in a soft voice that was almost a whisper.

"How did you know?"

Jorick looked at the old man and realized that he said something extraordinary. He had no idea what he said and why he said it. It was as if something was dictating information to him that only he could hear.

The journey was surprisingly smooth and fast. They reached Prazia in no time. The old man could not believe it when they already reached Prazia before it turned dark. In his estimate from where they left off, it would take them a day or two to get to Prazia. It was like they teleported there, but he did not see or feel something odd while they were traveling.

They talked about where to go first as the carriage continued to move without stopping. The guards of the gate were conducting a thorough check. When it was their turn, the guard simply signaled to his comrades to let them pass. The people in front and behind them did not seem to mind. It was as if no one could see them.

"Let us go to your friend's house, grandpa. Do you know where it is?"

"Well," the old man rubbed his chin as he tried to remember the location of his friend's house in Prazia, "I think it was in the West Province."

"What's his name?"

"Roy Gavern."

The carriage suddenly turned right to the next intersection even if no one told the holographic coachman where to go. Jorick felt a sudden surge of power within him. He was overwhelmed at first, but he found it soothing later. He had never felt that calm before…he liked the feeling.

He closed his eyes as the carriage kept moving. The passengers believed that the carriage would take them to their destination safely. Jorick suddenly heard someone whispering to his ear.

"You're finally back, you're finally back."

He opened his eyes and saw the old man fast asleep. There was no one there but the two of them. The message kept playing in his mind. He could not understand the meaning of the message. He lost his memory and started regaining bits of it, but he was certain that he had not gone to Prazia before. Prazia gave him a familiar feeling, but everything about the kingdom was foreign to him.

He had decided not to tell anything to the old man for the meantime. He must focus on getting his memory back. Hopefully, the friend that the old man had mentioned could really help him.

When the carriage finally stopped, the old man was already awake. He looked out the window and could not believe his eyes. The house was exactly how he remembered it. He couldn't believe that after so many years they would meet again.

When they parted ways that day, he told Roy that they should not meet again in this life. The old man remembered the last conversation that he had with his dear friend.

"Roy, you must stay here in Prazia. We can never be certain what might happen to you the moment my enemies had learned about your existence."

"But where will you go? You already abdicated the throne. They will no longer look for you."

"Don't underestimate their greed. They will not stop until I'm dead."

"But, you will certainly live for a very long time. The life pill that I gave you before would make you live for hundreds of years."

"Why did you give me that anyway? You knew well that I was looking forward to joining my wife in the afterlife."

"I've told you before that I saw a prophecy, and you are the only one who can help me prevent great disaster from happening. You are destined to live a long life. Maecaea as we know it will perish in a blink of an eye if you continue to deny your fate."

"Why me?"

"No one knows the exact reason. All I know is that it must be you."

"Is it the reason why you befriended me?"

"When I became your friend, I had no idea that you were a part of the prophecy. We became friends because that's our fate."

"What do I need to do?"

"You don't need to do anything. You just need to continue living your life as you see fit. But, you should not abuse your body. You still need to keep it safe and healthy. The prophecy will happen in its own time."

They had yet to knock on the door when it suddenly opened. An old man who seemed around the age of the former King of Tissuria appeared before them. He gave them a warm smile when he saw an old friend.

"You have grown old. You no longer look as handsome as you used to," Roy blurted out suddenly.

"Same goes to you. Your lively blue eyes had turned grey. Where's the face that my wife had once said could sweep a sea of women off their feet?"

The two old men hugged each other while laughing. Jorick looked on and kept quiet.

"It's good to see you Wolstan Pernell, the former King of Tissuria."

Jorick was shocked at what he heard and looked at Roy, who flashed a mischievous smile at him.