ICILIA WINTERS

Zoran slumped on the chair next to mine. "Please tell you know what I know and I don't have to tell it out loud," he said and buried his face in his hands.

"Depends on what you know," I said, feeling tired.

"That we are m-m-m-m--"

"That we're m-m-mates," I coughed out.

"Yes, that," Zoran pointed his index finger out at me while still looking down.

"Can we not tell anyone that? And will you make eye contact with me and not act like some boy facing his first crush, you moron?" I said.

"Yeah, okay. Chill," Zoran made eye contact with me. "And yes on that not telling anyone thing."

"Good! Don't kiss my anything and it will work out in our favour," I winked and left the seat to go find Fayth, Vanessa and Sanya.

"Girls!" I exclaimed seeing them. "Don't bother asking me about my mate because I haven't kissed my mate or him kiss me so I'm not sure who he is," I said when I saw their mouths open about to ask me the question they were dying to ask me which is, "Who's your mate? Is it Zoran? Please tell me it's Zoran?" So, I wasn't technically lying to them, right? I hope so.

"So, what's up?" I asked, leaning on the counter where they were all seated.

"You tell us," Fayth said, raising an eyebrow. "We aren't the ones having their eighteenth birthday party."

"So?" I shrugged. "What have you been doing while I was waiting for my mate, bored out of my mind. Please do tell."

"Eh, nothing much. Just waiting too see who won the bet?" Vanessa answered.

"What bet?" I narrowed my eyes.

"The one we placed on you and Zoran, duh."

"Whatever. Let's just enjoy the party," I said, dragging the girls to the dance floor.

"Mm-kay," Sanya said and started dancing.

The party was getting good and we were dancing like crazy. At one point, I even danced with some guy - I didn't know whether it was Zoran or not, but I danced with some guy and enjoyed it thoroughly. But like someone said, "All good things must come to an end" and so it did when a guy came running to the party and started panting out some horrid news.

"Sir.. the-there's.. something," he panted. "Something.. important.."

"Here. Drink some water first and then tell what you need to tell, Sawyer," my father handed him a glass of water.

"Sir, you need to call High Priest Darko and Grandpa Albert immediately. I come from the Realm of the Shadows with an important message," Sawyer said once he finished drinking water.

"Of course. Just hold on a minute," my father said and went to fetch Grandpa Albert and High Priest Darko.

"What's wrong, Sawyer?" Grandpa Albert asked as soon as he got here. Grandpa Albert wasn't our real grandpa or anything - we just called him that because he was the oldest person in Qrison Vlesa and also, the wisest. If you had a riddle and wanted a solution, he was the go-to person - no matter how hard the riddle may be. Grandpa Albert was also a very friendly and humorous person. He was like Santa Claus. I remember sitting on his lap and babbling questions and he would answer my questions very patiently. He was also one of my favourite persons seeing as he scolded Zoran most of the time. Grandpa Albert looked like how a grandpa would - white hair, white beard, kind and smiling face and gentle and sweet.

"Grandpa, the Shadows, they've stopped predicting. Completely," he said.

"That cannot be possible," muttered High Priest Darko. High Priest Darko was exactly what his name suggested. The Priest of all Priests. He was considered to be the voice of God. He looked strict and everything but was really very sweet. "How is that possible? The Shadows have never stopped predicting even once since eons ago. What happened?"

"I don't know, Priest Darko. I went to the Temple of the Shadows to ask something and I never got an answer. I asked the priest there and he said that this wasn't the first time. It stopped around a week ago. They've been trying to contact you but no communication was going through," Sawyer explained. "I'm getting worried, sir."

"Don't worry, Sawyer. I knew this would happen soon. After all, the Gods' themselves have sent us someones to save us from this," Grandpa Albert said, surprising us all. "Don't worry at all."

"Who are they, Grandpa?" Sawyer questioned, a look of surprise visible on his face.

"Remember Mr.Winters, when Icilia was around one, she scribbled something on the paper that turned out to be what the Shadows wanted to convey? And don't you remember Mr.Summers that when Zoran was around two, he said something that translated what the Shadows were predicting?" Grandpa Albert addressed Zoran's father and my father. I was able to write.. being one year old? Wow!

"Hah! Beat that Zoran! I was way more intelligent than you were, you slowpoke," I joked but looking at those serious and glum faces, I muttered an apology, "Not the right time? Sorry."

Zoran smirked and I glared at him.

"What I'm trying to say is that haven't you ever wondered why Zoran and Icilia are different from  the rest of us? Why they find their soul-mates in a different way as compared to us? Why they're not just one supernatural creature but a combination of many? Have you ever wondered  why?" Grandpa Albert asked.

"Everyday," Zoran's and my parents answered in unison.

"Because they are the chosen few of the Gods above to save us from this. They along with their friends will be our saviors from this apocalypse. But if they don't save us in time, Qrison Vlesa will no longer exist," Grandpa Albert ended.

"Gee thanks!" I muttered. "That's no pressure at all."

"Icilia.."

"Sorry."

"What do we do now, Grandpa?" Zoran asked, trying to impress Grandpa Albert. I mean, of course he would! To make Grandpa like him, he would grab any opportunity that comes his way. Ugh!

"Nothing. Just wait for the signal from the gods. You'll know what's the signal as soon as the signal comes your way," Grandpa Albert said.

Zoran and I's faces scrunched up in confusion.

"Confused?" Grandpa Albert laughed and we nodded - not in unison, thank God for that! "You'll get used to it!"

"But I don't want to get used to it," I protested. "If I do, it means that I'll have to keep running about every time something like this happens," I waved my hands.

"Lazy ass," Zoran coughed.

"Want to repeat that mister?" I asked, putting my hands on my hips.

"I said that you're a lazy ass,"Zoran shouted.

Haha. You fell right into my trap, dear Zoran. Wait for it. 

1.. 

2.. 

3..

"Zoran Weizen Summers, did I just hear you say ass? And that too to Icilia?" Zoran's mother shouted as she came near him, a glare plastered on her face. Oh, how I love Zoran's mother!

"Uh- No.. no, mom. Not at all," Zoran said.

"Uh-huh. Sure. If I hear you say that word again.. You don't want to complete that sentence, do you?" she asked Zoran who shook his head and muttered a sorry.

"Okay, so I guess we wait for a signal now?" I asked looking at Grandpa Albert who nodded in confirmation. "How long?"

He shrugged.

"You mean to say we don't know how long?" I asked, raising my eyebrow up in disbelief at Grandpa Albert who again nodded in confirmation. "Do we have to stay here and wait? Or can we go somewhere else?"

"We have to stay here," Grandpa Albert said. "Since we know that the Shadows have stopped predicting, we need to wait here as the signal may come any second. And no, Icilia, we do not know what the signal might be."

I slumped my shoulders and let out a breath. "Ugh. Worst birthday ever."

"Like mine was any better," muttered Zoran who I chose to ignore being the mature person.

"What? Not going to retort with a what-you-think-is-a-smart comeback?" Zoran asked and I ignored him.. again. "Ahh, so either you're ignoring me or giving me the silent treatment." I turned my head away. "Yup, definitely ignoring me." 

Gah! Couldn't he just shut up?

While I was scolding Zoran in my brain and he was busy imitating me, Sawyer had come up to in front of Zoran and I. What did he want? I was about to voice my thoughts out loud when he began saying some words and I stared at him confused. He said,

He is coming soon
Most shall perish, blood shall fall
Black walks over all

But these lines.. he wasn't speaking them. He spoke those lines in a weird voice. It wasn't his voice but someone else's. That voice was laced over with another voice. His eyes had rolled to the back of his head and it seemed like he was possessed by someone and that they spoke those lines with an overlapped voice of some other person.

"Was that a haiku?" I asked, ignoring the overlapping voice stuff. "It did have 5 syllables followed by seven syllables and lastly followed by five syllables. That's got to be a haiku."

"Indeed, it was a haiku. But my dear, I think you're missing the bigger picture?" Grandpa Albert said.

"Wha-" my eyes widened in realization. "That is the.. Damn it! It doesn't sound good."

"What happened? What is it?" Zoran butted in.

"Stupid," I face-palmed myself. "That was the sign. The sign that the gods sent."

"It doesn't sound good. Most shall perish, blood shall fall? That sounds horrible," Zoran said. "And very painful."

"You think!" I exclaimed. "And we'll have to stop all that? It sounds dangerous and tiring. But okay."

"Woah! Stop. Hold on. We'll have to stop whoever he is? This isn't what I signed up for. I'm only eighteen for gods' sake. I don't want to lose my life," Zoran said.

"Don't be a chicken Zoran. It's for Qrison Vlesa's protection. If Qrison Vlesa ceases to exist, so will you. Stop being a big baby you man-baby," I smirked.

"I'm not a man-baby. I'm a man. And I was just joking. Of course I'll go with you people to save Qrison Vlesa," Zoran said.

"Uh-huh. Sure, you were. And it's not 'you people,' you dumbo. You and I are the leaders of this saving committee," I rolled my eyes.

"F**k my life," Zoran groaned.

"What me to tell your mom?" I asked, smirking.

He glared at me, "Blackmail Queen."

"That I am."

"Okay children, enough with your banter. We just got the sign from gods and we must act on it right away," Grandpa Albert said.

"How?" Zoran and I asked in unison. I groaned.

"Did you know what that sign meant?" Grandpa Albert asked.

We shook our heads in negative.

"Sawyer spoke a haiku. But that wasn't his voice, no. It was someone else's voice and was overlapped with another person's voice. Did you notice that?" Grandpa Albert asked and we nodded yes. "Good, good. Well, that person's voice was none other than Lord Apollo's, the Greek God of Prophecies, Sun and Music. Do you know what that means now?"

"That that haiku was the prophecy?" Zoran said.

"Idiot," I face-palmed myself, again. "It means that the gods want us to consult the Oracle."

"Icilia's right, Zoran," Grandpa Albert said, "The gods want us to consult the Oracle for a prophecy which will determine Icilia and Zoran's as well as their friends' journey to save Qrison Vlesa. We need a prophecy for them to start their journey."

"But where is the Oracle?" Zoran asked. "Ever since the Shadows started predicting stuff, no one ever went to the Oracle except if they needed to be sure and hence, went to the Oracle for confirmations. I doubt anyone even does that now that they trust the Shadows' predictions."

"You're right, Zoran but you forgot that I am an old person which means that I was there when oracles were still consulted. So, I know an Oracle. She's my friend and one of the best we have," Grandpa Albert said. "You can go consult her for the prophecy."

"What do you mean by you? I'm not going there alone. Oracles live in caves and in the caves are bats and besides, I'm not the only one who goes on this journey," Zoran protested.

"Calm down Zoran. By you, I meant you and Icilia and your friends. But only you and Icilia will go into consult the Oracle while your friends can wait outside her cave," Grandpa Albert said.

"Okay."

"Okay, Zoran and Icilia, choose your six who will accompany you on the journey to save Qrison Vlesa," High Priest Darko said. "Icilia, you go first."

"I choose Sanya, Vanessa and Fayth," I said.

As I called their names, they stepped forward. "Do you all accept this mission?" High Priest Darko asked to which they nodded their heads in positive.

"Zoran, your turn," High Priest Darko said.

"My choices are Treznor, Darin and Regi," Zoran said and again, as their names were called, they stepped forward and nodded their heads in positive.

"Qrison Vlesa, you have your chosen eight who will save us from being perished," High Priest Darko announced and the people of Qrison Vlesa cheered as we smiled.

"Wait. How do we get to the Oracle's cave?" I asked.

"It's beyond the Krynarc Woods and on the other side of the cliff Cyhsh Bluff, there are Styzuhst Pinnacle Mountains right? Her cave is in the eastern side of those Styzuhst Pinnacle Mountains," Grandpa Albert explained. "I'll give you guys a map tomorrow morning."

"Okay," I nodded my head. "By the way, what's her name?"

Grandpa Albert smiled. "Xyla. She's Oracle Xyla."